Our Standing Before God (Ephesians 1:4-7)
Ephesians 1:4-7, According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Understanding the riches we have in Christ. The hidden riches of Christ are available to you and me, but to find them, we have to open the letter of Ephesians. It is here, in this letter, that we find the description of the riches we have in Jesus Christ. Christ's death on the cross appeased the requirements of His Father, in that it abolished sin once and for all. We cannot fully fathom all that Christ has done for us but Scripture teaches that through His death, we’ve been redeemed, forgiven, justified, and reconciled.
God wants us to be with Him. God does not want us separated from Him, gripped by sin and shame, sorrow and pain, death and hell. God wants us to live forever and ever with Him. All men have transgressed the law of God, have deviated from God, and have fallen from the way of God. Therefore, all men stand guilty of having broken the law of God, and the penalty for breaking the law is death. However, the blood of Jesus Christ brings forgiveness to men. How? Jesus Christ died for man. He took the penalty of sins and bore the punishment Himself. He was able to do this because He was the Perfect and Ideal Man, and as the Ideal Man, He could stand for and represent all men. When He died, He died as the Ideal Man, as the Representative for all men. Any person who really believes that Jesus Christ died for him is forgiven his sins. God takes his faith and counts it as the death of Jesus Christ. God sees the man as being in Jesus Christ, as being in the death of Jesus Christ. God counts the death of Jesus Christ for the death of the man. Therefore, the guilt and penalty for breaking God's laws are completely removed. The man's sins and guilt are sent away or washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The word chosen simply speaks of the fact that God made a sovereign choice to save the lost. It was never God’s will for man to perish (II Peter 3:9). Notice that God... hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). God's choice to save man took place before the world was ever created. We must consider the basis for God's choosing. I Peter 1:2, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Romans 8:29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. It is the doctrine of God's foreknowledge that clears up the inconsistencies of man's teaching. The immeasurable foreknowledge of God is the basis for His election. God is timeless. Based upon anything except God's foreknowledge, predestination would be fatalistic, depriving man of his free choice which the Bible commands him to exercise. In eternity past God looked down the hallway of time and saw you and me. He saw that we were dead in trespasses and sin and condemned to die. He planned to send His only begotten Son to this earth to die on the cross in our place. God saw us in eternity. He saw us one day presented with the choice of receiving Jesus Christ. He heard some say no to Christ and heard others say yes. Those whom He foreknew would say yes, God chose in Christ to be saved, sanctified, adopted and conformed to Christ. This is where God's sovereignty and man's free will is reconciled. Acts 15:18, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Notice the Holy Spirit inspired order of foreknowledge and predestination. I Peter 1:2, Elect according to the foreknowledge. Romans 8:29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. There are those who flip these verses around to suit their theology. They attempt to teach that God foreknew the elect because He had pre-selected them to be saved. However, we see that foreknowledge comes first. It does not say, "Foreknowledge according to His election," nor does it say, "Whom He did predestinate them also He did foreknow." It is clear that God's election and choosing and predestination are all based upon His foreknowledge. God looked down through the ages and He saw who would be saved and He saw who would not. Before the foundation of the world He foreknew who would trust Christ. It is those whom God foreknew that He elected. When one divorces election from foreknowledge he ends up with fatalism. Paul says in Ephesians 1:4, ...that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Holiness is the aim of God for His people. He did not save us to remain what we were. We have imputed righteousness that God applies to our account when we exercise faith in Christ (II Corinthians 5:21). But there is also practical righteousness that we must work at obtaining.
We are redeemed! In redemption, the sinner stands before God as a slave to sin who has been given his freedom. Romans 6:22, But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Now that we are no longer enslaved to sin, we can serve God thereby producing fruit unto holiness. Who we serve determines the fruit we bear. Whatever we do in life results in fruit. If we sin, there will be the resulting fruit of sin. If we live for and serve the Lord, there will be a resulting fruit.
We are forgiven! In forgiveness, the sinner stands before God as a debtor whose debt has been paid in full and forgotten. Ephesians 1:7, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; The price of salvation is extremely high. price includes the blood of Jesus Christ. No wonder Peter calls it the "precious blood of Christ" (I Peter 1:19). This opens the door of salvation to everyone. Some think they are too great a sinner to be saved. But no one is too great a sinner for the grace of God. God's grace can save any sinner. "The riches of his grace" are so great that God can through His grace redeem any sinner who comes to Him for salvation.
