Chapter 4 deals with Christian living and with unity in the church. Today Paul urges us to walk worthy of our calling. This doesn't mean, of course, that we can earn grace, mercy, or salvation. It means that since we have already received the unmerited gifts of grace, mercy, and salvation, we should conduct ourselves as the children of God. Keeping in mind the great sacrifice the Lord made for us should cause us to want to honor Him in everything we do. Paul is going to talk about some ways each of us can honor the Lord and how the church as a whole can honor Him.
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1) On the authority of an apostle and of one who is suffering for the Lord, Paul issues this valuable advice.
How are we to go about showing the Lord how much we value His sacrifice for us? "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:2-6) We are members of one body and should not think of ourselves as better than any other member. We were all lost sinners at one time. We have all been saved by the same Lord. We are to love each other as family members should, not trying to get ahead of each other and not trying to put each other down.
In verses 7-13 below Paul is going to talk about not being prideful over our gifts and talents. When we came to Christ, God didn't give each one of us the same exact gifts. If all of us could preach, then who would sing the Lord's praises? If all of us could sing, who would teach Sunday School? If all of us could teach Sunday School, who would minister to the sick and bereaved? If we all ministered to the sick and bereaved, who would be mighty prayer warriors? You see where I'm going with this. God has called each of us to perform different tasks and He has gifted us accordingly. We aren't to value our gifts over someone else's and we aren't to value the gifts of others over our own. Just as the members of a family perform different roles, the members of the church perform different roles. But each role is very important.
"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. That is why it says: 'When He ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people.' (What does 'He ascended' mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:7-13) Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 in verse 8. This psalm portrays the Lord as a mighty army general who returns victoriously from a great battle and bestows gifts upon His people from the plunder He took from His enemy. When Christ rose in victory over death, He plundered the enemy. Satan was a defeated foe. So was death, for its clutches failed to hold Him and will fail to hold all who trust in Him for salvation. Like a returning general, Christ bestowed gifts upon us.
These gifts are meant to be used for the building up of Christ's body (the church). We are to use them to minister to each other; we are never to use them in a way that lifts us up and puts others down. We also aren't to compare our gifts to those of others and feel bad about ourselves. God has chosen for each of us, according to our personalities and according to our locations in this world and according to the opportunities that will come our way, which gifts we can most effectively use to build up the body of Christ. He put a lot of thought into this. Your gifts were as carefully chosen as the gifts of anyone else. They are as valuable as the gifts of anyone else, so work hard to develop them and to make use of them at every opportunity.
Mature Christians will seek the good of the church as a whole. Mature Christians will minister to one another in love and gentleness and meekness. "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their dreadful scheming." (Ephesians 4:14) If the members of the church aren't mature and strong in the faith, the church itself will not be mature and strong in the faith. This can allow false teaching to creep in. We must stand firm and united on the truth of the gospel. Any teaching that contradicts the facts of the gospel must be rejected and kept out of the church for, as Paul is fond of saying, "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." (1 Corinthians 5:6, Galatians 5:9) One way in which we minister to the body of Christ is in being wise enough to recognize false doctrine and to nip it in the bud.
If we hold to the truth we will be strong individually and we will be strong as a church. "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." (Ephesians 4:15-16) Your service is vital to the body of Christ. My service is too. He chose us to be "supporting ligaments" of His body and we should consider it an honor to do our part. This is how we can live lives worthy of the calling we have received: by doing what we have been called to do and by using the gifts the Lord has given us for His glory and for the strengthening of His body the church.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 7, More Than We Could Ever Ask Or Imagine
Paul continues talking today about the awesome grace he received from the Lord. He has never forgotten who he used to be and, no matter what he may endure for the sake of the gospel, he is grateful. Later in our passage he will write one of my favorite Bible verses, a verse that reminds that God's awesome and unimaginable power is available to us.
"I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for pages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things." (Ephesians 3:7-9) Paul knows it was nothing but grace that saved him on the road to Damascus and made him into an apostle. It's nothing but grace that makes any of us into anything. Because he once persecuted the church, Paul counts himself lower than all the other apostles and teachers. I think even if he had not persecuted the church he would have esteemed himself lower than others, for he instructs us in Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." Paul isn't telling us to have low self-esteem but is telling us not to be prideful about ourselves or to think more of ourselves than we think of others. After all, we didn't save or change ourselves. It was the grace of God that saved us and changed us.
Yesterday Paul spoke of the "mystery" of Christ. In ages past the prophets received visions and revelations about the Promised One but did not know how to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. They didn't know how God was going to offer salvation to mankind through grace. They didn't understand how or why God was going to bring the Gentiles into His family. But now this plan has been made clear at just the right time and in just the right way. "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory." (Ephesians 3:10-13) I think not even the angels of heaven understood God's salvation plan until they saw it unfold before their very eyes, but now the plan's beauty and wisdom have been revealed to all creatures, both earthly and heavenly.
Paul began Chapter 3 yesterday by mentioning he was a prisoner. He's writing this letter from Rome where he's awaiting trial and he said that he was in prison because of the Gentiles (or more precisely because he was preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, for the gospel is what brought persecution against him). He doesn't want the Gentiles to feel in any way responsible for his troubles. God called him to do this work, he is fulfilling his calling, and he is honored to suffer on behalf of the Gentiles and for the sake of the gospel. He is thankful for the Gentiles, and at this moment he is so overwhelmed by his love for these people that he can't help breaking into a fervent prayer on their behalf. "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that your, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)
As far as I know, the first time I ever read the following passage was during the summer of 1993. I hadn't been a Christian for a full year yet and I was reading through the New Testament as I sought the will of God in a particular situation. I wasn't sure how this situation was going to go or what I needed to do about it. Through this verse God assured me that He was in control and was going to work it all out in just the right way. I was to be still and watch what He was going to do. "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21) I recall exactly where I was when I read this passage and I remember exactly the worries and hopes I had in my heart on that day. I needed to know God was able to do more than I could ever ask or imagine. He did do more than I asked or imagined regarding that particular situation and regarding so many others since.
