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Introduction
Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
This classic hymn, composed by Robert Robinson centuries ago, has withstood the tests of time to remain near and dear to many modern believers’ hearts. Yet as we sing these words with our brethren among the pews, have we taken the time to ponder its meaning? Just what weight does the phrase “Come, thou Fount of every blessing” truly bear? How does this “Fount … call for songs of loudest praise"? Let us follow the example of the Bereans and turn to the Scriptures to see.
In Ephesians 1:3, the Apostle Paul states “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (NASB95). This singular verse makes clear the meaning of the phrase in Robinson’s hymn. Christ is the Fount of every blessing! He is the sum and locus of our salvation. Because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”.
Yet there is still much more to explore here. What does the apostle mean by “every spiritual blessing”? How are we blessed “in the heavenly places”? What does it mean to be “in Christ”? Let us continue to follow the Bereans’ example in answering these questions.
Union With Christ In the New Testament
To be “in Christ” means to be in union with Christ. This truth is central to New Testament theology. This is demonstrated, in part, purely by how many times the phrase is mentioned within its writings. In his letters, Paul uses the phrases “in Christ” 38 times, “in Christ Jesus” 51 times, “in Him” 21 times, “in the Lord” 44 times, and other notably similar expressions no less than 216 times. Certainly, this phrase is more than a space-filler or an empty expression for the apostle. Paul’s frequent use of the term makes clear that it is central to his doctrine of salvation and, as some contend, to his entire theology. However, the frequent recurrences of the phrases “in Christ”, “in the Lord”, and so on may lead one to gloss over their vital importance. Even so, these phrases seem somewhat abstract and difficult to understand.
Some theologians hold that our union with Christ is merely one of several other facets of salvation. However, consider one of Paul’s most profound statements; “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20). Clearly in the mind of Paul, union with Christ is crucial to salvation and Christian living. As profound as it is, however, it is also paradoxical. Whatever our mysterious union with Christ precisely is, it is not made clear from the passage.
Although our union with Christ is mysterious, we are not holding to something completely vague or unintelligible. As Grudem notes, “Every aspect of God’s relationship to believers is in some way connected to our relationship with Christ”. Thus, he concludes, “the entire study of the application of redemption could be included in this subject.” And rightly so! A brief perusal of the New Testament confirms his conclusion: all the blessings of salvation are accomplished in the person and work of Christ. The Bible describes the four perspectives of our salvation - eternal, historical, present, and eschatological - as each in Him.
Election
Firstly, from the eternal perspective, we were elected and predestined in Christ. Paul writes in his letter to Ephesians that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, … to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved,” (Eph. 1:4-6). Paul also declares that God “called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,” (2 Tim. 1:9).
But how were we chosen even before we existed? Paul furnishes the answer: We were elected in Christ (Eph. 1:4, 11). We must recognize that Christ stands as the preeminent Elect One of God (1 Pet. 1:20; 2:4), simultaneously functioning as our representative, bestowing us with our election in Christ. As beautifully put by St. Athanasius: “How then has He chosen us, before we came into existence, but that, as he says himself, in Him, we were represented beforehand?” But election is not an end in itself, we were also predestined.
Thus the question is prompted: for what purpose did God predestine His chosen people? Again, Paul's writing unveils the answer: that we should be holy and blameless, adopted as His own children whom He loves in the Beloved (Eph. 1:5-6). Think about this! This means that the whole of the “golden chain” of redemption, from eternal election to final glorification, is ours in Christ! (Rom. 8:29-30) Alongside our election, it is also crucial to recognize that Christ’s election is not an end in itself. God had never resorted to a 'Plan B' following the advent of the fall; rather, He elected and predestined Christ as the sole way of redemption even before the foundation of the world (Acts 2:28; 4:28). In union with Christ, we are elected and predestined as His blessed people since Christ was elected and predestined to take on our poor estate and redeem us (2 Cor. 5:21).
History
Secondly, from the historical perspective, we were represented as united to Christ in his life, death, burial, and resurrection. Since Christ functions as our head and representative, God declares that His triumphs become ours by faith. All of His wondrous riches, righteousness, and merit belong to us in Christ (Rom. 8:17). Our sacred union with Christ in His life, death, burial, and resurrection provides the basis for our justification, regeneration, sanctification, and ultimate glorification.
