Not just forgiven by him, or following him — you are in him.

Post 5 of 11

The Most Overlooked Phrase in the New Testament

If you had to pick the single most common phrase Paul uses to describe Christian identity, it wouldn't be 'saved,' 'forgiven,' or even 'loved.' It would be 'in Christ' — or its equivalents: 'in him,' 'in the Lord,' 'with Christ.' This phrase appears over 160 times in Paul's letters. It's so frequent that scholars have called it 'the heart of Paul's theology.'

And yet most Christians, when they describe their faith, talk about following Jesus or believing in Jesus — phrases that suggest a distance, a follower keeping pace with a leader. Paul's language is far more intimate and far more disorienting: you are in Christ, and Christ is in you.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

— Galatians 2:20

Union with Christ is not a mystical blur where your identity disappears into God. Paul still says 'I live' in Galatians 2:20 — there is a self. But that self is no longer the center or the source. 'I no longer live, but Christ lives in me' means the new life flowing through Paul is sourced in Jesus, not in Paul's own resources.

Think of a branch and a vine (which is exactly Jesus's own metaphor in John 15). The branch doesn't stop being a branch — it still has its own form, its own place. But its life, its fruit, its health is entirely dependent on its connection to the vine. Separate from the vine, it's dead wood. United to it, it bears fruit it couldn't produce on its own.

John 15 1: 10 (NIV) 

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Union with Christ means his history becomes your history. His death counted as yours — which is why Paul can say 'I have been crucified with Christ' even though Paul wasn't physically on that cross. His resurrection becomes the ground of your new life. His righteous standing before the Father is the standing you occupy.

Original Language

The Difference Between Following and Union

Following Jesus is about behavior and direction.
Union with Christ is about identity and source.

Both matter. Both are biblical.
But they are not the same thing — and confusing them is one of the main reasons so many Christians feel quietly exhausted, guilty, or like they’re always falling short.

Let’s talk about the difference in plain language.

Following Jesus: Walking Behind Him

Following Jesus is what most of us learn first — and rightly so.

Jesus says, “Follow me.”
He teaches us how to pray, how to love enemies, how to forgive, how to live generously and humbly. We watch what he does and we aim to do likewise.

In that sense, following looks like this:

I observe Jesus’s life.
I notice how far my life is from his.
I try to close the gap.

There’s effort here. Intention. Discipline. Direction.

And there’s nothing wrong with that — unless it becomes the engine.

Because when following is all we have, the Christian life subtly turns into a long comparison exercise.

• How patient was Jesus?
• How loving was Jesus?
• How holy was Jesus?

And then — how am I doing today?

This is where a lot of believers quietly start living with a low-grade spiritual fatigue. They love Jesus. They want to please God. But it feels like they’re always chasing a version of life that’s just slightly out of reach.

Union with Christ: Living From Inside the Vine

Union with Christ doesn’t start with what you do.
It starts with where you are.

Paul doesn’t say, “Try to live like Christ.”
He says, “You are in Christ.”

That’s a radically different starting point.

Union says:

• I am not standing outside Jesus, studying his life like a blueprint.
• I am joined to him.
• His Spirit lives in me.
• The life God is calling me into is flowing from a source already inside me.

This is why Jesus doesn’t just say, “Follow me.”
He also says, “Abide in me.” (John 15)

Abiding isn’t chasing.
It isn’t striving.
It isn’t measuring gaps.

It’s staying connected.

A branch doesn’t wake up in the morning and think, “Today I will try very hard to produce grapes.”
It simply remains attached to the vine — and fruit happens as a result of that connection.

When Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing,” he isn’t threatening us.
He’s explaining reality.

Martha and Mary: Doing vs Dwelling

You can see this difference play out clearly in Luke 10.

Martha is following. She’s serving. She’s working. She’s doing good, necessary things for Jesus.

Mary is abiding. She’s seated. She’s listening. She’s receiving.

Jesus doesn’t rebuke Martha for serving.
He gently points out that she’s anxious and burdened — while Mary has chosen “the better part.”

Why?

Because Mary has chosen union before output.
Presence before performance.
Source before service.

When service flows from union, it’s life-giving.
When service replaces union, it becomes heavy.

Paul’s Secret: “Christ Lives in Me”

This is why Galatians 2:20 is so central:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

Paul doesn’t say, “I try really hard to act like Christ.”
He says, “Christ lives in me.”

That means Paul’s obedience isn’t powered by willpower alone.
His endurance isn’t fueled by grit.
His love isn’t drawn from emotional reserves.

The source has shifted.

The Christian life is no longer me trying to live for God.
It is Christ living his life through me.

When we confuse following with union, Christianity becomes:

• More about effort than life

• More about pressure than peace

• More about “should” than “shared life”

We try to follow Jesus without first living from Jesus.

But the New Testament pattern is always the same:

Identity → then behavior
Union → then obedience
Life → then fruit

You don’t obey in order to become united to Christ.
You obey because you already are.

When you really grasp union with Christ:

• Obedience stops feeling like self-improvement

• Prayer stops being a performance review

• Holiness stops being a ladder and becomes a fruit

• Failure stops meaning “I’m out” and starts meaning “return to the source”

You stop asking, “Am I doing enough?”
And start asking, “Am I abiding?”

You stop living for Jesus at a distance —
and start living from Jesus, from the inside out.

Cross-Reference Trail