Ephesians 1:3-4 NIV
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”
The “us” being spoken of here are God’s holy people, the
faithful in Christ Jesus, who God chose in him before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless in his sight. And to be holy means to be separate
(unlike, different) from the world because we are being made to be like Christ.
And to be blameless is to live a life above reproach, to
walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, and to no
longer live for oneself but for Jesus who gave his life up for us. And it is to
die with him daily to sin and to live daily to him and to his righteousness, by
his grace, through faith, and in the power of God’s Spirit (Rom 8:1-17; 2 Co
5:15, 21; 1 Pet 2:24).
We are genuine believers in Jesus Christ who have died with
Christ to sin and have been resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph
4:17-24).
We are those who are blessed of God the Father with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For, all this comes from God and not
from ourselves. We can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father
draws us to him, i.e., unless he persuades us as to our sin and of our need of
a Savior, as well as of our need to repent of our sins and to follow Jesus in
obedience.
Even our faith to believe in Jesus comes from God and is a gift
of his grace to us. He, as well, grants us repentance. And once we repent and
believe he then empowers us of his Spirit to live godly and holy lives,
pleasing to him, so that God gets all the glory for what he has done in us.
[Lu 5:32; Ac 3:19; Ac 5:31; Ac 11:18; Ac 26:20; Rom 2:4; 2
Co 7:10; Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Jn 14:23-24; Rom 6:16; Heb 5:9; 1 Pet 1:2; 1 Jn
2:3-6]
Ephesians 1:5-8 NIV
“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 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.”
Many people today are teaching a gospel of salvation absent
of death to sin, repentance, obedience, and submission to Christ as Lord of
their lives. They are teaching a salvation from sin that is just about God
forgiving them of their sin so that they can escape hell and so they can go to
heaven one day.
Thus, they give their adherents a free license (a false
freedom) to continue living in their sin without guilt and with no necessity to
change. But God predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in
accordance with his pleasure and will.
What this is saying is that this adoption as God’s children will
be in accordance with the will of God and with what pleases God. And God is not
willing that any should perish but that ALL should come to REPENTANCE. And it
is his will that we should die with him to sin so that we are no longer
enslaved to sin but so we now will be slaves of his righteousness.
Also, our adoption as children of God through Jesus Christ
is to be to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in
the One he loves. And this grace is not free license to keep living sin, but it
frees us from our slavery to sin, and it instructs us to say “No” to
ungodliness and fleshly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and
godly lives.
[Rom 6:1-23; Rom 12:1-2; 2 Pet 3:9; Gal 6:7-8; Tit 2:11-14;
1 Jn 3:22]
Ephesians 1:8-10 NIV
“With all wisdom and understanding, he 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.”
The gospel of our salvation is not that Jesus died for our
sin so we can be forgiven, escape hell, and go to heaven when we die, period.
It is also that Jesus gave his life up for us to deliver us out of our slavery
to sin so we would now become slaves of his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph
4:17-24).
It is that Jesus died on that cross that we might die with
him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. It is that he gave his
life up for us so we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave
his life up for us. And it is that he bought us back for God with his blood so
that we would now honor God with our lives (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co
6:19-20).
And this salvation from sin is not a one-time event that
takes place in our lives which guarantees us heaven when we die regardless of
how we live while we are still on the earth. We are saved (past), we are being
saved (present), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns and the times
will have reached their fulfillment and our salvation will be complete.
So, we must walk according to the Spirit and not according
to the flesh, and we must not make sin our practice, but by the Spirit we are
to be actively putting to death the deeds of the flesh. For, if we continue
walking (conducting our lives) according to the flesh, making sin our practice,
we will not have the hope of salvation or eternal life with God, but we will die.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:34-52; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9;
Gal 6:7-8; Gal 5:16-21; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn
2:3-6]
Servant
of the Lord
An
Original Work / July 26, 2012
Based
off Romans 1:1-17
Servant of the Lord;
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.
Through Him, and for His name alone,
We receive His grace
To call people, Him to obey;
Coming from their faith.
Servant of the Lord,
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.
You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ;
Always praying for others’ needs;
Helping hand to lend;
Giving courage to others’ faith,
For the praise of God.
You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ.
Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.
In the gospel find righteousness:
Being right with God.
Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.
By faith, live in Him.
Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.
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