Sitting With Jesus

"that ye may know ...the exceeding greatness of his power ... Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places" - Ephesians 1:18-20

Jesus was bodily raised from the dead. That's why Christians worship on Sunday instead of the Sabbath - because that was the day it all happened! Jesus was raised, ascended, and took his place at the Father's right hand in heavenly places!

He is NOT the only one there - we are there, too!

"God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:6 (Common English Bible)

Note the past tense.

How can I be sitting with Christ at God's right hand if I'm here with you, or on the job, or fishing Saturday morning with my son?

Easy! Think of it this way. My whole body is, right now, sitting in a chair at the library - my hands are on the keyboard and my feet are on the floor but these parts of my body are no less seated than the parts closer to the chair for I am one body and I am seated.

Similarly, we are members of Christ just as hands and feet. I may be here and you there but we who are in Christ are just as seated as our Savior who took his rightful place with the Father.

- fritz

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

the mystery ... hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" - Colossians 1:26b-27

It has been a great comfort to realize God is in me - my body, such that it is; my soul in all it's emotions; and my human spirit.

When I don't know what to do I begin to thank God he is living through me, knows what to do, and will tell me what I need.

As I grow older I thank God my body is his, that I am part of Christ like my finger is part of me, and that he will sustain it¹. Believing Jesus Christ came in the flesh² means many things, not the least of which that He is not in a wafer of bread, but in the human flesh of those who receive him.

He is not waiting for me to do or become anything other than obey him and be his.

- fritz


^{1 - Romans 8:11
2 - 1st John 4:2}

Commandment's Replacement

[T]he righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above: ... But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;" - Romans 10:6,8

Those in covenant with Christ have a unique perspective on Old Testament law.

That renewed rabbi and Pharisee, apostle Paul, here quotes an Old Testament scripture, Deuteronomy 10:6-8, written originally about God's Commandments. But instead of the commandment he uses the term, "Christ" (check it out)!

Our law and "commandment" is now the person of Christ, living wholly and holy unto him in the power of the Holy Spirit, and free from condemnation.

- fritz

<sup>Related links:
1. Think Covenant, August 15, 2010
2. The Faith Of Christ, August 24, 2010
3. Who the Bible was written for (September 4, 2010)</sup>

Living "In the Flesh" by Faith

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

Being "in the flesh" is not a bad thing if we mean, as the Bible periodically does, the physical body, indeed, that's why God gave us bodies in the first place.

Our individual bodies are intended for Christ's use:

"[T]he body is ... for the Lord; and the Lord for the body." - 1st Corinthians 6:13b

When we give ourselves to Christ our physical bodies become part of his, like my arm is to me.

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. - 1st Corinthians 12:27

-fritz

More literal than we realize

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. - 2nd Corinthians 5:17

The Bible takes our bodily connection to Christ¹ more literally than we realize. The biblical position is that what you do, Christ is doing.²

This may be hard to grasp when we only see ourselves in the mirror, but we've had something similar in our business community for years - its called a corporation. In a corporation the activity of the President, factory worker, and everyone in between is all viewed as the activity of that corporation, and the corporation bears the liability.

Like a corporation, when we give our lives to Christ we are viewed as one with him and our actions reflect upon the whole, not just ourselves. To this new "corporation-like" creation both Jesus and we have contributed all we had and what we now have is shared by both. I contributed my body and my sins, he contributed his body, his payment for sin, his grace, his love, his mercy.

Now, in a very real sense, when I go to work it is the new creation sitting in the chair typing on the keyboard. When I go to prayer, it is me and Jesus as a unit standing before God with all debts paid. When I misbehave, it is both Jesus and I who bare the liability in the eyes of the world.

Unlike a corporation, he actually begins to move on us physically, mentally, and spiritually to actually become more like him.

We need to adopt the viewpoint God has already ascribed to us, it will help us understand God's word and help us cooperate better with what he is doing with us.

- fritz


^{1 - Related Post: July 18, 2010 "Members of His Body"
2 - 1st Corinthians 5:16}