Elyse M. Fitzpatrick - Found in Him: The Joy of the Incarnation and Our Union with Christ

Busy Christians in an iPhone age can look at Christ as though he were the battery charger and we are the smartphone. We plug into Jesus during a quiet time, then go out and live on that energy until our spiritual batteries run drythen its back to the next quiet time, conference, or retreat. But this is not a metaphor the Bible invites us to use when it speaks of our union in Christ. He is the vine; we are the branches. In her newest and perhaps most important work, my friend Elyse Fitzpatrick describes this beautiful union we have with our Savior and the joys of drawing from the Vine. I highly recommend this exceptional book!

Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

Found in Him reveals the God-designed remedy for our impoverished heartsthe work of Christ for, in, and through us. While many heavy-laden, conscience-stricken believers struggle to bear up under the weight of their spiritual to-do lists, Elyse awakens our hearts and minds to what Jesus has already done and calls us to find rest in him.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author; Radio Host, Revive Our Hearts

Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a theological thrill ride. Im not talking about spiritual entertainmentyou best look elsewhere for that. But if you are looking to understand one of the most profound and moving mysteries of the Christian lifeas Elyse puts it, the soul-consoling, heart-transforming, zeal-engendering of Christs incarnation and union with uswell, youve found the book you absolutely need to read.

Mark Galli, Editor in Chief, Christianity Today

If Elyse Fitzpatrick is right, the Bible (finally) is not about us at all! It is about the God who has acted to save those who dont and cant become better, and that Christianity is not (finally) about morals at all. The Bibles story is a story about Gods love for immorals like you and me. It is about Christ, who he is and what he did for usonce and for all and at a particular time and place in normal history.

Rod Rosenbladt, Former Professor of Theology, Concordia University, Irvine, California

When the great theologian John Murray famously wrote, Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation, I wonder how I could have missed the point for so many years. Yet, as I simply consider the focus of Christ and the apostles on being in him, I have grown to recognize the wisdom of Murrays words and now, with Elyse Fitzpatricks book, I also cherish the dearness of them. She writes of the deep truths of our union with God, freshly unfolding biblical passages that describe his incarnation, and she writes with sensitivity of the significance of the continuing intimacy we have with the Creator who walked among us. Here is the infinite made intimate to strengthen our hearts.

Bryan Chapell, President Emeritus, Covenant Theological Seminary

Over the years, I have been challenged by Elyses profound and practical approach to biblical issues that concern women. Last year when I heard her share a snippet of her writing on the incarnation, I was hungry for moreand I wasnt disappointed! Pondering the incarnation, in my moments of loneliness and brokenness, has been the strong medicine I need to soothe and heal my heart, and I trust it will be yours as well.

Cathe Laurie, Founder and Executive Director, Virtue Womens Ministry

Found in Him is a timely paean to the timeless good news of Christs incarnation and our union with him. As with everything Elyse writes, it brims with humility and imagination, and the focus on grace is sharp and undeviating. She never flinches from honesty about who we are, which only makes the comfort and joy of what Jesus has done on our behalf that much greater. Would that more of us had her courage (and good humor)!

David Zahl, Executive Director, The Mockingbird Ministries

This book is a celebration of the person and work of Jesus. Elyse wisely and winsomely shows us the deep wonders of what it means to be found in Jesus. Her theological maturity enables her to write with profound simplicity. This is a book to be savored. Read it slowly, and stop often to worship the one who found you and made you his own. Then read it again.

Susan Hunt, Former Director of Womens Ministries for the PCA; author, Womens Ministry in the Local Church

This new book by Elyse warms my heart. She beautifully elaborates on Christ and who he is and what he has accomplished for us. In the later half of Found in Him , she shows us how to apply and live out this Good News. Expect your life to change.

Charles Morris, speaker; President, HAVEN Today

Its hard for me to capture how thankful I am for this book. As Elyse is so skilled at doing, she has taken the doctrine of our union with Christ, which sits and collects dust on the shelves of most Christians theology and has little impact on their living, and displayed for us the beauty of its transformative power. When you dont understand the essential provisions that have been made for you in your union with Christ, you sadly spend your life shopping for what is already yours in him. I will recommend and give away this book again and again and will celebrate with new enthusiasm that I have been found in him!

Paul David Tripp, President, Paul Tripp Ministries; author, What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage

Resist the temptation to think that a book on the incarnation of Christ and our union with him couldnt help but be dull, dry, and doctrinally abstract. Elyse Fitzpatrick couldnt be dull if she tried! This is a rich, incisive, thoroughly scriptural, and heart-warming journey into the gospel of who Jesus is and what he has done to unite us to himself. Elyses portrait of Jesus and our life in him will do more than challenge and inform; it will awaken awe at the depths of Gods grace and stir adoration for the one who loved you and gave himself for you. Read and rejoice! I did.

Sam Storms, Senior Pastor, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City

As Elyse says in this book, there is truly a feast to be found in understanding and meditating on the truth of our union with Christ. This doctrine has transformed how I understand myself and empowered me in healthy relationships with others. Elyses Found in Him is a beautiful exploration of these truths, and I am excited that this resource is now available.

Wendy Horger Alsup, mother; author, Practical Theology for Women and The Gospel-Centered Woman

Found In Him offers a deep but nevertheless eminently practical look at the doctrine of union with Christ. Whether in his union with humanity by virtue of the incarnation or through indwelling the believer by the Holy Spirit, all Christians should know Christ, the one to whom they are united. This book is an able guide to understanding these glorious truths.

J. V. Fesko, Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Westminster Seminary California

One of my favorite experiences was eating at a chocolate buffet at the Cailler chocolate factory, in Broc, Switzerland. Reading Elyses new book, Found in Him , reminded me of that day. Our sister has spread the table with the richest of gospel fare and has invited us to behold, feast, and savor every good thing we have in Christ. This is the finest meditation I have ever read on the radical implications of the incarnation of Christ and our this-changes-everything union with him. Highly accessible, theologically sound, and eminently encouraging, Elyse has once again clearly demonstrated that theres nothing more than the gospel, theres just more of the gospel.

Scotty Smith, Teacher in Residence, West End Community Church, Nashville

In her treatment of the incarnation of Christ and our union with him, Elyse Fitzpatrick has given us an insightful and compelling presentation of these insufficiently celebrated truths. And she sets them forth not just as truths but as realities that profoundly touch our daily livestruths which are, in fact, meant to touch our lives deeply and powerfully. To paraphrase Elyse, O how impoverished our souls will be if we neglect these sweet doctrines. I have often told students to read books that make you want to read your Bible more. Here is such a book. I turned often to my Bible, with great joy, while reading Found in Him.