Question 49: What benefit does Christ's ascension into heaven bring us?

 

Question 49: What benefit does Christ's ascension into heaven bring us?

Answer: First, Christ intercedes for us before the Father in heaven. Second, our bodies are in heaven in Christ, and this is a sure guarantee that Christ, the Head, will one day bring us, his members, into heaven. Third, as a guarantee, Christ sent the Holy Spirit, by whose power we live, not for the things of this world, but for the things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God.

The doctrine states, “Our bodies are in heaven in Christ, and this is a sure guarantee that Christ, the head, will eventually bring us, his members, into heaven,” but there are two contradictions.

The first contradiction is that the flesh cannot be in heaven, while the spirit, clothed in a spiritual body, can be in heaven. Ephesians 2:5-6 says, "Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

It is the spirit that has been made alive with Christ. The spirit was imprisoned in the flesh and dead, but by uniting with Jesus and the flesh being put to death on the cross, the spirit is resurrected, given a spiritual body, and seated in heaven.

Regarding the second contradiction, the doctrine states that believers are in heaven and will be caught up to heaven, but it is unclear whether they are in heaven in Christ or not. Ephesians 2:5-6 clearly states that they are seated in heaven. Therefore, they are already citizens of heaven. Although physically present in the world, spiritually seated in heaven. Since the flesh and spirit are separated, the physical body (sarx) is dead, but God temporarily keeps the physical body (soma) alive. The reason for this is to evangelize.

 

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