And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6
One of the loneliest feelings in the world is that of a sinner who has come to the realization through the Gospel message that he is doomed to be shut out forever from the presence of God. We have all experienced it, and we have heard others, as they related their testimonies, explain the helplessness and hopelessness of the knowledge that they were lost. Some have called it the darkest moment in their entire life. This point is where we need to reach in order for God to unfold to us the sufficiency of His Son. But it is also a point that stands out in stark contrast to the togetherness that is such a wonderful part of our Salvation.
You will note in our brief text that the word ‘together’ is used twice. It declares that we have been raised together, and we have been seated together. The loneliness of our sinnership is forever gone. We are united, not only with our Lord and Saviour, but also with all of His people. In this epistle that specializes in pointing out the many spiritual blessings that we have in Christ, we have here another wonderful blessing of present and everlasting fellowship.
It is true that our Salvation is a very personal and individual event. We do not get saved in bunches, or as families, or as a team, or even as couples. No, we trust Christ as individuals. But we do not enter into a solitary Salvation. Stepping through the door of faith into the glorious light of God’s redemption brings us into the present of our Lord and all of His people. We have the promise of the Lord Jesus that He will never leave us nor forsake us, as well as His perpetual promise that He is always available and open to our prayers. But we also have our commandment to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. We have the simple and clear pattern of gathering unto our Lord Jesus Christ and to each other. We have instructions in the epistles regarding our relationships among our fellow believers. All of this is to provide to us the comfort of sharing the great experience of our Salvation.
But we are also seated together in heavenly places, a reminder of our present standing before God as well as our Heavenly employment. In the Scriptures, being seated refers to resting in the completion of a work. And yes, we have entered into the completeness of the work of Christ on the cross. Our standing before God is one of eternal security, of appreciating that we shall never perish nor be plucked out of our Father’s hand. And when our sojourn in time is over, we enter eternity to rest forever in worship and praise. No soloist will entertain us in Heaven; the singing of a new eternal song that will outshine any hymns of earth will be from the massed choir of all the redeemed of all the ages, in perfect harmony and joy.
To be raised together is sweet fellowship; to be seated together is glorious worship. -Jim MacIntosh