HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div

In Order to Live in Praise,

Believers Must Focus on Their Union with Christ

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

The next thing we must focus on if we are going to live in praise is our union with Christ. This is the sphere of our blessing—the reason we receive them. Scripture teaches that when we were born again, we were united with Christ. The Book of 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” When we were saved, we were united with Christ and became members of his body.

Now God no longer sees us in our sins, but he sees us in Christ. We are not accepted because of anything we have done; we are accepted because of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” We are the righteousness of God because God sees us in the Son. 1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”

When a person is converted, God no longer looks upon him as a condemned child of Adam. Rather He sees him as being in Christ, and He accepts him on that basis. It is important to see this. The believing sinner is not accepted because of what he is in himself, but because he is in Christ. When he is in Christ, he stands before God clothed in all the acceptability of Christ Himself. And he will enjoy God’s favour and acceptance as long as Christ does, namely, forever. This is our new position; we are in Christ. And Paul’s focus on this is seen in how he refers to our position in Christ, in various ways, eleven times just in Chapter 1. Here are a few examples:

• Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 1:1)
• Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
• For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love (Ephesians 1:4)
• In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7)
• And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 1:13)

Why should we continue to praise God? We should praise him because he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. We should praise him continually because we have been redeemed from sin. We should rejoice because we have every spiritual blessing in Christ. In Adam, we had sin, condemnation, and shame. But in Christ, we have forgiveness, honour, and power—every spiritual blessing.

This must be our focus and our joy while on this earth. We must rejoice in our position in Christ. Are you still rejoicing in your position in Christ?

Here is your Application Questions: How can we discipline ourselves to focus on our new position in Christ? How should this reality affect our daily lives?

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW ….