The Great act of grace is that we were united to the life of Christ, and it is in that union that all other expressions of grace flow. Grace has a face, and that face is Jesus. Because of our union with Christ, the old self (the Drag King – because everything about our old self made life a drag) was crucified in His crucifixion and was buried. Because of our union with Christ when He was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so were we. Because of our union with the resurrected Christ, we are a New Creation that we might walk in newness of life. Every day, we get to experience the newness of the gift of His adequacy to live a set-apart life and the gift of His intimacy with the Father. We are not left to our own sincere best effort to live a life that’s pleasing to God. Instead, we have been included in His walk with God. “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He is living, He is living to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but living to God IN CHRIST JESUS.” Romans 6:10 – 11. We are able to live to God’s glory because we are “in Christ,” and He is, therefore, “in us.”
We are also not left to our own sincere self-effort to be “close” to God. We don’t have to fight for or earn a place of nearness with the Father. When Jesus ascended, clothed in humanity – our humanity – He carried us into the presence of the Father, and we get to participate in His relationship with Abba. He shares with us the Father’s affection and delight in Him and how that makes Him feel, as our experience. His nearness is our nearness, and His intimacy is our intimacy. Yes, the Great grace is our being united to Christ.