Skip to main content

Chosen



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: Ephesians 1:4 

            Do you know how important the church is? Paul, an inspired Apostle, had something to say about the church. These things apply to the church as a whole (cf. Eph. 1:1). It  is important to take into account that all the things we read in the following applies to the church. Remember all spiritual blessings are in Christ (cf. Eph. 1:3). So we must apply what we read in verse 4 to the church (those in Christ). This is particularly important when we come to words like we see in Eph. 1:4.
             Let us examine a few descriptions and promises that Paul recorded. We are chosen! How valuable does the Lord consider the church?  Chosen calls to mind that He sought and selected the bride of Christ. Eklego, the Greek word that is used, means to pluck out, select, or to choose for oneself. How did He choose us? Simply in Him. Paul said so to remind us of the location of those whom He chose (in Christ). To be in Him is to be in the body, the bride, the church, the kingdom of Christ. 
            The church was not an afterthought or back up plan. To say such is to blaspheme the bride of Christ, the plan of God. Think about how important it is to be chosen. The church was chosen in a sense before the foundation of the world. In creation, God made man in His own image to have fellowship with the man and his wife in the garden that He created. When the fall occurred, Jehovah provided a plan to redeem man from the transgression that occurred, and we see that established throughout the Word through Noah, the patriarchs, Moses, and David which all led the faithful to reconciliation in Christ. The church was God’s chosen plan. He chose that the church would be the only institution in which men would be made holy and without blame. Only through association and submission to Jesus can we be made so. This is only found in Christ. To be part of the called out and chosen ones, each must choose to obey the Gospel of Christ and be added to His chosen vessel by which men are saved, the church that belongs to Christ. Any other plan is incompatible and a different gospel. 

Grace and Peace, 

Ryan 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't Raise an Ahaz

           Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel.   And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree . 2 Kings 16:2-4                   When was the first time you drove a car? What about the first time you jumped off a diving board or gave a speech? After that first time, it certainly became easier. What about the first lie you told? Did it become easier? King Ahaz of Judah was evil and far from the example of David. Ahaz was the first to offer child sacrifices to t...
Post a Comment
Read more

At the Feet of Jesus

          How amazing it must have been to sit at the feet of Jesus. Have you thought much about that? What would it have been like to be around the Master? It was obviously life altering for His disciples, the majority of which (by historical accounts) would go on to violent deaths. Christians would go on to be persecuted throughout the centuries. Why? Jesus is worth the shame (Acts 5:41). Jesus is worth it all, because “there is no other name, under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It is for this very reason we think about how amazing it would have been to personally sit at the feet of Jesus. To Talk to Him Must Have Been Tender           Talking to Jesus must have been so tender. We know that He would tell people what they needed to hear, and sometimes that was rather forthright (see Matt. 23), but he was loving and compassionate to those who wanted to learn from Him. Remember when parents were b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hanging On

Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God  Hebrews 12:1-2      In order to hang on, you must let go. This seems counterproductive at first glance. If we let go, we might fall and get hurt. If we let go, we might hurt someone else, and we might even hurt ourselves. Yet, letting go can also allow us to hang on to what matters.       We can hang onto the righteousness of God. This helps us to run with patience. When the race is long and arduous, and when life doesn’t end up as we planned, we can look forward to letting go of the doubts and sins that tell us to quit, give up, and stop running...
Post a Comment
Read more