From a historical standpoint, our salvation is a finished work, already accomplished by Jesus of Nazareth over two thousand years ago (John 19:30). Paul writes that God has accepted us “in the Beloved” by which “we have redemption through his blood” (Eph. 1:6–7). Since Jesus Christ perfectly pleased His Father in humble obedience, all who are united to Him by faith are made “holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4). Christians are considered by God to have died with Jesus (Col. 3:3–4) and buried with Him (Rom. 6:2–4). Correspondingly, when Jesus rose from the dead, the Father viewed us as rising with Him positionally into new life (Rom. 6:5–8; 1 Pet. 1:3).
The metaphor of the church as the body of Christ and Him as the head serves to wonderfully illustrate the position that Christians enjoy in Him (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18). We know from Paul that God “raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:20), and that the Lord also “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Thus, in God’s eyes, every believer is positionally already in the heavenly realm “in Christ Jesus”.
Present and Future Blessings
Thirdly, from the present perspective, we are united with Christ the moment we trust Him for salvation, and we enjoy all the present benefits of salvation in Him. The apostle declares, “You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13 NIV). God has predestined a plan of redemption and eternally foreknows all who will become part of that plan in Christ, yet until we place our faith in Him, His righteous wrath remains on us (Eph. 2:1–3). As the Reformer John Calvin stated, “We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value to us. . . . It is true that we obtain this by faith.” It is only by faith that we enter a new reality, positioned in Christ, and, in turn, Christ comes to experientially dwell within us (Gal. 2:20).
All of the present blessings of salvation are experienced in our union with Christ. The Scriptures present our regenerated life as in Christ, for Paul states “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature,” (2 Cor. 5:17; see Eph. 2:5,10). Our justification is found in Christ: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Rom. 8:1) and “in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph. 1:7). Our sanctification occurs in Christ, as evidenced by Paul’s address to the Corinthians “To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus,” (1 Cor. 1:2) and later confirming about them “but you were sanctified … in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 6:11). Lastly, Paul pictures our glorious adoption as in Christ: “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,” (Eph. 1:5).
Fourthly, from the eschatological perspective, all of the future benefits of salvation will be bestowed upon those who are united with Christ. When Christ’s faithful ones pass from this life, they are said to “die in the Lord” (Rev. 14:13) and to “sleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14 NKJV). Paul assures us that in the Lord’s triumphant return, “the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16). In contradistinction to the death Adam brought, Paul declares in Christ we shall be resurrected: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive,” (1 Cor. 15:22). Following the resurrection of our bodies, we will also be glorified with Christ. The Apostle John writes “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2; see Rom. 8:17).
Imputation & Positional Work
The phrase “Union with Christ” is an all-encompassing phrase that captures the two aspects of our salvation - the positional component and the experiential component - comprising all the blessings believers receive from Jesus Christ. First, positionally, God views Jesus as our representative, and God regards His accomplishments to be ours as well. Second, experientially, from the moment of conversion the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and we begin to receive the transforming benefits of our union with Christ.
When the incarnate Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father’s will and commands, He acted on our behalf. As Jesus was walking in sinless perfection, God perceived us as being “in Him”, and therefore we also walked in perfect righteousness. We did not somehow literally take place within Jesus during His earthly life, but rather God saw Christ as our substitute and He represented us, and therefore the righteousness of Christ’s perfect obedience is imputed to us. As Paul states, “By one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19 NKJV). The same positional reality is applicable to His death, burial, and resurrection - God perceives us as "in Him" throughout all these events. Thus, Christ’s atonement for sin and His triumph over death becomes our own.
The Holy Spirit
The positional work accomplished by Christ lays the foundation for the experiential work that the Holy Spirit performs within us. The Holy Spirit subjectively applies to us what Christ objectively achieved on our behalf. We are declared righteous by our positional status as “in Christ”, and because Christ experientially dwells within us, we are being made righteous. By faith, we accept our new spiritual reality in Christ, and embracing this truth in our hearts liberates and transforms our lives.
