Understanding the Greatness of God’s Power Which He Accomplished in Christ When He Raised Him From the Dead

“...and [know] what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and au­thority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.” Verses 19-23.

God wants us to have our eyes opened—with understanding—to the immeasurable greatness of His power in us who believe. That great power which God accomplished in Christ when He raised Him from the dead can only be understood when the power of His resurrection is at work in us. We know how much we must suffer and bear with, how much we must be severed from according to the flesh in order to attain to a resurrection life. It was by His own power that the Father accomplished this tremendous work with Christ. Therefore He has also seated Him at His right hand as His glory and pride.

By the resurrection of Christ, the Father has become the con­queror of man’s mighty self-will. Nations declare war on other na­tions at will. Thousands are doomed to suffer and die on account of this national self-will. What a mighty thing it is to have conquered it! What loud crying, tears, and prayers it cost Jesus Christ as He fought in prayer: “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me; never­theless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Now we are united in the body of His flesh by the destruction of this same self-will for the sake of God’s will, or as it is written, by death.

All power, all authority, and all principalities in this world are sustained by the power of the self-will. Jesus has been appointed over all these powers because He renounced this self-will. “Then I said, ‘Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,’ as it is written of me in the roll of the book.... He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.” Hebrews 10:7 and 9.

It is no easy matter for God to abolish man’s self-will and estab­lish His will in its place. The difference in the power of these two wills is like the difference between God’s power and that of man. Since this exchange of wills must take place according to the law of liberty, we can appreciate the voluntary sacrifices that must be made on our part, how many strange circumstances God must send our way, and how much longsuffering He must have with us.

Now God has exalted Jesus Christ not only above every name that is named in this world, but also in the world to come. He could do this because no other name had endured such great trial and shown such great faithfulness. No one else could carry out this work, because man had been taken captive by Satan and was powerless to liberate himself. The Lord and Master of creation Himself had to come to earth, bind the strong man, and cast him out with all his accomplices.

The resurrection of Christ was the clarion call for the church’s resurrection; He gave His life for the sake of the church. But creation exists for man’s sake; and if man shares in the resurrection, so does the creation. Therefore the Apostle says: “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:19-23.

From this we understand that our bodies, which are of the earth, earthly, must share the fate of the rest of creation. We, too, wait with eager anticipation for the day when the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality. We long to receive our adoption as sons. During our sojourn we are away from the Lord as long as we are present in this body. But after we are transfigured, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Since, by the resurrection of Christ, God gave us (and thus all of creation) the hope of glory, this clearly demonstrates that the power that linked us and the creation so firmly to corruption has been conquered and crushed by the resurrection of the One. If that were not the case, our hope would be in vain. The serpent’s head has been crushed; principalities and powers have been conquered. Therefore, God has exalted Jesus Christ—at His right hand—above every power and authority in order to show that He is prepared to use Him for even more than what He has used Him for until now.

He has done all this for our sakes. Oh, how glorious is our lot in You, our beloved Lord Jesus Christ! You bear the name “Master” with honor.