Ephesians 2:5-6 “Even when we were dead in
trespasses, 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."
I read that in these two marvelous verses the
word "together" appears three times, referring in each case to our
spiritual union with Jesus Christ. Three different words are used, each being
compounded with the Greek sun, meaning "together with."
The first combination means "made alive with"; the second,
"resurrected with"; the third, "seated with."
All of these verbs are given in the
past tense, stressing that, as far as God's own word is concerned, we have been
already seated eternally in the heavens with Christ, having been born again
with His own life spiritually and raised from the dead physically. All of these
blessings were given to us "even when we were dead in sins," not
because of our good works or by our good intentions, but only "by grace you are saved."
The remarkable truth is that this
doctrine of our eternal union with Christ, given and maintained only by His
grace, does not lead to carelessness or sinfulness as some allege, but to a
desire for a holy, God-honoring life. "God forbid. How shall we, that are
dead to sin, live any longer therein? … like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life" – Romans 6:2,4.
The regenerate nature implanted by
the Holy Spirit, a heart of gratitude for Christ's sacrificial love for us, and
the wonderful promises in God's word, all combine to transform our lives making
us new creatures in Christ, knowing that henceforth we shall ever be with the
Lord. Easter ...
No comments:
Post a Comment