I don't think I'd be wrong in saying we have all been guilty of thinking too small. Our God is so much bigger and so much more powerful than our human brains can fathom. He is able to do greater things for us than have ever entered our minds. Since we have such a big God, we ought to think big. We ought to come to Him with the "freedom and confidence" Paul speaks of in verse 12 to ask big things of our big God. There is nothing God can't do. He may not say "yes" to every request if saying "yes" doesn't fit into His plan for our lives, but it would be terrible if the reason we don't receive our request is this: "You have not because you ask not." (James 4:2b) More grace and more help are available to us than we know. Let's not miss out on any of it. Let's go before our Father and ask big things of Him.
"I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for pages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things." (Ephesians 3:7-9) Paul knows it was nothing but grace that saved him on the road to Damascus and made him into an apostle. It's nothing but grace that makes any of us into anything. Because he once persecuted the church, Paul counts himself lower than all the other apostles and teachers. I think even if he had not persecuted the church he would have esteemed himself lower than others, for he instructs us in Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." Paul isn't telling us to have low self-esteem but is telling us not to be prideful about ourselves or to think more of ourselves than we think of others. After all, we didn't save or change ourselves. It was the grace of God that saved us and changed us.
Yesterday Paul spoke of the "mystery" of Christ. In ages past the prophets received visions and revelations about the Promised One but did not know how to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. They didn't know how God was going to offer salvation to mankind through grace. They didn't understand how or why God was going to bring the Gentiles into His family. But now this plan has been made clear at just the right time and in just the right way. "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory." (Ephesians 3:10-13) I think not even the angels of heaven understood God's salvation plan until they saw it unfold before their very eyes, but now the plan's beauty and wisdom have been revealed to all creatures, both earthly and heavenly.
Paul began Chapter 3 yesterday by mentioning he was a prisoner. He's writing this letter from Rome where he's awaiting trial and he said that he was in prison because of the Gentiles (or more precisely because he was preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, for the gospel is what brought persecution against him). He doesn't want the Gentiles to feel in any way responsible for his troubles. God called him to do this work, he is fulfilling his calling, and he is honored to suffer on behalf of the Gentiles and for the sake of the gospel. He is thankful for the Gentiles, and at this moment he is so overwhelmed by his love for these people that he can't help breaking into a fervent prayer on their behalf. "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that your, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)
As far as I know, the first time I ever read the following passage was during the summer of 1993. I hadn't been a Christian for a full year yet and I was reading through the New Testament as I sought the will of God in a particular situation. I wasn't sure how this situation was going to go or what I needed to do about it. Through this verse God assured me that He was in control and was going to work it all out in just the right way. I was to be still and watch what He was going to do. "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21) I recall exactly where I was when I read this passage and I remember exactly the worries and hopes I had in my heart on that day. I needed to know God was able to do more than I could ever ask or imagine. He did do more than I asked or imagined regarding that particular situation and regarding so many others since.
I don't think I'd be wrong in saying we have all been guilty of thinking too small. Our God is so much bigger and so much more powerful than our human brains can fathom. He is able to do greater things for us than have ever entered our minds. Since we have such a big God, we ought to think big. We ought to come to Him with the "freedom and confidence" Paul speaks of in verse 12 to ask big things of our big God. There is nothing God can't do. He may not say "yes" to every request if saying "yes" doesn't fit into His plan for our lives, but it would be terrible if the reason we don't receive our request is this: "You have not because you ask not." (James 4:2b) More grace and more help are available to us than we know. Let's not miss out on any of it. Let's go before our Father and ask big things of Him.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 6, The Mystery Of Christ
Paul speaks today of what he calls the "mystery" of Christ. He isn't saying that we can't possibly know Christ or understand who He is or what He has done for mankind. He's saying that God's plan of salvation, which was put in place before the world was created, has now been revealed in Christ. It is no longer a mystery what the prophets foresaw when they had their visions of the Promised One. By taking a look at the Greek word Paul uses we will get some fresh insight into what he means.
He begins Chapter 3 with a thought and then suddenly breaks it off and comes back to it in verse 14, so it may seem a little choppy to us at first as we look at this passage. "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the sake of you Gentiles---" (Ephesians 3:1) Paul is writing this letter while a prisoner in Rome. He will never leave Rome alive but will be beheaded under the reign of that madman Nero who harbored a hatred for the Christians which is comparable only to Adolf Hitler's hatred for the Jews. Paul is in prison because he was persecuted for preaching the gospel, and since God called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles, it can also be said that he's in prison for the sake of the Gentiles. But in saying this he realizes that his Gentile readers may feel very sorrowful about his suffering or they may even feel responsible for his predicament, so he breaks off what he meant to say in order to speak of his thankfulness in being called by God to understand the "mystery" of Christ and to preach this mystery to the Gentiles. To Paul it is a great honor to serve Christ and to suffer for Him.
"Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly." (Ephesians 3:2-3) The Ephesians know Paul's conversion story. He once was a man violently opposed to Christ and to Christians. He wanted Christians either to renounce Christ or to be put to death. He wanted the name of Christ to be wiped from history. But Christ revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus and everything changed in an instant. Until that moment the gospel was indeed a mystery to a man like Paul whose heart and mind were closed off to the idea of righteousness by faith instead of righteousness by works. But suddenly he understood it all, everything he'd studied all his life in order to become a high-ranking member of the Pharisee sect. Everything he'd ever read in the law and every prophecy he'd ever puzzled over became clear: it was all about Christ. It always had been. It always would be. This is why he can say that is was God's grace that called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles and that it's God's grace that he is in prison right now, because otherwise he'd still be the angry and bitter man he used to be. He'd still be lost. He'd still be seeking righteousness through a set of laws he could not possibly hope to obey.
"In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 3:4-6) The prophets of the Old Testament foresaw the coming Messiah and Redeemer, but they didn't see the salvation plan as a whole. They also foresaw the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's family, but they had no idea how this was going to be accomplished. Now though, since Christ has come, all these prophecies have been made clear. The salvation plan in its entirety has been revealed. God's intention to make the Gentiles righteous in His sight (a thing which must have appeared impossible while they still lived in the ignorance of idolatry) has come to pass. It's easy to imagine that in ancient times the people of Israel must have had difficulty understanding how God could or why He would call the Gentiles into His grace. But in Christ this mystery has been cleared up.
Paul uses the Greek word "mysterion" which doesn't mean something that can't be understood but means something that is held in reserve until the proper time or something which is revealed only to those who seek it. It can mean a "hidden purpose or counsel" of God. Until Christ came and fulfilled the law and the prophets, no one fully understood what God's hidden purpose or counsel was. No one knew how to interpret the prophecies of the Messiah. No one knew why He would be born of a virgin, or why He would be born in the tiny town of Bethlehem, or why God would have to call Him out of Egypt, or why He would be rejected, or why He would suffer, or why He would die. And if He was going to die, they wondered how He could be the Messiah at all. How could they reconcile the Suffering Servant with the Conquering King? No one knew what to make of what appeared to be conflicting prophecies regarding this Person, but now we know how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. We, like Paul, should view this as the grace of God. Thank God we have been called out of darkness into light! Thank God that, no matter what form of persecution we might have to face for the name of Christ, we are no longer who we used to be!
He begins Chapter 3 with a thought and then suddenly breaks it off and comes back to it in verse 14, so it may seem a little choppy to us at first as we look at this passage. "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the sake of you Gentiles---" (Ephesians 3:1) Paul is writing this letter while a prisoner in Rome. He will never leave Rome alive but will be beheaded under the reign of that madman Nero who harbored a hatred for the Christians which is comparable only to Adolf Hitler's hatred for the Jews. Paul is in prison because he was persecuted for preaching the gospel, and since God called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles, it can also be said that he's in prison for the sake of the Gentiles. But in saying this he realizes that his Gentile readers may feel very sorrowful about his suffering or they may even feel responsible for his predicament, so he breaks off what he meant to say in order to speak of his thankfulness in being called by God to understand the "mystery" of Christ and to preach this mystery to the Gentiles. To Paul it is a great honor to serve Christ and to suffer for Him.
"Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly." (Ephesians 3:2-3) The Ephesians know Paul's conversion story. He once was a man violently opposed to Christ and to Christians. He wanted Christians either to renounce Christ or to be put to death. He wanted the name of Christ to be wiped from history. But Christ revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus and everything changed in an instant. Until that moment the gospel was indeed a mystery to a man like Paul whose heart and mind were closed off to the idea of righteousness by faith instead of righteousness by works. But suddenly he understood it all, everything he'd studied all his life in order to become a high-ranking member of the Pharisee sect. Everything he'd ever read in the law and every prophecy he'd ever puzzled over became clear: it was all about Christ. It always had been. It always would be. This is why he can say that is was God's grace that called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles and that it's God's grace that he is in prison right now, because otherwise he'd still be the angry and bitter man he used to be. He'd still be lost. He'd still be seeking righteousness through a set of laws he could not possibly hope to obey.
"In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 3:4-6) The prophets of the Old Testament foresaw the coming Messiah and Redeemer, but they didn't see the salvation plan as a whole. They also foresaw the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's family, but they had no idea how this was going to be accomplished. Now though, since Christ has come, all these prophecies have been made clear. The salvation plan in its entirety has been revealed. God's intention to make the Gentiles righteous in His sight (a thing which must have appeared impossible while they still lived in the ignorance of idolatry) has come to pass. It's easy to imagine that in ancient times the people of Israel must have had difficulty understanding how God could or why He would call the Gentiles into His grace. But in Christ this mystery has been cleared up.
Paul uses the Greek word "mysterion" which doesn't mean something that can't be understood but means something that is held in reserve until the proper time or something which is revealed only to those who seek it. It can mean a "hidden purpose or counsel" of God. Until Christ came and fulfilled the law and the prophets, no one fully understood what God's hidden purpose or counsel was. No one knew how to interpret the prophecies of the Messiah. No one knew why He would be born of a virgin, or why He would be born in the tiny town of Bethlehem, or why God would have to call Him out of Egypt, or why He would be rejected, or why He would suffer, or why He would die. And if He was going to die, they wondered how He could be the Messiah at all. How could they reconcile the Suffering Servant with the Conquering King? No one knew what to make of what appeared to be conflicting prophecies regarding this Person, but now we know how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. We, like Paul, should view this as the grace of God. Thank God we have been called out of darkness into light! Thank God that, no matter what form of persecution we might have to face for the name of Christ, we are no longer who we used to be!
Monday, December 10, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 5, Jews And Gentiles Reconciled In Christ
Paul talks today about the quality now shared between Jews and Gentiles.
"Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body by human hands)---remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:11-13) Paul says, "You had always been on the outside. You served idols instead of the living God. You didn't have the commandments, the law, or the prophets. You had no hope. But now you who once were on the outside are on the inside. You are heirs of the promises of God." (Galatians 3:29)
The apostle reminds his readers that circumcision of the flesh is something that is done by human hands. It's what is in the heart that counts, as we studied not too long ago when we looked at God's command to the Israel in Deuteronomy 10:16 to "circumcise your hearts". The works done in the flesh have no value if the heart isn't right with God, and so circumcision by itself does not give a person right standing with God. Because the physically uncircumcised Gentiles have accepted Christ, their hearts have been circumcised by faith, and this makes them righteous in the eyes of God.
The Gentiles, who once were so far away from God and from His beautiful promises, have been brought near to Him by Christ and have been brought near to God's covenant people---the Jews. "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility." (Ephesians 2:14-16)
Christ fulfilled the law; He is the only human being who ever did. He was born under the old covenant, He lived under the old covenant, and He died under the old covenant. In dying under the old covenant after perfectly fulfilling the law He made a new covenant with mankind with His own blood. (Matthew 26:28, Luke 22:20) If a new covenant has come, naturally this means the old covenant is done away with. The old covenant was the law, and it excluded all who were not circumcised and who did not submit themselves to following the law, so by and large the Gentiles were left out except for those who converted to Judaism. Even then they could only enter the Court of the Gentiles at the temple. They were not viewed as having the same level of access to God as the Jews had, and therefore they could not come as close to the inner court of the temple as the Jews. But when Christ gave His life on the cross, God reached down from heaven and took hold of the top of the veil in the temple, and He tore it in two. (Matthew 27:51) This signified that under the new covenant of grace there was access to God like never before---for all people.
Christ came for everyone, no matter their genealogy and no matter what was in their past. "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." (Ephesians 2:17-18) Paul says, "Christ came and preached peace to you who were Gentiles and to those who were Jews. No man comes to the Father except through Him, and through Him both Jews and Gentiles have the same access to the Father." (John 14:6)
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22) At one time the Gentiles could not claim the Old Testament men and women of faith as their ancestors. They could not claim the Old Testament prophets as their own. Those Jews who in ancient times looked forward to the Messiah and received visions of Him were not of the same genealogy as the Gentiles. But now the faith of the believing Gentiles, just like the faith of the Jews, includes all this rich history of the people of God. This is because Christ is the cornerstone of the church, and Christ was foretold by the Old Testament prophets, and Christ was symbolized by the Old Testament law and by the Old Testament sacrificial system. The Gentiles can read the Old Testament and find their Redeemer there, and they are able to see that the promises made to the people of Israel apply to them too.
Christ is doing a new thing. He is building a temple, not of stone, but of flesh. He is building a temple made up of believers of every nation and tongue. He is building a temple in which He will dwell, not in a veiled room where only the high priest can enter, but in which He dwells in every believer's heart through the person of the Holy Spirit. We have unprecedented access into the presence of Almighty God now that Christ has come and now that He has given us the Holy Spirit. No veil stands between us and our Maker. We all, whether Jew or Gentile, are issued the same invitation to come and know Him personally.
Below is a link to a song that the choir at my church often sings at Easter. I hope it's a blessing to you as you listen to it and think about the access you now have to God through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let The Veil Down
"Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body by human hands)---remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:11-13) Paul says, "You had always been on the outside. You served idols instead of the living God. You didn't have the commandments, the law, or the prophets. You had no hope. But now you who once were on the outside are on the inside. You are heirs of the promises of God." (Galatians 3:29)
The apostle reminds his readers that circumcision of the flesh is something that is done by human hands. It's what is in the heart that counts, as we studied not too long ago when we looked at God's command to the Israel in Deuteronomy 10:16 to "circumcise your hearts". The works done in the flesh have no value if the heart isn't right with God, and so circumcision by itself does not give a person right standing with God. Because the physically uncircumcised Gentiles have accepted Christ, their hearts have been circumcised by faith, and this makes them righteous in the eyes of God.
The Gentiles, who once were so far away from God and from His beautiful promises, have been brought near to Him by Christ and have been brought near to God's covenant people---the Jews. "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility." (Ephesians 2:14-16)
Christ fulfilled the law; He is the only human being who ever did. He was born under the old covenant, He lived under the old covenant, and He died under the old covenant. In dying under the old covenant after perfectly fulfilling the law He made a new covenant with mankind with His own blood. (Matthew 26:28, Luke 22:20) If a new covenant has come, naturally this means the old covenant is done away with. The old covenant was the law, and it excluded all who were not circumcised and who did not submit themselves to following the law, so by and large the Gentiles were left out except for those who converted to Judaism. Even then they could only enter the Court of the Gentiles at the temple. They were not viewed as having the same level of access to God as the Jews had, and therefore they could not come as close to the inner court of the temple as the Jews. But when Christ gave His life on the cross, God reached down from heaven and took hold of the top of the veil in the temple, and He tore it in two. (Matthew 27:51) This signified that under the new covenant of grace there was access to God like never before---for all people.
Christ came for everyone, no matter their genealogy and no matter what was in their past. "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." (Ephesians 2:17-18) Paul says, "Christ came and preached peace to you who were Gentiles and to those who were Jews. No man comes to the Father except through Him, and through Him both Jews and Gentiles have the same access to the Father." (John 14:6)
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22) At one time the Gentiles could not claim the Old Testament men and women of faith as their ancestors. They could not claim the Old Testament prophets as their own. Those Jews who in ancient times looked forward to the Messiah and received visions of Him were not of the same genealogy as the Gentiles. But now the faith of the believing Gentiles, just like the faith of the Jews, includes all this rich history of the people of God. This is because Christ is the cornerstone of the church, and Christ was foretold by the Old Testament prophets, and Christ was symbolized by the Old Testament law and by the Old Testament sacrificial system. The Gentiles can read the Old Testament and find their Redeemer there, and they are able to see that the promises made to the people of Israel apply to them too.
