Now let us consider it from another perspective and recognize that we share the life of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom. What an incredible idea that He is always thinking about us, that we have a role and place in His grand plan. We are in Christ and we are sharers in His life. Colossians 3, verse 4 says,
So Christ is our life. Eternal life is not some heavenly substance that God imparts when we trust our Savior. Eternal life is Jesus Christ Himself.
Already, as members of God's church, we are tied completely to Christ's life. And that will increase in many ways as we receive the many blessings that will be coming.
We are dead and alive at the same time, dead to sin and alive in Christ. Someone once said, Life is what you are alive to. A child may come alive when you talk about ice cream. The teenager may come alive when you mention cars in that physical sense.
So Christ was Paul's life and he was dedicated to everything related to Christ. Likewise, every member of God's church should behave that way toward the Groom.
Now He is our life, which is another way of saying that we are sharers of His life. When Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:30, We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones, it expresses the same idea. So we are now viewing it from a slightly different angle and not so much from the perspective of spiritual union but through Christ's own consciousness, so to speak.
He is giving His life, sharing it, and we are brought into it, becoming an intimate part of His life. This is the part that we are in, the sanctification, where Jesus trains us and shapes us into what a bride should be for Him.
Let us turn over to Colossians 3, verse 1. The last point is that we share in all the glory of His prospects and expectations.
Our new life is hidden with Christ in God. Eternal life is a precious treasure stored up with Christ in heaven where God is, and since our treasure is laid up in heaven, we should not focus on the things of the earth.
We cannot wait for that! We have a certain glory as human beings that God created in us, but for the glory that is the glory of Jesus Christ and God, we just cannot wait to receive that.
This means that Christ must prepare His bride ahead of time, as Paul says in Ephesians 5:27. He says there
2. Remember the spiritual goal. The long-range goal of every Christian is to be adopted into the spiritual Family of God, and our short-range goal is to become more like Christ by overcoming Satan, the world, and human nature. We must shift our focus from the physical to the spiritual.
God wants us to enjoy life, but not at the expense of our eternal life. We are in training now for a glorious spiritual life. God has already chosen and set us apart for His purpose in the Kingdom. This is why Christ commands us in Matthew 6:33, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
