"Heavenly places in Christ Jesus" refers to a status, and not to location or place. This can be shown from the following:
a) A contrast runs through
the Epistle between the position of an alien and that of a believer in Christ.
Note the following contrasts:
|
out of Christ |
in Christ |
|
—one is within the
principalities and powers of heavenly places in the world (3:10; 1:21) |
—one is in the
heavenlies in Christ Jesus, favoured with all spiritual blessings (1:3; 2:6) |
|
—dead in trespasses
and sins walking according to the course of this world, the spirit which
works in the children of disobedience (2: 1, 2) |
—made alive with
Christ Jesus (2:6) |
|
—without Christ,
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope and without God in the world (2:12) |
—fellow citizens
with the saints for an habitation of God through the Spirit (2:21, 22) |
These contrasts are ones of
position or status, not of location (i.e., between heaven and earth as if to
imply that believers were translated to heaven).
b) "Heavenlies"
("heavenly places" A.V.) is used of political systems on the earth
(3:10; 6:12—"high places" is translated from the same Greek word for
"heavenlies"), as well as for exalted position of believers. It can
be seen, therefore, that the word relates to position or status and not to
location. Although believers are raised with Christ to the right hand of the
Father, they are still on the earth, in Ephesus, Corinth, etc. They are
transferred from the heavenlies of the world systems for the everlasting
kingdom of His dear Son. (Ron Abel, Wrested Scriptures: A Christadelphian
Handbook of Suggested Explanations to Difficult Passages [Pasadena, Calif.:
The Christadelphians, n.d.], 97-08)
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