Hi Ruth! Thanks for noticing me. ;-)
You seem more comfortable 'looking up'....and who am I to argue...but let me try anyway. hehe!
You really feel more comfortable at the bottom? It's not like you can add anything or take any credit for any rung you might scale or progress you might make towards improved sanctification? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />
I don't mean to be argumentative, but I gotta ask...doesnt' the Bible explicitly put us 'next to Christ'...seated with Him?
[color:"0000FF"]Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: [/color]
We are "already" in heaven...but "not yet"...yes I agree...but as for being In Christ...we are "in Him" now. Our complete justification and position relative to Christ is already 100%...what's "not yet" is the translation of our physical beings from mortal to immortal...from natural to supernatural. No? What's "already" is Christ's earthly reign NOW...but not yet in the sense that He's gonna return and really clean house. BUt as for us and our position in Christ, it's here, and now and forever more. No?
Let me add...shouldn't we have a heavenly perspective as believers...and less of an earthly one? If so, ought we focus MORE on how God sees and declares us to be spiritually...ie, seated up on ladder with Christ...and secondarily how we see ourselves in this temporal earthly plane (sinners, some more chiefly than others <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />?)
Didn't you watch the Lion King...."....remember who you are!" <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I guess my pastor believes that how we see ourselves affects how we go about working out our sanctification. And if so, we should probably see ourselves as God sees us...less so in how we want to see ourselves.
Did you read the Jerry Bridges article on OPEN that's kinda related to this subject? If so, whadja think?
blessings,
