'Hidden with Christ in God'
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As soon as we are saved we are raised spiritually to sit with Christ on the highest throne of the universe, far above the forces of darkness, far above every other authority—wicked or righteous.
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his majestic power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (Ephesians 1:19-21)
The moment we are born again our spiritual position in Christ is as high as it can ever go. We never shall ascend higher than the throne of Christ. We are there as soon as Christ is born in us.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 2:6)
We now are in the heavenlies in Christ. Our problem is our life in our physical body on the earth. Our body is not at the right hand of God. It is not above the forces of darkness. It is dead because of the fleshly nature, the sin and rebellion, that is in it.
The true Christian discipleship is that of choosing each day to walk on the earth according to our new born-again spiritual nature that is in Christ at the right hand of God, rather than according to the lusts of our flesh and mind that tempt us while we are on the earth.
We make that choice each day of our life on earth.
We can avail ourselves of the grace of God and live in resurrection joy and peace, or we can carelessly follow the impulses of our soulish nature, not giving attention to prayer, to Scripture reading, to gathering together with fervent believers to worship the Lord and to receive from Him the strength and wisdom we must have in order to make the right choices.
In several passages Paul warns us that if we choose to follow our flesh, rather than the Holy Spirit as He builds up our new spiritual nature, we will die spiritually. We will not attain the resurrection life that comes to those who choose to live according to the Spirit of God.
Our task while we are alive on the earth is to keep looking toward our spiritual position in Christ in the heavenlies; and by faith in God’s Word, and by the strengthening that comes from the Holy Spirit, to bring the Divine Life down into our actions, our thoughts, and our speech.
Our behavior on the earth should reflect our position in Christ at the right hand of God in Heaven.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)
We are dead, in a spiritual sense, having died in and with Christ by faith. Our true life at this time is in Heaven, in Christ in God. Our battle on the earth is to keep on behaving according to our heavenly position.
Meanwhile, our soul is under pressure each day because of the sin and death that attack us on every hand. We must keep on seeking Christ with all our strength and attention; otherwise we yield to lust, to hatred, to murmuring, to envy, or to some other unclean deed, word, or thought.
When the Lord Jesus returns from Heaven there will be a reconciliation of our heavenly life with our bodily life on the earth, provided we do not destroy our new spiritual nature, our grasp on Heaven, by living in the appetites of the flesh.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)
We who are saved are in Heaven now as to the spiritual aspect of our personality. When Jesus returns we shall return with Him. We then shall enter a new phase of our existence in which our spirit, our re-created, Christ-filled character, and our immortalized body are united.
The new creation will be a fuller manifestation of the Kingdom of God than is true of us in the present hour. It will occur at the revealing of the sons of God, at the appearing of the Lord from Heaven.
Since this is true, we are exhorted as follows:
Mortify [put to death] therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence [desires], and covetousness, which is idolatry: (Colossians 3:5)
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:8-10)
As soon as Christ is born in us He is caught up to the throne of His Father. Christ always is at the right hand of the Father. Our new life is in Him in the Father from the moment of our new birth.
Let us therefore place our affections and interests at the right hand of God. By so doing we will be able to live according to the discipline of the Holy Spirit and not according to the lusts of our flesh.
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