Jesus came that we might have “life and life more abundant.” That abundant life is His life and our participation in it. Jesus is our “open heaven.” He is our relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Through His finished work, Jesus did not provide a place for us to have a relationship with God. His relationship is our relationship with God. We are co–heirs with Christ, participating in all that He is and all that He has.
When Jesus cleansed the temple for the first time (it happened twice, once early in His ministry and then again towards the end), He was symbolically casting out the religious system that promotes performance-based acceptance and a sin consciousness that comes with it. The people were asked to bring unblemished animals to sacrifice before God so they could meet with Him and find acceptance before Him. Each time, they were told that their sacrifice wasn’t sufficient and were sold a more perfect animal to offer to ensure God’s approval and presence. This is the business of sin consciousness. It rampantly still continues in the Church today. Whenever we are told that we have to offer something to God to experience His favor and presence, it always leaves us with a sin consciousness because it always leaves us with a sense that maybe what we offered wasn’t quite good enough. Our acceptance before God is in Christ. His acceptance is our acceptance. Our blessings from God are because we are in Christ, and He is blessed. “For we (all of us) have been blessed (already accomplished) with every spiritual blessing (it includes everyone on your list that you are hoping for) and the heavenly’s in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3. Jesus is our “open heaven.” We live in God’s presence because Jesus does. Every blessing on the life of Christ is in our life. Remember, the gospel is our inclusion in the life that Jesus lives in the favor “blessing” that He lives under. Our acts of devotion are a response to His nearness and blessing on our life in Christ. We no longer have to live with guilt-ridden sin consciousness because our relationship is a free gift in the person of Christ, not the result of how good our performance is. When Jesus showed up to cleanse the temple, He was declaring that the religious mindset of a sin consciousness was over now that He has arrived.