One of the most important concepts in psychology is the Identity Crisis. It teaches us that life remains dull, lonely, and purposeless until a person realizes who they truly are. We cannot solve the problems of our lives—personal, family, or professional—without knowing our identity. This is even more vital in the spiritual life. Unless a Christian understands who God has made them, they cannot live a meaningful life.
In Ephesians, Paul spends three chapters telling us exactly who we are in Christ. In Ephesians 2:1–3, we saw our WORST condition as sinners. Now, we are grasping our identity as a saved people. Paul defines this identity through three thunderous words: Quickened, Raised, and Seated (QRS).
Last week, we discussed the Triple A System: how redemption was Accomplished by Christ, Applied to us, and made possible by our Attachment (Union) to Him. Today, we look at the incredible blessings that flow from this union.
These blessings are true for us spiritually right now, and they will be true for us physically and eternally when Christ returns. Paul’s prayer is that the Holy Spirit would enlighten our eyes to grasp this. We are like a child from a slum who has been adopted by a King and granted billions in inheritance, yet continues to live like a beggar because they don’t realize their status. Let us move our minds out of the gutter and into the palace of our true identity.
Blessing 1: Quickened (Regeneration)
What happened to Christ physically in the tomb is what happened to us spiritually. After the descent from the cross, Christ’s body was cold and dead. On the third morning, God quickened Him—life entered that body. In our union with Him, we were quickened too.
Quickening means Regeneration. When you were spiritually dead to God, He breathed new life into your soul. You were created anew. This is not a gradual process; it is an instantaneous, miraculous act of God. Quickening brings Five News:
- New Life: God infuses His own divine life into your soul. You are literally “born of God.”
- New Nature: You no longer possess only the nature inherited from Adam; you now carry a divine nature.
- New Disposition: This is the “holy governing disposition” of the soul. It doesn’t mean you get a new brain or new skills; it means the “hands” that use your faculties have changed.
- Example: If your intelligence and emotions are like a knife, the disposition is the hand that holds it. Before, that hand used the knife to destroy; now, it uses it to serve.
- New Mind: Your thinking is no longer perverted by the world or the devil. You begin to think according to reality. The Bible is no longer boring; it becomes fascinating as your mind is enlightened to see the value of knowing God.
- New Heart: God takes away the “heart of stone” and gives you a “heart of flesh.” You begin to feel for God and sense His reality.
The Result: You see the world with new eyes. You look at the sky, your spouse, and your parents differently. A person who was supremely selfish starts caring for others. Rebellious children find a new patience and love for their parents. You feel “at home” in the presence of God rather than breathless and suffocating.
Blessing 2: Raised (Justification)
Jesus was not just made alive in the tomb; He was raised up and sent back into life—no longer in humiliation, but in power. In the same way, we are raised and sent back into our same circumstances, but to operate on a different level.
The Practical Effect: A “raised” Christian can do what is humanly impossible. They can love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable. We see this in marriages that were once “dead” and full of hate, which are now restored because the husband and wife see each other through the power of the resurrection. We see it in young people who once viewed their parents as obstacles but now see them with pity and appreciation.
The Theology of Raising: Just as Quickening stands for Regeneration, Raised stands for Justification. Romans 4:25 tells us that Christ was “raised again for our justification.” His resurrection is the absolute proof that God has accepted His sacrifice and we are no longer under condemnation.
The Negative Blessings (What we are dead to):
Because we are justified, we are now “dead” to the things that once held us in the WORST condition:
- Dead to Sin: Romans 6:11 tells us to reckon ourselves dead to sin. This doesn’t mean we are perfect, but sin no longer has dominion over us. We are dead to the threats and penalties of the Law.
- Dead to the World & Satan: The world has been crucified to us. We are no longer under the dominion of the “Adamic man.”
- Dead to Wrath: In Christ, we absorbed the wrath of God and died to it. There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
The Positive Blessings (What we are alive to):
Having risen with Christ, you are now alive unto God. You have moved from a “legal” relationship with God to a relationship of Grace. Instead of facing God’s wrath, you have Peace with God (Romans 5:1).
