‘In The Heavenly Places’

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:6

In Christ we have a seat in heavenly places.  We started quite a while ago to consider what it means for us to be ‘in Christ.’ Our mediations took us through much of the first chapter of Ephesians.  At a certain point, the Apostle digresses to discuss what he prays for the Ephesians.  He does not, however completely abandon the theme of what it means for us to be ‘in Christ.’   We arrive today at the location where he returns to that theme.  To bridge the gap between the digression and his return, he has spent some time discussing how God has brought us to saving faith in Jesus Christ.  Having described that work of salvation, he says that the results are that God ‘has raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.’  How is this so?  If we are united with Christ, in that indissoluble union, in which Christ is the Head and we are His Body, then where Christ is, we are.  Where He sits, we sit.  Where He dwells, we dwell.  Where He rules, we rule.  We have not yet entered into the full realization of all that entails, but in the larger scheme of God’s eternal present, we are already there.  This lifts us up today to know that we have a seat in heaven, ‘in Christ.’

Our Good and Gracious God,
we rejoice that You have raised us up
to sit with Christ in heavenly places.
We praise You that this is only a foretaste
of what shall be for all eternity.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning