Exposition of Ephesians 2:6

Some of questioned the meaning of Ephesians 2:6 

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"

Some have asked how we are raised up and sitting down in heavenly places while we are still here on earth. There have been many answers, but the common answer is to say "that it such a sure thing that we will be in heaven that Paul talks about like we already are there". That is the incorrect interpretation. The correct interpretation is below. 

Let's look at the verse to get the correct interpretation. 

Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Did you see that? We are "raised up together" in heavenly places in Christ. We as members of the body of Christ are raised up together because we were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (crucified, buried, risen). 

Notice the wording "together" and "us". Paul is speaking of the members of the body of Christ because at the moment of salvation we were baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ. See Colossians 2, which is a good cross reference passage to Ephesians 2.

Colossians 2:
[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;

That is speaking of the spiritual baptism that puts us in the body of Christ crucified, buried, and risen. 

1 Corinthians 6:
[15] Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
[16] What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
[17] But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 

12:
[12] For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
[13] 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.
[14] For the body is not one member, but many.

We also read about this spiritual baptism into Christ's death, burial, and resurrection in Romans 6. We must emphasize that we are not put in the body of Christ by water baptism or else we are trusting water baptism for salvation. Below is my exposition of Romans 6 that I sent to a man that was half cambellite half Baptist and it pertains to what we are talking about.

Gal. 2:[20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So you think that water did this?

Col 2:

[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;

Let's have a look at you and your cambellite buddies precious Romans 6.....you seem to forget that Paul just got through teaching on justification by faith.

[1] What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
[2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Are we "dead to sin" because of water baptism or because we were baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (crucified, buried, risen)?

[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Did water baptize us into Christ's death? Are we crucified with Christ through water? Was Paul talking about water in Gal. 2:20? Herb, you do not have a verse of scripture that says anyone was baptized "into" anything accept for baptized "in Jordan". When it is water baptism it is always said to be baptized "unto" something.

Can water baptism baptize you "into Jesus Christ". Paul is saying that as many (saved people) as were baptized into Jesus Christ (1 Cor.12:13 baptism into His body) were also baptized into His death.

[4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

"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" -Col. 2:12

This burial into Christ's death is "through the faith of the operation of God". We ARE crucified, we ARE buried, and we ARE risen "through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead".

"Like as Christ was raised up", when Christ was raised He had completed the victory over sin! We are baptized into His death, burial, and resurrection and so we should walk in newness of life because we ARE risen and we have the victory over sin (spiritually) and so we should seek to have the victory over sin practically, (our "walk").

But no, all that is water....

[5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

[6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
[7] For he that is dead is freed from sin.

If " our old man is crucified with him" is talking about water buptism, then water buptism also destroyed the body of sin and water buptism is also what made us free from sin. You can't go through picking and choosing which of that applies to water buptism and which doesn't.

If you believe that water baptism freed you from sin than you are a cambellite/water dog/water snake.

We were not all literally baptized on to the cross and were crucified with Christ, we were not literally there in the tomb with Him, nor did we literally rise up on "resurrection Sunday" but the Holy Spirit baptized us into those things spiritually, i.e. a "likeness".

[8] Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

I am dead with Christ, but it is not because of water buptism!

[9] Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
[10] For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
[11] Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Notice verses 11, "through Jesus Christ our Lord". Notice it did not say "through water buptism our tub".

That is what our baptism by the Spirit into the body of Christ accomplished. It made us "dead to sin" because we are crucified with Christ. What should we do in light of these passages?

Colossians 3:
[1] 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. 

We are in Christ and so we are already risen according to Ephesians 2:6, therefore we should walk "in newness of life" (Romans 6:4) and we should "seek those things which are above" (Colossians 3:1) because we are now dead to sin. Just read Gal. 2:20, 3:27, Romans 6:1-12, 1 Cor. 12, Ephesians 2 and Colossians 2-3 and study those passages and you should get a pretty good understanding of this. 

That spiritual baptism is how we are already "risen" and "seated" in "heavenly places" according to Ephesians 2:6.

Keep studying. --Hoss