OUR POSITION IN

CHRIST

BY IRENE MCGOUGH
Disciples of Jesus Ministry

http://www.discipleofjesussite.com
TAKE HOLD OF WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST IN
YOUR INNER MAN
Joh 1:12-13
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the
right to become children of God, to those who believe
in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

As sons of God, each believer has a spiritual position

in Christ. Jesus Christ finished a perfect work, and as
a result, every believer may claim that which is
rightfully his in his Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of
God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Have you got that? We are the temple of God and the
Spirit of God indwells us. WOW!

Eph 2:1-6
1 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
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:

As Christian's our rightful position spiritually is

"seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
A higher position of fulfillment is impossible: nothing
is higher and nothing is more dignified than being
seated in the heavenly places in Christ. As believers,
we are "in Christ," and thus we have all of the rights,
privileges and responsibilities of sons of God.

Col 1:27
27 To whom God would make known what is the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the
Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

God's Word declares that it is "Christ in you, the

hope of glory." Not only are we "seated in the
heavenly places in Christ," but it also says that it is
"Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Eph 1:19-23
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to us-ward who believe, according to the working of
his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him
from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in
the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might,
and dominion, and every name that is named, not
only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave
him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all
in all.

It was the power of God that raised Jesus Christ from

the dead.
It was the power of God that seated him in the
heavenly places.
It was the power of God that set him far above all
principality and power….
It was the power of God that put ALL things under
his feet.
If we are part of his body, then all things, too, are
under our feet spiritually.

Eph 1:1-3
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful
in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father,
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ:

Because of God's Grace, we are "blessed with all

spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ!"
Why don’t we begin to accept what God has made us
to be in Christ? We are seated in the heavenlies!
We are blessed with all spiritual blessings! What
more would God have to give to convince His children
of their position in Christ? He has no more to give,
because all has already been given.
If God did not mean "seated in the heavenly places in
Christ", then why did He say "seated in the heavenly
places in Christ?" If God did not mean "far above all
principality and power," then why did He say "far
above all principality and power?" If God did not
mean "Christ in you, the hope of glory," then why did
He say "Christ in you, the hope of glory?" Could it be
that we the church have rationalized God's words and
substituted our own words in thinking about our
spiritual position.

Eph 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the

foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before Him in love,

We have been chosen by God to be Holy, He chose us

even before the foundations of the world.

Eph 1:13 -14

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also,
having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise
of His glory.

In Him, having believed, we were sealed with the

Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our
inheritance.

Rom 6:11-14. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves

to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body,
that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments
of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to
God as being alive from the dead, and your members
as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you
are not under law but under grace.

We are to reckon ourselves dead to sin, for sin no

longer has dominion over us, we should flee from
temptations to sin, giving ourselves over to our Lord.
When we do sin we should repent. WE ARE NOW
ALIVE IN CHRIST.

Col 3:1-4 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek

those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting
at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the
earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
God. 4.When Christ who is our life appears, then you
also will appear with Him in glory

We are raised with Christ, we are to seek the things

above for our Lord is seated at the Father’s right
hand and we have been raised with Him. We have
died to our old man and have been hidden with Christ
in God. At the time of the Second Coming we the
bride, will appear with Him in glory (Another verse
to dispel a post-tribulation viewpoint) As Christians
we have experienced a radical change of spiritual
environment and this should affect our whole mode of
life. Having been raised with Christ, we now move in
a new sphere.
Normal human ambition sees things in terms of this
world. But we have been raised with Christ and
should see things from an eternal perspective, and so
should want our lives on earth to be reflect the
pattern of life seen in the glorified Christ...to “seek
those things which are above” is to aim at emulating
the characteristics of the Christ in glory’

What about our former position?

1 Cor 2:14
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.

The god of this world, Satan, controls the realm in

which the natural man lives. bound in his position in
life.
The realm in which we have our rightful position is
not subject to the earth, it is in the heavenly places in
Christ who is far above all on earth! A believer may
choose to think that he is still earth-bound, but it is
not true. He has a new spiritual position in Christ and
that is "seated in the heavenly places in Christ."

Eph 2:1-3
1 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.
We also once walked as men of this world. We also
once walked limited to the five senses. We also once
walked as belonging to this world. We also once
walked according to the course of this world, because
we had no other way to walk until we were born
again. The new birth for man places him in an
entirely different position. The Holy Spirit indwelling
the believer that makes him no longer the property of
this world, but, indeed, the property of God.

1Jo 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the

world. And this is the victory that has overcome the
world—our faith.

We are overcomers because we born of God. He

obtained a complete triumph over him “who rules the
darkness of the world,” and laid the foundation for a
victory by his people over all vice, error, and sin.
Joh 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and
to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may
have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

We are to have life more abundantly. Yep, our lives

are to be more abundant!

