Co-Participation

"You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:13-15 NHEB

Please notice the past tense verbs in this passage. The entire quote is describing the success of our Lord Jesus Christ in His sacrifice for us. It is past tense. What was accomplished there simply waits for us to receive and embrace. We were dead through our sin and the uncircumcision of our flesh. Remember in 2:11 we were told "...in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in putting off of the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;...." So we have this co-participation in Him. What He did, we did; what He suffered, we suffered; when He died, we died (2 Corinthians 5:14); when He was raised, we were raised; when He was seated; we were seated. This relational concept is imperative to receive and move within in order to really begin to live fully in the New Covenant provision of relationship.

He has removed the entire definition of distance from us by His redemption and forgiveness and He now lives within us. No longer are we trying to get into His presence, instead He has become in our presence. Where we are, He is. Where He is, we are. Such things are too wonderful to even begin to comprehend. That is why they must and can only be received by faith. Then as they are embraced and we gradually allow our thinking to be transformed by them - then we begin to live as sons and daughters of the Most High God, will full participation in the Kingdom. It is His work. We simply embrace, become and express what He is in us.