Paul and Union with Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study

by Constantine R. Campbell

Paul and Union with Christ fills the gap for biblical scholars, theologians, and pastors pondering and debating the meaning of union with Christ.

Following a selective survey of the scholarly work on union with Christ through the twentieth century to the present day, Greek scholar Constantine Campbell carefully examines every occurrence of the phrases 'in Christ', 'with Christ', 'through Christ', 'into Christ, ' and other related expressions, exegeting each passage in context and taking into account the unique lexical contribution of each Greek preposition. Campbell then builds a holistic portrayal of Paul's thinking and engages contemporary theological discussions about union with Christ by employing his evidence-based understanding of the theme.

This volume combines high-level scholarship and a concern for practical application of a topic currently debated in the academy and the church. More than a monograph, this book is a helpful reference tool for students, scholars, and pastors to consult its treatment of any particular instance of any phrase or metaphor that relates to union with Christ in the Pauline corpus.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Spirituality

617 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2012

About the author

also published under Con Campbell

Reviews

[Gage Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 — It’s probably 5 stars for its thorough study and explanations of Paul’s language. Cool concordance of NT passages with descriptions of the Greek preposition.

But it’s not my fav and there’s some theological assertions I’m not crazy about. I’ll keep it as a reference, and it will be most helpful in that way.

[Simon Voth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 Sterne.
Wie der Titel sagt, besteht die Arbeit aus einem exegetischen, sehr umfangreichen, Teil und einem (paulinisch)-theologischen. Methodisch sehr sauber und konsequent durchgeführt. Die untersuchten Stellen werden häufig aber recht abgekapselt vom Kontext angeschaut.
Gerade im theologischen Teil glänzt die Arbeit. Campbell arbeitet dort ausgehend von seinen exegetischen Ergebnissen an verschiedenen Loci paulinischer Theologie und setzt Einheit mit Christus ins Verhältnis zu diesen. Gerade das Kapitel zu Rechtfertigung und der Frage danach wie legitim eine Imputationslehre ist, ist hervorragend. Einfach sehr gut darin wie er versch. Diskussionspartner einarbeitet und Fäden zusammenzieht. Die Imputationslehre versteht er dann übrigens als Teil des relationalen Geschehens, des mit Christus eins gemacht Werdens. Er hält also an der iustita Aliena fest und zeigt, dass Imputation im paulinischen Sinne nicht mit einem Geldtransfer zu vergleichen ist. Er zeigt dann auch gut auf, dass Calvin und Luther da sehr auf der gleichen Linie sind.
Hat spaß gemacht.

[Neil Kruger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exegetical Study - 5 stars
Theological Study - 4.5 stars

Exegetical Study:
An awe-inspiring and comprehensive study of the passages relating to the theme of union with Christ. Every instance of "in Christ", "into Christ", "with Christ" and "through Christ" and their derivatives in the New Testament are explored. This is an incredible amount of exegetical data. One potential danger of such an approach is that it could be dry and not engaging. What I found was the opposite. Going through the exegetical data proved to be a foundation for reflecting on all the benefits we have in Christ. This section of the book can definitely be used as a supplement to commentaries when working through Pauline literature.

Theological Study:
The only defect in this section was the repetitive nature of presenting the exegetical findings. Beyond that this section is superb. It demonstrates how theological reflection can be done based on thorough exegesis. The theological study explores the relationship between 'Union with Christ' and such important themes as the 'Trinity', 'Christian Living' and 'Justification'. The chapter on justification was especially though-provoking touching on such elements as vindication through resurrection and imputed righteousness.

Campbell persuasively argues that 'Union with Christ' is foreshadowed in the Old Testament, Jewish Theology and in the very words of Jesus. Without trying to posit that 'Union with Christ' is the centre of Paul's theology, Campbell does show that it is the key to understand Paul's theology, especially if this theme has been neglected (evidenced by how few systematics include 'Union' in their order of salvation).

The exegetical section is somewhat technical. Still, I would heartily recommend folks to pick it up and read it!

