From Union Church in Howell, MI.
To be united with Christ means to be indwelled by his Spirit. Every power we have, every new desire we have, is given to us by the Holy Spirit. To be united with Christ is a core function of the Spirit. He is the one who connects us to the vine, who fills us with new life, who carries us forward to the day of Christ. Because we are united to him by his Spirit, we then are adopted children, given the inheritance of the Son of God and all that accompanies it.
When Jesus Christ died on a cross and was buried in the grave, our sinful flesh was with him. That means that retribution really has been poured out on our sin, God did not merely look the other way in an unjust manner. It means that our flesh that was enslaved to sin has been killed and buried. It means that we are free—free from guilt, free from shame, and free from the slavery of sin.
