The New Testament writers use spatial language and imagery to portray our relationship with God, speaking both about God or Christ in us, and us in them. Believers are also described as possessing and participating in divine qualities such as life and glory. Both aspects are prominent in John's Gospel and letters. However, outside the Pauline writings, union with Christ has hardly been addressed in New Testament scholarship. Dr. Clive Bowsher seeks to redress this balance in Life in the Son.

In John's Gospel, the oneness of the Father and Son is described as the Father and Son being 'in-one-another.' Clive Bowsher's study shows that union with Christ in John's Gospel and letters is the in-one-another relationship of believers with the Father and Son by the Spirit - the intimate, loving, relational participation of the believer and God, each in the life, affections, ways and work of the other. Insightful and accessible, Bowsher's study also explores connections with the shape of sonship, and with covenant and the life of the age to come. This new volume in the NSBT series fills a significant gap in the literature and promises to be a blessing to pastors, preachers and scholars alike.

Clive Bowsher provides an exegetical-theological study of oneness and 'in-one-another' relationship with Christ in John's Gospel and letters, a new volume in the New Studies in Biblical Theology series.

'The recent resurgence of scholarly attention given to the theme of union with Christ has primarily focussed on Paul, making the lack of attention to the theme within Johannine literature all the more striking. Clive Bowsher has addressed this gap with his insightful, probing, and informative volume, demonstrating the centrality of in-one-anotherness of Father-Son and believers in John's Gospel and Letters. Bowsher highlights John's focus on this loving, intimate, and relational participation between God and his people, making his book essential reading for anyone wanting to understand union with Christ and/or John's writings.'

'Clive Bowsher persuasively demonstrates the centrality of what he calls "in-one-anotherness" - or the reciprocal relationship between believers and God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit - to the Gospel and Epistles of John. This entails participation in God's ways, work, and character as the fulfillment of the Bible's covenant motif, as sharing in the story of Jesus, and as experiencing proleptically the life of the age to come. Everyone interested in the Johannine literature, or in the themes of union and participation, should engage this significant volume.'

'Many Protestants are familiar with the one-anotherness of the Christian faith; we are called to a life of selfless love for each other in Christ's body, the church. But few are aware that the one-anotherness between believers is based on something even more fundamental, the fact that the Father and Son are eternally in one another and that we as Christians are in the Father and the Son. Bowsher's illuminating research expertly explores the contours of in-one-anotherness between God and believers in the Johannine writings of the New Testament. His book is eye-opening, faith-enriching, and heart-warming; it will affect every aspect of your relationship to God and to his people. I recommend it enthusiastically.'

'Given that union with Christ is central to how Christ's work becomes ours, and given the diverse interpretations of it in theology, we need to return anew to Scripture to grasp properly this glorious truth. In this groundbreaking work, Clive Bowsher does precisely this. He offers careful biblical and theological reasoning that clarifies what union with Christ is, and in so doing, we are indebted to him. This work is must reading to understand and glory in what it means to be united to Christ and thus to be in covenant relationship with our triune Creator, Redeemer, and Lord.'

Illustrations x

Series preface xi

Author's preface xiii

Abbreviations xv

Introduction: Johannine oneness and participation with Christ 1

Importance of the present study 1

Approach of the present study 3

1 'In Christ' in John: setting the scene 7

Introduction 7

Important themes from previous scholarship 8

Methodology and overview of this study 20

2 Oneness, participation and life in the Fourth Gospel 25

Introduction 25

Oneness and participation in John 6:32 - 40, 47 - 59 26

Oneness and participation in John 13 - 17 30

'In-one-another' language in John 6 and 13 - 17 47

Oneness and participation with the Son in John 6 and

13 - 17: an exegetical synthesis 52

3 Oneness, participation and life in the Johannine epistles 55

Introduction 55

2 and 3 John 56

Fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:1 - 2:2) 57

In-one-anotherness, knowing God in fellowship, and loving one another (1 John 2:3 - 17) 59

In-one-anotherness and birth, life, sin, righteousness and truth (1 John 2:18 - 3:10) 62

In-one-anotherness, life and the Spirit of truth (1 John 3:11 - 4:6) 70

In-one-anotherness, loving one another, Christological confession and the Spirit (1 John 4:7 - 5:4a) 71

In-one-anotherness with the true God and life in the Son (1 John 5:4b - 21) 74

Oneness and participation with the Son in 1 John: an exegetical synthesis 77

4 Oneness and participation with Christ in the Johannine Gospel and epistles: a synthesis so far 81

Begotten of God and the Spirit of truth in the Fourth Gospel 81

Towards a Johannine theology of oneness and participation with the Son 85

5 Participation in the journey of Jesus 93

Introduction 93

Participation in Jesus' journey in the Fourth Gospel 93

The prologue: the journey in outline 97

John 1 - 12 100

John 13 - 17 105

John 20 and the epilogue 111

Participation in the journey of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel: an exegetical synthesis 114

