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Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 15:24:57 02/13/10 Sat
The Seven Resurrections
Resurrection #3:
The third resurrection we want to look at is spiritual in nature and is of great importance. It is found in Ephesians 2:1-7: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
In verse 1 notice that Paul is speaking in the past tense "And you hath he quickened, who were dead". Paul is speaking to those in Ephesus who have been "made alive" but were once dead. Notice he also tells them when the event took place. Look at verse 5: "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)". When you were dead in sins you were made alive "together with Christ". Now notice how Paul adds in parenthesis "by grace ye are saved". We recognize that everyone was not saved at the same time so using our "noodle" just a little bit we can see how that at the moment of our salvation our spiritual resurrection is reckoned with the resurrection of Christ. When the Spirit places us in Christ we, at that moment, become one with Him and the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord becomes our spiritual death, burial and resurrection. Our water baptism merely shows physically what took place spiritually in Him. Notice how Paul ties up the loose ends in verse 6. " And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"; Notice again the tense; "hath raised". Do you see our our position? It is no longer on earth but "in heavenly places in Christ Jesus". There is a part of our being that has died and been raised or resurrected and been placed in Jesus in heavenly places! This is the heart of our security in Jesus. Our spirit has been placed in Jesus where we cannot be excised from His body. We may not understand all that has taken place but we can take it by faith because this is what God's Word tells us.
Moving on let us look at a couple of passages in Colossians. Colossians 2:8-15 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Paul tells the Church at Colossi to ignore deceitful philosophy, traditions and the fundamental "facts" of the world and look to Christ for the answers. In Christ is the "Godhead bodily". Here then is where we look; for all of God is in Christ. This is fundamental!. Now we look to verse 10. We are complete in Jesus. God is complete in Jesus and we "are complete in Him". Look now to verse 11. Verse 11 tells us "In whom (Jesus Christ) also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh". The text tells us this circumcision puts off the body of the sins of the flesh. What does Paul mean? Well going back and seeing the inner man is seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus we realize the body did not make the trip. In Romans 7:22-25 Paul wrote: "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Paul makes clear distinction between the inward man and the flesh. The flesh (body) is full of sin. In Colossians Paul tells us this body of sins has been "put off" by an act of circumcision. Following the text in Col. 2:10 above we see that the means of this was through the circumcision of Christ. The circumcision mentioned here is not the circumcision of Jesus that took place when He was eight days old. This circumcision took place a Calvary. Notice what follows in the text in verse 12: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. " The circumcision then would be equated to the cutting off of Jesus at Calvary. This is where he flesh was separated from his soul and spirit. The body went to the tomb and the soul went to Paradise (Lk. 23:43) or Abraham's Bosom (Lk. 16:22). The word circumcision literally means "cutting off by cutting around". It does not necessarily mean to circumcise a male. Paul refers to this spiritual circumcision in Hebrews 4:12 where he writes: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder (cutting off) of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Notice how Paul keeps the soul and spirit together and the joints and marrow together. The comma separates the two units. At salvation the soul is cut loose from the body by the operation of God (word of God, see Jn. 1:1). The soul and spirit become one with Christ and are in Him even now in heavenly places.
Concluding this resurrection let's look at a passage in Chapter 3 of Colossians. Colossians 3:1-5 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify (put to death) therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
The passage reckons that we (the inner man of the saved) are risen with Christ and are in Him at the right hand of the Father. Since this is fact we are to set our affection on the heavenly where we abide in Christ and not on the things of the earth where our dead bodies abide. The statement of verse three is that we "are dead". This of course in the context is speaking of the flesh or body on earth. That which God reckons alive is in Christ and not in the body. When Jesus appears we will appear with Him because the redeemed spirit comes back with Him. We are therefore to mortify or put to death the evil desires of the flesh and bring our bodies into submission and subjection to the heavenly. This shows that we can exercise control over the unclean impulses of the body if we will do it.
The implication also is that our earthly body cannot be one with Christ. It is so corrupted that it cannot be redeemed in it's present form. The body in it's present form will be cast aside and we will receive new bodies fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body and this is addressed in the next resurrection. In a remarkable passage in the book of Romans Paul sets forth a truth that seems hidden to the majority of Christians today. While the spirit and soul have been redeemed and resurrected the body is waiting for it's moment. Look at the hope of the flesh: Romans 8:18-23 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
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