Why is it that so many Christians think of spiritual living as an uphill climb to where they wish to be, when it is simply knowing who we are in Jesus Christ and that we are there in the person of the Son of God?
This “other world” thinking was behind Peter’s desire to build huts for Moses, Elijah and Jesus, on the Mount of Transfiguration. But after experiencing the cloud of glory and hearing the voice of God, Peter, James and John descended with Jesus to find a father in despair at the inability of the other nine disciples to deliver his son from a demon.
In Old Testament times, every male in Israel aged thirty years or over ascended three times every year to the temple in Jerusalem. Together with other pilgrims they sang Psalms 120 to 134 – the Psalms of Ascent. The fifteen psalms were a pilgrimage in song that begins with spiteful criticisms they faced in everyday life, but ends in thanksgiving and praise, at the temple in Jerusalem. These psalms are also called Psalms of Degrees because — much like the steps of the pilgrims who sang them — they are sung in ascending order.
Our songs of praise reflect our ascent to our Father’s throne with thanksgiving and praise, and then worship “in spirit and in truth.” Unlike those whose religious duty requires frequent pilgrimages, we are able to “enter into” thanksgiving and offer high praise and spiritual worship to God, while in the presence of those who hate us and speak against us (Psalm 120).
We think of Paul’s letters to the Ephesians and Colossians as his most spiritual writings – and they are. But the Apostle does not begin them with warnings against evil speech, lewdness, lying, anger, theft and other sins. Nor even with exhortations that husbands should love their wives, or that wives should submit to their husbands, or that children should obey their parents.
Paul leaves these things to later chapters and begins both letters with a revelation to his readers of their privileged heavenly position in Christ. After establishing who, what and where we are in Christ, he applies the reality of these things to the problems and realities of everyday life.
As a young believer, I wondered how I could be perfect in Christ when my imperfections were as visible to me as they must have been to others. Then I came to see that God sees me as perfect “in Christ” – that is, in his finished work on the Cross, and in his resurrection, ascension, and glorification.
I came to see the difference between my impeccable heavenly standing and my less than impressive earthly state. I learned that I could not improve my relationship to God, which is based on what Jesus did, but that the Holy Spirit improves my fellowship with God and with Jesus in a process called sanctification; that is daily separation.