Where do Christians go when they die?

It is a really simple question that everybody knows. Christians go to heaven when they die. My next post will probably be more about what heaven is like (as far as we can know), but this one is about what we do in light of my last post.

You are already dead. If you don't believe me, read my last post, or basically any of the letters of Paul in the New Testament.

So where do Christians go when they die?

Heaven.

"Am I in heaven right now?" you might ask.

That is a tougher question. It is a yes and no kind of deal. You have legal access to the realms of heaven now that you are dead.

But the important point to catch is that you are not only dead, but raised again. Raised by the same spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. That spirit not lives in you, bringing life to your mortal body. (Romans 8:11 paraphrase).

Colossians 2-3 and Romans 5-8 are very similar. You could probably safely say that Col 2-3 is a layman's version of Romans 5-8.

In Col 2-3, Paul says that you have died and were buried with Christ in baptism, but that you were raised up and seated in heavenly places.

You are seated in heavenly places right now if you are in Christ.

Col 3 says "1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Verse 2 holds an incredible key to the Christian life.

If our sinful nature has already been killed through the baptism with Christ, and we are raised again into heavenly places, why do we continue to sin?

It isn't a heart issue, your heart has been renewed and redeemed.

It is a matter of non-renewed mindsets.

Set your mind on the things about, not on this things of the earth. Col 3:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Rom 12:2

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph 6:12

3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and [i]we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.[/i] 2 Cor 10


Our problem as Christians is not that we are sinners struggling to find grace, we should be so incredibly overwhelmed with the oceans of grace that we already have.

Our problem is not that we are stuck in our sinful nature. Our sinful nature is DEAD!

Our problem is that we honestly don't believe any of this is true.

We don't believe in the finished works of the cross. It is too good to comprehend, too immense to wrap our minds around, so we don't....

Eph 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

Raised. Not is going to raise. Not will raise sometime soon, or sometime far off.

Raised.

Right now as a current reality, not a far off hope.

We are saints called to live in His glory, not sinners saved by grace.

We are told to come boldly before the throne with our requests. Boldly before the throne, as one without an sin or shame attached, because we have no sin or shame attached.

We are told that our life is hidden in Christ in heavenly places, that we are seated at the right hand of God.

We are called to live in his weighty presence, his shekinah glory, for all the days of our lives.

We are called into divine encounters. To visit Jesus in His throne room, right now.

To live a life of bringing Heaven to Earth by being the very vessels by with the substance of Heaven is transmitted to Earth.

We are called to be carries of the Divine.

But first, we must realize that we have died, but like Jesus, are not dead for good, but raised with Him by the same spirit.

We live in heavenly places right now. Lets live like it.