Walking through the Bible - Day 3

Ephesians 1

1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

• Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the earth - this implies that we are not an accident; we are God’s chosen children. This is a settled fact that cannot be debated or negotiated. The word “He chose” is past tense meaning it has already happened. He chose us even when we were walking in DISOBEDIENCE & IGNORANCE.

• Before the foundation of the world - this means that God chose us and made a redemptive plan for us even before He created the universe. He made provision for our sins even before we ever committed them. He made a provision of a Savior before we ever committed any offence so that our salvation will be wholly on His grace and not on the basis of anything we will ever do. - All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world - Revelation 13:8

• God made a redemptive plan even before Adam and Eve fell into the trap of disobedience. This means that redemption is not an after thought that caught God by surprise when the first family fell.

• That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love – To be “holy” means to be set apart for God, in order to reflect His nature. As believers, we are chosen not just to be saved but also to live a changed live here in the world. This is evident in Paul’s writing when he said, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”- Romans 8:29

• God chooses us for a new life, goals and a certain future with Him in eternity. His purpose is for every believer to be conformed to the image of Christ.

• As chosen believers, we are set a part to live blamelessly - without fault, blemish or defect. Paul confirmed this to church in Philippi: That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,- Philippians 2:15

• The NIV gives a deep insight on how we are to walk blameless in His sight - For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)

• This means that we have received an awesome opportunity to stand in God’s presence. In his “sight” means in His perfect moral judgment.

• We cannot hide from God. Paul said, rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:2

• Our call is to be holy and without blame before HIM - this implies that our lifestyle should reflect holiness and blamelessness before Him. Many individuals have tried to live by traditional standards of men, religion etc. but our standard should be from the ONE who CHOSE us!

• Before Him in love - this means that as we walk in the presence of God, our motivation should not be compulsion, BUT LOVE.  GOD himself demonstrated love by choosing us on the basis of grace rather than our own merit. Our determination to live a holy and blameless life should be based on our love for GOD.

• Thus, we will not hate sin because of the penalty and consequences, but due to our relationship of love with GOD. Our love for God will compel us in every aspect of life.

1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

• Predestined - The word "predestination" comes from the Greek word proorisas meaning  “marked out beforehand. According to Vine's Expository Words on the Greek New Testament, it means to "mark out beforehand, to determine before, foreordain." In essence, "predestination" means that God has predicted something and it must and will come to pass.

• The concept of predestination has to be clearly understood. There are wrong teachings out there, that God has already determined who to save, what individuals will do, where they will go etc. This reduces men to mere robots and also contradicts the scriptural teaching that God created man as moral being with the ability to make choices.

•  In the New Testament, predestination is in reference to what God has already done through the finished work of redemption. God has already determined (planned) the path of salvation, and the outcome of those who accept Christ as their Savior. The choosing and predestination of individuals is not unconditional but upon obedience of the gospels - But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ¹⁴ to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. II Thessalonians 2:13-14.

• The important thing to understand is that though God predestined the way of salvation, men have to make a decision to accept, by faith, the saving grace.

• Adoption – The word "adoption" is from the Greek word "huiothesia" from "huios", meaning "a son" and "thesis" "a placing." Therefore, adoption translates to "the placing of a son.”

• Adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself - God not only chose us, but also adopted us as sons.

• This means that we are legitimate members of God’s family through Jesus Christ. This means that we were not part of God’s family, but through the redemptive work of Christ, we were grafted into sonship.

• As sons, we are heirs of everything God has, through Christ - Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. – Galatians 4:7

• Now we are part of God’s family and as sons we have the obligation to trust our father.

 Romans 15:14-16

¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

• This truth should liberate every child of God to know that our sonship qualifies us to be heirs of everything God owns. With God as our Father, we are translated to royalty.

This truth should change:

#  The lifestyle we live - as sons of the God of the whole earth - our lifestyle should reflect God, who is our father.

Let them shout for joy and be glad,
Who favor my righteous cause;
And let them say continually,

“Let the Lord be magnified,
Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”- Psalms 35:27

#  Our relationship with God - Father/ son relationship

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. – 1 John 3:1

#  Our confidence of the promises

²⁶ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise - Romans 3:26-29

#  Our prayer life - we understand that we are not talking to a God who is somewhere in heaven – but to a loving Father, whom we have a relationship with.

¹⁴ Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him - 1 John 5:14-15

Creation is waiting for you!

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. – Romans 8:19

Arise and manifest your sonship!

Let’s go back to our text, in verse 5:

• To Himself - God’s call to us is not into ministerial services but to HIMSELF. Understanding this concept will free men and women from trying to BE DOERS! Our first call is not to be preachers, deacons, elders, ushers etc., but to God Himself. 

• Our RELATIONSHIP with God is more important than any service that we can offer to Him. This helps us to avoid being busy doing ministry while neglecting our intimacy with God.

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:40-42

• The “ONE THING” that is required, is to seek after Him. Like Mary, we need to connect with Him in the word.

• According to the good pleasure of His will, - God takes pleasure in us being His children. Jesus made this clear when He said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” – Luke 12:32

• The Greek word translated “pleasure” (eudokia) an mean a good feeling one person has toward another, or where there is no object, this “pleasure” can be translated as “purpose”. God’s will, therefore means God’s desire.

 Chosen

• Our election (act of being chosen) as Christians should motivate us to a life of obedience service.

• Responsibility challenges us to build a life “worthy of the calling” we have received.

• I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, - Ephesian 4:1 

• As we consider our divine selection we are to live alive of humility with a worshipful heart and obedience.

• 1:6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

• To the praise of the glory of His grace - God in adopting us as sons through Jesus Christ, desire to bring praise by glorifying His grace in our lives.

• By which He has made us accepted in the Beloved - It is only through the grace of God that we have been accepted in CHRIST (beloved). The truth from this verse is that God can accept nobody through any religious works but by GRACE ALONE, that is available through Jesus Christ. 

• The Beloved is the loved Son of God Jesus Christ. This means that God has accepted us through the finished work of redemption.

• Having been accepted by grace, we are to live a life that magnifies the grace of God in our lives. Our lives should bring glory to God, as we live a life of thanksgiving.

 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed and in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. - Psalms139:13-16

The Psalmist echoed the fact that:

·      God formed his inward parts

·      He was covered in his mother’s womb

·      He is fearfully and wonderfully made

·      His frame was not hidden before God when he was in secret

·      God’s eyes saw his unformed substance even before they were formed

·      The days fashioned for him were written before any existed.

What the Psalmist is making clear is that we existed in the plan of God even before we were born. This is the same note that is made by prophet Jeremiah:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5

Amen.

~ Apostle Dr. David Karanja. 


Apostle Dr. David Karanja is the visionary of Africa Transformation Mission, a ministry under Christ Harvesters Ministries.