I am reading the Book of Ephesians. I had to stop after chapter 1 and meditate and reflect on what i had read. As I carefully reflected. I concluded tat the Lord was maturing me greatly by increasing my understanding of my salvation. All I can do is Rejoice and Praise Him!
This is a Great Hymn of God’s Amazing Grace.
In Ephesians 1:3-14, there are 202 words in 12 verses that actually make up one sentence. Wow! Many english teachers would say this is grammatically incorrect. However, I have concluded everything grammatically correct is not always theologically powerful. The sentence structure may not fit our standards, but the theological teaching will transform our lives.
Paul is Praising God! He is praising God for the Blessings that are ours in Jesus Christ. There is great wealth and richness in Jesus Christ. It is awesome to fully comprehend and realize all that we have in Jesus Christ. we have been blessed (Past Tense) with EVERY spiritual blessing that we could ever possess. this makes me shout with JOY UNSPEAKABLE! But there is More.
We have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the World. this means God set His Affection upon me before I Existed, therefore without my Permission. He loved me before I ever existed. This means being in Christ is not about My Behavior but God’s Benevolence, which definitely impacts my Behavior. His Action toward me is the primary cause of My Action toward me. I love Him because He first loved me. I searched through this Doxology and I could not find one single thing we did to contribute to our salvation.
In this Great Work God is DOING the DOING. It was God the Father’s Plan to bless in Christ and choose us in Christ. “If God had not chose some heaven would have none”. There is more!
After He Blessed and Chose us, He Adopted us into His Family. It is one thing to be Blessed and Chose into a Kingdom, but it is unbelievably amazing to become a member of the Royal Family. Blessed, Chose Adopted, then Redeemed by God the Son. Purchased by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Released from the Bondage and Brutality of Sin!
There is more! Sealed by God the Holy Spirit, which He is the Guarantee of my getting a FULL Inheritance. The small phrase “In Christ”, has very weighty Implications. In Christ actually implies three thing:
In ChristImplies Three Things;
- The Believers United RelationshipIn Christ
- The Believers Deep Intimacy In Christ
- The Believers New Identity In Christ
Now I better understand why Paul used 202 words in these 12 verses which make up 1 sentence. He couldn’t stop praising our Thrice-Holy God for such a A Great God and a Glorious Salvation!
All who are in Christ, should Praise God as well!
So today Christian, take your mind off of what you don’t have Materially and Praise God for the Wealth of Riches you have Spiritually IN CHRIST! Today take your eyes off our your Problems and Praise God for your Privileges IN CHRIST!
Hallelujah, What a Savior!