We are justified! In justification, the sinner stands before God as condemned sinner who has been declared righteous. Romans 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Salvation is through Jesus Christ. This is great news for the believer. Salvation removes forever the Divine condemnation upon the saved one for their sin. When a person trusts Christ as Savior, the condemnation is forever removed immediately.
We are reconciled! In reconciliation, the sinner stands before God as an enemy who has become God’s friend. II Corinthians 5:18, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; Reconciliation is a work of God through Jesus Christ. Reconciliation involves the whole work of the Gospel. It all revolves around Christ. Leave Him out and you will not have any reconciliation.
An old Navajo Indian who became rich when oil was found on his property. He took all the money and put it in a bank. His banker became familiar with the habits of this old gentleman. Every so often, the Navajo would show up at the bank and say to the banker, “Grass all gone, sheep all sick, water holes all dry.” Without a word, the banker would take the old Navajo into the vault, show him several bags of silver dollars, and say, “All this is yours.” The old man would spend about an hour stacking up the dollars and counting them. Then he’d return the bags to their places, come out of the vault, and say, “Grass all green, sheep all well, water holes all full.” It is amazing the change that comes over us when we simply review our resources and count our blessings. That is where true encouragement is found—in an honest accounting of the Father’s limitless resources and blessings, made available to us in Christ.
Are you enjoying your inheritance? Every morning, when the sunlight opens our eyes, our first thought should be, “I’m a child of the Father! I’ve been chosen by Him to be a member of His family! His peace, His joy, and His love are my legacy, my inheritance—and I can draw upon His riches every moment of every day, no matter what my circumstances may be.” We do not have to live a life of defeat in sin. We can live a victorious Christian life, a holy life, blameless, having a good testimony.
Prayer, Father, thank You for always seeing in me what others may never me and for giving me the strength and desire to serve You. Help me to utilize these truths for the purpose of ministering to others. Please show me how I can actively and passionately engage in the ministry opportunities You have sovereignly placed around me. Give me eyes to recognize these opportunities, a heart dependent on You, and a desire to come alongside people in my life to help them to grow into a deeper relationship with You.
If this post in any way, has blessed you,
please share this website and its articles with others:
www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
Ephesians 1:4-7, According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Understanding the riches we have in Christ. The hidden riches of Christ are available to you and me, but to find them, we have to open the letter of Ephesians. It is here, in this letter, that we find the description of the riches we have in Jesus Christ. Christ's death on the cross appeased the requirements of His Father, in that it abolished sin once and for all. We cannot fully fathom all that Christ has done for us but Scripture teaches that through His death, we’ve been redeemed, forgiven, justified, and reconciled.
God wants us to be with Him. God does not want us separated from Him, gripped by sin and shame, sorrow and pain, death and hell. God wants us to live forever and ever with Him. All men have transgressed the law of God, have deviated from God, and have fallen from the way of God. Therefore, all men stand guilty of having broken the law of God, and the penalty for breaking the law is death. However, the blood of Jesus Christ brings forgiveness to men. How? Jesus Christ died for man. He took the penalty of sins and bore the punishment Himself. He was able to do this because He was the Perfect and Ideal Man, and as the Ideal Man, He could stand for and represent all men. When He died, He died as the Ideal Man, as the Representative for all men. Any person who really believes that Jesus Christ died for him is forgiven his sins. God takes his faith and counts it as the death of Jesus Christ. God sees the man as being in Jesus Christ, as being in the death of Jesus Christ. God counts the death of Jesus Christ for the death of the man. Therefore, the guilt and penalty for breaking God's laws are completely removed. The man's sins and guilt are sent away or washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The word chosen simply speaks of the fact that God made a sovereign choice to save the lost. It was never God’s will for man to perish (II Peter 3:9). Notice that God... hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). God's choice to save man took place before the world was ever created. We must consider the basis for God's choosing. I Peter 1:2, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Romans 8:29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. It is the doctrine of God's foreknowledge that clears up the inconsistencies of man's teaching. The immeasurable foreknowledge of God is the basis for His election. God is timeless. Based upon anything except God's foreknowledge, predestination would be fatalistic, depriving man of his free choice which the Bible commands him to exercise. In eternity past God looked down the hallway of time and saw you and me. He saw that we were dead in trespasses and sin and condemned to die. He planned to send His only begotten Son to this earth to die on the cross in our place. God saw us in eternity. He saw us one day presented with the choice of receiving Jesus Christ. He heard some say no to Christ and heard others say yes. Those whom He foreknew would say yes, God chose in Christ to be saved, sanctified, adopted and conformed to Christ. This is where God's sovereignty and man's free will is reconciled. Acts 15:18, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Notice the Holy Spirit inspired order of foreknowledge and predestination. I Peter 1:2, Elect according to the foreknowledge. Romans 8:29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. There are those who flip these verses around to suit their theology. They attempt to teach that God foreknew the elect because He had pre-selected them to be saved. However, we see that foreknowledge comes first. It does not say, "Foreknowledge according to His election," nor does it say, "Whom He did predestinate them also He did foreknow." It is clear that God's election and choosing and predestination are all based upon His foreknowledge. God looked down through the ages and He saw who would be saved and He saw who would not. Before the foundation of the world He foreknew who would trust Christ. It is those whom God foreknew that He elected. When one divorces election from foreknowledge he ends up with fatalism. Paul says in Ephesians 1:4, ...that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Holiness is the aim of God for His people. He did not save us to remain what we were. We have imputed righteousness that God applies to our account when we exercise faith in Christ (II Corinthians 5:21). But there is also practical righteousness that we must work at obtaining.
