Identified with Christ
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One of the greatest lessons of Scripture is that God is “going on”. In other words; Revelation is progressive. Now this doesn’t mean EXTRA revelation beyond Scripture. No. It simply means that God increases our spiritual understand and insight progressively throughout Scripture.
We shouldn’t expect to find in earlier texts something that is revealed more fully later on. For example we don’t find Noah circumcising his sons. And we don’t find Abraham keeping the Sabbath day.
We naturally expect that more revelation (Truth) can be found in the New Testament that in the Old. But do we take this to its logical conclusion?
Even in the New Testament there are some revelations that are more urgent and important than others.
There is a greater emphasis on revelation in the Epistles than in the Gospels, and there are greater things in Paul’s later epistles than in some of his earlier ones. Progression.
Hence our studying of Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians is very helpful.
The great lesson of Ephesians is that “the Father is concerned with us IN His son”. The phrase “in Christ” or “with Christ” appears 14 times in Ephesians.
We are identified with Christ. See Colossians 1:27b “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.
Note these parallels of Christ and us.
| The Father loves us like Jesus is loved | Jhn 17:24
“Father I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” |
Eph 1:4-5
“…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…” |
| The Father treats us as “without blemish” | 1 Pet. 1:18-19
“…you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” |
Eph 5:27
“…that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” |
| The Father accepts us as beloved | Mtt 3:17
“…behold, a voice out of the heavens said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” |
Eph 1:6
“…to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” |
| The Father sees us as crucified with Christ | 2 Cor. 13:4
“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.” |
Rms. 6:5-6
“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.” |
| The Father sees us as raised with Christ | Rms. 6:9
“…knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.” |
Eph. 2:6a
“…and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
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| The Father sees us as seated with Christ | Eph. 1:20
“…which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…” |
Eph. 2:6b
“…and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
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| The Father desires us to be manifest in glory with Christ | Heb. 2:9
“But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” |
Col. 3:4
“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
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Note how often the word “together” appears with the phrase “in Christ”.
- Crucified together with Christ
- Died together with Christ
- Buried together with Christ
- Raised together with Christ
- Seated together with Christ
- Manifest together with Christ
But there’s ONE right in the middle that’s vitally important tp grasp. “Made alive together”. (Eph. 2:5 and Col. 2:13)
“…when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”
“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions…”
Why is this so important?
Abraham believed, but he believed in “ the One who gives life to the dead.” (Rms. 4:17)
Paul said “I am crucified with Christ” … “but I am alive in Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20)
Crucified, Dead, Buried, Raised, and Seated, all point to one final great event:
Our revealed glory (Col. 3:4)
“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
Eph 2:7 tells us that this event is beyond our understanding.
“…so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Note the word “surpassing”. It means “exceeding, to transcend”. What a thought!
Our day-to-day “resurrection living” is to give us a glimpse of that great transformation that awaits us.
We (the mature perfected Body of Christ) will “show forth” (=exhibit) what GRACE really is!
Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
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Peter McArthur
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Tags: identification with Christ, one in Christ, together with Christ, truth, union, unity with Christ
This teaching is eye opening.