Introduction: Gospel Formed Life

Union with Christ

Crocodile tears rolled down his 4-year-old cheeks as he pouted with the most heart-wrenching plea a father could hear, “Please, dad, please.”

I had just told him that I had a headache. I didn't want to jump on the trampoline with him, but he should do so himself. I would watch it. My son began to cry and clench his fist as the words poured out from his emotional deficit, “I don't want to jump on the trampoline. I want to jump on the trampoline with you!”

With.

If you run a Bible search on that word, most likely it will come back that there are too many occurrences of a too-common word for a search. Yet, being common should not make it any less profound. With is one of the most important words in our spiritual life. It is one of the most significant words or prefixes in Greek in all of Paul's writing.

With.

Who are you with right now as you're reading this? Maybe you're lying in bed next to your spouse. Maybe you're up early with coffee in your favorite chair. Maybe you're standing in line with a bunch of strangers? Or maybe you're in that one room in your house… most likely by yourself… where most people are on their phones most often… Maybe you're shaking your head and thinking, “I'm not with anyone.”

We often think of our spiritual transformation as a lonely road of progress where we tackle personal spiritual practices trying to grow. We often forget spiritual transformation is the process of with. Whether you are alone in the room or not, you are with. Our scripture reading today will focus on Romans chapter eight. I want to highlight some of the language in Romans 8 that is often overlooked because it doesn't stand out in our English translations. It’s usually not even noticeable. Eight times in thirteen verses, Paul uses the prefix "syn." This prefix is translated as co- or with. Most of the time, the English translation comes across as clumsy, so it's missed entirely. Here is a list of all the words that begin with the prefix “co-” in Romans 8:

• symmartyrei (8:16; lit. “co-witness”)
• syngklēronomoi (8:17; lit. “co-heirs”)
• sympaschomen (8:17; lit. “co-suffer”)
• syndoxasthōmen (8:17; lit. “be co-glorified”)
• systemized (8:22; lit. “co-groan”)
• synantilambanetai (8:26; “co-take hold of”; e.g., “help”)
• synergy (8:28; lit. “co-works”)
• amorphous (8:29; lit. “co-formed”; cf. Phil. 3:10, 21).

Our spiritual transformation is a process of with. We are with Christ. We are becoming with Christ. We are with the creation groaning for God to set things right. We are with the other children of God, delighting in our inheritance. We are with Christ, who is with God. This concept in theology is referred to as “union with Christ.” We are united with Christ, and it is a central concept for understanding our formation into good news.

Meditate on all the ways we are with Christ as you move slowly through this passage today.