[Jason Blackley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some think that Paul was primarily talking about substitutionary atonement and eternal salvation.
Others think that Paul was primarily writing about christs imputed righteousness and Jesus giving us the kingdom of God. Campbell argues that Paul writes about both equally and unties the 2 realities through the reality of our union with Christ. After these 400+ pages I am convinced he’s right and I think you will be too. Exceptional scholarship, biblical theology and sound reasoning from a historical and grammatical perspective.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constantine Campbell has done us all a great service. I was immediately attracted to the book because of the topic. As I was struggling in my own Christian life nothing propelled me along more than studying and teasing out what being united with Christ meant. Campbell calls this doctrine “dazzling and perplexing” (p. 21)--I couldn’t agree more. Most of the books I’ve read on this topic head straight for Paul’s wider thought. We need this. But Campbell first examines “the exegetical minutiae and [then moves] through to the wide sphere of Paul’s thought (pp. 21-22). At just shy over 500 hundred pages, this book is thorough and refreshing. He covers every possible angle on this topic.

The book starts by preparing the reader for the topic and methods used. Campbell then moves through the history of the doctrine. He then dives into the heavier exegetical study of all the references to union with Christ in Paul and looks at how it impacts and connects with other major doctrines. He also looks at each phrase associated with this doctrine and teases out a well-rounded meaning. One of my favorites section was his exegetical work in the metaphors commonly used when discussing union with Christ (i.e., body of Christ, temple, building, marriage, etc). He really pushes against the individualistic emphasis in American Christianity and draws our attention to the corporate beauty of our salvation.

The final section moves from the exegetical to the theological. You might think that such a heavy exegetical and theological book would fail to be practical but Campbell has done a masterful job unpacking the deep and rich significance of our union with Christ and Christ’s union with the Father for our Christian living. Campbell left no stone unturned.

This book is worthy of being read by all church leaders. We need the deep exegetical and theological wells unearthed in Paul and Union with Christ to be shared with every body. Pastors must primarily be responsible for this and so it’s to pastors who I would primarily recommend this book. But it would also be worth the hard work for lay Christians. Something are just important enough that you should lay aside your fears of hard reading and just set your nose to the grind.

[Craig Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past several years there have been a number of topics that have been heavily discussed in blogs, journal articles and have been the focus of books and addresses at conferences. One such topic has been that of union with Christ. Unlike other discussions on the trinity or Scripture for instance, the discussion on union with Christ has not been met with the same kind of hostility or polarizing opinions and interpretations (in this readers opinion at least). While the number of recent books on the subject has not been numerous, of the books that have been published their impact seems to have been deep and far reaching.

Most of the books have intentionally focused on the theological considerations of union with Christ with a mix of historical and practical considerations. What has been missing is an intentional sustained exegetical treatment of the subject as the foundation for the broader theological discussion. In order to fill this gap Constantine Campbell has recently written a book titled Paul and Union with Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study with Zondervan (2012). As the title indicates, this books is concerned with three focuses: (1) it deals with the subject only in the writings of Paul, (2) it address them first through exegesis of the relevant texts and (3) following the exegesis it moves onto the theological implications gleaned from the exegesis.

Exegetical Analysis

The bulk of the book is taken up with exegetical analysis. The first sets of texts under consideration are naturally those with the specific phrase "in Christ" and "into Christ". Rightly recognizing the fluidity and elasticity of prepositions Constantine broadens his exegetical analysis to include all "with Christ" and "through Christ" prepositional phrases. Going even further, all "in" phrases that are clear referents to Christ but use words like Lord and Him are discussed as well. In addition to the prepositional phrases Constantine includes metaphors through which Paul discusses union with Christ. These include the body of Christ, the temple and marriage among others. With all of these considerations together, Constantine truly discusses the whole sweep of passage in Paul that pertains to union with Christ.

At the beginning of each chapter a brief history of the phrase or metaphor is discussed. Especially with the prepositional phrases, Constantine lays out the range of meaning as listed in BDAG. This becomes very useful for the reader as they can refer to it while they read his analysis. All of the texts under consideration in each group are broken down into various subgroups based on their focus. For instance, within the seventy-three occurrences of "in Christ" they are broken down into ten subgroups with some further sub categorization. So here, all the texts dealing with believers' actions in Christ (p. 94-101), faith in Christ (p. 111-13) or the trinity in Christ (p. 127-40) are grouped together.

