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United to a Living Savior
A Christian doesn't merely receive benefits from Christ at a distance. By the Holy Spirit, he belongs to Christ himself.
Jesus said he is the vine and his people are the branches (John 15:5 (opens in a new tab)). A branch has no life apart from the vine. Paul calls the church Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12:27 (opens in a new tab)). These are different pictures of a real spiritual union. The believer is joined to Christ by the Spirit and through faith. He doesn't become God or lose his own personhood.
The Larger Catechism speaks of the members of the invisible church enjoying union and communion with Christ in grace and glory (WLC 65-69 (opens in a new tab)). Those whom the Father has given the Son are joined to him in their effectual calling. Christ is the head, and his people are members of his body.
How Does Someone Come to Be United to Him?
We are born in Adam, and Adam fell. By nature we share the guilt and corruption of his fall (Romans 5:12-19 (opens in a new tab)). No amount of improvement can transfer a sinner from Adam to Christ. The Spirit gives life and brings those whom God calls into fellowship with the Son (1 Corinthians 1:9 (opens in a new tab)).
Faith receives Christ. It's not an achievement that forces God to accept us. The Lord makes a dead sinner alive and gives him the grace to believe (WCF 10.1-2 (opens in a new tab) and 14.1). When a man believes, he isn't purchasing union with Christ. He receives the Savior freely offered in the gospel.
Don't try to discover whether you're elect before coming. Christ promises to receive the one who comes to him (John 6:37 (opens in a new tab)). Hear the gospel and come to him.
What Belongs to Those Who Are His?
Every saving benefit comes through Christ. In him we're justified, adopted, and sanctified. These blessings are distinct, but they aren't separate saviors. God declares believers righteous for Christ's sake (WCF 11 (opens in a new tab)). He receives them as children (WCF 12 (opens in a new tab)). He also breaks the rule of sin and begins making them holy (WCF 13 (opens in a new tab)).
Paul says he was crucified with Christ and now lives by faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20 (opens in a new tab)). That doesn't mean Paul ceased to struggle. It means the old dominion has been broken. He belongs to another Lord, and the Spirit works in him.
Christ's death is yours by faith, and so is the hope of his resurrection. If we died with him, we shall also live with him (Romans 6:5-11 (opens in a new tab)). The believer's body will be raised when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 15:22-23 (opens in a new tab)). Union with Christ isn't a feeling that disappears when your heart is cold.
Union With Christ and the Visible Church
The visible church gathers people who profess the true religion and their children (WCF 25.2 (opens in a new tab)). Baptism marks entrance into that visible covenant community. We shouldn't assume everyone outwardly baptized is inwardly regenerated. Scripture warns that some share the privileges of the visible church without saving faith.
At the same time, don't despise the church because outward membership isn't the same thing as regeneration. Christ gives his people preaching, sacraments, and prayer as the ordinary means by which he calls and strengthens them (WSC 88 (opens in a new tab)). You need more than private reading and an occasional sermon online.
If you want to know how these benefits are enjoyed, begin with Adoption and Sanctification. Above all, keep looking to the Christ in whom they are found.