In this short work (<100 pages) titled One Forever, Rory Shiner provides a surprisingly comprehensive overview of basic biblical Christology, emphasising what it means to be in Christ. In an ever-relevant global pluralistic landscape, a prevailing question faces Christianity: What does it mean to follow Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior? Should we think of Christianity as a sect centered around a virtuous teacher or guru? Or is Christianity merely a new and revitalised system of morality? Over 70 times, the New Testament alludes to the concept of union with Christ, and it is through this lens that Shiner examines how the Christian partakes in this union and how that might be relevant(!).

Written for accessibility, Shiner speaks to the layman and the theologian alike, examining that part of Christology that highlights the very real and beautiful participatory reality between Christ and his bride. Breaching into the doctrinal concepts of the mystical union, vicarious humanity of Christ and participation in Christ, One Forever is both practical and insightful and a valuable addition to any Christian library.

I hadn’t given much thought to what it means to be “in Christ” - though when I responded to the message at the age of five, it was presented as “asking Jesus into my heart” - Christ in me.
Rory Shiner’s book opens up the teaching of Jesus, especially in John’s Gospel, and the many references Paul gives us about being united to Christ.
I like this book so much, I’ve read it several times, enjoying it more on each re-read.
One Forever presents this theme simply, but not simplistically. You might find it changes your thinking and the way you relate to Christ and to your fellow believers.

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In the New Testament, Paul describes believers with two simple words - in Christ. What exactly does it mean to be in Christ? It sounds like a sphere, a location, somewhere you can be. Does it mean to be saved by Christ? Inspired by Christ? Taught by Christ? In submission to Christ? Rory Shiner unpacks the real meaning of this theological idea of union with Christ in his book One Forever: The Transforming Power of Being In Christ.

Union with Christ, being in Christ, is not impossible to grasp, nor is it impractical. It is substantial. And it is deeply liveable. Rory Shiner explains the meaning and practicality with vivid, simple, memorable illustrations that bring clarity to the concept, and he follows it up with Scriptural basis. He shows that the doctrine of union with Christ is precisely the doctrine Paul calls on when it comes to actually living the Christian life, overcoming sin, and growing in holiness. In Christ is the place where we can never ever be separated from the love of God, the place where we are justified before the Father.

This straightforward book, less than 100 pages, will help the follower of Christ understand the full impact of being united with Christ and how transformational it can be when we grasp the concept. This book would be great for either individual reading or small group study, though no discussion guide is included.

[Note] This review was transferred from our old online store which did not give ratings. But this new store requires ratings. So in order to transfer them we have tried to give a rating which reflects the content of the review. So you may prefer to ignore the rating and just read the review.
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I've recently received two books on union with Christ. One Forever by Rory Shiner and Paul and Union with Christ by Con Campbell. I've been keen to get into both these books and decided to bring one with me on a plane trip this morning. Rory's book is 88 pages and Con's is 479 pages. If I was flying to South Africa with the Brumbies, I'd have taken Con's book, but given I was only flying from Canberra to Sydney, Rory's it was. Con said his book would have helped me sleep on the plane! Hopefully, I'll let you know later if that's true. This is a great introduction to an often overlooked theme in the Bible. This book shows us how central and significant it is. Union with Christ belongs not only at the heart of theology, but at the heart of Christian experience.

Union with Christ is introduced against the backdrop of creation. We were created to be united with Christ. The picture of the man and woman being united in a one flesh relationship in Genesis 2 finds its ultimate expression in the union between Christ and his bride, the church, in Ephesians 5. We only become the people that God designed us to be as we are united together with Jesus. Fulfilment and completeness for human beings is experienced through entering into a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.

The incarnation, where God became one of us, shows us God's true intentions for humanity. Given our rebellion against God, it's truly remarkable that God would enter into our world as a human being.