Heb 12:22 -24. 22But you have come to Mount Zion

and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
23 to the general assembly and church of the
firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the
Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to
the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than
that of Abel.

We as believers the writer to the Hebrews says are

already living in Heaven (Mount Zion) so that earth is
more a foreign land to us.

Eph 2:18-22
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit
unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and
foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of
the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an
habitation of God through the Spirit. .
Under the former rulership of this world, we had
access to nothing. Bound to this world, we had no way
of going anywhere! Now, we have access directly to
the Father. We are no longer strangers and foreigners
to the heavenly realm we are citizens! Citizens have
full rights and privileges.
Not only are we fellow citizens and of the household
of God, but we have become the habitation of God
through the spirit. We, as the church, are the living
habitation of God

Eph 3:17-21
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that
ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is
the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness
of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according
to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Now that we have seen our position in Christ as sons

of God, then it is time to benefit from it by living
Christ-like lives and walking in the Spirit. We are
now able to understand in part the love of Christ and
be filled with all the fullness of God. That would be a
task impossible for the natural man. That was
unheard of in our former spiritual position. It can be
a reality to the born-again believer when he lives a
Spirit –filled life and claims his own spiritual position.
As sons of God, seated in the heavenlies, our standard
is no longer to be
"the course of this world", but our new standard is
"exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us." This is
the standard of living for one who is seated in the
heavenly places in Christ. This is our new banner of
life. This is our rightful place in the spiritual realm.
This is our spiritual position. We are to be seated in
the heavenly places in Christ.

PRAISE GOD WE’RE RELATED TO HIM

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy
has begotten us again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled
and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for
you,
1Pe 1:5 who are kept by the power of God through
faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time.
1Pe 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a
little while, if need be, you have been grieved by
various trials,

By the grace of God we are saved. God has given us a

new, spiritual life that enables us to live in new
dimension from the one of our physical birth allowed.
to a living hope. We are a new creation in Him.

2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new

creation; old things have passed away; behold, all
things have become new.

κληρονοµία
kle ronomia
klay-ron-om-ee'-ah
From Strong’s G2818; heirship, that is, (concretely) a
patrimony or (generally) a possession: - inheritance.

1:4 The Greek word translated inheritance here

suggests both a present and a future reality. God has
already determined what we will one day experience
in its totality. Note that Peter says that one of two
reasons why God has given us new life in Jesus Christ
(v. 3) is to receive this never-to-end, never-to-be-
spoiled, and never-to-lose-its-special-attraction
inheritance. reserved: At this point, Peter must have
thought back to our Lord’s expression of
unconditional commitment to Him as expressed in
John 14:1–4 after revealing the prophecy of Peter’s
denials (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

Gal 3:29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are
the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and
now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.

We Are kept, our position in Christ is assured, once

we are saved, we are kept by the power of God.
Although we may suffer trials in this life we may
rejoice because of the Hope that is in us.
God in His wisdom revealed through His Son our
relationship with the Father …past, present ,and
future!

Praise God we’re related to Him …

§ through grace … we’re no longer debtors!

§ through death … we’re no longer bound by it!
§ through life … we’ve received a new nature, the old
has passed away!
§ through citizenship … our home is not of this
world!
§ through the Gospel … we’re stewards of the Good
News; we’re ambassadors for the Prince of Peace and
Reconciliation!
§ through blood … we’re so glad to be a part of the
family of God!
§ through hope … we’re heirs of the King!
BELIEVERS AUTHORITY

Thank you Lord Jesus for the authority I have in you.

For it is Christ in me that is the hope of glory,
I have a wonderful inheritance as a child of yours,
Thank you Lord for revealing to me your riches in glory.

I am seated up in those heavenly places with you.

The fullness of the Godhead indwells me,
The same power that resurrected You indwells me,
All things are under Your feet so they are under mine too.

It’s not about who I am, but about who You are,
So, I will move in the might and power of the Spirit,
Boldly proclaiming to those near and far,
You want to set them free and give them the Holy Spirit.

The full Gospel of the Kingdom I will proclaim ,

Letting people know the power and authority of Your Name,
I am a believer so I can lay hands on the sick and they are healed.
For Your Word says “By Your stripes we are healed.”

There may be violence against Your Kingdom today

You have already won the Battle and the enemy is defeated,
So I will courageously and violently take force Your Kingdom.
By being a strong warrior for you, for in the heavens I am seated.

Irene McGough © 2007

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for non- commercial use.

http://www.discipleofjesussite.com

Copyright © 2009 Irene McGough Disciples of Jesus

Ministry
OUR POSITION IN
CHRIST

BY IRENE MCGOUGH
Disciples of Jesus Ministry

http://www.discipleofjesussite.com