Union and Distinction

Have you thought deeply about the relationship between God and man? Man, from the very beginning, has known about his need for a relationship with God – some have worked toward that relationship, others have run away from it trying to avoid it so that they can “do their own thing”.

Let us consider three types of relationship.

First, there is union without distinction. Only the Trinity of God could have union without loss of personal distinction. If you see your relationship with God as a union without distinction, you tumble into pantheism, and we would be united to God in such a way as to be completely absorbed into Him. Many Eastern religions take this approach where there would no longer be a distinct “us” to feel and taste and experience the Life of the Trinity of God.

Second, there is the concept of distinction without union which gives us deism, where God is just up there watching us from a distance, and we never see our humanity as included in the Life of the Trinity of God. Motherhood and fatherhood, work and play, music and humanly creative activities appear to be merely secular, non-divine aspects of our human experience. Much of our Western Christian culture takes this approach with Christ “out there somewhere” and forces us to search beyond our humanity for connection with God.

These first two relationships cover much of the whole spectrum of religion as seen down through the ages. But God’s plan for humanity is spectacularly more than union without distinction, or distinction without union.

God’s plan is UNION WITH DISTINCTION.

In the early part of Jesus’ ministry, He talked about He and the Father being one (in union). The disciples didn’t get it. In the later part of Jesus’ ministry, He talked about He and the Father and each Christian being one (in union). The disciples were even more confused. This whole concept of union was beyond their thought processes.

The two great apostles and theologians, Paul and John, carried forth the union message after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Very gradually, the true gospel of UNION WITH DISTINCTION began to be understood and acted upon.

People began to understand that the whole process of “being born again” involved the new creation of a union with distinction. We were not to be completely absorbed into Him. And we were not to be separated from Him and calling out to Him to come to us all the time. We say “no” to both pantheism and deism.

At that moment of accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we are joined into a union with the Trinity of God, yet retaining our uniquely human characteristics and talents. We have union with no loss of personal distinction which means that we matter and that our humanity, our motherhood and fatherhood, our work and play, our humanly creative activity, form the arena for our participation in the Trinity of God. God meets us not in the sky or in our self-generated religions, but in our “ordinary” human existence.

As Christians, we are in union with the Life of the Father through the indwelling Son, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal this relationship to a mind yearning to understand.

There are many marvelous verses in the Bible, but my all-time favorite is Galatians 2:20 which makes God’s plan come alive to me:
“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live – yet not I but Christ lives in me. And the life that I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

And the best thing of all is that Christ is in us for the long term – for eternity. He promises that nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8:35-39) and that He Himself will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Yes, UNION WITH DISTINCTION is what we must see as God’s plan for us.

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