Every pastor, student, and Christian should read Grant Macaskill’s Living in Union with Christ. Macaskill lucidly argues for the importance of being in Christ for the Christian life. Any account, he avers, that does not begin with “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me” (Gal 2:20) amounts to a species of legalism because it assumes that “I” (the agent) have accomplished something apart from Christ.
Macaskill identifies a real problem within evangelism in this regard and seeks to remedy it. He notes how we separate Christ from the Spirit, salvation from sanctification, and transaction from transformation. Yet these realities have their force only in Christ. It is a package deal since our identities become constituted in Christ by the Holy Spirit.
For Macaskill, the Spirit makes Christ personally present in us. In consequence, the Christian life centres on making Jesus’ identity personally present in us. That is why the Eucharist, according to Macaskill, enacts another person’s memory (Jesus’) so that it becomes ours. That is why baptism clothes us with another person’s history and future (Jesus’) so that it becomes ours.
That is to say, the centre of the Christian life is divesting ourselves of our “I” and reinvesting ourselves with the identity of Jesus through the Holy Spirit who makes Christ personally present among the church. In other words, this account of moral formation is a trinitarian account that takes seriously the role of the Holy Spirit (see e.g., p. 43).
While thoroughly in the reformed tradition, Macaskill provides fresh insight into old or assumed truths. In many cases, these truths have not only been forgotten but even replaced by less adequate accounts. For example, Macaskill rightly affirms that the reason why we have the righteousness of Christ is because he has become ours by participation, by union—not through some unreal, undefined force of imputation.
Probably most practically, however, Macaskill dismantles common contemporary assumptions among evangelicals about the Christian life. He does not do so with any sort of superiority or judgmentalism; rather, he aims to help us realize our identity in Christ by the Spirit.
We generally think of salvation in this way. We believe. Christ forgives us. Then later the Holy Spirit sanctifies us. While abstractly, we can affirm all of these things as true and somewhat separately. The practical reality is that this comes to us in toto.
Being in Christ means that the Spirit makes Christ personally present in us. “The final defining reality of our lives and our church,” writes Macaskill, “is the potent goodness of Jesus Christ” (45). It means: “The community embodies the life and goodness of Jesus himself as it is constituted by the presence of his Spirit. It inhabits the goodness of Jesus, even as his goodness inhabits it” (145).
I wish that every evangelical would read this book. While Macaskill occasionally provides technical discussions, he mostly writes to directly connect with readers. It will take some concentration for those not used to reading theology works. But it is worth it. I recommend it highly!
The publisher provided me with a review copy.
Excellent post, Wyatt —
“While thoroughly in the reformed tradition, Macaskill provides fresh insight into old or assumed truths.”
Yet, he is still thoroughly in the Reformed tradition; perhaps not as free as it might appear. It actually appears he is steeped in the notion that baptism is biblically unasailable — yet no one has made the case purely exegetically…comparing Scripture with Scripture and nothing else. Scripture is lackimng nothing. Luther, for example, had no biblical justification to feel the way he did about the Jews. Ecclesiology does not constitute Holy Writ in total.
“Macaskill rightly affirms that the reason why we have the righteousness of Christ is because he has become ours by participation, by union—not through some unreal, undefined force of imputation.” Really??
That directly contradicts Scripture, blatantly. John 1:12 — the reality of which is very real; and all it takes is belief…a very difficult proposition for a person not born from heaven. “12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…”. You know how often this reality is documented in Holy Writ.
That undefined “force” is called the Holy Spirit — He responds to anyone born from heaven…John 3:3…tells us, In order to see the Kingdom of God one must be born from heaven, that’s it. There is no mention of the church — this would have been a perfect opportunity for the Spirit to bolster the vital necessity for the church to impose itself into the operation of God.
John 3:5 tells us it is necessary to become spiritual (cf, Ezekiel 36 24…) as a result of our belief (John 3:3) which lifts us above our body of death in order to receive the Holy Spirit…the “Water” serving as a metaphor = spiritual, in that verse.
John 3:8 — then and only then can we earn the attention of the very busy Holy Spirit (John 3:8). Ministers do not have the cachet to warrant the Spirit’s attention by his temporal rituals, or the purity of his heart. the Lord expects humility which is rare on this earth. In the early Church only Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5… were excluded from service — the Spirit knows very well who is of a convicted heart “inwardly”, for the Son of God. Is every Minister who performs temporal immersion in water walking in the Spirit? Yet many people believe that rite has some beneficial effect on their souls whethet the minister is a believer or not.
