Seated with Christ Jesus in the Heavenly Places
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. — Job 42:5
Having the eyes of your hearts ("your understanding") enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe. — Ephesians 1:18-19
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: God made us alive with Christ, raised us up with him, and seated us in heavenly places of authority and fullness. This union assures us that Christ’s triumph over the powers of darkness works in our favor: the inertia of the fallen world no longer has dominion over us. Through the cross, those who enter the Kingdom are freed from the devil’s jurisdiction and brought under the loving rule that restores our fellowship with the Creator. Therefore, we must ask for wisdom and revelation to understand our inheritance. As we recognize and cultivate our sufficiency and freedom in Christ, we experience the power of his resurrection and the fullness of life to which we have been called.
Paul declares in Ephesians 2:6 that God “made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up together with him, and likewise made us sit in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus.” What an astonishing declaration!
That identification with Christ which the Word of God establishes for every believer assures us that Christ’s power—his triumph over the dark powers that seek to rob us of a full and successful life—will operate in our favor in this world.
Legally, we are seated together with Jesus in the heavenly places, places of authority and fullness. From that high and infinitely advantageous place, we can confidently survey the road ahead of us. We can partake of the power released by the resurrection. The inertia of a fallen world has no power over us.
At the cross, Christ decisively triumphed over the principalities and powers that wage war against the well-being of the human race (Col. 2:15). He destroyed the inevitability of the devilish power that delights in tormenting the children of God, seeking to erase the mark of divinity and greatness borne by every human being. Through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, everyone who places themselves within the framework of the Kingdom of God is freed from devilish jurisdiction and comes under the administration of a new authority—a benevolent and loving government whose sole desire is to restore our communication with the Creator and reestablish our connection with that source of divine energy which assures us a life of fullness, creativity, and power.
That is why the apostle Paul prays for the believers in Ephesus, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, enlightening the eyes of your understanding, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. (Ephesians 1:17)
Certainly, the power that God has caused to dwell in us through Jesus is astonishing. We must ask God for revelation and wisdom to understand fully everything that constitutes our inheritance through the Cross of Christ. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in our lives! By becoming aware of this and cultivating within ourselves that image of sufficiency and freedom through Christ to which the Word calls us, we unleash the power of God within us and begin to experience that full life to which we have been called.