Seated with Christ in Heaven
“We were made alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5).
The newness of life we received, as Christians is a spiritual life
imparted through our identification with Christ in His death and resurrection. This
identification with Him in His death broke the power of indwelling sin. Moreover, our
identification with Christ in His resurrection resulted in the impartation of divine life
(Romans 6:34).
You have been completely saved by grace and the
present result is that you are in a saved state of being.
The apostle Paul could not have stated in stronger and clearer terms
the unending state of the believer in salvation. Our past, present and future state of
salvation is dependent upon one thing alone, our appropriation by faith of Jesus Christ as
our Savior the day we first believed on Him. We received salvation by that initial act of
faith in Christ.
When we were born again we were made alive spiritually. The Holy
Spirit imparted life to us just like raising the dead. Christ communicates life to us like
He did to the dead man Lazarus (cf. Rom. 6:6-8; 8:11; Gal. 2:19-20; 2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Cor.
15:22-23; Col. 2:12; 2 Tim. 2:11ff).
Because of our vital union with Christ, His death is our death, His
life is our life, and His exaltation is ours. Our physical position may be on earth, but
our spiritual position is “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
All of the verbs in regard to our vital union in
Christ are in the past tense. The apostle Paul is stating what has
already taken place, not what is future. The resurrection, the
quickening and raising up of Christ’s people were in an important sense
accomplished when He rose from the dead and sat down at the right hand
of God.
The believer is vitally related to the body whose
head is Christ. The life of the whole body is in the head, and therefore
when the head rose, the body rose. The first to rise from the dead was
Christ. Then we who are in Christ positionally rose and are seated with
Him.
Paul describes this new life in Christ as being “raised up with
Him.” We now have this life in a present spiritual sense, and we also look forward to
the future bodily resurrection. Christ made us alive, even when we
were dead in trespasses and sins. He accomplished this spiritual resurrection by the power of the
Holy Spirit.
Our spiritual resurrection places us in union
with Christ. God made us alive together with Christ. We are now united
together with Him (Eph. 1:22-23), and we now share His resurrection life and power
(vv. 19–20).
“Raised up with Him,” and “seated” enthroned with
Christ in heaven. The glorified body of Jesus Christ is now in heaven in the presence of
God the Father. It is also the state into which believers are introduced by our new birth.
We now enjoy, even in this life, a state of purity, exaltation and favor with God. The opposite state is called
"the kingdom of
Satan."
We are even now described as citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20). Because we are in Christ we have a
right to the privileges, blessings, and responsibilities of citizens of the kingdom of
God. Even now, spiritually we occupy the heavenly city. We have a foretaste of what it
shall be like in glory with Christ.
Allow the greatness of this new life in Christ to become a part of
your thinking. We have been “freed from the condemnation of the law, the
dominion of Satan, the lethargy and pollution of spiritual death. We have been
“reconciled to God," made partakers in His Spirit, as the principle of everlasting
life. We have been “adopted" into His family and have a right to all the
privileges of the sons of God both in this life and the one to come in
glory. This is a
change worthy of being expressed by saying; “he has quickened us, and raised us up
and made us to sit together with Christ in heavenly places.”
The apostle Paul tells us that this has been accomplished “in
Christ.” Believers hare in His life because of their union with Christ.
Moreover, we share in His exaltation because we are to reign with Him.
But Paul tells us we already have these blessings. We enjoy the now
and the yet to be. We already enjoy to some degree these blessings of salvation. Moreover,
our vital union with Christ guarantees “the continuation and fulfillment” of all
of these blessings in the future with Christ. In Jesus Christ we “are already raised
from the dead and seated at the right hand of God.”
John Calvin said the Christian by virtue of Christ’s conquest of
sin and death and by His exaltation to heaven is lifted “from the deepest hell to
heaven itself.”
Claim your inheritance today. These are the great truths that give us
hope of tomorrow and assurance for today.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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