The essential layout in the analysis of each section is straight forward. The text is provided in Greek with the HCBS translation provided below it. When it comes to the prepositions and there possible meanings, not every BDAG listed option is discussed for every occurrence/text. What you see in the discussion of each occurrence is not a weeding out of every BDAG option but a weeding out of each realistic possible option. Some conclusions are drawn more quickly than others as the meaning is more apparent in some texts. For those that are not so immediately obvious Constantine does a good job of sifting through the possible options as he sees it.

Though this is the exegetical stage of the discussion, and the more developed theological conclusions are drawn later, Constantine wrestles with the various theological conclusions that he feels would be the result of either taking the preposition or metaphors a given way. This is how he sifts out possible options and comes to his interpretation of choice. What rises to the surface here is that we are presented with the reality of how our theological interpretation and exegetical method go back in forth to help bring us to our conclusions and interpretations about a given text. Exegetical conclusions are never drawn in a vacuum as some would like to believe but are always coupled with and informed by our broader theological positions. Constantine shows us how this looks and does so with as much objectivity as one can expect.

In chapter seven Constantine deals with the metaphors relevant the theme of union with Christ. The chapter layout is the same. He indicates up front that throughout the chapter he offers sustained engagement with the work of Sang-Wong Son's monograph, Corporate Elements in Pauline Anthropology (p. 267).

Theological Conclusions

At this point Constantine deals with the theological implications of is exegetical analysis. He covers ground in several areas: union with Christ and the work of Christ, the trinity, Christian living, and justification. He briefly covers all of the applicable groups and subgroups from the exegetical section that contribute to the theological theme under discussion. From there he synthesizes the relevant texts and builds a theological framework.

Throughout this section Constantine addresses a number of important theological issues. He spends time at length on Romans 6 and dying and rising with Christ (p. 333-42). His short but meaty discussion on Romans 5 and the new Adam will be of interest to many. He does not see the exegetical support for a Calvinistic interpretation of imputation but rather argues for representation that is both" mechanical and symbolic". (p. 346) They are "mechanical in the sense that Adam and Christ open the door to their respective domains, providing the means through which others may enter in......Both figures are also symbolic representatives of their respective domains since both are the `first man' of each." (p. 346) He prefers to see imputation in conjunction with union with Christ (p. 399). Here he also mixes this discussion with his chapter on justification (chap. 11).

With all of the exegetical and theological discussion Constantine has engaged in, his conclusion on the definition of union with Christ is multi-termed/idiomatic (p. 26; 413):

1. Union - gathers up faith union with Christ, mutual indwelling, trinitarian, and nuptial notions.
2. Participation - conveys partaking in the events of Christ's narrative.
3. Identification - refers to believers' location in the realm of Christ and their allegiance to his lordship.
4. Incorporation - encapsulates the corporate dimensions of membership in Christ's body.

This multi-termed/idiomatic view sees the theme of union with Christ as an umbrella term for various other related theological developments in the theology of Paul and the NT.

Conclusion

One of the goals in writing a book is to match the content with the stated purpose of the book which is usually found in the title itself. Constantine has definitely accomplished his goal of providing an exegetical and theological study on the theme of union with Christ in the writings of Paul. His exegesis is exemplary, honest and he is humble about his conclusions. His theology is as consistent with his exegesis as one can expect from anyone. While you may not agree with all of his exegetical choices (and expects this), you are pressed with an exegetical argument for his choices.

Paul and Union with Christ is the only book of its kind in the union with Christ discussion and it should serve as a model for all exegetes on how to analyze and synthesize various passages on the same subject. Future writers seeking to do the same thing with different theological or thematic focuses should follow in his steps.

