"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."
We are in Christ even now as he sits on the throne beside his dad. Somehow our inchristness is so thorough, so absolute, so intricately are we bound that already we are raised. We are hidden with his resurrected body so that our life and his have become inseparable: he is our very life (Colossians 3.4), he in us and we in him. (John 14.20) And why would God do such a thing? Why would God put us inside his son? We become the demonstration of his grace. We are the means by which his perfectly merciful, richly kind character is displayed. We - not isolated I, but the unified fullness of his church (John 17.23) - exhibit his character to a world which doubts him because he showed us his love whilst our backs were still turned. His love is so great that I - little, undeserving, earning nothing by my own merit (Deuteronomy 7.7) - am called to reign with him in the heavenlies. Vagabond to queen. Pauper to prince.
And yet, we are not only trophies to show off God's character traits. We are for the display of his glory but we are also those to whom that glory is continually displayed. For all the ages to come we will receive his grace. Incomparable, immeasurable grace will be expressed to us for all eternity. We will never grow tired of knowing it and all eternity is not enough time to receive it. All the ages to come will be an unfolding of goodness towards us who are in his son.
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