What is Abide? | Listen to this Episode | Watch this Episode

This week’s Abide comes from the passage in the Our Daily Bread devotional for Monday the 22nd of July, and our passage is Ephesians 2:1-10 (though we will focus on just a few verses).

Sometimes when I read a Bible passage, I try picturing the place where it’s happening. For example, when I read of Jesus speaking with the woman at the well, I think of a well in a dry, sandy place (John 4:4-28). Or I think of a beach when I read of Jonah being thrown up by the big fish (Jonah 2:10). Picturing these places in my mind helps me to dive into the passage and bring it to life.

I’ve found the same thing helps even when a passage doesn’t describe a geographical place. In today’s passage, Paul doesn’t describe a physical location, but he does use language in a certain way to help us grasp the truth of what he’s saying.

Let’s try reading through this passage, pausing each time Paul uses words that might help us picture what he’s saying. There are three phrases that we’ll focus on.

For context, we’ll start from from verse 1 of Ephesians 2. Paul writes, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. . . ” (Ephesians 2:1).

The words, “you were dead” are rather strong. They may not be words we want to dwell on! They probably don’t conjure up many nice images in our minds. But dwelling on these words, and picturing them in our mind will help us grasp what Paul is saying.

Let’s read them again. “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. . . ”

What comes to your mind?

Perhaps you picture a grave. I used to live in a house that backed directly onto a graveyard. There were graves just a couple of meters from the house. I’m picturing that graveyard. I’m picturing a body in a grave that’s lifeless, still, cold.

You might even think of a biblical image. My mind wanders to Lazarus in the tomb in John chapter 12. His body just lying there, doing nothing.

What’s coming to your mind? “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. . . ”

Now let’s move to verse 4. Paul writes, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” (Ephesians 2:4).

Paul says that God, in His great love for us, made us alive. He brought us back from the dead. Dwell on these words: “made us alive”. Again, what comes to your mind?

I’m picturing a garden coming to life with the arrival of spring. It may not be cold wherever you are in Australia, but it’s cold here in Melbourne. When I picture the words “made us alive”, I’m imagining all the trees and plants and wildlife that will burst into life come spring.

What are you picturing?

My mind also wanders to Lazarus again. For four days his body lay lifeless, dead in the tomb. But suddenly, Jesus speaks and Lazarus is raised from the dead. As it says in John 12:44: “the dead man came out”.

Paul’s spoken of death and then life. Next he takes us even further.

Let’s read verse 6 of Ephesians 2. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

Focus on that phrase, “seated us with him in the heavenly realms”. What do you picture in your mind?

I’m imagining sitting alongside Jesus, being with Him in His presence. I’m picturing how different it is to this broken world, how much better, how much sweeter to be with Him. I’m imagining scenes of joy and laughter and love.

What comes to your mind?

“. . . seated us with him in the heavenly realms”.

Paul says we are seated with Christ right now. This isn’t just a future promise but a present reality. What difference might it make to our current lives if we spend time pondering this reality that somehow, you and I are currently sitting alongside Jesus Christ in the heavenly realms? I can’t say I understand how this works, but I know it strengthens me as I think of it.

Picturing the images these ideas bring to mind may help us reflect on these staggering truths. Paul’s taken us from the grave to the heavens. These three descriptions, dead in our sin, made alive in Christ, and seated in Christ, capture the essence of the gospel. We were dead in sin, and we couldn’t do anything about it. A dead person cannot raise themself to life. But God did bring us to life in Christ. Like Lazarus, God raised us from death in sin to salvation life in Christ. And He’s seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms.

Picture that grave – if you know Christ, you are no longer there in sin! And even though we will all end our life on earth in one, it will not hold us.

Picture what came to mind when we dwelt on the words “made us alive”. This is what God has done, He’s brought us to life!

And picture that truth of being seated with Christ, right now, in the heavenly realms. What encouragement does that give you today?