God doesn't enter into humanity like a nuclear scientist holds radioactive material: with a massive suit on, at a distance, for fear of contamination. Rather, he enters into all that we are and is united to all that we are, so that all we can be healed and redeemed. (p28)

The key to understanding the incarnation is the gospel. It reveals that God's purpose in becoming fully human was to save people who'd turned their backs on him. Jesus, fully human, reveals the extent of God's commitment to humanity and to restoring sinful people into relationship with God. The exalted post-resurrection Jesus shows us the picture of what God intends for humanity as we are reunited with our creator.

The heart of this book is the chapter on being a new creation in Christ. Very fittingly, given the context of me reading this book, Rory asks us to consider being on a plane! He asks what relationship we need to have with the plane if we are going to get to the destination. Would it help to be under the plane, or inspired by the plane, or following the plane? No, we need to be in it! He argues that the New Testament idea of being in Christ is something like this. In biblical terms, we get to participate in the benefits of salvation and justification because we are united with, or in, Christ in his death and resurrection. This is the plane journey that matters.

He develops the plane illustration further with some important pastoral implications. Contrast a business woman, well accustomed to flying, taking the journey in her stride, with an elderly man, an anxious first-time flyer, who keeps asking whether or not they're going to make it. The woman clearly has stronger faith. The man is troubled by doubts and fears. But the plane gets both of them there! The heart of the matter is not how much faith you have, but where your faith is. (p41)

Union with Christ isn't simply one angle to understanding what we have received as Christians. Rather, it's the means by which we receive every blessing from God. We are justified, declared to be in right standing with God, through being united with Christ. Christ has paid the price of judgment for our sin so that when we are united with him by faith there is no further price to be paid. This is the basis of our assurance of salvation. Understanding the implications of union with Christ enables us to live in humble confidence, that is, a confidence that in Christ everything from God will be ours and nothing can take this away from us. As Paul writes in Romans 8:

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Rory includes an excellent chapter on dealing with sin in our lives. He describes union with Christ as our defence against the playground bullies of sin and temptation. (p56) He takes us to Romans 6, arguably one of the most important chapters in the Bible for understanding the life implications of being united with Christ in his death and resurrection. Many people, Christians included, belie...

[Note] This review was transferred from our old online store which did not give ratings. But this new store requires ratings. So in order to transfer them we have tried to give a rating which reflects the content of the review. So you may prefer to ignore the rating and just read the review.
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One Forever: The transforming power of being in Christ by Rory Shiner is a refreshingly clear primer on the biblical concept of Union with Christ that all Christians, young and old, can appreciate and read. How do you describe what it means to be a Christian? Perhaps you say you've 'been saved', or that you are a 'follower of Christ'. While both of these are not incorrect, their usage in the Bible is scarce and rare, especially when compared to the primary description that Christians are given by the Apostles of being 'in Christ'. It's an unusual term isn't it? It's not foreign but it isn't the first thing we might think of when we consider what it means to be a Christian. But if you took a cursory read through the New Testament you wouldn't be able to miss it.

In Western Society the most prominent doctrine that underlies the majority of evangelical preaching is the doctrine of justification by faith alone (that is to say, that the way in which we sinful humans can hope to stand before a just and holy God is by Him declaring us righteous in His sight). This truth of being saved by placing our faith in Jesus Christ is rightly of crucial importance, being the article upon which the church stands or falls. However, the teaching of the New Testament shows that it is actually our union with Christ that facilitates our justification in the first place. In fact, as Rory very helpfully shows in his book, union with Christ is what underlies our justification, our growth in obedience and ability to overcome sin, the existence of the church and also the future hope of recreation and resurrection.

Starting from Creation and going through to the hope of Christ's Second Coming, Rory never neglects faithful biblical theology in favour of explaining abstract doctrines. And it's short! At 88 pages I was astounded at how much was covered in such a short span of time. This book is a great introduction to the Bible's teaching on union with Christ and gives Christians enough of a skeleton of the scope of its role in God's sovereign plan to give them all the hooks upon which further study and learning can readily occur. And it is written with clarity and easily understood illustrations that also shows the practical relevance of this amazing truth to our daily lives.