JOINED TO THE LORD
To be joined to the Lord is not a small thing, nor an advanced stage of the Christian walk. It is the very heart of it. Our life in Christ begins and continues in this union. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:17). That is not fellowship for a moment or communion on occasion—it is a living oneness. It is the pulse of real Christianity.
In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Outside of Him there is only striving. But in Him, everything takes root and grows. All grace flows from that living union. All power, all purity, all peace—spring from the same fountain.
The Jordan and the Mantle
When Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan, heaven was preparing to unveil a mystery (2 Kings 2). The prophet was about to cross, not only a river, but a threshold. As the waters parted, the story turned toward the realm of the Spirit. Elijah said, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken.” Elisha’s heart cried, “Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” Elijah answered, “You have asked a hard thing; yet if you see me when I am taken, it shall be so.”
And he saw. The chariot of fire descended. The whirlwind caught the old prophet away. Elisha cried out, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Then the mantle fell—the symbol of transferred life and power. Elisha walked back to the river and struck the waters, crying, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” The waters parted again, and he crossed over.
That crossing speaks of death and resurrection. It is the picture of baptism, of passing out of the old life into the new. As Israel crossed into the promised land, so we, by faith and through baptism, are joined into the life of Christ (Romans 6:3–5; Galatians 3:27).
After the Jordan came the Spirit. After baptism came the power. Jesus stood in that same river, and as He prayed, the Spirit descended upon Him (Matthew 3:16). So it is with every believer who truly enters union with Christ. We receive His life, His Spirit, His strength (Acts 2:38; Romans 8:9).
Seeing the Unseen
Union opens the eyes of faith. When Elisha’s servant trembled before the enemy armies, the prophet prayed, “Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” And the young man saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:17).
So it is with those who walk in union with Christ. They live in two worlds at once. Their eyes see beyond what others see. They know that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). The veil is lifted, and the heart knows that Heaven is near.
The Still Small Voice
Elijah once stood upon another mountain, weary and alone (1 Kings 19). The wind roared, the earth quaked, the fire blazed—but the Lord was not in them. Then came a still small voice. That is union. It is not found in noise or spectacle, but in the whisper of God to the soul that abides in Him. The Christian life is not a code of conduct—it is communion with Christ Himself.
When we are joined to Him, He becomes our strength in battle. The armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) is not a set of separate virtues, but the person of Christ clothing the believer. Faith is His shield, salvation His helmet, the Spirit His sword. The victory is never ours alone—it is His life manifest in us (Galatians 2:20).
Abiding in the Secret Place
Union with Christ is not one doctrine among many. It is the very core of everything we believe and live. To abide in Him is to live in power (John 15:4–5). To draw near to Him is to be drawn near by Him (James 4:8). The greatest glory of the Christian is not what he does for Christ, but that Christ lives in him. That is the secret of holiness, discernment, endurance, and peace.
So walk with Him. Lean upon Him. Be found in Him. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28).
And to Him be all the praise.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