Christ is doing a new thing. He is building a temple, not of stone, but of flesh. He is building a temple made up of believers of every nation and tongue. He is building a temple in which He will dwell, not in a veiled room where only the high priest can enter, but in which He dwells in every believer's heart through the person of the Holy Spirit. We have unprecedented access into the presence of Almighty God now that Christ has come and now that He has given us the Holy Spirit. No veil stands between us and our Maker. We all, whether Jew or Gentile, are issued the same invitation to come and know Him personally.
Below is a link to a song that the choir at my church often sings at Easter. I hope it's a blessing to you as you listen to it and think about the access you now have to God through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let The Veil Down
Sunday, December 9, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 4, The Richness Of God's Mercy
When we enter the gates of heaven we will do so by God's mercy alone. It was mercy that caused God to construct a plan of salvation for us, it was mercy that caused Christ to go to the cross and bear the punishment for our sins, and it was mercy that raised Christ from the dead to prove His sacrifice on our behalf was acceptable to God. We will gain entrance to the presence of a holy God in no other way than by accepting the mercy He offers us. Today Paul talks about how dead we once were in our sins but that, through the mercy of God, we are now risen with Christ into new life.
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." (Ephesians 2:1-2) The apostle says to the church at Ephesus, "At one time you lived according to the desires of the flesh and according to the influence of the forces of spiritual darkness. You were under the sentence of death because of your sins. You were still physically alive, but spiritually you were dead men walking."
But it's not just the citizens of Ephesus or Gentiles in general who were under the sentence of death. It was the entire human race. King David spoke of the nature of man, a nature that causes us to want to go our own way, saying, "God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." (Psalm 14:2-3, Psalm 53:2-3) No one, whether Jew or Gentile, was capable of doing enough good works to pay for his or her own sins, so Paul includes himself and his Jewish ancestors as those who were under the sentence of death, "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath." (Ephesians 2:3)
Paul says, "We all were lost! We all had sinned, we were all under the sentence of death, and we all deserved that sentence." God could have left things just like that and decided we were unworthy of mercy. But He didn't! He couldn't! He loved us too much to leave us without hope. "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich is mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5) This is the very definition of mercy: God offered us something we didn't deserve. He did it not because we made a successful appeal and convinced Him to go easy on us, or because at heart He thought we had pretty good intentions, or because we had done enough good works to outweigh our bad deeds. He did it because He loved us. Period. We didn't do one single thing to help ourselves; in fact, God bestowed mercy on us in spite of our inability to help ourselves. "But God demonstrates His own love for us for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
Not only did God extend mercy to us when we didn't deserve it, He also gave us a share in the inheritance of His own Son. "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6-7) After Christ suffered and died, God raised Him from the dead and now Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. In Christ we too are seated in heaven. Our places are reserved for us. Though our bodies are still physically here on earth, the destinies of our souls are already settled. We have accepted the price that was paid for us. We have obtained mercy. Our names are written in God's family tree, and we (by mercy alone) are the brothers and sisters of Christ.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) When we enter the gates of heaven we won't look around us and say, "Wow, I made it! I worked really hard and I did a lot of good deeds and I gave money to the church, so God let me in!" No, I think the first thing we will do is fall on our knees face down in front of our Lord in an attitude of such overwhelming thankfulness that I doubt we will even be able to speak. I think we may with grateful tears begin to kiss feet of our Lord just as the woman in Luke 7:36-50 did because we will know that it is through mercy alone that our sins, which were many, have been forgiven. God's mercy is a gift. We didn't deserve it and we did nothing to earn it and we will never be able to boast that we did.
Are good works of no value then? Of course not, but no work we will ever perform is worth anything of eternal significance if we do not perform it by faith in Christ. People who are agnostics and even atheists do a great deal of good works. They have no doubt filled many a hungry belly and put clothes on many a naked back. But will this earn them a ticket into heaven? Paul clearly says not, but we don't have to just take the word of a New Testament apostle for it. An Old Testament prophet like Isaiah said the same thing, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." (Isaiah 64:6) Why were the good deeds we did on our own without Christ like filthy rags? Because we were filthy. And if we were unclean then anything we touched was unclean. We couldn't wipe our own uncleanness away because the more we tried to wipe our uncleanness off with our unclean hands, the more we spread the uncleanness all over ourselves. So where does works come in? Works of eternal value come into the picture after Christ has cleaned us up. "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)
We were not saved by works, but after we are saved we are called to do good works in the name of Christ. We are to show the love of Christ to others and in this way lead others to Him. We can't save anyone, but we can lead those around to to the One who can.
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." (Ephesians 2:1-2) The apostle says to the church at Ephesus, "At one time you lived according to the desires of the flesh and according to the influence of the forces of spiritual darkness. You were under the sentence of death because of your sins. You were still physically alive, but spiritually you were dead men walking."
