West Orange church of Christ

09/14/2026

What Does being One with Christ Look Like?
by John Robertson

Jesus prayed that the disciples would be one with he and the Father at John 17:17-23. What does this mean and what does it look like in the lives of the disciples? A great help with this is found in the book of 2 Samuel chapter 5. King Saul was killed in battle along with his son Jonathan. The men of Israel come to David to anoint him the next king of Israel. The men proclaim, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh” (2 Samuel 5:1).

There is a great lesson to learn if we keep our foundational principle of shadows and types in their proper place. David, as the anointed king of Israel, is a type of Christ (1 Samuel 16:12-13 and Psalms 22). Israel is a type of New Testament saints or Christians (Romans 9, 11). The shadowy teaching is that if the saints are the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23 and Romans 16:16), then it stands that they are “bone of your flesh” (they are one and the same person) (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 25-27).

There is a similar statement at Genesis 2:23 where Adam refers to Eve his wife saying, “23 This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” The marital relationship between Adam and Eve is a shadow of the relationship between Christ and his church (see Ephesians 5:22-33). If the church is the body of Christ, then they are bone of his flesh.

Each saint is a “member,” or a body part, of Christ (Romans 12:5). This helps us with our terminology or language. To say that one is a ‘member of the body of Christ’ is to say that they are one with Christ’s body the church. Each saint is a body part of Christ’s body the church. The saint, along with other saints, comprise the ‘sum total’ (πληρωμα - LS 647) of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:16-19; 4:12-13). Sometimes people say they want to “place membership with a local body of Christ.” Such language is somewhat foreign to the principle of what Christ’s body is. The saints are body parts or members of Christ.

Consider the prayer of Jesus that the disciples be one with him and the Father (John 17:17-23). To be a member, or body part of Christ, is to be holy as he is holy (see “glory” given at John 17:22-23 and Romans 3:22-24). The apostles commanded this oneness (1 Corinthians 1:10 and Romans 15:4). When one is baptized into Christ, for the forgiveness of their sins, they are added to the Lord’s body as a body part (Acts 2:38 and 5:14). They are in the same or one place of Christ, his house, church, or body (Isaiah 57:15; 1 Timothy 3:15). This makes them one from the perspective of having a common life of holiness. Fellowship occurs in this holy state between God and his saints (1 John 1:3-7). So, the gospel calls people into this oneness of holiness with Jesus through the forgiveness of sins (John 6:44-45; Hebrews 11:6). It is the high and holy calling of Philippians 3:14.

09/13/2026

09/07/2026

What does War against Sin Look Like?
by John Robertson

The Bible depicts the devil tempting God’s saints with sin as warfare (1 Timothy 1:18). The war is identified as Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). There will be terrible casualties in this war (Matthew 24:24). To be victorious, one must put on the whole armor of God (compare Ephesians 6:10ff to Proverbs 2:1-12), wage war (Matthew 4:1ff; Luke 9:23 and James 4:7-8), and pray (Matthew 26:41). At times, the battle is maddening in that the saints know what to do but they practice the sin they hate (Romans 3:23 and 7:21-24). Our conclusion, like the apostle Paul, is that we are the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

Reading the above paragraph likely brings to mind personal battles, successes, and failures in this war against sin. Like actual war, if one does not take the enemy serious, they may find themselves killed (Romans 6:23). Saints must see the seriousness of this battle. It is a fight to the death. If there is defeat, there is separation from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Consider the battle between David and Goliath so that one may contemplate the violence and win at all cost approach to the war of sin.

Sin, as depicted in Goliath, is powerful (compare Judges 13:5 to Matthew 1:21). Who can deny the power of lust, covetousness, lying, cheating, jealousy, bitterness, and the discouragement of persecution? Such power is not to be taken lightly. Samuel records, “4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. 7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him” (1 Samuel 17:4-7).

David, against all odds, slays Goliath due to his faith in God. Christians are commanded to fight rather than shrinking back in fear (1 Timothy 6:12). Those that put their trust and confidence in God will not be defeated (Romans 8:1-2, 31-39 and 1 John 4:1-4). Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed… nothing shall be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). All things are possible for those that have faith and love the Lord (Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 19:26 and Philippians 4:13). The story of David and Goliath infuses us with hope, conviction, trust, and confidence in God that sin can be defeated. We must; however, fight (1 Timothy 6:12) and rule over sin (Genesis 4:7)!