It’s impossible to do justice on all these subjects in this one article, but we will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s not just take our denomination’s belief on these subjects. Don’t take just mine or yours. They may be right, but they could be wrong. They might be partially right.
But let us study the Scriptures pertaining to these subjects and then walk softly before the Lord, so we don’t get brazen, and overly confident.
Let’s be careful we don’t get in other people’s faces, with anger and bitterness and a know it all attitude. THAT IN IT’S SELF IS NOT CHRIST-LIKE.
So, with trembling and humble hearts let us proceed with our study of Ephesians.
(1:4) “According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
We can rejoice in knowing that God has chosen us not at Calvary, but before worlds began, before the foundation of the world itself.”
READ: SEATED WITH CHRIST IN HEAVENLY PLACES
(Col. 3:12-14) “Then put on as God’s ‘CHOSEN’ PEOPLE, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive, and above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”.
You and I do not have the luxury of bearing a grudge and not forgiving. No, we do not.
Notice what Jesus said about forgiveness in Mark 11:25-26 “And when you stand praying forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father, also, who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses, but if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses”.
What are the consequences of not forgiving? We must take this very seriously. If, we are not forgiven of any sin, WE CANNOT ENTER HEAVEN?
WHY?
Because no sin can enter heaven, and if we are not forgiven, we are guilty of the sin that’s not forgiven, and God does not make a single exception.
Remember again, that God’s people are ‘Predestined’, because of one thing and one thing only, and that is God’s ‘FOREKNOWLEDGE’.
First of all, God ‘PREDESTINED A PLAN’, and that was that He would have a people (corporate) Who would be His people, ‘CHOSEN’ and who would serve Him out of love, and would be a holy people, without blame before Him in love.
READ: EPHESIANS DAILY STUDY
He would not simply and arbitrarily just close His eyes and point at each person and say, “You’re predestined to be saved, and the next person He would point at and say, “You’re predestined to be lost and go to hell, and so on down the whole line of humanity.
No, no a thousand times no. WE COULD THEN, ACTUALLY ACCUSE GOD OF NOT BEING FAIR, AND OF PLAYING FAVORITES.
IF HE DID THAT, THEN HE HIMSELF WOULD BE UNRIGHTEOUS, AND WOULD BE UNRIGHTEOUS IN JUDGING OTHERS OF WHAT HE WAS GUILTY OF.
But God is never unfair, He never is partial. Not only could men accuse Him of being unfair, and His judgements being unfair, but the Devil could accuse Him of being unfair, and rightly so.
And if God would choose people arbitrarily and unfairly, then Satan could also accuse God of casting Him out of heaven unfairly.
Election in Christ is primarily corporate, and election of a people. The elect are called the ‘body of Christ’ (4:12), “My Church” (Matthew 16:18), God’s special people (I Peter 2:9).
READ: FAITH CHANGES EVERYTHING
Therefore election is corporate and embraces individual persons ‘ONLY’ as they ‘IDENTIFY AND ASSOCIATE THEMSELVES WITH THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE TRUE CHURCH (Eph. 1:22-23).
The election to salvation and holiness of the body of Christ is always certain. But the certainty of election for individuals in the body remains ‘CONDITIONAL’ on their personal living faith in Jesus Christ and ‘PERSEVERANCE’ in union with Him.
Paul demonstrates this as follows. God’s eternal purpose for the church is that we shoulld be holy without blame before him” (Eph. 1:4).
This refers both to forgiveness of sins (1:7) and to the church’s ‘SANCTIFICATION’ and ‘HOLINESS’.
(Romans 8:14) “For as many as are ‘LED’ by the ‘SPIRIT OF GOD’, they are the sons of God”.
(Col 1:21-23) “And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in his body through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and beyond reproach in his sight. IF INDEED, YOU CONTINUE IN THE FAITH, GROUNDED AND SETTLED (STEADFAST), AND ARE NOT MOVED AWAY FROM THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL”.
Because God knew us before the foundations of the world, and knew that we would persevere in holiness, and would be faithful to serve, love, obey and follow Jesus all the days of our lives, ‘TRUSTING IN GOD TO FULFILL WHAT WE DESIRED IN OUR HEARTS, – HE CHOSE US AND ‘ADOPTED US AS SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD.
(I John 3:1) “BEHOLD, WHAT manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: Therefore the world does not know us, because it knows Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is. Ahd evry man that has this ‘HOPE’ in him ‘PURIFIETH HIMSELF, eve as He is pure”.
Again, remember, we are redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and through His shed blood.
(Ephesians 1:7) “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to ‘THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE’.
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How marvelous is the whole plan and purpose of God. He planned it before the foundation of the earth, and chose us in Christ, and redeemed us through His shed blood.
His blood, redeems, protects, repels demons and stops them in their tracts. When we plead the blood of Jesus against demons, it stops their operations. It doesn’t cast them out, but it does stop them. Jesus told us in Mark 16:17 “AND THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE, IN MY NAME SHALL THEY CAST OUT DEVILS (DEMONS), THEY SHALL SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES: THEY SHALL TAKE UP SERPENTS (NOT DELIBERATELY, BUT WHEN IN DANGER – GETTING BIT), IF THEY DRINK ANY DEADLY THING IT SHALL NOT HURT THEM (Accidentally drink it, not purposely), THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK AND THEY SHALL RECOVER”.
There are so many things we can rejoice in. God has provided for our every need, and held nothing back from us.
(Ephesians 1:3) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (in Christ)” AMEN.
