Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
One of the greatest truths about the incarnation is that the Father looks upon us just as He looks upon His Son, Christ Jesus. He does not condemn us or desire to punish us, but rejoices that humanity through the person and work of Christ has been joined into the Trinitarian relationship.
Sometimes we wrongly think of the incarnation as a temporary event, that Christ put on human flesh for only His time on earth. But even now he is clothed in our humanity and is seated at the right hand of the Father. In the person and work of Christ, eternity was joined with humanity.
The Good News in Christ is that we've already been accepted. Scottish theologian Trevor Hart declares:
'Vicarious humanity' picks up on the idea that in Jesus, God stands in for us in all aspects of life, that it's not simply in His death that He takes our place and does what we can't do, it's in His faith too, in His obedience, in His responses to the Father. At each point God, as it were, looks at us through Him and in Him and together with Him, and not standing isolated on our own.
Our broken world needs more emphasis on Christ. The real danger in life is using our temporal time on earth for our own self-centered agenda. Too many people act and behave as if this life is their only hope, but the Apostle Paul tells the Church at Colosse, to set their minds the eternal foundation and promises. In 1st Corinthians 15:19, Paul reminds us, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied."
Many people and sadly even some church leaders today act as if the agenda of Christ is to bless them and bestow upon them earthly blessings, but it's essential for the body of believers to study the rich doctrine and heritage that has been taught to them by the Apostles and Church Fathers. To grow in grace it is essential that we also partake in the sufferings and death of Christ. We should all relish to be more like Christ and make Him the central facet of our lives, so that we will be revealed in Him and united in Him.
