The views expressed in this article are of the author only and do not necessarily represent those of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
Living in Union with Christ: Paul’s Gospel and Christian Moral Identity
Grant Macaskill
Baker Academic (2019). 160 pp.
Grant Macaskill was appointed to the Kirby Laing Chair of New Testament Exegesis in the School of Divinity, History, and Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen in 2015. Previously, Macaskill served as Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of St Andrews, where he had completed both his doctoral and postdoctoral projects. His research engages with the New Testament as a coherent body of theological literature emerging from the diverse contexts of late Second Temple Judaism.
Macaskill wrote that the “core claim of this book is that all talk of Christian moral life must begin and end with Paul’s statement, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’ (Gal 2:20), and must understand the work of the Holy Spirit rightly in relation to Christ’s presence” (p. 1). Macaskill explained this claim to mean “that we can never talk about the moral activity of a Christian without always, in the same breath, talking about Jesus, because the goal of our salvation is not that we become morally better versions of ourselves but that we come to inhabit and to manifest his moral identity” (p. 1) (emphasis original). Thus, as Macaskill would later note, the sinner’s need for “an alien righteousness” extends beyond justification to include sanctification as well. We need the righteousness of Christ to “inhabit our limbs, lips, and neuron if we are to live and think in a way that honors God, if we are to confess him rightly” (p. 3).
In chapter 1, Macaskill provided a status quaestionis regarding present attempts to reconcile and understand justification and sanctification within the works of the apostle Paul. For those looking for a brief summary of some key works in Pauline ethics, Macaskill’s first chapter is very helpful. Yet, as Macaskill himself noted, the profitability of the rest of the book does not depend upon a comprehensive understanding of the present debate among interpreters of Paul. Rather, Macaskill simply situated his contribution within the broader conversation. In sum, while Macaskill expressed gratitude for the work of other scholars, he concluded that previous attempts “do not deal adequately with the radically different concept of moral identity or agency that is at work in Paul’s writings” (p. 38).
In chapter 2, Macaskill clarified and expanded upon the idea of moral identity. His assertion is worth reproducing in full. Macaskill wrote, “Paul represents the Great Exchange that lies at the heart of the gospel, whereby Jesus bears the affliction of our condition and we enjoy the glory of his, as involving at its most basic level an exchange not merely of status but of identity. It is not simply that our guilt is transferred to Jesus and his righteousness to us but that our status before God rests on a more fundamental exchange. What Jesus takes to the cross is who we are, our very selves with all their guilt, and what we enjoy in union with him is precisely who he is, his fullness with all its glory. The activity of the Spirit in sanctification, then, is intended not to bring about a better version of ourselves but to realize in us the personal moral identity of Jesus Christ. Any account of the Christian moral life, any program of discipleship, that does not begin and resolve with Paul’s word, ‘I no longer liver, but Christ lives in me,’ is deficient and will eventually turn into a form of idolatry” (pp. 39–40). For the remainder of the book, Macaskill will return to draw upon this understanding of moral identity, tracing its relationship to baptism in chapter 3, the Lord’s Supper in chapter 4, the work of the Holy Spirit in chapter 5, and Christian hope in chapter 6.
Living in Union with Christ offers a fresh and stimulating appraisal of how the believer’s awareness of union with Christ shapes one’s fundamental moral identity. Macaskill’s efforts to tie this awareness to the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are commendable. In particular, how Macaskill stressed the social memory of the believing community and its participation in the past through the Supper demonstrates a need for Christians to reevaluate the frequency and function of the ordinance in the life of the church. The same could be said of Macaskill’s treatment of baptism and how it does not point to the creation of a “new self” but rather a participation in Christ. Many popular-level understandings of the ordinances among Protestants would be greatly helpful by engaging Macaskill’s work. Finally, likely the greatest strength of this work is found in the Christ-centered emphasis of moral transformation. Macaskill consistently reminds the reader that anything short of “I-in-Christ” and “Christ-in-me” approaches to faithful Christian living will be deficient. I believe this emphasis is not only exactly right but tragically absent in many conversations about morality in the Christian life. In my estimation, this is Macaskill’s greatest contribution to the academy and the church: a renewed emphasis on Christ as my life (Col 3:1–4).
If I must raise a point of critique, it will come in the form of a question regarding Macaskill’s vision of Christian unity. On page 70, Macaskill rightly noted that “for Paul, our unity is a function of our union with Christ, which is a union with the one God, whose oneness becomes ours. Our attempts to draw a circle around those who think like us is fundamentally wrongheaded and frankly, sinful.” To be sure, Macaskill goes on to note that “this is not to say that it is wrong to pursue moral and theological agreement in the truth.” He stated that we pursue such agreement “to bring the highest glory to God.” Yet, I find his next statement somewhat troubling due to its lack of context. He wrote that we do not pursue moral and theological agreement “to define who is in and who is out. I am united to the believer whose doctrine is dreadful and to the one whose life I find abhorrent; it is precisely because they share in the oneness of Christ’s body that I am compelled to speak to speak to both problems, but to do so in brotherly love and affirmation” (p. 71). Macaskill goes on to clarify that the “sine qua non of inclusion seems to be limited to the confession ‘Jesus is Lord,’ which can be made only by the acting presence of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).” To be sure, I am inclined to agree if I am allowed to flesh out what is entailed in a confession of the Lordship of Jesus, but Macaskill does not provide enough details for me to fully embrace his vision of unity without qualification. Surely there are limits to one’s “dreadful doctrine” and “abhorrent living” that would cause the apostle Paul to “draw a circle” that excludes them (however temporarily) from identifying with the people of God (1 Cor 5:1–13, cf. Matt 18:15–20). If Macaskill’s vision of unity is to be sustained, he must deal more thoroughly with the words of Jesus and Paul that suggests there are grounds for excluding people from the believing community, even if they claim that they believe Jesus is Lord.
With this question of critique noted, I still highly recommend Macaskill’s book. I hope that many pastors and students will read it and think deeply about the arguments, especially as Macaskill’s points us to Christ.
Casey Hough is the Director of Partnerships and Curriculum with World Hope Ministries International and an Assistant Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Luther Rice College and Seminary. He holds a PhD in Biblical Interpretation from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is a member of the St. Peter Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
