The Faithful in Christ Jesus

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” (Ephesians 1:1-8 NASB1995)

To whom are these words being addressed? To the saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus. And who is a saint? A saint is someone who is a believer in Jesus Christ who, in the hands of our Potter God, is being molded into the likeness of nature of Jesus Christ and, thus, is in the process of becoming different from (unlike) the world in nature and in practice. We who have put our faith in Jesus Christ have, thus, been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as servants of God and of his righteousness. 

And who are the faithful in Christ Jesus? We are believers in Jesus Christ who, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, are living holy lives, pleasing to God, in loyalty and devotion to our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands. We are those who have been persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to live to God in obedience to his commands. Thus, in the power of God, we are living the life God has planned for us to live, and so we are serving him with our lives in doing what he has called us to do.

So, it is not everyone who professes with their lips that Jesus is Lord who are saved from their sins and have the promises mentioned here. For Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow him (in obedience to his commands). For if we hold on to our sin, and if we do not obey God in practice, then we do not have eternal life with God. For not all who call Jesus “Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones doing (obeying) the will of God the Father who is in heaven (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For we who are of faith in Jesus Christ are chosen of God to be holy and blameless before Him. And to be holy is the same as what it means to be a saint, which has to do with us being different from (unlike) the world because we are being molded by God into the likeness of Jesus Christ, as we cooperate fully with God in his work of transforming us to be more like Jesus, and to live holy lives, pleasing to God. And to be blameless is to be righteous, which is to be made right with God in conformity with God’s will, which is to live honest, faithful, upright, godly, and morally pure lives.

And to have redemption through his blood has to do with Jesus Christ sacrificing his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of living in slavery to sin so that we may now serve the Lord in walks of obedience to his commands in surrender to his will. So, this is about Jesus rescuing us out of addiction to sin so we will now follow him in obedience to his will and purpose for our lives. And this is what it means to be “in Christ,” to be rescued from our bondage to sin so that we will now serve the Lord Jesus with our lives. This is God’s work of grace in our lives.

Jesus, Rescue Me  

Based off of Romans 7:7-25 thru Romans 8:1-39

An Original Work / September 18, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus, rescue me today.

Listen while I bow and pray.

I need Your help to obey You;

Live for You always.

Meet me in my hour of need, Lord,

As I pray to You.

Help me walk in fellowship, Lord,

Living in Your truth.

Jesus, how I long for You to

Change my heart anew.

Father, God, my heart’s desire

Is to live for You this hour

In Your Holy Spirit’s power

Living in me now.

Teach me to walk in Your love, Lord,

Guiding me each day.

Help me to show love and kindness

To the lost, I pray.

Father, teach me to love others

As You love always.

Holy Spirit come in pow’r.

Revive our hearts in this hour.

Change our hearts to be like You, Lord;

Live for You each day.

Help us to forsake our sins, Lord,

As we humbly pray.

Teach us how to live for You, Lord,

Obey You always.

Holy Spirit come in power,

Revive us today. 

https://vimeo.com/126092919

The Faithful in Christ Jesus

An Original Work / April 4, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love