P. Derek Overfield PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

all these is the idea of the believer's participation
and therefore, by implication, the notion of incorporation.
Our theory that !y .xp,O"t'Cf is not merely instrumental
does then receive the necessary support. L · 1 65 lnco n
aptly comments: " (the) believers partake of the
(spiritual) benefits because they are incorporated into
the ascended Christ as their representative who is
himself in the heavenlies".
Allan 66 writes of 2:5f:
"in the Ephesian
passage this idea of incorporation is certainly not
clearly present.
One would rather think that the
writer regards Christ not as the inclusive representative,.
but as the mighty companion of the upward way, the one
through whom God's uplifting power is brought to bear
on us".
But the relationship between 1:20-23 and
this passage belies this interpretation as being the
one intended.
The believer is in 'the heavenly
places' by virtue of God's act in Christ (the dynamic
or instrumental 1:"
),' but this is still only in posse;
in actu he is still involved in the conflicts of this .
world (6:10-20) and therefore his being in the
'heavenlies' is still very much dependent on ~is
>
part of Christ (the tv
being
which implies incorporation),
a notion that only has validity by virtue of the
Hebraic concept of corporate personality.
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