God the Father was working salvation out for His elect through the cross of Christ. Colossians 2:14 describes how He accomplished it. That verse says "by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross." This was a spiritual work God performed in order to save His people, from His own justice, His own wrath. The debt we all owe God is punishment for the way we have lived our lives. This is a debt we could not pay. However, God in His steadfast love and tender mercy, that Lamentations 3:22-23 says is new every morning. Nailed our debt to the cross - He placed our sins on the sinless Christ and poured out His wrath on Christ instead of us.
But God, also describes our union with Christ in other ways. I can summarize this with one verse. 1 Corinthians 1:30 "and because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption."
Our union with Christ is indeed glorious. We are to live out our whole Christian life out of our union with Christ, our Mediator. Colossians 1 again "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (v. 27) This rich glory, this mystery that was hidden is our union with Christ!!
I was reading through a free course offered at Covenant Seminary titled Christian Worship by Mark Dalbey. One of the interesting points he made in the first lecture, was concerning John 4 where Jesus is engaged in a discussion about worship with a woman of Samaria. His lectures points to our union with Christ, and its importance. The point centered around the type of worshiper the Father is seeking. That chapter states that the Father is Spirit and He is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth. The point Dalbey made was that the only One who has ever worshipped the Father completely in spirit and truth is Jesus Christ. So where does that leave us? The worship that is pleasing to God is only done by those who are in a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. Worship is about union with Christ. It is about being joined to Him by grace through faith.
As Christ offers true worship to the Father we offer true worship to the Father as we hold onto Him.
So why should our worship be Christ-centered? Because there would be no true worship because Christ is the only one who worships fully in spirit and truth. This underscores the vital union we have with Christ.
Sinclair Ferguson says this "Worship is a congregational event in which Christ mediates our prayers, conducts and leads our praise and preaches His Word to us. He alone is the God-ordained worship Leader, the Minister in the sanctuary."
As Christ presents our worship which is so often tainted with wrong motives, not fully holding to the truth - He presents and perfects our worship and the Father receives our worship as if it is His Son's worship.
That is amazing. Dalbey also stressed the importance of the regulative principle of worship. Which is
basically saying that we want to worship the way God has told us to do it.
I for one believe, many churches have strayed far from worshipping God the way He has prescribed in His Word. We have brought worldly entertainment into the church and the question is do you think God is pleased? For many, there is not even any consideration of whether it is pleasing to God or not.
This wonderful union with Christ is emphasized in a more profound way in that Christ is still the God-man. He is sitting on the throne in His glorified human body! This is for us to hold fast and strengthen ourselves in this glorious doctrine of union with Christ.
It is also vitally important that in order for God to accept our worship, His Son has to be connected to every aspect of how we worship for it to be acceptable to God.
Let us seek comfort, joy, strength and grace from the fact that God has joined us to Christ. Christ will always be the God-man. His identity with His people, His creatures. Christ will always be our Mediator. We will be in eternity for millions of years and the reason we are there will never change, it will always be that Christ died in place of us, and was offered up for us, that he laid down His life for us. We are joined to Him, to live each day out of that union. God promises to never leave us nor forsake us. We are in union with Christ. Growing in maturity out of our union with Christ bonds us more and more to our Great God and Savior. As I said above Lamentations 3 says God in faithfulness crowns every morning with steadfast love and mercy. What greater love towards us, what greater mercy do we need than that we are joined to Jesus Christ, today, and forever, and ever.
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