The Vine's Life-Sap: Unity Through Derived Life in Christ

Paul's genius lay in binding the mystical to the practical—his deepest doctrines became the very foundation of Christian conduct. Critics who say 'Give me his...

This is historical examples on organic union with Christ and doctrine informing ethics, drawing on Romans 12:4-5.

Paul's genius lay in binding the mystical to the practical—his deepest doctrines became the very foundation of Christian conduct. Critics who say 'Give me his ethics, keep his dogmas' commit a fatal severance that destroys both. The Gospel's secret is this: first believe in Christ, then in His strength, do what is right and become like Him. The unity of believers rests on what Maclaren calls the 'unity of the derived life.'…