Introduction to Union with Christ

In this part of the sermon: Martin uses the analogy of a transformed neighbourhood — explained first in broad strokes, then in detail — to illustrate the movement from last week's general description of…

Martin describes revisiting a neighbourhood once marked by filth, squalor, and run-down buildings, now transformed into prosperity and community pride. A resident's 45-second answer names the philanthropist, builder, and city council members; further questions then unpack the details of how each contributed. This illustrates the move from last week's broad overview of God's saving method to this week's precise exegesis of the compound verbs.

how does he do it? It's as though you visited a place where the last time you went, there was nothing but filth and squalor and run-down buildings. And now when you visit it, you see that there is a relative degree of materialism. There is a relative degree of material prosperity. You see nice homes. You see clean yards. You

7:17 - 7:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage the mind fully with the exegesis of biblical words even when circumstances — tiredness, distractions, domestic tension — make concentration difficult; what the Holy Ghost meant by these compound verbs is the answe…

Martin breaks the exposition to address the congregation directly: it's hot, stuffy, humid; some stayed up too late, some had sharp words with family on the way to church. He calls them to gather the loins of their minds and press into what the Holy Ghost meant by the three compound verbs.

It's stuffy. It's humid. Some of you stayed up too late last night. Shame on you.

11:55 - 11:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin adds the preposition 'together' to each verb and considers two interpretations — horizontal (Jew and Gentile unified in Christ) versus vertical (each individual united to…

Martin confesses hours of literal groanings in his study through the week, crying to God to know how to reduce the doctrine of union with Christ to its irreducible minimum without destroying it, concluding that it cannot be made simpler — it is a truth God must open to the hearer.

verse 1 of chapter 3 if then ye were raised together with Christ seek the things that are above the emphasis obviously falling again upon our togetherness not with each other but with Jesus the Christ himself now then what do we conclude well you say what I conclude is that I'm hopelessly confused and mentally worn out well beloved may I say honestly you don't know the agonies and I mean literal groanings as I've experienced in hours over my study this week crying to God Lord how can I reduce this profound biblical concept to its irreducible minimum how can I make it as simple as possible with...

22:24 - 23:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains that the Apostle's parenthesis in verse 5 ('by grace ye have been saved') uses the Greek perfect tense, locating the quickening, raising, and seating within the…

For students early in their Greek course, Martin invokes the seminary pedagogical image for the perfect tense — a dot (the past event) with an arrow going off into infinity (the continuing effect) — to illustrate that 'by grace ye have been saved' speaks of a salvation that happened at a point in time and continues effectively unto the ages of ages.

and he uses a form of the verb which means something happened at a point in time and the effect of it is continuing now and will continue to be manifested unto the ages of the ages for some of you fellows just knocking away at the early stages of your Greek course he uses a perfect tense and I'm sure Mr. Wade will show you a dot with an arrow going off into infinity to give the sense of the perfect tense that's what he says here by grace ye have been saved grace came and arrested you you were dead you were bound you were condemned but grace came you were constituted the saved with a salvation ...

27:35 - 28:20 Read in full sermon

Driving home: all that he did he did not only for me but as me he went into death as me instead he came out of death not only for me but as me and he went back to the right hand of the father not only for me but as me

Martin narrates Christ in the garden: the Father as it were held the cup before his Son, saying 'if you are faithful to your covenant commitments, this is the cup you must drink — every last drop.' In the cup the Son saw abandonment, the accursedness of the cross, separation from his Father, and the inflexible demands of the holy law, until he sweat as it were great drops of blood.

will be redeemed and all hinges upon what he accomplished in time when he went into the garden and bent beneath the load of sin it wasn't sin in general it was the sins of his people he had pledged to give to the Father's honor and to his law all that was demanded and when he went into the garden the Father held as it were the cup before him and said my Son if you are to be faithful to your own covenant commitments this is the cup you must drink in my Son you must drink every last drop of it and as the Son gazed upon that cup he saw nothing but abandonment nothing but the accursedness of the c...

