In pursuit of his Christian ministry, the apostle Paul had a keen sense of teamwork, teamwork with God and with his brothers and sisters. This awareness is expressed using compound Greek words beginning with the prepositional prefix, sol-. With an object in the dative case, sol means “together” or “with”. This same prepositional prefix has carried over into English, appearing in words like “symbiotic”, “symphony”, “synergy” (the Greek sun-, represented by sym- or syn-). What follows is a brief summary of the words Paul used to express this sharing of ministry. He will find that such exchange continues among 21st century Christians.
Paul calls us “co-citizens” and “joint heirs” and says that we will “co-reign.” Because we are bound to Christ, we share in his city, his inheritance, and his government. But we also share the expectation of these future blessings with each other. Because of this, we “co-join”.
Meanwhile, the fight continues and “we suffer together”. To endure such suffering, we “co-comfort” each other, and live and die together.
But despite everything, we are “collaborators”. Paul says that he and his associates are “fellow workers with God,” an amazing testimony to both God’s condescension, willingness to stoop so low to work with people like us, and the corresponding elevation of Christians.
Paul’s letters give us an astonishing number of men and women whom Paul calls his “collaborators”: Timothy, “all”, the Corinthian Christians, Titus, Priscilla and Aquila, Urban, Epaphroditus, Clement and others, Mark and Aristarchus, Just Jesus, Filemon, Demas and Luke. Paul calls a brother “my fellow in the yoke,” a term synonymous with co-worker (although it could be the man’s name).
Others Paul describes as members of a team with him in athletic competition—competing, striving, or wrestling together. Paul calls two brothers his “co-slaves.” He names two of them as his “co-soldiers”. Because Paul considers himself a worker, a slave, a soldier, and an athlete for Christ, those who share the burden with him also share these descriptions. This includes those of us who are working in the kingdom in modern times.
As a frequent prisoner of Christ, Paul appreciated those who served him in prison, even if they themselves were free to come and go. Four of them he describes as “co-prisoners.” It could be that at least some of these willingly served Paul so consistently that their imprisonment was self-imposed.
All of these first-century Christians, as well as Christians alive today, are “participants” or “partners” in the kingdom work. We share, fellowship, participate, and keep company with other believers. Paul uses several compound terms to describe Christian unity. He says that we must be united, by common consent, literally “co-souls”. We are “shaped together” and “fitted together”. We cooperate and help each other. We are “built together” and made “co-members of the same body.”
All this union, we must remember, is not a natural state, far from it! Left to ourselves, we human beings separate at every seam, be it race, ethnicity, gender, or class. It is only Christ who unites us. Only in Him can it be said that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, barbarian or Scythian, male or female; all are one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28; 1 Cor. 12:13; Col. 3:11).
Paul expresses the Christian’s union with Christ by using the prepositional phrase, together with Christ. He reinforces this by employing phrasal verbs in which sun- is added at the beginning of the verb. This occurs in several of the key passages in Paul’s writings.
In Gal. 2:20, Paul uses “co-crucified” to describe how joining Christ’s death changes the believer. Compare Matt. 27:44, Mark 15:32 and John 19:32, where the same verb describes the literal crucifixion of the thieves who died with Jesus. Paul says that by his union with the death of Christ, he has died to the law, to live to God (v. 19). In the next verse he adds that it is no longer he who lives, but Christ lives in him. It is true that he still lives “in the flesh”, but it is a life of trust in the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself for him. He notes that this happens for the individual, not just believers as a group. Christ died, not for humanity, but for you and me and everyone else as individuals, and only as individuals can we answer to him.
This concept of “co-crucified” is repeated in Rom. 6:6. Paul says: “Knowing this, that the old man was crucified.” Although Christ is not mentioned, the connection is definitely between the believer and Christ: He was crucified.
The consequence of this death of the old man is a burial, for earlier Paul says that we were “buried with him” by baptism into death (v. 4). As a result of this union with Christ’s crucifixion and burial, we also share the new life of His resurrection: “we believe that we also shall live with him” (suzēsomen, v. 8).12; co-made alive, 2:13; see also 3:1).
Because we belong to Christ, we belong to one another. Our union with Him unites us with all other people who are also united with Him in a great and eternal communion.