Ephesians 1:2-5
2)
Grace be
to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3)
Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4)
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,
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hen
the Lord "saved" us, we were delivered from bondage to the flesh to
live a life of holiness—that is, separateness from the World to be set aside
for service to God.
Some
people are uncomfortable "standing out," so every attempt is made to
"blend in" and be like others.
The
history of
In
order to ever be considered "holy and without blame," we had to be brought
into covenant relationship with Jesus through the offering of blood. It is
through the application of this blood
that we were consecrated to the service of God.
Now
that we are saved, it is we who have
been called to be separated from the rest of the world. Rather than just making
us seem odd, our differences are to call attention to
us that we may be easily identified. You see, the reason we are
"different" is because of the God Who
indwells us. In that this God wants others to recognize Him,
He wants those who already belong to Him to stand out like beacons. How else
will the "ill and infirm" know to whom to come?
The
people of God must begin to accept the power that they have been granted. The
life to which we have been called takes strength, "guts" and
determination. Standing up for anything
necessitates "backbone". There is a price that one pays for
dedication, but the price paid for dedication to the principles of God pale in
comparison to the rewards. Yes, we will be
blamed, but we are to be without
blame.
It
is ironic that frequently, we run from responsibility, yet we expect others to
be responsible toward us. This is especially true when we consider the
willingness of many to be saved. One can find those who see the necessity for
and benefit of salvation, yet do not want to attain the state by God's rules.
These same people, however, want others to meet all of God's standards
pertaining to them, personally.
We
are well aware of the truth that we must be "holy and without blame"
but of what use is that truth to us if we take our time executing it? The
position that we now occupy is that of being "blessed in heavenly
places". This means that we are blessed in the spiritual. If this is where we are blessed, then this is where we
must live. In the spiritual realm is the place of blessing—all blessing. If we need something, we
must be in the place from where it will come. No one, today, can afford to be
outside of the protection that is given by the Lord.
Not
only does the Spirit render us "holy and without blame," but indeed,
we are chosen to be thus. That which
is holy is consecrated to God. Whether one is holy or not is
not a matter of speculation but can be easily ascertained.
In
that we are brought into the family of God to prove that we are, indeed, a
servant to Him; that we will serve Him, we show our holiness by whether or not
we live our lives for the Master, only.
One
who has committed his life to the Lord turns everything over to Him. Not just money troubles or physical
problems, but his mind and all of the "unrest" with which the devil
often tempts us. One who has embraced a commitment to the Lord will also accept
that he must live above reproach.
Even
though it is Jesus, alone, Who can give victory over
this body of flesh, we must know exactly who we are. What is meant by this? We
need a good spiritual self-concept—the kind which emphasizes that we are a
child of God and therefore, worthy of victorious living. In that we are the
children of God, we do not have to be the prey of the likes of Satan. Neither
are we bound by anything. Believe it
or not, we would find it easier to accept this if we would simply give God
praise!
The
doctrine of holiness has been "watered-down" so because though we are
still taught about holiness, many believe that it is achievable without sinlessness. Now, God is smart enough to know that one
could never be saved in sin.
Therefore, He came to save from sin.
The
reality of a life with Christ is that one will have to give up some
comfortable, familiar things. It is one's willingness to part with the
trappings of the former life which will determine whether one "makes the
cut." We are reminded in the scriptures that "...in a great house,
there are many vessels. Some are honorable and some are not honorable. Those
that are willing to be purified (that is, rendered "holy and
without blame) will be used in the highest places."
Some
will argue with you even now and inform you that they are being used and that
is all that is necessary. The only question is, for
what are they being used? Along with the golden goblets and silver chalices,
there are spittoons, garbage cans and chamber pots. One decides for oneself
of what use he will be.