Ephesians 2:6

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

The work of God in saving us from sin and death is already completed. When God rose Christ from the dead, He also raised from the dead all who were, and all who would be, “in Christ.”

Even those of us who were born historically two millennia after Christ, were raised with him.

The Lord has a different perspective on time than we do, so it's best not to get too caught up in chronology.

The fact that we have already been raised with Christ means that the work of salvation is completed. There is no doubt about whether God will do this for the followers of Christ as it has already been done.

There are all kinds of anxieties that can be set Christians.

• Am I good enough?

• Do I have enough faith?

• Will God accept me?

• What else do I have to do to be saved?

No! It has already been done. We've been raised up to new life in Christ. We have been raised to heaven and are sitting there with Christ now.

Because that work has been completed, it cannot be undone. It can't be added to or taken away from.

When we know this in our hearts, then we can relax in Christ. There is no fear, no anxiety. We do not have to prove ourselves worthy of salvation or do enough good deeds. It is finished! We have been raised up.

Every church service is, or should be, a reminder that Christ died for me, and that He has been raised up to life, and therefore I am raised up also.

Our resurrection depends on being “with Christ.” It is as if we have to hold onto his hand as he is raised in order to be raised also.

Connection with Christ, or fellowship with him, is the central, most important duty of a Christian. It is in Christ that we are saved, and it is with Christ that we are raised to the heavenly realms.

Many Christians seem to struggle with maintaining a close relationship with Christ, but this is essential to our salvation. It is not enough to say just one prayer to be saved, although this is a good thing.

We have to maintain the relationship with Christ. There are various means for this such as reading the Bible, prayer, corporate worship, fellowship with other believers.

Many of us are like the man who told his wife, “ I told you I loved you on our wedding day. If there is any change to that I will let you know.”

No, our being with Christ or in Christ requires us to deepen the relationship.

We were raised on the first day we said “Yes” to Christ, but why would we settle for anything less than close communion with him?

God seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

When Christ was raised from the dead, He raised us with him, and when He was seated at the right hand of the Father, we were there too. We are there “in Christ Jesus.”

This means that I am both a creature of earth and of heaven. My physical body is on earth, but my spirit is united with Christ in the heavenly realms.

We see the world in three dimensional form, but there are many more dimensions that we do not see. We experience the world through physical senses, but the spiritual realm is often hidden from us.

Paul tells us that we are already seated in the heavenly realms with Christ- even if we are not aware of this.

Our sins have been washed away through Christ and we are now entitled to dwell in heaven. In the past, our sin cut us off from all fellowship with God, but now we have authority to be with him in the heavenly realms.

If we are already seated with Christ, we need to see all things from His perspective, from a heavenly perspective. We need to develop spiritual senses that enable us to see beyond the physical. Paul talks about this later in his discussion of spiritual warfare. We are not fighting in the flesh but in the spirit, overcoming spiritual powers.

As Christians, our real dwelling place is in the heavenly realms- in the spirit realms. This is not future but is a present reality founded on what God did in the past in Christ.

Key points in this verse:

• We have already been raised from death in Christ

• We do not need to add to Christ work. It is complete

• We must pursue relationship with Christ

• God has seated us in heavenly places in Christ

• We must learn to see things from a heavenly perspective, not just the physical perspective