Within Christianity, there exists a wide diversity of understandings regarding the relationship between humanity and union with God. Different denominations and theological traditions each offer unique interpretations of this union.
The World Council of Churches’ Perspective
The World Council of Churches represents a liberal ecumenical movement whose core ideal emphasizes the unity of all Christians—a unity understood as a divine gift. This unity is not merely social harmony among believers but also involves a shared relationship with God. From this perspective, union with God is realized through faith and communal life within the church.
The Roman Catholic Perspective
Roman Catholicism emphasizes the importance of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. The Eucharist is viewed as the means by which believers are united with Christ—through partaking of His body and blood, the faithful enter into a mystical union with Him. Catholicism also stresses the authority and tradition of the Church, which it sees as the bridge connecting believers to God.
The Evangelical Perspective
Evangelicals focus on the individual’s personal relationship with God, believing that union with God is achieved through personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Evangelicals hold that when a person accepts Christ as their personal Savior and Lord of life, they enter into a direct relationship with God and, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, become a child of God.
The Conservative Evangelical Perspective
Conservative evangelicals place even greater emphasis on the authority of Scripture and the purity of doctrine. They believe union with God must be grounded on sound biblical truth and correct theology. Seeking unity with those who deny core gospel truths is viewed as inappropriate because such compromise could harm God’s glory and the well-being of the church.
The Eastern Orthodox Perspective
Eastern Orthodoxy emphasizes the concept of theosis—divinization or deification—whereby believers, through participation in the sacraments, prayer, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines, gradually become more like Christ and thus united with God. Orthodoxy teaches that humanity was created in the image and likeness of God, and the ultimate goal is to restore this image and achieve profound communion with Him.
The Reformed Perspective
The Reformed tradition, especially Calvinism, emphasizes God’s sovereignty and grace. Union with God in this tradition is seen as the work of divine grace—believers are united with Christ through faith as those whom God has chosen. This union is both spiritual and forensic (legal), meaning believers are declared righteous before God in Christ.
Conclusion
Across denominations, Christianity offers diverse emphases on the meaning of union with God. Yet all share the common conviction that such union is made possible through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as through the believer’s faith and spiritual practice.
Recommended Reading
- Historical Theology — Gregg Allison
- The Mystery of the Church — Vladimir Lossky
- Reformed Dogmatics — Herman Bavinck
Related Questions
- How do different Christian traditions interpret the impact of union with God on personal faith?
- In the process of union with God, how do various Christian traditions view the role of spiritual practices?
Quote
“The society into which the Christian is called is not a collective but a Body. It is in fact that Body of which the family unit is an image on the natural level. If anyone came to it with the misconception that the Church was a massing together of persons as if they were pennies or chips, he would be corrected at the threshold by the discovery that the Head of this Body is utterly unlike its inferior members — they share no divinity with Him except by analogy. We are summoned at the outset to combine as creatures with our Creator, as mortals with immortal, as redeemed sinners with sinless Redeemer. His presence, the interaction between Him and us, must always be the overwhelmingly dominant factor in the life we are to lead within the body; and any conception of Christian fellowship which does not mean primarily fellowship with Him is out of order.”
— From Transposition and Other Addresses, by C. S. Lewis (quoted in Daily Walk, May 18, 1992, with permission from William Collins Sons and Co., Ltd.)