Life in the Son

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. * Constantine R. Campbell, Professor and Associate Research Director, Sydney College of Divinity *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. * Michael J. Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology, St. Mary’s Seminary & University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA *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. * Donald Fairbairn, Robert E. Cooley Professor of Early Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary *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. * Stephen Wellum Professor of Christian Theology, Editor SBJT The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary *

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.