=PLEASE, STAY SEATED=
Ephesians 5: 6—7 (NIV)
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly
realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus.
According to Ephesians 5 Jesus is not the only one seated in heavenly places
today. We too are seated with Him. Why? Because everything He did 2000 years
ago He did for us and as us. He was substituting Himself for us when He
received judgement, punishment, and death. When we, by faith, receive Him as
Saviour, we enter into the completeness of everything He did on our behalf.
We become as the New Testament refers to it "IN HIM," by placing our faith
in Him as Saviour we are identifying with Him not just in his death but also
in His resurrection. He was humanities representative, taking upon Himself
everything that was rightfully ours (punishment for sin, sickness, spiritual
death, suffering) to bring us into everything that was rightfully His
(righteousness and life). So, by faith, a believer was in Christ when He
died and was buried and he or she was in Christ when He rose again. So,
today we are in Hi, by faith alone and it is this that positions us in
heavenly places and qualifies us for incomparable riches and grace promised
in these verses.
Imagine if I were to put a book mark in my Bible, everywhere,the Bible went,
the book mark would go, whether good or bad . Why? Because it is "in the
Bible". Everything the Bible experienced, the book mark would be a part of
it. By faith, we identify with Jesus in everything; His death, His burial
and His resurrection to newness of life. Water baptism is the visual example
and testimony of this truth.
We do not need to be judged, punished or put to death on a cross for sin.
Why? Because we were in Him when He did all of that for us and as us. Think
about it, were you there when Adam and Eve were thrown out of the garden of
Eden? Did you eat a bite of the forbidden fruit? No you had no part in this
first sin and yet you were born sinful and separated from God. Why? Because
you were in the first Adam. When we become born again we become instantly
"in Christ" (the second Adam) and His resurrection life and position becomes
ours as does His very position of righteousness.
Have a think about it. Before we can walk or stand in God correctly we need
to be seated correctly in His finished work!
Romans 6:3-5 (New King James Version)
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.5 For if
we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also
shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.
God Bless
Andy
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