But it's not just the citizens of Ephesus or Gentiles in general who were under the sentence of death. It was the entire human race. King David spoke of the nature of man, a nature that causes us to want to go our own way, saying, "God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." (Psalm 14:2-3, Psalm 53:2-3) No one, whether Jew or Gentile, was capable of doing enough good works to pay for his or her own sins, so Paul includes himself and his Jewish ancestors as those who were under the sentence of death, "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath." (Ephesians 2:3)
Paul says, "We all were lost! We all had sinned, we were all under the sentence of death, and we all deserved that sentence." God could have left things just like that and decided we were unworthy of mercy. But He didn't! He couldn't! He loved us too much to leave us without hope. "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich is mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5) This is the very definition of mercy: God offered us something we didn't deserve. He did it not because we made a successful appeal and convinced Him to go easy on us, or because at heart He thought we had pretty good intentions, or because we had done enough good works to outweigh our bad deeds. He did it because He loved us. Period. We didn't do one single thing to help ourselves; in fact, God bestowed mercy on us in spite of our inability to help ourselves. "But God demonstrates His own love for us for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
Not only did God extend mercy to us when we didn't deserve it, He also gave us a share in the inheritance of His own Son. "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6-7) After Christ suffered and died, God raised Him from the dead and now Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. In Christ we too are seated in heaven. Our places are reserved for us. Though our bodies are still physically here on earth, the destinies of our souls are already settled. We have accepted the price that was paid for us. We have obtained mercy. Our names are written in God's family tree, and we (by mercy alone) are the brothers and sisters of Christ.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) When we enter the gates of heaven we won't look around us and say, "Wow, I made it! I worked really hard and I did a lot of good deeds and I gave money to the church, so God let me in!" No, I think the first thing we will do is fall on our knees face down in front of our Lord in an attitude of such overwhelming thankfulness that I doubt we will even be able to speak. I think we may with grateful tears begin to kiss feet of our Lord just as the woman in Luke 7:36-50 did because we will know that it is through mercy alone that our sins, which were many, have been forgiven. God's mercy is a gift. We didn't deserve it and we did nothing to earn it and we will never be able to boast that we did.
Are good works of no value then? Of course not, but no work we will ever perform is worth anything of eternal significance if we do not perform it by faith in Christ. People who are agnostics and even atheists do a great deal of good works. They have no doubt filled many a hungry belly and put clothes on many a naked back. But will this earn them a ticket into heaven? Paul clearly says not, but we don't have to just take the word of a New Testament apostle for it. An Old Testament prophet like Isaiah said the same thing, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." (Isaiah 64:6) Why were the good deeds we did on our own without Christ like filthy rags? Because we were filthy. And if we were unclean then anything we touched was unclean. We couldn't wipe our own uncleanness away because the more we tried to wipe our uncleanness off with our unclean hands, the more we spread the uncleanness all over ourselves. So where does works come in? Works of eternal value come into the picture after Christ has cleaned us up. "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)
We were not saved by works, but after we are saved we are called to do good works in the name of Christ. We are to show the love of Christ to others and in this way lead others to Him. We can't save anyone, but we can lead those around to to the One who can.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 3, We Have Resurrection Power Within Us
Our passage today is a lovely prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for the believers of Ephesus. It's a prayer you and I can pray for each other and for all believers. It reminds us that the same power that raised Christ from the dead now lives in us. Therefore, is there anything God calls us to do that we cannot do? If He calls us, will He not also equip us? We who are in Christ have resurrection power within us; there is no greater power. God is for us and within us. And if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
The apostle begins by saying, "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers?" (Ephesians 1:15-16) What reason is he talking about? It is contained in the verses we concluded with yesterday: the people of Ephesus heard and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ and have received the Holy Spirit. This fact has made Paul very thankful. Nothing makes him more thankful than seeing souls come to salvation in Christ.
Isn't it wonderful when someone tells us they're thankful for us? It must have warmed the hearts of the people of Ephesus to know that Paul is continually thankful for them. We ought to tell people this more often, because we never know whether a person might be struggling in the faith or whether they may feel unappreciated at home or at work. Even better than telling someone we're thankful for them is telling them we're praying for them. There's nothing more wonderful a person can tell me when I'm going through troubled times than that they are praying for me. So right off the bat we find Paul saying some beautiful words of encouragement to the believers at Ephesus, but he isn't done yet. Today's passage is going to get progressively more beautiful and uplifting as it goes on.
If we tell someone we're praying for them this should mean we're praying for them consistently. Imagine how much better it would make someone feel if we told them precisely what we're asking the Lord to do for them. "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better." (Ephesians 1:17) Paul asks that the Holy Trinity, working in concert, would help each person at Ephesus to grow in their relationship with the Lord.
He also prays that the Lord would encourage the believers by continually reminding them of the glorious future ahead of them. This fallen world throws so much stress and so many troubles at us that we can get in the habit of only looking around us and not looking up. We can end up concentrating on the next task and then the next and then the next without taking time out to refresh ourselves in the Lord. Paul reminds his readers that this world and the things of it are not all there is to life. An indescribable and unimaginable power is at our disposal to get us through whatever we have to get through in this life, and in the life to come an inheritance awaits us that is greater than the human mind can fathom. "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but in the one to come." (Ephesians 1:18-20)
We are met with a lot of things that seem too big for us to handle. Some of them are too big for us to handle, but nothing will ever be too big for God to handle! I don't know how much power it took for God to raise Christ from the dead. I wouldn't be surprised if it took more power than anything else He has ever done, for this was the culmination of every plan He had ever made. This was the goal He had been working toward since long before He created the first human being. This was the fulfillment of His purpose for mankind; this was the focus of all His concentration; this was the greatest deed He would ever perform. Compared to fulfilling the plan of salvation, the creation of the world was child's play. Compared to accomplishing the redemption of sinful mankind, the speaking of light into darkness was as easy as a snap of His fingers.
