Origin of a Believer’s Union to Christ¹

1. It Flows from Christ’s Love

Peter MacBride

1. The believer’s union to Christ flows from His own love. I speak here of the love of Christ, not exclusive of the love of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, but inclusive of them; I speak of it here as specially coming under our notice and deserving it. I have already noticed that Jesus Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it. Here I only further observe that Jesus Christ thus loved every one of His people. His love was not a general thing, a kind of general, indefinite benevolence, but special and definite. Hence the words of Paul: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

He does not say, Who loved the Church in general but, “Who loved me, and gave Himself for me“. Thus Christ set His heart on, in particular, every one of the elect from all eternity. His love was thus definite, and in His love He undertook for every one in particular. He was willing, in His love, to give Himself for them. In His love, He interposed to do whatever was necessary to save each one of the people He loved. He knew the state of every one of these persons; but, notwithstanding, He did give Himself. His love led Him to undertake for them for eternity, and give Himself for them in time.

¹The first part of a chapter of “The New Creature”, in MacBride’s Remains. “The New Creature” is a series of sermons on: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor 5:17). MacBride (1797-1846) was a minister in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute, latterly in the Free Church.

This love of Christ will not be satisfied till they are brought to Him and actually put in possession of all that His generous heart prompted Him to do for them. He follows them in His love. It does not cool or change from day to day, and thus is, so to speak, restless till this is done. In short, the heart of Christ is knit to these individuals. He follows them and cannot be at rest till they are brought to perfect rest in Him in the heavenly world. How wonderful indeed the love of Christ is; how true it is, that it passes knowledge! What a wonder it is that it constrains them to live unto Him! What a wonder that it so constrained Paul, as we read in the previous chapter?

This wondrous love is the primary source of this union. “I have loved thee,” it is said, “with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.” It is this that led Him to purchase salvation for them and now leads Him to bestow it on them. It is this that makes Him think of them, as it were, and remember them, while they forget Him. It is this that makes Him follow them, while they depart from Him. It is this that makes Him never leave them till they are made willing, in the day of His power, to come to Him, to go with Him and follow Him.

1. This truth encourages poor sinners to come to Christ and expect salvation from Him. In His love, He bestows this salvation, and this love is wholly from Him. Do you ask, What encouragement is here for me? I answer, It is encouraging, inasmuch as you see this blessing is free. You have nothing to commend yourself to Him – nothing whereby you can hope to prevail with Him to look on you. Well, you see He does it wholly in His love, His own mercy and love. And does this not encourage you who have no money to expect salvation from Him in His own love? It is also encouraging, seeing it shows He acts in spite of all the unworthiness of sinners. He loved them, even when they were dead in trespasses and sins, when they were in their blood; and in His love brings them to Himself.

Though you are in this state vile and, as it were, in your own blood; though you are altogether vile in yourself and polluting to all around you; yet you may hope for salvation from this compassionate, gracious Saviour. He loved sinners and gave Himself for them, and now, in His love, He draws them to Himself, notwithstanding their guilt, notwithstanding their sin, notwithstanding all the unbelief of their hearts, notwithstanding all the impenitence and hardness that is in them, although they are naturally the dens, as it were, of Satan, and he rules in them. Yet Christ, in His love, unites them, even them, to Himself. May you not then, O poor, vile and helpless sinner, hope for deliverance from such a Saviour as this? Lift up your eyes; it is with this loving, compassionate Saviour you have to do.

Though you have no ground of encouragement in yourself, though no one

can encourage you, surely you may hope, in all your vileness, for salvation from such a Saviour as this. If He required motives to do this from those whom He saved, then indeed you might look around you in despair. But seeing He does it of Himself, in His own love, surely I may say, Here is encouragement. In how many instances He did so! See this emblematically shown in the case of the poor man possessed by the legion of devils (Mk 5:1-20). See this also in the case of Paul (Acts 9:1-20). See this still farther manifested in the case of Manasseh (2 Chr 33:1-13). See this again in the case of the woman who was a sinner and yet found mercy (Lk 7:36-50).

Indeed this may be seen in every case. He sought them all in His love, as represented in the parable of the lost sheep. Thus this doctrine is full of encouragement to seek salvation, and to look for it from Him. O sinner, will you apply for deliverance? Do you not need it? Do you feel your need? Then see here encouragement to apply to Christ. I beseech you now to embrace it; go to Him and seek that He would save you, that He would deliver you for His own name’s sake. Take encouragement wholly from Him to do this. Do not hesitate or delay any longer, but seek the Lord now. O sinner, if you will not yet care for your soul, if you will not lay to heart your needs, be sure your sin will find you out; be sure also that your trampling under foot the Son of God, and despising His compassion and love, will be specially awful to you.

