16.2 Together With
© 2017 Christ Revealed Bible Institute
This lesson is a straightforward Bible study. The premise for this study is that the definitions of symmorphy rule over all other uses of sym/syn in the New Testament. That is, “sharing the same form” equates, then, to most uses by Paul, and some uses by others, of the pre-fix sym/syn, meaning “together with.”
Paul used the pre-fix meta more often than sym/syn, meta meaning “together” as in “two things side by side.” But sym/syn does not mean two things side by side, but two things entirely and utterly inside of one another in all they are. Nonetheless, inside of the essential union, we discover that there is much “togetherness” taking place.
Four Distinct Areas. This Bible study, then, is a compilation of many syn/sym words used by Paul, especially, but by most New Testament writers as well, that pertain to our full and present UNION with the Lord Jesus Christ – with short comments added.
As I go through these incredible statements, now much grown in their meaning in my understanding, I see four distinct areas of togetherness. First and foremost is our union with Christ. Yet inside of that essential union, we see much working together, not only with Christ, but also with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Then we also see a profound union, or bond, together as one body, yet inside of that essential union there are many ways in which we work and share life together.
A Model of Four. Now, before we delve into a concept I have never really seen before, our being fitted together, not as an idea (which I have seen), but as all practically, we must establish this fact. All four of these concepts, union with Christ – working together with Christ – our union together – our working together, are always present together in all our daily life. Let’s picture these four in a model.
| References to Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit working together with each one of us. | References to our sharing actions together as one body of Christ. | Working Together |
| References to our present and complete union with Christ as individuals. | References to our being joined together in a bond of union. | Alive Together |
| Christ & Work | One Body & Work |
United with His Death. Let’s begin with our present union with Christ in its first essence – death, burial, resurrection.
For if (since) we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be…, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. – If (since) we died with Christ, we shall also… (Romans 6:5-6 & 8).
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but… (Galatians 2:20).
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, (having already) been conformed with His death (Philippians 3:10).
It Is Finished. This is a faithful saying: For if (since) we died with Him, we shall also… (2 Timothy 2:11). – Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world (Colossians 2:20).
I have removed the references to our being united with His life so that we can see clearly these specific statements of our complete inclusion in, our symmorphy with, the death of the Lord Jesus. (“If” in this context, always means, “since it is so.”) In every one of these references, it is assumed without question that our death is entirely past tense. Our death is completed; it is finished. Those who do not know the absolute finality of the END of all their sinfulness cannot then turn and know our inclusion in the life of Jesus. No one can repent from a partial death.
Buried with Him. You see, the death is not the Covenant, for that which is dead cannot connect with the living. Thus this Covenant we are seeking to know cannot be a partial trade, that is, “we do this much for God and God does this much for us.” And yet God provides us a further element in that death so that we might know how to regard our present failings.
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ… (Romans 6:4).
In Him you were also circumcised… by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were… (Colossians 2:12-13).
Our Presence INSIDE. It is the burial then, as we have seen, our sharing the same burial with the Lord Jesus, through which the Covenant begins to enter our knowledge. And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12b).
It is these eight references that contain, in some way, the pre-fix syn/sym, thus establishing explicitly, for the Covenant, our sharing full and substantial presence INSIDE the death and burial of the Lord Jesus. Here are the exact words in the order in which Paul wrote them. And that makes Galatians 2:20, written in late winter, AD 57, the first time Paul wrote the concept of our being symmorphosed with the death of Christ.
I Have Been Crucified With
Synestaurōmai – I have been crucified with. (All of those English words are found inside the one Greek word.) Perfect indicative – established in a past moment and is made perfect in every present moment.
Symphytoi gegonamen – united together, we have become.
Synestaurōthē – was crucified with Him. Aorist indicative passive – already and absolutely finished, without any action on our part (except to believe that God is telling us the truth.)
Apethanomen syn Christo – we died with, tightly together with, Christ. (This form is the same in Romans 6:8, Colossians 2:20, and 2 Timothy 2:11).
Symmorphizomenos – already and presently sharing the same form.
Sharing the Same Life. Then, we share the same form with the resurrection of Christ in all of His present life.
For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you (2 Corinthians 13:4).
Now if (since) we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him (Romans 6:8).
Syzēsomen – we will share the same life.
For whom He pro-knows, He also pro-determines conformed with the image of His Son… (Romans 8:29).
Symmorphous – sharing fully with Jesus, He in us and we in Him, all the characteristics of being the revelation of the Father.
Inside of Each Other
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5-6).
Synezōopoiēsen – makes us to share the same active life. Aorist indicative active – completed and now, but a life with which we are actively involved.
Synēgeiren – raised us up together. Awakened at the same moment, inside of each other.
Synekathisen – seated us together (in His throne – we in Him and He in us). This word belongs in Christ and us working together, but we will include it here.
Already Alive
In which you also were raised with Him through the faith of the energeia of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him… (Colossians 2:12-13).