We are redeemed! In redemption, the sinner stands before God as a slave to sin who has been given his freedom. Romans 6:22, But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Now that we are no longer enslaved to sin, we can serve God thereby producing fruit unto holiness. Who we serve determines the fruit we bear. Whatever we do in life results in fruit. If we sin, there will be the resulting fruit of sin. If we live for and serve the Lord, there will be a resulting fruit.
We are forgiven! In forgiveness, the sinner stands before God as a debtor whose debt has been paid in full and forgotten. Ephesians 1:7, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; The price of salvation is extremely high. price includes the blood of Jesus Christ. No wonder Peter calls it the "precious blood of Christ" (I Peter 1:19). This opens the door of salvation to everyone. Some think they are too great a sinner to be saved. But no one is too great a sinner for the grace of God. God's grace can save any sinner. "The riches of his grace" are so great that God can through His grace redeem any sinner who comes to Him for salvation.
We are justified! In justification, the sinner stands before God as condemned sinner who has been declared righteous. Romans 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Salvation is through Jesus Christ. This is great news for the believer. Salvation removes forever the Divine condemnation upon the saved one for their sin. When a person trusts Christ as Savior, the condemnation is forever removed immediately.
We are reconciled! In reconciliation, the sinner stands before God as an enemy who has become God’s friend. II Corinthians 5:18, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; Reconciliation is a work of God through Jesus Christ. Reconciliation involves the whole work of the Gospel. It all revolves around Christ. Leave Him out and you will not have any reconciliation.
An old Navajo Indian who became rich when oil was found on his property. He took all the money and put it in a bank. His banker became familiar with the habits of this old gentleman. Every so often, the Navajo would show up at the bank and say to the banker, “Grass all gone, sheep all sick, water holes all dry.” Without a word, the banker would take the old Navajo into the vault, show him several bags of silver dollars, and say, “All this is yours.” The old man would spend about an hour stacking up the dollars and counting them. Then he’d return the bags to their places, come out of the vault, and say, “Grass all green, sheep all well, water holes all full.” It is amazing the change that comes over us when we simply review our resources and count our blessings. That is where true encouragement is found—in an honest accounting of the Father’s limitless resources and blessings, made available to us in Christ.
Are you enjoying your inheritance? Every morning, when the sunlight opens our eyes, our first thought should be, “I’m a child of the Father! I’ve been chosen by Him to be a member of His family! His peace, His joy, and His love are my legacy, my inheritance—and I can draw upon His riches every moment of every day, no matter what my circumstances may be.” We do not have to live a life of defeat in sin. We can live a victorious Christian life, a holy life, blameless, having a good testimony.
Prayer, Father, thank You for always seeing in me what others may never me and for giving me the strength and desire to serve You. Help me to utilize these truths for the purpose of ministering to others. Please show me how I can actively and passionately engage in the ministry opportunities You have sovereignly placed around me. Give me eyes to recognize these opportunities, a heart dependent on You, and a desire to come alongside people in my life to help them to grow into a deeper relationship with You.
If this post in any way, has blessed you,
please share this website and its articles with others:
www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com