叫我们一同与基督活过来
当我们因过犯死了的时候，神的怜悯竟然临到我们。我们不配从神得着甚么，但我们在悲惨的光景中，神怜悯了我们。五节说，我们已经一同与基督活过来。以弗所书不像罗马书以我们为罪人，乃以我们为死人。我们是罪人，需要神的赦免和称义，如罗马书所启示的；但我们是死人，就需要活过来。赦免和称义是把我们带回神面前，享受祂的恩典，并有分于祂的生命；叫我们活过来，是使我们这些基督身体的活肢体彰显祂。神叫我们活过来，是藉着祂生命的灵（罗八2），将祂永远的生命，就是基督自己（西三4），分赐到我们死了的灵里。神已经将我们与基督一同点活。当神使钉十字架的基督活过来时，也使我们一同活过来。所以，祂叫我们一同与基督活过来。
保罗在五节括弧里的话说，”你们得救是靠着恩典。”恩典是白给的。这里不仅指神白白的分赐到我们里面，作我们的享受，也指神白白拯救我们的行动。藉着这样的恩典，我们已经从死亡可怜的地位，被拯救到生命奇妙的范围里。
叫我们一同复活，一同坐在诸天界里
六节说，”祂又叫我们在基督耶稣里一同复活，一同坐在诸天界里。”叫我们活过来，是神生命救恩的初步；接着这一步，神又叫我们从死的地位复活。活过来是一回事，复活是另一回事。以拉撒路复活的故事为例（约十一），主首先使他活过来，然后叫他从坟墓里出来。同样的原则，神的怜悯首先叫我们活过来，然后叫我们从死人中复活。
六节说，我们已经一同复活，一同坐在诸天界里。从我们的立场看，我们是一个接一个的，从死的地位复活；但在神看，我们乃是全体一同复活，正如所有的以色列人都从红海的死水中一同起来一样（出十四）。按照出埃及记，以色列全会众是同时得救的，因为他们一同经过红海。这是清楚的豫表，表明我们都是同时得救的；我们都一同活过来，并且一同复活。
信息重点：我们原是死在过犯中的死人，神的怜悯叫我们一同与基督活过来——这是救恩的初步；接着神又叫我们从死的地位复活，一同坐在诸天界里。活过来是一回事，复活是另一回事；以拉撒路先活过来，再从坟墓里出来。
应用祷告：主耶稣，感谢你的怜悯临到我这死在过犯中的人，叫我与你一同活过来。更感谢你不只叫我活着，还叫我在基督里一同复活、一同坐在诸天界里。叫我今天就从一切死的地位出来，活在复活的范围里，彰显你。阿们。
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Raised Up Together in Christ — Eph. 2:6
Made Us Alive Together with Christ
When we were dead in our transgressions, God’s mercy came upon us (Eph. 2:5). We did not deserve anything from God, but in our wretched condition God had mercy on us.
Verse 5 says that we have been made alive together with Christ. Unlike Romans, which regards us as sinners, Ephesians regards us as dead men. As sinners, we need God’s forgiveness and justification, as revealed in Romans; but as dead men, we need to be made alive. Forgiveness and justification bring us back to God to enjoy His grace and have a share in His life; being made alive enables us, the living members of the Body of Christ, to express Him. God made us alive through the Spirit of His life (Rom. 8:2), imparting His eternal life, which is Christ Himself (Col. 3:4), into our dead spirit. God has made us alive together with Christ. When God made the crucified Christ alive, He also made us alive together with Him. Therefore, He made us alive together with Christ.
“By grace you have been saved.” Grace is free. This refers not only to God’s free dispensing into us as our enjoyment but also to God’s free act of saving us. By such grace, we have been saved from the pitiful position of death into the wonderful realm of life.
Raised Us Up Together and Seated Us Together in the Heavenly Places
Verse 6 says, “and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Being made alive is the first step of God’s salvation in life; following this step, God raised us up out of the position of death. Being made alive is one thing; being raised up is another. Take the story of the resurrection of Lazarus as an example (John 11): the Lord first made him alive and then caused him to come out of the tomb. By the same principle, God’s mercy first made us alive and then raised us up from among the dead.
Verse 6 says that we have been raised up together and seated together in the heavenly places. From our standpoint, we are raised up out of the position of death one by one; but in God’s view, we were raised up together as a whole, just as all the Israelites rose together out of the death waters of the Red Sea (Exo. 14). According to the book of Exodus, the entire congregation of Israel was saved at the same time, because they passed through the Red Sea together. This is a clear type, showing that we were all saved at the same time; we were all made alive together and raised up together.
Message Main Points: We were dead men, dead in our transgressions, and God’s mercy made us alive together with Christ — this is the first step of salvation; then God raised us up out of the position of death and seated us together in the heavenly places. Being made alive is one thing; being raised up is another.
Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your mercy reaching me — one who was dead in transgressions — and making me alive together with You. I thank You even more that You have not only made me alive but have also raised me up with Christ and seated me with Him in the heavenly places. Enable me this very day to step out of every position of death, to live within the realm of resurrection, and to manifest You. Amen.