We have received the Spirit Who Christ has sent since He indwells every believer from the moment of conversion. Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit Who is in us, becomes the experiential component of our union with Him. Because the bond of our union with Christ is the Holy Spirit Himself, our relationship with Christ is not one of mere affiliation but a spiritual rapport (Rom. 8:9–11; 1 Cor. 6:17,19; 12:13; Eph. 1:13–14; 1 John 3:24; 4:13).
The End of the Matter
As stated earlier, the Bible presents salvation from four perspectives: eternal, historical, present, and eschatological. First, God eternally purposed and planned our redemption in Christ before the foundation of the world. Second, Jesus of Nazareth historically accomplished our salvation by bearing God’s wrath for us upon the cross and rising from the dead. Third, we presently experience the benefits of salvation when we repent and believe the good news of Jesus the Messiah. And fourth, we will ultimately enjoy the completion of our salvation along with the transformation of all creation at the end of the age, the eschaton, when Christ returns.
The four moments of our salvation should be understood in light of our union with Christ, as each aspect is accomplished “in Christ”. The first two moments - the eternal and the historical - make up the objective and positional aspects of our redemption. The last two moments - the present and the eschatological - make up the subjective and experiential components of salvation. We are found objectively in the redemptive work God has done for us; we experience subjectively the transforming work God is doing in us. By faith, we are redeemed, adopted, and justified in Him. However, subjectively, we are experiencing our sanctification as an ongoing process that will not be completed until we see Him face-to-face (1 Cor. 13:12). Literally, the church experiences the “now - not yet” tension of living in between Christ’s resurrection and His return, between Easter and the second coming.
It is important to distinguish between the two aspects of our union with Christ. The believer now enjoys all the objective blessings of salvation, but he is yet to realize the full redemption - the glorification - of his body. This tension is lived out as a practical matter in the lifelong sanctifying walk of faith. Sometimes, maybe even often, believers experience frustration and impatience because the walk is difficult or they are disappointed with their level of obedience and commitment. Yet every Christian confidently can know by faith that his sins are forgiven, victory over temptation is available, and the completion of his salvation is inevitable. We have the security of knowing God will complete the work that He has begun (Phil. 1:6), so we are to continue to work and serve with reverent fear (Phil. 2:12). The “now —not yet” reality of salvation can be summed up by the saying, “God calls us to become what He declares we already are.”
Our wondrous and sacred union with Christ reveals how He is the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 21:6), the first and last of our salvation, and the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). He is the Alpha of our salvation as He is the foundation of our election in eternity past (1 Pet. 2:4-10). He is the Omega because we will be judged by His righteous life and found innocent on the day of judgment (Rom. 5:19). From beginning to end, salvation is solely a sovereign work of God, accomplished in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). He alone is the sum and locus of our salvation. It is not found in a program, process, or prayer; rather, salvation is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ (1 John 5:12). Concluding in the words of the apostle Paul, “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor. 1:30-31).
For further study:
Paul's letters to the Ephesians and to the Colossians
Notes:
1. Robinson, Robert. "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing." Altered by Martin Madan (1760). English. Public Domain. Accessed August 26, 2023, https://hymnary.org/text/come_thou_fount_of_every_blessing.
2. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture citations are from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).
3. Mark Seifrid, “In Christ,” in DPHL, Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P.
Martin, eds. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993), 433–36.
4. “Along with Campbell and many others, I suggest that participation in Christ, or union with Christ, might serve as the web that holds Paul’s theology together.” See Douglas J. Moo, A Theology of Paul and His Letters: The Gift of the New Realm in Christ (HarperCollins, 2021).
5. Garrett cites A. H. Strong, E.Y. Mullins, and W. T. Conner as representatives of those who hold union with Christ as merely one of several facets of salvation. See James Leo Garrett, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 329–30.
6. Grudem, Systematic Theology, 840. (emphasis original)
7. St. Athanasius, Discourse 2 Against the Arians, 22.76, translated by John Henry Newman and Archibald Robertson, from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 4, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892), revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight, accessed August 26, 2023, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/28162.htm.
8. Calvin, Institutes, 3.1.1.
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