Seated with Christ in Heaven

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