According to Paul, the power of God raised Jesus from the dead, that same power raised us into those same heavenly places, where we are currently seated in Christ. We are in Christ, and Christ is seated in heavenly places.  This is our present reality, not something that will happen after we die. Now it is not unusual to think of heaven as a state of mind, or as a quality of life. This shift in our understanding is not from the influence of New Age thought or some other esoteric source.  This particular element in Complete Unity is solidly present in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We must not avoid it simply because it bears a strong resemblance to a belief system we hold as adversarial to Christianity.

That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 1:20)

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

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 2:6, NASB)

The point of all these is that we are presently seated in Christ Jesus in heavenly places. As you read this, you are seated in Christ in the heavenlies.  Once more we have that ἐν of complete One-ness,  ἐν Χριστῷ, that favorite of John. For me, our current seat in heaven is a theological given.  It is not something to achieve, something to strive for, something we have to wait to experience at some point in the future.   Christ is currently seated with the Father at his right hand, we are in Christ Jesus, and we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. All of these are present realities.

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 To Read More in this Series, click on The Bride of Christ is God.