Synēgerthēte – you were raised up in the same form with Him – already happened.
(Notice that it is the faith created in us by the active energeia of God, our faith now that He is working in us the same resurrection life of Jesus in substance.)
Synezōopoiēsen – together with, sharing the same creative life.
Already done – we are already fully ALIVE together with Jesus.
Our Life which IS Christ
If (since) then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above (often translated “in your midst,”) where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things “in your midst,” not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When your life, which is Christ, appears (is made visible), then you also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4) (– Notice the change of wording regarding Christ our life!).
Synēgerthēte – Already raised up in the full resurrection of Christ.
Kekryptai syn Christo en Theo – (your LIFE) has been hidden utterly together with Christ inside of an all-here-now God.
Hymeis syn auto phanerōthēsesthe – You (Christ as you) will appear, be made visible and known, utterly together with Him.
Intensity versus Contemplation
You will notice that when Paul wrote Romans in early AD 58, he spoke of our being raised together with Christ in the future tense, but when he wrote Ephesians and Colossians five years later, he placed our union with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus as something already accomplished. This difference is easy to understand when we realize that Romans 8 was the destination Paul was driving towards as he framed the first seven chapters of Romans, and the burning passion of the redemption of our bodies and our setting creation free was at the forefront of his mind. Then, as he was forced to sit quietly and think, his only understanding of the resurrection of Jesus was that we are presently and utterly inside its form in every way.
Our Utter Inclusion. I have laid these things out very specifically, for these uses of syn/sym, our utter inclusion inside the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, our substantial presence, personally and for real, inside of Him as He endured those experiences, is the foundation of the Covenant. Except we be rooted utterly in the knowledge of our absolute inclusion in these three things, we cannot move forward, now, together with Father, in the expression of His glory.
Now, we do not have the space to include the verses that place us in Jesus and Jesus in us in the working of God through us. Those verses would be found in the Pro-Thesis of God, and, I suspect, some are in that session. Yet we will look at one aspect here – sharing His same glory.
Sharing the Same Glory
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory certain to be revealed inside of us (penetrating into us with all purpose) (Romans 8:16-18).
Symmartyrei – shares the same agreement with us, agreement inside of agreement.
We ARE – synklēronomoi – utterly together with Jesus as the Heir of all that is God.
Sympaschomen syndoxasthōmen – sharing the same suffering, sharing the same glory, that is, the same expression of Father.
Already God-Revealed. Here is where we bring in Romans 8:30, for this part of the Covenant seals us into God. Moreover whom He pro-determined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Already glorified, already the image of the Father, the express image of His Person. We are already fully human, that is, God-revealed.
Yet this brings us to an odd use of “together with,” one that must be included in knowing our full union with Christ. Now, I am going to turn the wording of this verse to our positive, something very much intended by the Spirit of God.
The Fusion of DNA
For indeed the gospel was preached to us, and the word which we heard has profited us, being mixed with faith in us who heard it (Hebrews 4:2 modified to the positive).
Synkekerasmenous – having been united or mixed with.
This is an incredible word, and the dictionary writers miss that point of God’s most important pattern, the reproduction of life. This word is, indeed, referring to the complete fusing of DNA taking place between the male sperm, Word, and the female egg, Faith. In other words, none of these statements of God regarding our full union with Christ will do us any good unless we believe absolutely that God IS telling us the truth.
Upon Firm We Stand. Yet as we believe with the confession of our mouth that God is telling us the truth, then the reality of this word, mixed together with, causes every Word that is Jesus to become every particle of our present humanity.
And thus we speak with Paul with all certainty. I AM crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in, as, and through me. Yet it is me, for I live utterly inside of all that is Jesus. Give me a place to stand and I will move God. – Upon FIRM we stand.
These words of our full inclusion inside the death, burial, resurrection, glorification, and throne of Christ ARE the foundation of the Covenant upon which we STAND!
Continuing with Father. As we continue, now, with our determined Father into the full meaning of the Holy Place, we are going forward out from all these verses that speak of our union with Christ. And in going forward out from that union, we are working together with the Father and with the Holy Spirit to accomplish all of our shared purposes.
Nonetheless, our focus is no longer on those two arenas of “together with.” The first we live utterly out from, the second is simply our work – the fruit of our work is more important than the work. And that fruit is the Church, one body together in all ways, sharing together, working together, loving one another in the bond of togetherness.
Places to Go. I have found this study to be much larger than I had envisioned. As I said, all the references to our working together with God belong in Pro-Thesis. The references to our union together as one body we will explore in the next lesson – “Being Fitted Together.” And then the references to our sharing all things together, including our work together, we will scatter throughout the next three sessions, “Believers Together as – .”
But I must warn you that over the last couple of days God has utterly transformed my vision. I am no longer speaking by faith, but by certainty. I am a man on fire, sent of God, and I have places to go before I am finished.