SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
Ephesians 2:4-6
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in
mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it
is by grace you have been saved And God raised us up with Christ and seated us
with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus...
Here we have the foundational truth of Christianity stated
right here: We are made alive together with Christ. Notice that
Paul says “with Christ” three times: We are made alive with Christ. We are
raised up with Christ. We are made to sit with Christ. Jesus has come to live in us,
and He has joined himself to us, and we are one with Him. That is the
most important truth upon which to build all the rest of the Christian experience upon. This great, statement is the sure foundation that we are made alive
with Jesus Christ.
Do you remember how the Jesus taught this truth? He said, I
am the vine; you are the branches (John 15:5a). It is difficult to identify where the branch ends,
and the vine starts. They are one plant, sharing one life together. So, we are told that our identity is in Christ. We are new creations, a new life begins,
we are connected with the life of Jesus Christ. The Old is gone.
Later in this letter Paul compares the church to a body, a
body of which Christ is identified as the head. Have you examined your body lately? (OK no
jokes or sarcasm) Our bodies are amazingly connected. This body metaphor is given
to us to show us the intimacy of being One with Jesus Christ, to tell us and
show us that He is our life.
There is a final point to notice here. These verbs are all
in the past tense. This is something that has happened, not something that is
going to happen. It has already occurred when you believed in Jesus Christ. You
don't have to work toward it. It is something that is already true, and every
Christian has this experience. We were made alive in Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God.
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