Spiritual codependency isn’t some quirky personality glitch. It's a soul-sucking vampire that drains the joy right out of your faith in Jesus. But Jesus revealed that God is a good Father who is neither abusive, insecure, moody, or schizophrenic. To break a negative mindset about God and to rest in the finished work of the Cross is to flop down at the party table and heave a sigh of relief, trusting that Jesus is more than enough to sustain, save, carry, and hold you, me, and the whole wobbly universe together.

It doesn't matter if you know or think you're included, if you don't know what you're included in. If you think you're just included in a club, a business, a timeshare, a brand, an ideology, or a particular branch of Christianity, then you're missing the point. This is about being bled into union with Christ. It's not about you making God your father. It's about coming to an understanding of what he has done on the cross and surrendering to allow his love and his father's heart redefine your whole identity.

The apostles adopted this term for themselves as followers of Christ. They weren't forced or controlled. They chose it because Jesus had redeemed them and reconciled them by His faith and grace. Being a bondservant of Christ means alignment with the heart of God. Your will aligns with His, your life is free from the slavemaster of sin, and your devotion is driven by gratitude and love.

Redeeming the Harlot and the Prophet by Bill Vanderbush

The cross didn't just happen because of sin. It happened to fully cover all freewill offerings, peace offerings, thank offerings, gifts, and fulfillment of vows we will ever need to offer. It encompasses all our worship and efforts, serving as the singular moment that once and for all addresses every sense of obligation to please God.

Chata’ (sin in Hebrew) primarily means “to miss the mark,” but in contexts like Proverbs 19:2, Hosea 4:7, and Proverbs 8:36, it carries undertones of losing one’s way, glory, or soul, which can be interpreted as losing identity or forgetting who we are as God’s image-bearers. In a New Covenant perspective, chata’ reflects a failure to live in the truth of our union with Christ, but His redemptive work restores our identity, ensuring we are no longer defined by our sin but by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Jesus reveals in John 14:20, "In that day, you will know that I am in the Father, you are in me, and I am in you." This is the heart of the Gospel. Through the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no separation between us and God.

Created in His image, we misused our freedom and became a mess, blind to our Father's love. We even killed Jesus, our Creator. Yet, God raised Him from the dead and, instead of vengeance, offered grace. In our darkest moment, He redeemed us. When you realize how unfair this is, gratitude is our only remaining option.

Even Jonathan Edwards realized late in life: "we contribute nothing to our salvation but the sin that made it necessary." The Gospel is simple—God finds us in our lostness and saves us by His grace alone.

God doesn't stand far away when you and I go through pain. This is important to know. He meets you in the valley of the shadow of death to reveal that death is nothing but a shadow. He's not far off. I preach a message of union, no distance, no separation between us and God. And this goes for suffering as well. He's right there. And He's not simply observing. He suffers with us. Can I tell you this? We have a God who weeps with us, suffers with us, holds us in the middle of it. Pain is not a sign of God's absence. You can find yourself aware, perhaps more than ever, of the intimacy of the presence of the Lord. Psalm 34, verse 18. David wrote this so beautifully when he said, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." You're never alone in your pain.

Freedom in Christ is not a flag we wave or a law we keep, but a love that invades and rewrites your story. It’s the wild, reckless grace that Jesus Christ won for you. You’re not just free from—you’re free to. To love, to live, to be fully, gloriously everything you were created to be, wrapped in the Father’s embrace and delight.

The Tale of the Fractured Table by Bill Vanderbush