Though I don't believe God has ever struggled to do anything, and though I don't believe any foe has ever existed that He couldn't simply blow over with one puff of His breath, all of hell was trying to lay claim on the dead body of Christ. Every ounce of strength that was possessed by the spiritual forces of darkness was brought to bear when Christ died on the cross and was buried in the tomb. Satan never wanted that body to take another breath. None of the fallen angels wanted to see those eyes flutter open. I can feel cold chills going over me right now just imagining the thick darkness that circled restlessly around the tomb of Christ as every demon placed its black hands on the stone that sealed the doorway. Did God have to fight His way through to Christ? I don't believe so, but I do believe that this final act in the drama of salvation is where He was most violently opposed. Did anyone oppose His creation of the world? Probably not. Did anyone speak out against His creation of man? Probably not. But did everything related to sin and lies and wickedness and darkness oppose the resurrection of the Redeemer? Yes.
God raised Christ from the dead. Is there anything He can't do? Is there anything He can't do for us? No, because as Paul has just magnificently thrilled our souls by assuring us that the same power that brought life back to the dead body of Christ is within our own bodies. No one on earth and no demon of hell can take this power away from us. The highest power of all powers is on our side. The One who lay dead in a dark tomb now sits in the seat of honor at the Father's right hand, and there is no greater authority than His and no greater name than His. "And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way." (Ephesians 1:22-23)
This is who we are, fellow believers: the redeemed children of the Most High God, the possessors of the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, the co-heirs of the Son of God of an inheritance so glorious that no human mind has ever begun to imagine what lies ahead of us.
Several songs came to mind as I wrote today's blog post, songs having to do with the resurrection power that is within us. But as I thought about all the powers of hell that tried to keep Christ in the tomb, I was overwhelmed by the fact that nothing was able to hold Him there. The grave tried to claim Him but the grave was only deceiving itself by thinking it could ever hold onto Him. Join me as we conclude today with a song that speaks of the defeat of the enemy and the victory of Christ at the resurrection.
Living Hope
The apostle begins by saying, "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers?" (Ephesians 1:15-16) What reason is he talking about? It is contained in the verses we concluded with yesterday: the people of Ephesus heard and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ and have received the Holy Spirit. This fact has made Paul very thankful. Nothing makes him more thankful than seeing souls come to salvation in Christ.
Isn't it wonderful when someone tells us they're thankful for us? It must have warmed the hearts of the people of Ephesus to know that Paul is continually thankful for them. We ought to tell people this more often, because we never know whether a person might be struggling in the faith or whether they may feel unappreciated at home or at work. Even better than telling someone we're thankful for them is telling them we're praying for them. There's nothing more wonderful a person can tell me when I'm going through troubled times than that they are praying for me. So right off the bat we find Paul saying some beautiful words of encouragement to the believers at Ephesus, but he isn't done yet. Today's passage is going to get progressively more beautiful and uplifting as it goes on.
If we tell someone we're praying for them this should mean we're praying for them consistently. Imagine how much better it would make someone feel if we told them precisely what we're asking the Lord to do for them. "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better." (Ephesians 1:17) Paul asks that the Holy Trinity, working in concert, would help each person at Ephesus to grow in their relationship with the Lord.
He also prays that the Lord would encourage the believers by continually reminding them of the glorious future ahead of them. This fallen world throws so much stress and so many troubles at us that we can get in the habit of only looking around us and not looking up. We can end up concentrating on the next task and then the next and then the next without taking time out to refresh ourselves in the Lord. Paul reminds his readers that this world and the things of it are not all there is to life. An indescribable and unimaginable power is at our disposal to get us through whatever we have to get through in this life, and in the life to come an inheritance awaits us that is greater than the human mind can fathom. "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but in the one to come." (Ephesians 1:18-20)
We are met with a lot of things that seem too big for us to handle. Some of them are too big for us to handle, but nothing will ever be too big for God to handle! I don't know how much power it took for God to raise Christ from the dead. I wouldn't be surprised if it took more power than anything else He has ever done, for this was the culmination of every plan He had ever made. This was the goal He had been working toward since long before He created the first human being. This was the fulfillment of His purpose for mankind; this was the focus of all His concentration; this was the greatest deed He would ever perform. Compared to fulfilling the plan of salvation, the creation of the world was child's play. Compared to accomplishing the redemption of sinful mankind, the speaking of light into darkness was as easy as a snap of His fingers.
Though I don't believe God has ever struggled to do anything, and though I don't believe any foe has ever existed that He couldn't simply blow over with one puff of His breath, all of hell was trying to lay claim on the dead body of Christ. Every ounce of strength that was possessed by the spiritual forces of darkness was brought to bear when Christ died on the cross and was buried in the tomb. Satan never wanted that body to take another breath. None of the fallen angels wanted to see those eyes flutter open. I can feel cold chills going over me right now just imagining the thick darkness that circled restlessly around the tomb of Christ as every demon placed its black hands on the stone that sealed the doorway. Did God have to fight His way through to Christ? I don't believe so, but I do believe that this final act in the drama of salvation is where He was most violently opposed. Did anyone oppose His creation of the world? Probably not. Did anyone speak out against His creation of man? Probably not. But did everything related to sin and lies and wickedness and darkness oppose the resurrection of the Redeemer? Yes.
God raised Christ from the dead. Is there anything He can't do? Is there anything He can't do for us? No, because as Paul has just magnificently thrilled our souls by assuring us that the same power that brought life back to the dead body of Christ is within our own bodies. No one on earth and no demon of hell can take this power away from us. The highest power of all powers is on our side. The One who lay dead in a dark tomb now sits in the seat of honor at the Father's right hand, and there is no greater authority than His and no greater name than His. "And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way." (Ephesians 1:22-23)
This is who we are, fellow believers: the redeemed children of the Most High God, the possessors of the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, the co-heirs of the Son of God of an inheritance so glorious that no human mind has ever begun to imagine what lies ahead of us.
