by Brad Jolly

I don’t know if you watched the final day of The Masters golf tournament a week ago, but it was an exciting day for Scottie Scheffler as he played each hole with intensity and focus to win by 3 strokes over Rory McIlroy. I enjoyed watching Scottie play each hole in the final round, but what I enjoyed watching most was the moments after Scheffler sealed his win. He hugged his caddie (understandably so, since his caddie was a key helper in his win), and then he hugged his mom, hugged his dad, and hugged a few other significant people in his life. Finally, though was his wife, Meredith, who came up to him with the biggest smile, looked him in the eyes, and then they embraced and kissed. Afterwards, Scottie began the walk to the Augusta clubhouse to prepare for the winner’s ceremony. The only one that was brought along for that special winner’s trip was Meredith. Not his caddie who provided Scottie with critical advice throughout the tournament, not his mom and dad who were there for him growing up learning to play at the level it took to be a professional PGA player, not coaches from the past who helped him learn the game, and not all the other people who supported him to become the top in his field. Nope, the only one who held on to him, walked hand-in-hand with him, and conversed with him the whole way to the clubhouse was his wife. They have a special relationship through marriage, a union, that makes them one.  So when Scottie won, Meredith won too.

This is the way our union is with Christ as believers. When you placed your trust in Christ as your Savior, God placed you in Christ, joining you in union with Him.

God has united you with Christ Jesus.  1 Cor. 1:30

You were joined to Him through a miraculous new birth. You now share in everything Christ has accomplished for you.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Eph. 1:3

His death on the cross is your death on the cross. His burial is your burial, and his resurrection to life is your resurrection to new life.

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. Rom. 6:4-5

You see, God cannot look at you apart from looking at Christ. Just like I could not look at Scottie Scheffler apart from seeing his wife joining with him in his celebration, God cannot look at us who are saved apart from our union with Christ. Everything Christ has done and has to offer is completely and freely ours because we are one with Him.

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God. Eph. 1:11

Friend, you are “in Christ”, one with Him, and a joint-heir with Him (Rom. 8:17). Abide in Christ today, as is the only way to live!