Clive Bowsher

Clive Bowsher is a pastor-theologian with a passion for understanding and communicating the word of Christ. He leads and manages Union School of Theology as Provost, and teaches and researches in NT and Biblical Theology. Previously, he served as lead minister of a local church in Oxfordshire, UK, and co-mentored Union’s Learning Community in Oxford. He is the author of Life in the Son: Exploring Participation and Union with Christ in John’s Gospel and Letters (IVP 2023), and One: Being United to Jesus Changes Everything (Union Publishing, 2023).
The following devotional by Clive Bowsher is for Friends of Union. To learn more about becoming a Friend of Union, visit www.uniontheology.org/friends-of-union
To “abide,” then, is not some special spiritual technique, but instead the posture of trust in Jesus, resting in his love (15:9), lived out in glad obedience to him (15:10). It’s joy-full (15:11). And every branch united to him in two-way friendship is guaranteed fruit that will stand the test of time.
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.
Clive Bowsher introduces us to the biblical idea of union with Christ as in-one-another relationship.