Several songs came to mind as I wrote today's blog post, songs having to do with the resurrection power that is within us. But as I thought about all the powers of hell that tried to keep Christ in the tomb, I was overwhelmed by the fact that nothing was able to hold Him there. The grave tried to claim Him but the grave was only deceiving itself by thinking it could ever hold onto Him. Join me as we conclude today with a song that speaks of the defeat of the enemy and the victory of Christ at the resurrection.
Living Hope
Friday, December 7, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 2, Predestination Or Free Will? Part Two
Today we're still tackling the subject of predestination versus free will. The Apostle Paul uses the Greek word "proorizo" which has been translated into "predestined" in English. Some have taken Paul's use of this word to mean that God decided way back in eternity to save some people and to reject others and that there's nothing anyone can do to change this. They say it's fate. They say that if your name isn't on the salvation list there is nothing you can do to obtain salvation no matter how much you might want to have a relationship with the Lord.
You can see the problems with this doctrine. If God chose before the creation of the world whom He would reject and if there's nothing the rejected ones can do about it, the opposite side of that same coin is that if God chose before the creation of the world whom He would save then there's nothing the chosen ones can do to avoid salvation. In that case, why did Christ suffer and die? If it was fate that certain people were going to be gifted with salvation no matter what, how does the cross enter the equation? For that matter, how does the idea of judgment enter the equation? If we can't help being who we are, why would God hold us responsible for our sins?
Did God know who was going to accept or reject Him? Yes, because He knows all things. But He didn't make that choice for us. Does He have a specific calling on the life of every person whom He knew would accept Him? Yes, because men like the Apostle Paul and the prophet Jeremiah speak of God knowing them before they were born and calling them to do a specific work for His kingdom. Naturally God has made plans ahead of time for those whom He knew would want to serve Him. He has a job for each of us who have come to Him through Christ. But just as we had the free will to sin and fall from grace, we also have the free will to accept the offer of salvation. God doesn't decide for us; we decide for ourselves.
As we conclude this portion of the first chapter of Ephesians today, we will see that what has been predestined is not our salvation or our condemnation, but the beautiful inheritance that God has set aside for those who belong to Him through Christ. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment---to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." (Ephesians 1:7-10) I'm going to try to paraphrase Paul's words like this, "We have redemption through the blood of Christ. God formed this plan of grace before the world began because it pleased Him to offer us salvation." The plan of salvation was predestined. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ was predestined. Nothing in heaven or on the earth or in hell had the power to change the plan of Almighty God to bring redemption to mankind. Nothing can keep us from receiving this great gift except ourselves. We can see as far back as the Old Testament that it has always been up to man whether to accept or reject redemption, for Joshua said to the nation of Israel, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
"In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:11-12) In verse 11 Paul uses the word "proorizo" again, and because in context he is speaking in Chapter 1 of our adoption as the children of God and about our great inheritance, we need to recognize that one of the root words of "proorizo" is "horizo" from which we get our English word "horizon". The Greek word which has so often been translated as "predestined" can also mean "to set a boundary". You will recall from the Old Testament that God promised portions of the Promised Land to each tribe of Israel; this was their inheritance, their lot. A lot will naturally have boundaries, usually set by a surveyor, so we could call the boundary lines the "proorizo". To put verses 11 and 12 into simple terms, Paul is saying, "We who are Jews and were the first to believe on the name of Christ were the first to become the sons and daughters of God. Our inheritance (our lot, our calling in life, God's purpose for us) is that we will bring praise and glory to God's name through the redemption we have received by believing on His Son."
But the Gentiles are also becoming the sons and daughters of God through Christ, so the Gentiles have the same glorious inheritance as the Jewish Christians. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation." (Ephesians 1:13a) The salvation of the Ephesians happened like this: they heard the gospel and they believed it. God didn't check His "predestination list" and say, "Oops, not all of these folks are on My list. Some of those who have heard and believed the message weren't chosen by Me before the world was created. I can't grant them salvation." No, the Ephesians had the free will to believe or reject the message they heard, and God, who made the plan of salvation by His own free will and because it pleased Him to do so, accepted every one who believed.
As proof that they have been accepted, Paul says, "When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession---to the praise of His glory." (13b-14) In some versions of the Bible the word "deposit" is translated "earnest", with Paul saying God has given us "the earnest of His Spirit". When we make an offer on a piece of real estate and our offer is accepted, we put down what is called "earnest money". This is a deposit that proves we intend to pay the remainder of the amount due on the property. It shows that we are serious and committed. God made an offer on us through His Son. When we accept His offer we become pledged to Him; we belong to Him; we are His "property" so to speak. To those of us who accepted His offer He has given the Holy Spirit (the "earnest money") which proves His intention to fulfill every promise He has ever made regarding our redemption and our glorious inheritance. This deposit shows us that God is committed to us.
I hope our two-part look at the subject of predestination has settled any doubts anyone may have had regarding God's free offer of salvation. He never marked you off His list or rejected you before the world began. To sum up the things God predestined, we learned that His plan of salvation was predestined. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ were predestined. The adoption of all who would accept the gospel was predestined. The inheritance promised to those who have accepted the gospel was predestined. But the choice is yours. God wants to adopt you as a son or daughter and lavish on you all the blessings that belong to the children of the King. This is a gift He longs to bestow on you. If you haven't already accepted this gift, there's no better time than today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)