I have likely mentioned it here before. If not, the effects of it have surely been seen in my writing and teaching. I read a book in the last year that radically impacted the way that I think about and understand my relationship with Jesus. The book itself, Union With Christ by Rankin Wilbourne, is not novel in that it isn't saying anything that God himself hasn't revealed to us in the scriptures, but the book did a great job of illuminating and drawing my attention to truths that I have formerly failed to grasp. The result has been almost as impactful on my thinking and understanding of scripture as when I first discovered Reformed theology. Sometimes it is just like the light bulb finally comes on and things begin to make sense.
As a pastor, I hold the highest view of the sufficiency and necessity of God's word in the lives of believers, so I am always cautious in gushing over a resource because I never want people to believe that we should build our beliefs on what men say, but rather on what God has said in the scriptures. That being said, he has blessed many men and women throughout the history of the Church with the gift to mine and teach the depths of his word for us and we would be remiss to neglect to utilize and learn from valuable resources. And all of us have experienced for ourselves the way that a certain teacher can teach in a way that just seems to click for you. That is the case for me and this book.
With that being said, one of the most insightful parts of the book for me was the last section, which focused on the practical application of the doctrine of the believer's union with Christ in our daily lives. In this section, Wilbourne tied our union with Christ to Jesus' own teaching about abiding in John 15. In the final chapter of this section, before turning his attention to the communal aspects of the doctrine for the Church. he talks about the "Necessary Path of Abiding: Suffering".
He writes: "How do you remain in the vine (John 15:5) when the wind blows so hard that your life is turned upside down or when you feel knocked off your feet by an overpowering gust, disoriented by a storm, even lashed by a Hurricane? When you feel like 'God may be good in general, or good to others, but not to me,' when God seems distant or against you, and doubt, distrust, and anger have dropped anchor in your heart - how do you abide in Christ then? How do you move toward God when you are disappointed in him?"
Who among us can't relate to feeling that way? It is in the midst of our own sufferings that we most need to be reminded that we are united through faith to the Suffering Servant. Jesus, "in whom the whole fullness of [God] dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9), was unlimited in his power. We want to experience that kind of power in our own lives. For most of us, we use whatever little "power" we might have to make ourselves safe and comfortable. And yet, in Philippians 3:10, the Apostle Paul writes of his desire to "know [Jesus] and the power of his resurrection, and [to] share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death..." In other words, Paul sees Christ's power as inseparable from his suffering (and rightly so if we are to believe Jesus' own words in Luke 9:23). If we desire to know the power of Jesus, then we must also "become like him in his death" through suffering. Is that the Jesus you long to know?
This week's passage from Hebrews chapter 2 is dripping with "union" language. Verse 11 says it clearly. It most literally translates as, "For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one." Through this union, we are of one flesh with Christ (Ephesians 5:28-31). Just as a husband and wife are united through marriage, and become as one (even sharing in one another's suffering), so too Jesus and his bride, the Church, become as one and are united. Grasping this reality is so essential to developing a robust theology of suffering that prepares us and sustains us when the dark days inevitably come.
Again, Wilbourne writes: "In our pain, there is a temptation to prefer our own will above God's will for us, which is a temptation even our Lord faced (Luke 22:42). In our bewilderment, there is a temptation to turn away, to try to hide, or to seal off places in our hearts from a God we might be inclined to think is frowning at us or punishing us.
But if you know that you are 'in Christ.' and all the wonder that little phrase entails - that you are completely atoned for by Christ, covered by Christ, forgiven in Christ, washed clean in Christ - then you can be sure and certain that God loves you even though you may not know why he is allowing this suffering or what it will mean. It can't mean God is punishing you or condemning you since Christ already bore all the punishment and condemnation that our sins deserved, and he bore it completely, 'once for all' (Hebrews 10:10; Romans 8:1).
Moreover, knowing how much Christ suffered while he was sinless shows us that a life of trust and obedience, a life of striving to please God, does not exempt us or release us from a life of pain and suffering. Why do bad things happen to good people? The Bible doesn't give us an airtight answer to this. Instead, it gives us a perfect person to show us that no life, not even the best one, is exempt from pain and suffering."
Jesus took up his cross and made a way (pioneered or "trailblazed" a way, as verse 10 says) for us to be united to him, and to receive all of the blessings that come with that union. But just like a marriage, this union isn't without its difficulties as well. To invest one's life so deeply and intimately in a relationship inevitably opens up the door to feel and experience pain. When we love and are loved with this type of love, we knit our hearts to one another so that when one suffers, both suffer. This is the picture we see of our relationship with Christ.
The importance of this reality is twofold. First, it means that in our suffering, we are never, as we are tempted to believe, alone or isolated. Rather we are united to a loving savior who has suffered as we suffer and draws us into the hope and warmth of his grace and loving-kindness towards us. Second, we recognize that our suffering, like that of the Lord that we love, is not without meaning and purpose. We may not always understand that purpose, but we can rest in knowing that he does.
In Grace,
Chris Morris
If you missed this week's sermon (or just want to listen again), follow the link below to listen. Or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.
Part 5 - Making Sense of a Suffering Savior
Questions discussed in this sermon:
1. How is it "fitting" that God saved us in the way He did?
2. Why is Jesus not ashamed to call us brothers?
3. What does this text teach us about suffering?
Next week's lesson: Hebrews 2:14-18
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