In Christ

“Everything good happens to the Christian by virtue of union with Christ. Nothing makes this clearer than the ‘in Christ’ theme of Paul’s letters...Jesus identifies with us and we gain access to everything he is by being incorporated into him, by entering into this ‘in Christ’ realm. Every theory of the atonement emerges from this central, life-giving identification for incorporation Atonement is what happens to a human being who is united with Christ. Union with Christ, in other words, is the foundation of atonement, and those who are so in union form the new community where cracked Eikons can be restored to God, self, others, and the world.”— A Community Called Atonement, pages 109-110 (italics his).