Summary Table: The Blessings of Union
| Term | Theological Blessing | Description |
| Quickened | Regeneration | New life, new nature, and a new heart; moving from spiritual death to life. |
| Raised | Justification | Standing “not guilty” before God; dead to sin and the world, but alive to God’s grace. |
| Seated | Exaltation | (To be continued…) Our current position of victory and rest in heavenly places. |
If we want to solve the problems of our lives, we must understand our identity. In psychology, a person’s life remains dull and purposeless until they realize who they are. This is even more true in our spiritual walk. Paul teaches us that our identity is defined by three powerful actions of God: we are Quickened, Raised, and Seated (QRS) together with Christ.
While Quickening relates to the blessings of Regeneration (new life) and Raising relates to the blessings of Justification (legal status), being Seated is the Enthronement of that life. It is your Glorification in Advance.
You don’t have to wait until you die to be “glorified.” Ephesians 2:6 says you are already there. God’s will is not that you live for the throne, but from the throne. It means looking down at your problems from the vantage point of Christ’s victory, rather than looking up at them from the world’s gutter.
The 6 “S-E-A-T-E-D” Blessings of Positional Glorification
To help you remember your supreme position, think of the word SEATED:
1. S – Separation from the World
Earlier, you were bound to this world—your heart, hopes, and happiness were dragged by its current toward judgment. But Christ delivered us from this “present evil world” (Galatians 1:4). You are now a stranger and a pilgrim on earth. You are in the world, but you no longer belong to it.
2. E – Escaped from the Dominion of the Devil
In the past, you walked according to the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2). Your mind and body were controlled by Satan. But now, you are seated so high in the heavenlies that the wicked one cannot even touch you (1 John 5:18). He can shout, tempt, or lie, but he has zero authority over you. You are removed from his reach.
3. A – Avoidance of Coming Wrath
This world is under judgment; it is doomed. We see signals of this in wars and famines. But because you are already seated in the heavenlies, you are delivered from the “wrath to come” (1 Thess 1:10). The final destruction of this evil age cannot harm you because you are already out of that realm.
4. T – True Citizens of Heaven
You aren’t waiting for a “green card” to get into heaven; you are already a citizen (Philippians 3:20). This earth is just a temporary colony. The kingdoms of this world are passing away, but your homeland is eternal.
5. E – Experience of Heavenly Life Now
You don’t just get the “full harvest” later; you have the first fruits now through the Holy Spirit. You experience this through:
- A New Power: God works in you to will and to do His pleasure.
- A New Presence: You are invited to draw near and “come boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16). You are enabled to enter the “holiest of all,” where God’s glory dwells.
6. D – Divine Rest & Victory
This is the most fascinating part of the “seated” posture. In Hebrews 1:3, after Jesus purged our sins, He sat down. Sitting signifies the end of work, strain, and anxiety.
- A Position of Rest: You are to live from a place of inner relaxation, depending on the finished work of Christ. When life feels tense or pressured, you must “sit down” internally and let Him bear the weight.
- A Position of Victory: Christ is sitting and expecting His enemies to be made His footstool. Because you are in Him, your victory is guaranteed by eternal decree. You don’t have to scramble or manipulate for results; you rest in the certainty of His triumph.
The Power of a New Perspective
Resurrection power is not just for “solving” problems; it is for dissolving them. It transforms the demoralized (மனச்சோர்வடைந்தவர்கள்). It allows a person with chronic pain to find a joy that baffles others. It allows a wife with a difficult husband or a person with terrible financial burdens to face the situation with a calm that the world cannot calculate.
Motivational speeches and reels might change your mood for two days, but they cannot address the “root level” hindrance of sin. Only the QRS life can release the power to endure the unendurable and forgive the unforgivable.
3 Ps: How to Apply Your Identity
- Prioritize this Truth: Realize that any “Christianity” lived without the QRS relationship is not biblical. This is your foundation.
- Pray for Enlightenment: Like a mentally challenged child who wanders back to the slums despite being an heir, we often forget who we are. Pray that the “eyes of your understanding” would be enlightened (Eph 1:18) to see your true inheritance.
- Practice in Faith: Faith is acting on these facts even when you feel empty or discouraged. When the devil tells you that you are a slave, or your flesh screams with lust, stand firm and say: “I am Quickened, Raised, and Seated.”
If you are in Christ, you are eternally safe. Wear your seatbelt, sit back, and enjoy the flight to heaven. Final victory is guaranteed.
To my friends who do not yet believe: You are seeking shadows—houses, cars, money—that can be gone in a second. Why remain an eternal beggar when eternal riches are offered? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His work will become your history. He died for you, and He invites you to be Quickened, Raised, and Seated with Him today.