December 17, 2021 IN HIM
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
In the first chapter of Ephesians, you find the words “in Him” numerous times, and in the New Testament you find 130 references to ‘in Him,’ or ‘with Him,’ and ‘by Him.’ Someone has said that ‘in Him’ “Is the whole of the Christian life. Jesus Christ His person, His work, and our union with Him.” To live the Christian life as described in the scriptures and to be able to relate to God personally can only be done because we are in Him. The idea of being in Him is not just for theological discussion; being in Him has both spiritual and practical implications. We tend to think in terms of the natural; the physical world; instead of seeing ourselves as being a body with as spirit, we should see ourselves as a spirit who has a body. This physical body of ours will pass away, but the spirit will not. Paul made an interesting comment when he said that he no longer regarded anyone according to the flesh. 2 Corinthians 5:16. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 we are reminded that what is seen is temporal, but what is unseen is eternal. Even though we do not fully understand it, we must focus on the spiritual; in particular, that our spirit has been made alive, making us ‘spiritual beings’ who have been joined to God and who will never die. The fact is that we are now in Christ, and Christ is in us! In Ephesians 1:18 Paul prayed that the eyes of our heart would be opened to see all that God has for those who love Him. We can now relate to God spirit to Spirit. We can know what the Spirit is saying to us; we can know God’s thoughts toward us; we can know how God would have us respond in any situation; and we can know the joy of the Lord. Being in Him has practical implications as well. In Ephesians 2:6 we are told that God has raised us up and seated us with Him in heavenly places. Being seated with Him in heavenly places enables us to live life here on earth according to His kingdom. In other words, we can get our marching orders and our instructions for living life on planet earth from our position of being seated with Him in heavenly places. What is more awesome than that! For example, I may not in the natural want to help a neighbor who has a need; but as I communicate with God spiritually, I will know what response I am to have toward my neighbor. We are to let the Spirit rule instead of letting the natural rule. Let us not live out according to the ways of man, but let us live out of our position of being in Him; because we are in Him, we have not only the knowledge of how we are to live; we also have the power to live in perfect harmony with our Father.
1 Corinthians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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