We can all so quickly turn on one another, especially when the current climate already has us stressed. Now more than ever, it’s vital that we understand and embrace our unity with one another through Jesus. In God's providence, this Sunday we come to a passage not merely about unity... but about union - union with Christ. How does that help us? Jesus gathered rich and poor, men and women, insiders and outsiders, rural and urban, Roman collaborators and Rome-haters - all under his one banner. How did he do it? What tangible hope does that offer us now?
Discussion Questions
what it is
Paul says "in Him/Christ" 11 times in v.1-14. What kinds of bonds or relationships in our lives have anything close to this kind of solidarity, unification, or oneness? Describe the closest thing you have had to anything like this.
What does Jesus mean by "in me" in John 17:22-23? “…That they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one…” Are there few or many examples of this actually happening? What’s the best example of this principle at work from your experience?
In John 16:7 Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.” How can it be to the disciples' "advantage" that Jesus leaves them? Has anyone’s departure or passing ever empowered you to carry on their values or purpose in a more potent way than while they were with you in person?
Ephesians 1:13-14 calls the Holy Spirit a "guarantee"? Who is the Holy Spirit? (John 14:16-20; Acts 16:6-7)
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives? (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 John 4:1-3) Russ said the Holy Spirit puts a spotlight on Jesus like a spotlight shines on a building – the point is to see the building, not the light source. How does the Holy Spirit function like that in your life, where He’s unseen, but always functioning?
This idea of "union with Christ" can be hard to get our heads around. Which of these other tangible images in the NT help you grasp it best? VINE: John 15:1-5. BODY: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. TEMPLE: Ephesians 2:19-22. BRIDE: Ephesians 5:28-32.
what it does
List all that this “union with Christ” does for us, looking at 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. Which of these is most on your mind typically, and which of these was a needed reminder? Tell a story to illustrate what you mean.
Out of Ephesians 1, how is union with Christ giving us a new past (v.4)? Does this new record in Christ truly free you, or are you restrained by something in your past? How does this new identity in Christ (v.7) free us from chasing significance and meaning? What are you prone to chase that’s insignificant and meaningless? How does our new future in Christ (v.10) change our approach to suffering and/or our ambition?
why it matters now
If we have a new past, present and future. . .
How does that help us navigate an increasingly polarized society?
How does that confidence enable us to confess our failures openly?
How does that help us to care for people who are hurting, especially when doing so will bring us discomfort?
Read Galatians 2:20. How is this different from simply "looking within"?
Read Philippians 2:12-13. What is the command in v.12? What is the resource we are given to accomplish that command in v.13? How does this "tension" keep us humble yet confident (1 Corinthians 1:27-31)?