NOTE: I was provided a copy of this book from Zondervan in return for an honest review. The words and thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

[Eric Yap · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to put a finger on a summative review on this book. True to its subtitle this was definitely a thorough exegetical and theological study, but it felt like Campbell's ambitious scope for this book left me wondering if he could have gone deeper instead of trying to cover everything broadly. The exegetical examination is mainly in part II, where Campbell commits around 250 pages to examine all of the uses of εν Χρῑστῷ/αὐτῷ/κυρίῳ (in Christ/in Him/in the Lord), εἰς Χρῑστου (in/into Christ), συν Χρῑστῷ/αὐτῷ (with Christ/Him),δια Χριστου (through Christ/the Lord), as well as various Pauline metaphors that connote the concept of union, such as marriage, the temple, baptism and so on within the Pauline corpus. One needs to have some familiarity with koine Greek and its syntax and grammar, but I suppose you could skip most of the exegetical workings to the conclusions without losing out too much since most of the exegetical workings are really repetitive and will somewhat reappear in his theological analysis portion. The theological analysis then follows in part III (part I was methodology historical examination of the state of studies in Pauline theology/union), where Campbell concludes that Pauline union conveys faith union (mutual indwelling, Trinitarian, and nuptial notions), participation (partaking in the eschatological, redemptive-historical work of Christ), identification (the believers' ethical location in the realm of Christ and His lordship) and incorporation (being part of His corporate body). Notably, Campbell's exegetical-theological analysis did seem like an attempt to advance existing theological conversations within Pauline studies, as he cites a plethora of Pauline scholarship that already exists and attempts to further some of these conversations with the exegetical conclusions in his book (such as N.T. Wright and the justification debate). However, it is hard to conclude that Campbell actually posits any new thoughts in his exegetical-theological analysis, as most of his material can be found in the works of Gaffin, Ridderbos, Horton, Murray, Schreiner, Gormon, and even Wright in greater depth and detail. For example, he seems to draw and engage frequently from Schweitzer's seminal work on Pauline eschatology, but, ironically, there is little reference to Dodd and no reference to Cullman at all, both whom engagement with Schweitzer postulated the paradigm-shifting, eschatological framework to reading Paul. In summary, Campbell's study on Pauline Union is a great reference book to jump off to more in-depth studies, since he covers comprehensively on both exegetical and theological dimensions, but one wonders if, in his attempt to cover too comprehensively, the book felt like it gave a bit of everything without making a strong point and conclusion on anything, but still it is a fine resource/primer to Paul's doctrine of union with Christ.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two thirds of the book is exegetical study on the many pauline passages related to the "union with Christ" theme. Then, the last one-third deals with the theological conclusions that arise out of the exegesis. A summary of the positions taken by last century's theologians (ie: Karl Barth, John Murray, and others) on this topic is presented as an introduction. The author's conclusions are often compared with those theologian's view in the theological section. An impressive bibliography on the subject is presented in appendix.

Note that this is a somewhat dry read.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I knew this book was highly regarded on the influential subject of union with Christ. I’ve seen Constantine Campbell’s name show up all over this issue as well. What surprised me, though, is this book’s laudable design. I cannot think of a more ideal way to examine Paul’s relationship to the theological subject of union with Christ than to simply exegete every passage in the epistles of Paul that touch on the subject. Along the way, Campbell tackles “in Christ”, “through Christ”, “into Christ”, as well as every other conceivable expression on the subject. In addition to exegeting each passage, he outlines the possible uses of the word and categorizes each passage as to its likely usage.

Before all those passages are exegeted, there are two chapters that cover introductory matters and a history of the issue seen through the eyes of the major theological players that have most contributed to how the debate has gone. There’s a lot to evaluate there as Campbell does a fine job explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each theologian. After chapters 3 through 7 exegete all those passages, there are several chapters of theological study. More terms are defined and exegeted as well as major concepts of participation like the body of Christ, Temple and building, marriage, dying and rising with Christ, and the new Adam being explained. There’s one chapter that well explains Trinitarian issues and another that tackles the often-debated relationship of union with Christ and justification. The twelveth chapter defines union with Christ with all the information we gained throughout the book and there’s one final chapter on implications and future directions that will really appeal to scholars. Fortunately, there’s a scriptural index that will make this volume as wonderful a reference as it is a theological read.

To my mind, this volume is without peer for the needs of Bible students and pastors on union with Christ. Without a doubt, it will be my go-to volume.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Nelson Banuchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and exhaustive survey of all the Biblical verses that explicitly or implicitly conveys Paul's theme of union with Christ within his epistles.