6 Oneness and participation with the Son in the Johannine Gospel and epistles 117

Introduction 117

Participation in Jesus' journey in 1 John 117

Participation in Jesus' journey in 1 John: an exegetical synthesis 124

Johannine participation with Christ: a consideration of filiation and theosis 125

Oneness and participation with the Son in the Johannine Gospel and epistles revisited 127

7 In-one-anotherness with Christ: the eschatological culmination of covenant 131

Introduction 131

In-one-anotherness and covenant relationship 132

In-one-anotherness and eschatology 141

In-one-anotherness and relational presence 144

Summary 145

8 In conclusion: Johannine oneness and participation with Christ 147

Appendix 1: Pauline union with Christ 152

Appendix 2: A preliminary look at oneness and participation with Christ in Revelation 156

Appendix 3: An analysis of the Greek discourse of John 14:15 - 24 161

Appendix 4: Hortatory-imperatival use of the third-person indicative in New Testament Greek outside 1 John 163

Bibliography 165

Index of authors 175

Index of Scripture references 177

\["For believers wanting to deepen their faith and understanding", "Addresses the lack of union with Christ in scholarship", "You will gain a richer experience of God's presence"\]

Explore your relationship with God through Clive Bowsher's insightful study, Life in the Son.

Clive Bowsher

Illustrations

Series preface

Author’s preface

Abbreviations

Introduction: Johannine oneness and participation with Christ

Importance of the present study

Approach of the present study

‘In Christ’ in John: setting the scene

Introduction

Important themes from previous scholarship

Methodology and overview of this study

Oneness, participation and life in the Fourth Gospel

Oneness and participation in John 6:32–40, 47–59

Oneness and participation in John 13 – 17

'In-one-another' language in John 6 and 13 – 17

Oneness and participation with the Son in John 6 and 13 – 17: an exegetical synthesis

Oneness, participation and life in the Johannine epistles

2 and 3 John

Fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:1 – 2:2)

In-one-anotherness, knowing God in fellowship, and loving one another (1 John 2:3–17)

In-one-anotherness and birth, life, sin, righteousness and truth (1 John 2:18 – 3:10)

In-one-anotherness, life and the Spirit of truth (1 John 3:11 – 4:6)

In-one-anotherness, loving one another, Christological confession and the Spirit (1 John 4:7 – 5:4a)

In-one-anotherness with the true God and life in the Son (1 John 5:4b–21)

Oneness and participation with the Son in 1 John: an exegetical synthesis

Oneness and participation with Christ in the Johannine Gospel and epistles: a synthesis so far

Begotten of God and the Spirit of truth in the Fourth Gospel

Towards a Johannine theology of oneness and participation with the Son

Participation in the journey of Jesus

Participation in Jesus' journey in the Fourth Gospel

The prologue: the journey in outline

John 1 – 12

John 13 – 17

John 20 and the epilogue

Participation in the journey of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel: an exegetical synthesis

Oneness and participation with the Son in the Johannine Gospel and epistles

Participation in Jesus' journey in 1 John

Participation in Jesus' journey in 1 John: an exegetical synthesis

Johannine participation with Christ: a consideration of filiation and theosis

Oneness and participation with the Son in the Johannine Gospel and epistles revisited

In-one-anotherness with Christ: the eschatological culmination of covenant

In-one-anotherness and covenant relationship

In-one-anotherness and eschatology

In-one-anotherness and relational presence

Summary

In conclusion: Johannine oneness and participation with Christ

Appendix 1 Pauline union with Christ

Appendix 2 A preliminary look at oneness and participation with Christ in Revelation

Appendix 3 An analysis of the Greek discourse of John 14:15–241

Appendix 4 Hortatory-imperatival use of the third-person indicative in New Testament Greek outside 1 John

Bibliography

Notes

Search names for authors

Search terms for Scripture references

Titles in this series

The New Testament writers use spatial language and imagery to portray our relationship with God, speaking both about God or Christ in us, and us in them. Believers are also described as possessing and participating in divine qualities such as life and glory. Both aspects are prominent in John's Gospel and letters. However, outside the Pauline writings, union with Christ has hardly been addressed in New Testament scholarship. Dr. Clive Bowsher seeks to redress this balance in Life in the Son.  
  
In John's Gospel, the oneness of the Father and Son is described as the Father and Son being 'in-one-another.' Clive Bowsher's study shows that union with Christ in John's Gospel and letters is the in-one-another relationship of believers with the Father and Son by the Spirit - the intimate, loving, relational participation of the believer and God, each in the life, affections, ways and work of the other. Insightful and accessible, Bowsher's study also explores connections with the shape of sonship, and with covenant and the life of the age to come. This new volume in the NSBT series fills a significant gap in the literature and promises to be a blessing to pastors, preachers and scholars alike.

__Clive Bowsher__ is Provost of Union School of Theology, where he teaches and researches in New Testament and Biblical Theology. Previously, he served as lead minister of a local church and co-mentored Union's Learning Community in Oxford, UK. He has held positions at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Bristol.

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