1. It may also be seen here what all the people of God, who are in union to Christ, are indebted to for this. It is, first of all, to the love of Christ, and to God in Him. It was not for their own merit, nor for their own endeavours, nor for the labour or merit of others. They should surely acknowledge this. Paul did so. “By the grace of God,” he says, “I am what I am.” He is loud, as it were, in confessing his obligations to the riches of the love and compassion of Christ. (See Gal 2:20, 1 Tim 1:12, Tts 3:4-7.) Henceforth the thought of this love constrained him, till he acted, in the opinion of many, as if he had lost his reason because of his zeal for the Lord. Now all should see to whom they are indebted, if they enjoy this union at all. Do you enjoy this union to Christ? Then see it is wholly owing to His love you were brought to this. It was not because of your merit or your labour.

Remember then your obligation to Him. See that you fully confess your obligation to Him. See you show this, as Paul did, by living to Him “who died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again”. Take heed of self-righteousness; beware of its insidious workings, lest you should think you were at first brought by anything of your own, to Christ or to any of the fruits of this union that you afterwards enjoyed. Even the people of God are not secure from this; hence the many exhortations about this. Moses of old exhorted the

children of Israel against this; he called them to beware lest they should think they were chosen, or brought to the happy state they enjoyed, from any merits of their own. Against this Paul also exhorts in his Epistles. Indeed we are exhorted against it in the whole Word of God. See then that you who are the people of God, who have this union, remember it is wholly from the love of Christ you are brought to this. And while you give Him the glory, take courage from it to look to Him unto eternal life.

1. From this it may also be seen that union to Christ is a sure evidence of His love, seeing it is in love He brings anyone to this; so if anyone is brought to it, they have evidence of His love to them. The love of Christ is indeed a secret thing; it is hid from public gaze, but it is not wholly concealed. On the contrary, it is surely made known by infallible evidence. First of all, it is manifested in this very union we are speaking of. They who are united to Christ, and who have good evidence of this, do not need to wait for further evidence before they conclude their interest in the love of Christ and of God. No, they have infallible evidence of it in this union itself. Nothing will prove it without this; but this is sufficient.

I do not say there are no other things which prove this; indeed all that follows this union is a proof of it; all is connected with it. Hence Peter says, “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure”, intimating that all evidence of election, and so of this love, is connected essentially with this very calling, and so with this very union. So this is an evidence of the love of Christ. Have you been brought to this? Is your heart united to Christ? From being cold or unfeeling, do you, as it were, follow after Him in your heart? Do your thoughts follow Him? Do your desires follow Him? Does your heart cleave to Him and truly desire to break away from every bondage to cleave to Him as your Saviour? Then here you have indeed evidence of the love of Christ.

If the fire of love to Him is indeed kindled in your heart, it is from heaven. It has come down from the fire of the love of Christ, from the very heart of Christ, which is such a vehement flame that it has kindled all the hearts that have loved Him in this world. And it has kept them all alive amid the drowning, extinguishing waters of this world and of the heart, and it keeps alive the flame of love in every heart in heaven to all eternity. If you have a spark of this, a true spark of it, then you have evidence of the love of Christ, of the wondrous fire that is vehemently burning in Him, which many waters could not drown, and which was truly stronger than death. And remember that, as He has kindled it, so He can keep that spark alive, and blaze the smoking flax, even into a pure and unfading flame.

1. You see here that if we would have experimental knowledge of the love

of Christ and God, and fellowship with the blessed Saviour in His love, we must be united to Him. It cannot be attained otherwise. It is not merely by meditating on this that it is to be enjoyed. It would indeed be well if we would meditate thus on the love of Christ. Surely there is nothing more worthy of our thoughts; yet it is not by mere meditation that this is to be enjoyed. It is by experience, by the experience of this union, and of the union of hearts between Christ and the believer, that it is thus produced. The believer that is joined to the Lord has fellowship with Christ in His love, in the enjoyment of this union and its fruits and consequences.

Now it is by this experience, by the feeling, as it were, of this union of hearts, of the love of Christ drawing the soul to Him by His own excellences, that we come to the knowledge of the love of Christ, and what it is to be thus loved. This love, the Church says, “is better than wine”. “Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth, for Thy love is better than wine.” This is what Paul experienced so much. But this is in some measure known by all converts; yet as to the fullness of it that might be enjoyed, how much is required? (As to this, see Eph 3:13-21.)

Thus this union flows from the love of Christ. This is the primary source of it. It is to be sought in redeeming love. I have been led to dwell on this much longer than I intended, but certainly not longer than the importance of the thing itself merits. Who can unfold, in all its fullness, the subject here touched on? It passes knowledge.