Campbell starts with brief discussions of how major Biblical scholars, like Deismann to Barth to Gorman, view union with Christ, defines certain theological concepts like mysticism, sacramentalism, deification, and the "body of Christ," to finally engage the everyplace in Paul's writings where he refers to or suggests union with Christ explicitly or implicitly, e.g. "in Christ," "through Christ," "by Him" (i.e. "by Christ"); he even discusses those texts where Paul metaphorically refers to union with Christ as believers being, for example, the "body," "temple," and "building" of Christ.

Campbell then pursues a theological study, that is, the significance of union with Christ as it relates to the work of Christ, the Trinity, Christian ethics, justification, and defines it as participation with, identification, and incorporation into Christ. He even considers union with Christ in relation to eschatology. Campbell closes his exhaustive study making suggestions and directions for future study and research discussing the importance and structure of Paul's theology as it relates to union with Christ.

This is a necessary read for anyone considering a serious study on the topic of union with Christ in the thought of Paul the apostle. Since Campbell, apparently, minutely goes through every verse in Paul's writings on the issue, I contend it should be the first book before any other books relating to a study of union with Christ.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There has been a notable, and important, shift toward attempting to better understand Christian faith and practice in terms of some kind of joint participation with God in Christ.

In Paul and Union With Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study, Constantine Campbell presents his study and case for understanding union with Christ for Protestants.

The “exegetical” part of the study featured considerations of all the various ways in which Paul spoke of being “in Christ.” The author also considers similar prepositions. Throughout the author has placed a lot of confidence in the ability to come to hard and fast conclusions regarding fine distinctions in grammatical constructions; I do not maintain the kind of faith the author does in the integrity of such exploits. Nevertheless, the author does well to show how often Paul spoke of Christian faith and practice as grounded and rooted “in Christ” in more than a merely metaphorical way.

The “theological” part of the study considered the metaphors Paul used in relation to union with Christ and grounds “union with Christ” in Protestant theology. The author would probably protest such a narrow definition of his task, but at every point possible, the author will staunchly defend his Protestant priors. His attempts to resist the plain language of Paul regarding baptism as the means by which one becomes unified with Christ in Romans 6:1-11, suggesting it is merely metaphorical, and on the basis of such an uncritical reading of 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 that almost any Christian who has encountered the passage could easily refute, was quite telling. The author even feels the need to attempt to redeem and rehabilitate “imputation” as a theological concept, even though he seems cognizant of the many arguments and challenges which are therein presented. When we can all confess “imputation” was one of those times where the Latin translation of the Greek term led to people making inappropriate conclusions - just like is insisted upon and expected in all kinds of Trinitarian doctrinal conversations - we will all be much better off.

The author is correct, and does well, to suggest Paul very much considers union with Christ, with flavors and nuances of union, participation, identification, and incorporation as fundamental in his theology and thus his explication and exhortation regarding Christian faith and practice. This is definitely a resource worth considering when trying to make sense of Paul’s theology; whether or not it becomes the kind of work to which one must make reference and to become the basis of the theological study, as the author seems to expect in his conclusions, I am not so sure. I was expecting a bit more humility and a bit better from the author, admittedly, and so the work is a bit of a disappointment in that regard.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my stretch read for the year. Campbell examines every instance in Paul's writings of the phrase "in Christ" is well as related phrases and metaphors. He draws some conclusions as to what union with Christ means, concluding that Paul's "in Christ" idea is best summed up in 4 words: union, participation, identification, and incorporation. He also talks about its relation to the idea of justification, how important it is in Pauline thought, and some other modern scholarly debates.

I chose to read this because I'm interested in the idea of union with Christ and its implications for the Christian life. This is not a popular level book, so it was challenge for me to read. However, I think it was helpful to me in modeling skills with Greek syntax, in spite of the fact that sometimes I felt like I was losing the forest for the trees when Campbell went through every. single. reference. If you just wanted to find out Campbell's conclusions, you could probably skip to part 3 without being completely lost.

Campbell talks in his suggestions for further study section about the need for popular level books on this topic. I'm not sure if any have come out since this was published, although I wonder if J-Curve by Paul Miller would fall into that category. I would probably benefit from reading a popular level treatment of this as a follow-up.

[Pedro Pamplona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um livro essencial e básico para quem quer estudar sobre a importante doutrina da união com Cristo. Campbell conclui que ela não é o centro do pensamento de Paulo, mas a chave que conecta todo o seu pensamento.