The Spirit aims to help us realize our identity in Christ by His indwelling, John 16:7,13-14, that indwelling is the only way for us to learn His language which Jesus gave us without a temporal rite of passage. As usual there were given numerous clearcut statements covering our hope; and it was not in ministers, who are instruments…successful at his work if he is walking in the Spirit. But he doesn’t replace the Spirit — he is not the Vicar…
That is why the Eucharist, according to Macaskill, enacts another person’s memory (Jesus’) so that it becomes ours. ..this statement cannot even begin to earn a place in the exegetical flow in theological protocol.
The science of the church as an organized society, and of whatever relates to its outward expression or manifestation is on its own, as the Pope has set the precedence for reckless abandonment of all theological reasoning to the extent he thinks he is the Vicar of Christ with 1
and 1/2 billian souls in tow. Scholars undoubtedly believe Catholicism is “a Christian religion” because they believe in Jesus — along with quite a few people sharing His throne. Nevertheless, Protestantism can not look down at Catholicism as if theologically superior.
For Macaskill, the Spirit makes Christ personally present in us — yes, based our belief and no help from us despite our efforts or works — MInisters tend to feel insecure ,as if they are not needed, if it turns out that baptismal rites are not what they want to believe them to be.
That is why the Eucharist, according to Macaskill, enacts another person’s memory (Jesus’) so that it becomes ours. That is why baptism clothes us with another person’s history and future (Jesus’) so that it becomes ours — this idea is not based on Scripture and appears to be madness…making absolutely no sense whatsoever. There is no way to make sense of this in view of 1 Corinthians 1:17; and for example, John 4:2 — yet this goes to certify one mistake the ecclesiologists repeatedly make — they must simply “dismiss” reams of scripture rendering the case they try to make very feeble.
This is definitely Not me feeling “superior”, for sure because I am too sick of my foibles and shortcomings — we are simply takling about what the Bible indicates. If any one shows me scripturally, that i have it all wrong, what me change.
Thanks for the recommendation brother!!!
I hope you enjoy! I really liked it, and I think it’s fairly accessible.
Actually here’s another thing that troubles me greatly — Matthew 28:19 — “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…”
My problem is also due to the fact that the word “Disciple” (in that verse) is a “Verb” in the Greek — μαθητής (mathétés). So, I would translate this passage as: Go! Teach! the Gospel all over the world, immersing in the name of the Father, Spirit, and Son.” The translation appears to erroneously render teach into a Noun — a Disciple, and then add the word, “Make” to make that translation official giving mankind the glory. An editor cannot change the meaning of any passage in the Bible, he can only enhance what is already there for better understanding, notwithstanding comparing Scripture…Acts 17:11, among others. 1 Corinthians 1:17 is critical when comparing Scripture with Scripture in the discussion of this issue.
This would all be an innocent, live, and let live occasion, but observing the disaster the Church has become over the last two thousand years suggests an urgency in getting it right.
As is mankind is glorified by the thought that he can “make a disciple”. Only the Holy Spirit can do that because only He can discern the heart of man and therefore only He can tell us who He plans to indwell. All we can do is pass the word — if we walk in the Spirit, and someone discerns the Spirit in us (just as we walk in the light which God is…), just because we walk in the light doesn’t mean we made anyone a disciple — if that were the case Judas would have been saved, most assuredly.
The acid test as to whether someone is walking in the light is very simple. A person who can through introspection legitimately say he loves his brother in Christ as well as his neighbor? Anyone can do that — everyone knows very well if he loves his neighbor, for sure. Yet people will go forward with all the ‘things’ we do that will not bring us the kingdom, but little attention is given to the ‘only’ thing that matters to God — love God with heart, mind, and soul, and one’s neighbor as oneself, i.e. that which fulfills the law and the prophets. What else fulfills the Law of the ages?
So, mankind gives the message, people hear it, some hear it and receive it, some hear it and do not… If we could make a disciple, everyone we spoke to would receive the message. What would stop them? The devil would prevent them if they did not have the ‘heart’ to receive Christ — in that case, it is the Holy Spirit who would make the decision not to indwell, not us. If they did receive the message it is the Holy Spirit who would make the decision to indwell him/her He can make a disciple that Jesus desires; otherwise, we may have had 10 billion disciples in the last 2000 years, which contradicts the biblical reality of the Remnant that will be saved.