Verse 6 says that we have been seated together in the heavenlies. The third step of God’s salvation in life is to seat us together in the heavenlies. He not only raised us up from the position of death, but also seated us in the highest place in the universe.
The heavenlies are the high position into which we have been saved in Christ. In the book of Romans, Christ as our righteousness has brought us into such a state that we may be acceptable to God. In the book of Ephesians, Christ as our life has saved us into such a position that we may be above all God’s enemies. The church people today are in the heavenlies.
The word “heavenlies” is rather peculiar. It refers not only to a place, but also to an atmosphere with a certain nature and characteristic. God’s salvation by life has brought us into a heavenly place and into a heavenly atmosphere with a heavenly characteristic. When we meet together, we often have the deep sense that we are not in an earthly atmosphere, but in a heavenly atmosphere. However, if you go to a theater or some other worldly place, you will have the sense that you are immersed in an earthly atmosphere. Because we are in a heavenly atmosphere with a heavenly nature and a heavenly characteristic, we are a heavenly people. God’s salvation has transferred us into such a realm and atmosphere.
It was in Christ that God seated us all together, once for all, in the heavenlies. This was accomplished when Christ ascended to the heavens, and it was applied to us by the Spirit of Christ when we believed in Him. Today we realize and experience this reality in our spirit through faith in the accomplished fact.
Both Romans and Ephesians indicate that we are in Christ. In Romans, however, to be transferred from Adam into Christ is primarily a matter of being placed into a justified position. However, in Ephesians to be in Christ is not only a matter of a heavenly position, but, even more important, a matter of life. Because we are in Christ, we have the vitality of life. In Romans Christ is the righteousness of God, but in Ephesians Christ is life. Therefore, according to Romans, to be in Christ means to be in a justified position; but according to Ephesians, to be in Christ means to have the vitality of life.
Verse 7 says, “That He might display in the ages which are coming the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” The church is produced in the present age; the ages which are coming are the ages of the millennium and eternity future. To display the riches of God’s grace is to exhibit them to the whole universe publicly. The riches of God’s grace surpass every limit. These are the riches of God Himself for our enjoyment. They will be publicly displayed for eternity.
Verse 7 says that the surpassing riches of God’s grace are in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Kindness is a benevolent goodness which issues out of mercy and love. It is in such kindness that the grace of God is given to us.
Verse 8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” The word “for” at the beginning of this verse gives the occasion for God to display His grace (v. 7). Because we have been saved by His grace, God may display it.
In Ephesians grace denotes God dispensed into us. Therefore, to be saved by grace means to be saved by having God dispensed into us. Most Christians regard grace as a thing, not as a person. To them, grace is merely a gift freely given to them. According to this concept of grace, we were sinners who did not deserve God’s salvation, but God saved us freely by giving us His unmerited favor. This, however, is a superficial understanding of what it means to be saved by grace.
John 1:17 says that grace came through Jesus Christ. This indicates that grace is somewhat like a person. Ephesians reveals that the saving grace is God Himself in Christ wrought into our being. We have emphasized that the governing concept in Ephesians 1 is the dispensing of the Triune God into our being. Therefore, to be saved by grace means to be saved by the dispensing of the Triune God into us.
Many Christians consider salvation as merely being rescued from a pitiful situation. According to this understanding, to be saved by grace is to have the Savior, who is rich in mercy, reach down to us in our low estate and rescue us. But this is not the salvation revealed in Ephesians. According to Ephesians, salvation is the transmission of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ into us. When this Person comes into us as grace, we are saved. Once we receive such a divine transmission, we are made alive, raised up, and seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Therefore, in Ephesians grace is the saving Person of Christ Himself. Hallelujah for such a salvation! This is a deeper understanding of salvation by grace.
It was not a simple matter for God to be transmitted into us as grace. He had to be processed through incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. By being processed in this way, He is now able to transmit Himself into us. When the processed God is transmitted into us, He becomes the saving grace. This grace is not only the amazing grace; it is the abounding grace. Grace is the processed God transmitted into our being.
Do not regard this as a mere human interpretation. If you read Ephesians 1 and 2 with much prayer, you will see that God processed and transmitted into our being is the saving grace and the abounding grace. We have been saved by the transmission of this processed God.
As we have indicated, this grace has surpassing riches. It has many aspects, virtues, and attributes, such as life, light, and power. Apart from life, light, and power, God cannot save us. For example, how can you rescue a person who has fallen into a pit if you do not have the strength to lift him out? Furthermore, if you do not have love for him, you will not bother to save him. In order to save us, God needed love and wisdom. These are some of the surpassing riches of God’s saving grace. In His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, God has saved us by His grace. In the ages to come—in the millennium and eternity future—God will display this grace publicly to the whole universe.