Friday, October 8, 2010
Ephesians 2:5-6 ... made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
THE PATHS: MADE ALIVE
There are three things Paul here describes as the result of God's love: "made us alive", "raised us up", and "made us sit together." As the past tense indicates, these are not things that will happen in the fullness of that life which is to come, but present realities. It is true that there is a bodily resurrection which will result in a bodily ascension and a bodily presence with Christ before the throne of God, but Paul reminds us that we need not wait, but we currently already sit together with Christ.
Although it may sound like Paul is here describing the destination of our salvation -- the place we are trying to get to -- He is in fact rather describing the path itself. On the one hand in verse two and three you have those who walk "according to the course of this world," on the other hand here you have those who "sit with Christ in the heavenly places."
In chapter five of Ephesians Paul is going to come back to this same comparison, "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Ephesians 5:5). Paul's point is that those who live in fulfillment of the flesh are NOT sitting with Christ in His inheritance, and those who are sitting with Christ in His inheritance are NOT fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. You can't be in two places at the same time.
Again Paul is not here speaking of our eternal destination, only the present reality. Through His grace we receive forgiveness and are lifted up to sit with Him, but if we live in sin we are living in death and not in the joy and blessing God wishes to give us.
