Who are We?

Ephesians 1:11-14 ESV

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Who are “we”? We are the saints of God who are faithful in Christ Jesus. We are those who, by God’s grace, have been set apart from the world to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of Jesus Christ. And we are those who are full of faith, who have been persuaded by God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to repent of (turn away from) our sins to now follow Jesus Christ in holy living and in obedience to his commands.

And we are the chosen of God to be conformed in character and in action to the likeness of Jesus Christ and to not be conformed to the passions of the flesh, but to be holy in all our conduct. And we are called to the purpose of God’s will which is that we abstain from the practice of sin and that we follow our Lord in obedience to his will for our lives, which is that we be holy in all our conduct. For Jesus Christ shed his blood for us to buy us back for God out of our lives of sin so we will now honor God with our lives.

[Ephesians 1:1-10; Psalms 139:13-16; Romans 8:29; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24]

And we are the saved of God by God’s grace, a grace from God which is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s soon return. For Jesus Christ gave himself up for us to redeem us (to buy us back from) all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works, which are the works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10).

We are the ones who have obtained an inheritance by God, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will (which I just shared with you in the previous paragraphs). For we are not those who have merely given lip service to God, who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ but who did NOT follow that profession of faith with submission to Christ as Lord, with genuine repentance (forsaking our sins), and with walks of obedience to him.

For we who put our hope, trust, and faith in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives do so not only for the salvation of our own souls, but for the praise and glory of God, that Christ will be honored in our bodies by the way that we live in accord with his word and with his righteousness and holiness, in his power and strength. For faith in Jesus Christ is not of our own doing, not of the will of man nor of the flesh of man. For this faith comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Ephesians 2:8-10] 

So, belief in Jesus Christ is not just some intellectual or emotional assent to who Jesus Christ was and is and to what he did for us on that cross, and of his bodily resurrection from the dead. True faith in Jesus Christ results in us dying with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and us walking in obedience to his commands, in practice, in holy and righteous living, and no longer in sin. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and godly living and walks of obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we do not have an inheritance with God guaranteed us, regardless of what our lips profess.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387