33:31 - 34:14 Read in full sermon

Driving home: all that he did he did not only for me but as me he went into death as me instead he came out of death not only for me but as me and he went back to the right hand of the father not only for me but as me

Martin quotes: 'Death and the curse were in our cup, oh Christ was full for thee, but thou hast drained the last dark drop, tis empty now for me, that bitter cup love drank it up, now blessings draft for me.' The quotation crystallizes the representative-substitutionary logic of Christ's death as the ground of union with Christ.

in agony of soul if it be possible let this cup pass nevertheless not my will but thine be done death and the curse were in our cup oh Christ was full for thee but thou hast drained the last dark drop tis empty now for me that bitter cup love drank it up now blessings draft for me how is it that we are quickened with Christ in time raised with Christ in time seated with Christ in time it's because we were given to Christ in eternity we were redeemed by Christ when he went into the jaws of death when he came out of the tomb

34:59 - 35:44 Read in full sermon

Driving home: all that he did he did not only for me but as me he went into death as me instead he came out of death not only for me but as me and he went back to the right hand of the father not only for me but as me

Martin pictures Christ coming out of the tomb with the whole new humanity in his bosom, and every individual conversion as another opening of that bundle — making vivid why Paul could say the Ephesians were raised and seated with Christ twenty-five years before their own conversions.

and brought with him in his bosom the whole new humanity and there's a sense in which the conversion of every soul every single individual Christian is just another opening up of the bundle of new humanity that the son of God brought with him when he came out that first Easter morning think of what this meant to these Ephesians twenty-five years had passed between their conversion and the resurrection of Christ and yet Paul says you were raised with him twenty-five years between their conversion and his ascension and yet he says you have been raised up and seated with him is he talking nonsens...

35:44 - 36:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: all that he did he did not only for me but as me he went into death as me instead he came out of death not only for me but as me and he went back to the right hand of the father not only for me but as me

Martin cites Spurgeon calling the covenant union of Christ with his people 'the marrow of divinity,' reinforcing that the doctrine of the covenant is the foundation out of which the experimental union of believers with Christ springs.

be joined to him in my own present experience and God says because it was my purpose to give you to my son in eternity and when he died you were in him in my own reckoning and purpose and plan you see it is the covenant union of Christ with his people that is the foundation and womb out of which comes the experimental union of his people with him you got it oh my people if you get hold of that it's what Spurgeon called the marrow of divinity the the doctrine of the covenant blessed be God for a savior who saves in terms of covenant commitments in terms of his pledge to redeem a people well I h...

37:56 - 38:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Christians should cherish and actively use the means of grace to keep their experimental awareness of communion with Christ alive, and should resist allowing affections for Christ to wane through neglect or sloth.

Martin turns to address the person in the pew who is completely lost — 'for the life of me I can't figure what it's all about' — and uses that admission as the entry point for a plain evangelistic summary: God could justly damn you this morning, but he sets before you the Lamb of God.

the heart of a believer with diligent desire to seek the face of his savior than to stand back amazed at the grace of his savior to him and I say to you who sit here this morning absolutely lost by the whole thing you say what in the world was the preacher talking about this morning obviously something's got him excited unless he's play acting something's got him excited for the life of me I can't figure what it's all about oh dear friend listen to me I'll tell you what it's all about almighty God who could send you to heaven to heaven to hell this morning and doing such perfect justice that n...

43:07 - 43:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Salvation does not come through emotional experience or religious manipulation but through a living vital relationship with Christ Jesus — and no one should rest until they know they are in that relationship with him.

Martin contrasts false means of salvation — working oneself into a religious fever until getting a tingle down the spine, or being manipulated by professional religionists who 'pump three verses in one ear and try to pull out the work of God at the other' — with the true: God saves by bringing a sinner into a living vital relationship with his Son.

and in thus believing you will find life in the son of God if God ever saves you my dear unsaved friend it will not be by you working yourself up into some kind of a religious fever and furor until you get a tingle down your spine and you say I've got it nor will he save you by the clever manipulations of professional religionists who pump three verses in one ear and try to pull out the work of God at the other he'll save you when you get into a living vital relationship with his son Jesus Christ and you better not rest until you know you're in that relationship to him

44:36 - 45:18 Read in full sermon