Raised to be the Visible Display of God’s Grace
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus Ephesians 2:6,7 NIV)
In 1:20 Paul wrote of the Father’s power, not only in raising Christ from the dead, but also in the fact that He ‘seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.’ Here he says ‘God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus’ (2:6). God has not only raised believers up with Christ in the sense of raising them from death to life, He has raised them to His throne and seated them there with Christ ‘in the heavenly realms.’ This goes further than Colossians, where believers, raised to new life with Christ, remain on earth at present but know that their life is secure with Christ, already enthroned at God’s right hand and that they will share His glory on the coming day of His manifestation (Colossians 3:1-4). Here, they are already enthroned with Him. It can be understood as a statement of God’s purpose for His people – a purpose which is so sure of fulfilment that it can be spoken of as having already taken place (cf. Romans 8:30 ‘those he justified, he also glorified’). The phrase ‘in Christ Jesus’ clarifies the meaning. Enthronement with Christ in the heavenly realm is not yet part of the Christian’s experience but is “where” we are because of our incorporation into Christ. Our home is where Christ is. Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). The church, the community to which we now belong is heavenly in origin, character and destiny.
The purpose of our being raised to new life in Christ and lifted with Him to a heavenly citizenship was ‘in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus’ (2:7). In the lavishing of His mercy on sinners, giving them a share in Christ’s risen life and in His exaltation, God’s further purpose was that they should serve as a demonstration of His grace to all succeeding ages. ‘In coming ages’ is a more general term than ‘the (age) to come’ in 1:21 (which reflects the traditional division of time into two ages: the present age and the resurrection age). ‘In coming ages’ implies ages, like successive waves of the sea, continuing far into the future. When God brings into being the reconciled universe of the future, the church will provide the pattern it will be modelled on. In raising and exalting Christ He demonstrated His ‘incomparably great power’ (1:19,20) but in raising and exalting us He displayed the ‘incomparable riches of his grace’ and will continue to do so throughout eternity. Because we are ‘in Christ’ God deals with us as He has dealt with Him and as living evidences of His kindness we shall point people to Him to whom we owe our salvation.
He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now joined as one with Christ.
Throughout the coming age we will be the visible display of the infinite, limitless riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon us in Jesus Christ Ephesians 2:6,7 (The Passion Translation)