NOW THERE IS TRUTH TO BUILD ON

 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.