Na parte exegética são muitos os textos analisados, portanto, não há uma profundidade para quem gostaria de ver grandes exegeses do grego, mas serve como boa introdução. A parte teológica e a conclusão são excelentes, merecendo mais atenção no capítulo sobre a obra de Cristo e Justificação.

A boa surpresa pra mim foi o tratamento do tema da Trindade em relação a união com Cristo. Campbell destaca essa relação e chega a falar de pericorese e theosis. Muito bom!

É uma pena não termos livros como esse em português. Não há quase nada específico dessa maneira sobre esse e outros temas importantes por aqui.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores the concept of Union With Christ in Paul's letters. Over half the book is an exhaustive exegesis of the theme, verse by verse. Campbell then takes the results of that exegesis and synthesizes it, eventually arriving at a definition for the concept: union, participation, identification, incorporation.
This book is more academic than popular, but certainly accessible to the armchair theologian. It us highly recommended for anyone interested in Pauline studies or the concept of Union with Christ.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive.

[Nate G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I may not agree with every conclusion, this inductive exegetical study is a indespensible resource to better understanding the concept of Union with Christ.

[John T. Darrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and exegetically accessible.

[Matthew Rawlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valuable to consult but the author may have bit off more than he could chew by trying to exegete every passage addressing union with Christ.

[Радостин Марчев]

Голяма част от книгата представлява техническа работа по събиране, съпоставяне и оценка на фрази и стихове - повечето на ниво гръцки текст.
Останалата (извършена на основата на първата) е богословски анализ, оценка и кратки задочни дебати с иде на различни автори. Макар и щрихираща и в никакъв случай твърде задълбочена тя е много интересна.
Като цяло книгата е интересна и полезна. Оценките и изводите са балансирани и осведомени. Като оставим настрана неизбежната сухота на техническата част книгата си заслужава - стига човек наистина да има интерес в областта, за да се зарови в това. За тези, които нямат желание да я четат цялата спокойно могат да преминат през богословските части и обобщения и при нужда да ползват останалото за справочник. Това ще бъде напълно достатъчно, за да схванат основните идеи на автора. (Между другото, моят прочит беше точно такъв :)

[Greg Marquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good study of the "in Christ" phrase in the Christian Scriptures. Here's a bit I liked:
the relevant Pauline passages, arguing that Paul does not regard salvation to be accomplished by the substitution of Christ but rather through participation with Christ. An example of this is Powers’ treatment of Galatians 2:20:

When Paul asserts that Christ ‘loved me and gave himself for ( ὑπὲρ ) me,’ he means that Christ represented the believers in his death. Paul did not intend to say that Christ died instead of, or in the place of, the believers, because he sees the believers as also being involved in Christ’s death. Rather, Paul sees Christ as being so bound up in the fate of the believer that he represents the believer in his death; he gave himself on behalf of the believer. 62

[Marc Cortez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Campbell’s book is an outstanding resource, invaluable for anyone wanting to understand Pauline theology in general. But even more, Campbell is a fine example of someone who is committed both to paying close attention to the biblical texts and to thinking carefully through the systematic implications of his exegetical conclusions. So I highly recommend the book for both theologians and biblical scholars as an example of bringing us all closer together.

If you'd like to read more about the book, check out my full review .

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A serious exhaustive study on the terms "in Christ, with Christ, unto Christ, etc. it is a slow read but very profitable. If you are looking for sermons or a layman's application as to the full range of meaning as it applies to your life you won't find it here. This is the research to help you write those messages & to come up with it's significance in the life of a believer.

[Gordon Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exhaustive (and therefore exhausting) study of union with Christ coming to a sophisticated nuanced conclusion. The historical overview at the beginning and the theological synthesis at the end are built solidly on strong exegesis of every reference to the concept in Paul's writings.

[Gary Paulson]

The 2014 Christianity Today Book Awards: Biblical Studies
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2...

[Ben Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever wondered how any person can be "in" any other person let alone "in" Christ, then this book will tell you. Campbell masterfully analyses the Bible's use of the word and dispels mystery. In sum, there are multiple meanings of "in" and none of them are as weird as you might expect.