Ephesians 1:4b
"...that we should be holy and without blame before him..."
And how can this be? Because of what Christ has done on our behalf. Not because we merit or deserve it, but because of His matchless Grace. Now in verse 4 we stopped in front of "...in love." purposely because we think it reads better.
Ephesians 1:4b-5
"...we should be holy and with blame before him in love: (what did He do?) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"
The small word "by" here means through the channel or action of another, so what is this saying? Simply this that through Christ's action we accept His predestination of adoption to become a child of God again. You see contrary to the popular belief that we're all born "children of God", we are NOT!, not until such time as we through Christ's cross become. For in redemption we are only given the right to become, which simply means that we never were before then.
Remember when we were back in Galatians we dealt with the word `adoption' (this is located in our blog titled God Has Only One Way for Us All @http://whmaynard.blogspot.com/). Remember the word adoption in the Greek did not mean to take a child from a union and legally make him ours. The word adoption in the Greek and Roman society was to train that young son of the father so that when he became of age that child who was now tutored and prepared, he could come right up along side the father and have full responsibility. Now you put that into our position as believers, the moment we're saved we don't have to go through a long period of training and preparation as Israel did but we're given the Holy Spirit as our seal of the promise and immediately where does God position us? Equal with Christ the Son. A joint-heir! And that is all by virtue of the Grace of God that he has predestined us to that glorious position of being right with Christ in the Body, in the heavenliest. From here then the Holy Spirit begins His work as our trainer, teacher and yes tutor to reveal sins utter sinfulness and this is our resultant condition under law (God's spoken words of command) and the Laws penalty (that which was imposed on Israel to bring them to obedience or death as an either or) and its requirement of death of our old man, in our flesh. This we have titled our fist estate because it parallels Israel's estate from the time of Abraham now. And through it our separation, by the death from the spirit of the worlds influence in our members. Coupled with our coming out of Egypt or the world and the worlds religion or religious systems, because to stay within it, is our destruction. The very revelation which the Corinthians had not yet reached. Now looking at verse 5 again.
Ephesians 1:5a
"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,..."
Now to the average believer this probably puts them to sleep. We got a kick out of one of our own pastors a few years ago when he was in the Book of Romans and what he said was so apropos. He said, "In my sermon this morning it's going to put some of you right straight to sleep. Some of you it's going to make mad, and some of you are really going to enjoy it and grow from it." Well we're sure that's almost always the case. And it's the same way here in this passage. The average believer, oh he's saved, but he doesn't have a hunger for these deeper things and so he just nods his head and off he drops to sleep. But if we are really interested in all that God has done on our behalf when Christ died for us and arose from the dead, then these things are exciting. To think that we are positioned with Christ in the heavenliest, and that one day it's going to come to fruition. For this is our true hope in the darkness of His Faith and God's Faithfulness to His promises.
Now back to the seven churches. Here on the left side we come now through this lower level of the elementary things of our sinful estate and how the Gospel has saved and justified us. Now we need that reproof, and correction constantly, as we saw in the Books of Romans, I and II Corinthians, and Galatians. Where we learn of Christ by the Holy Spirits guidance through the Old Testament scriptures as He reveals Him who was hidden from sight. But now we jump up a notch into this area of Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians - we're going to go into deeper doctrines, and into deeper areas of reproof, but oh listen what's it all coming to? The birthing of Christ within us and the illumination of revelation upon which His Body the Church is built or as Peter put it the rising of the day star in our hearts. When we can make this final step up and we get into that which is the glory, we'll no longer be tied to the things of this world, but we'll be in His presence as presented in I Thessalonians when He removes the Church by way of the departure. (Reference I Thessalonians 4:13-18, this is seen in the things of nature and its appointed cyclic cycles) We're going to enjoy all the blessings of glory. How does Paul put it? Turn back with me for a moment to Romans chapter 8. This says it better than we ever could.
Romans 8:17-18
"And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; (now we all know what it means to be a joint-heir. That means what's His is also ours) if so be that we suffer with him (the taking of the garden cup), that we may be also glorified together.(that's still future - that's what we're waiting for) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time (and we know how that man suffered as he rehearsed back in II Corinthians chapter 11:23-28) are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in (angels? No but rather in) us."
Oh we sometimes think God's forgotten about these things, but He hasn't for it's coming. We were reminded of a cartoon that we saw recently showing an old fellow sitting in front of his cave's door. And across the top of the door he had written the end is near, but then he added "er." So here today in 2013 the end is a lot nearer than it was back when we were called and we chose to answer the call. So don't give up, God is on the throne, it is still going to happen, and we just keep getting closer and closer with each passing day. Now Ephesians verse 5 continuing with - we have been adopted-
Ephesians 1:5b
"...according to the good pleasure of (who's will?) his will."
Remember what Paul said about his Apostleship? Turn back with me to the very first verse. How did Paul become an Apostle? Not by his will, but by God's Will.
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