Ephesians 1:3 ‘’Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing’’ - means that in Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God. Being chosen for salvation, being adopted as his children, forgiveness, insight, the gifts of the spirit, power to do God’s will, the hope of living forever with Christ. Because we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we can enjoy these blessings now. The Heavenly Realm means that these blessings are eternal, not temporal. The blessings come from Christ’s spiritual realm, not the earthly realm of the goddess Artemis.
Ephesians 1: 4 Paul said that God chose us in him to emphasize that salvation depends totally on God. We are not saved because we deserve it , but because God is gracious and freely gives salvation. We did not influence God’s decision to save us, he saved us according to his plan. Thus there is no way to take credit for our salvation or to allow room for pride. The mystery of salvation originated in the timeless mind of God long before we existed. It is hard to understand how God could accept us. But because of Christ , we are holy and blameless in his sight. God chose us, and when we belong to him through Jesus Christ, God looks at us as if we had never sinned. All we can do is express our thanks for his wonderful love.
Ephesians 1:5 Predestined means marked out beforehand. This is another way of saying that salvation is God’s work and not our own doing. In his infinite love, God has adopted us as his own children. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, he has brought us into his family and made us heirs along with Jesus. In Roman law, adopted children had the same rights and privileges as biological children, even if they had been salves. Paul uses this term to show how strong our relationship to God is. Have you entered into this loving relationship with God?
Ephesians 1:6 ‘’Freely given us in the one he loves’’ means that God graciously accepts us.
Ephesians 1: 7,8. Grace is God’s voluntary and loving favor given to those he saves. We can’t earn salvation, nor do we deserve it, no religious , intellectual, or moral effort can gain it, because it comes only from God’s mercy and love. Without God’s grace, no person can be saved. To receive it, we must acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves, that only God can save us, and that our only way to receive this loving favor is through faith in Christ
Ephesians 1: 9,10. God was not intentionally keeping his plan a secret, but his plan for the world could not be fully understood until Christ rose from the dead. His purpose for sending Christ was to unite Jews and Gentiles in one body with Christ as the head. Many people still do not understand God’s plan, but when the time is right he will bring us together to be with him forever. Then everyone will understand. On that day, all people will bow to Jesus as Lord, either because they love him or because they fear his power.
Ephesians 1 :11 God’s purpose is to offer salvation to the world, just as he planned to do long ago. God is sovereign, he is in charge. When your life seems chaotic, rest in this truth. Jesus is Lord, and God is in control. God’s purpose to save cannot be thwarted, no matter what evil Satan may bring.
Do the words of our prayers go along with the feelings in our heart.
Image reference:Freedominchrist.net
GZ/KZ
No comments:
Post a Comment