OUR UNION WITH GOD: A LIVING REALITY

I've been reading this book called– The Spirit Gives Life: How I Learned to Meditate. It’s really more of a biography, and I’m finding it both interesting and powerful. The author, Malcolm Smith, is in his 80s now, and he starts the story from when he was almost two years old—during WWII, bombs dropping, being rushed from his crib to hide in a closet. My first thought was how could a child remember that? But , I suppose, trauma like that makes an impression.

From there, the book traces his spiritual journey—and reading it has stirred something fresh in me. It’s making me more aware of the good news of the gospel: that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. This union is not something we strive toward, it’s something Jesus has already done. Let’s look at John 14:20 in The Passion Translation.

Jesus says, “When that day comes, you will know that I am living in the Father and that you are one with me, for I will be living in you.”

He’s talking about the day the Holy Spirit comes—Pentecost. That’s when the disciples would realize they were in Him, and He was in them. That’s our reality now. Jesus is in the Father, and we’re in Jesus, and Jesus is in us. That’s union. That’s oneness. That’s the very center of God’s heart. Not as orphans. Not separated. Not abandoned. But embraced.

I love the image of the Trinity seated at a table—Father, Son, Spirit—and the invitation extended to us. In Jesus, we’re included in that fellowship. The first Adam brought death into the world, but Jesus—the last Adam—brought life. He gathered us up into Himself. He became like us, so we might become like Him. And at the cross, He put that old self to death, buried it, and rose again so we might live as new creations.

Galatians 2:20 says,

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

That’s it. That’s the gospel. Not about us getting it right. Not about religion. But about Jesus doing what we never could—and including everyone in that victory.

Even in John 12, Jesus says He didn’t come to judge the world but to save it. His Word is eternal life. And eternal life isn’t just something that starts when you die—it’s knowing the Father, right here and now.

So today, meditate on this: Christ in you. You in Christ. He is your Savior. He is your life. And in Him, you are made whole. Believe it. Receive it. Walk in it.