Apology or Repentance?

Ted and Betty found this on the internet. Thanks, Ted and Betty.

Christians in the rut of sin

By Rev.Dr. John Senyonyi, 03-11-2010

I heard the late Bishop Festo Kivengere preach many times. Once in 1987 at the Makerere University Main Hall. Bishop Festo preached at the final service of our mission. The message was so captivating that I found myself sitting on the edge of my chair midway through the service! The atmosphere was electric.

I did not have the privilege of hearing Mr. William Nagenda preach. I am told that he was an even more spellbinding preacher. One time Bishop Festo was on a mission with Nagenda. After one of their preaching sessions, and Nagenda having done his bit rather alluringly, Festo felt a tinge of jealousy. So when they got back to their room, Festo repented and apologized to Nagenda of this jealousy.

Today this is a rare occurrence among preachers; even worse among Christians. People have come to me to apologies and are so vague that I cannot tell what they are apologizing about. They are probably not clear of their sin and they apologize because it is a Christian thing to do.

It is no wonder that in our day and age the preaching of repentance is considered archaic. As a consequence, the bulk of our Christians live below God’s best for them. Their satisfaction is sought in tangible things. They are Christians living in the Rut of sin. They are defeated in their private life which eventually becomes their public shame.

Without repentance, it is impossible to make spiritual or character progress; it is impossible to begin anew.

Repentance is recognition of our sinfulness, and that it is impossible to free yourself from your sins. Jeremiah says that no soap can suffice to wash away our sins. The only detergent strong enough to deal with sin is the blood of Jesus, and that wash is appropriated through repentance.

What is repentance? I must make this distinction: we apologize to man, we repent to God. Repentance is a deeply spiritual discipline but must not be separated from putting right with man where we have hurt another. Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive our neighbors,” indicating that the sin that separates you from your neighbor separates you from God.

Repentance has three aspects to it: the intellectual, the emotional and the volitional. I want to focus on these without sounding academic.

The Intellectual is the change of your viewpoint. “Through the law we become conscious of sin;” we are made aware of and know our sinfulness. It is healthy to have the knowledge that distinguishes right from wrong, to know we have sinned and that God knows what we have done.

One of the secularizing influences in our world today is the ‘gelatinizing’ of sin. It goes something like this: “There are no moral absolutes. Right and wrong are the preserve of a community.” Therefore what is wrong in one community may be right in another. The knowledge and judgment of right and wrong are localized. This is unbiblical and anti-biblical.

Worse still, even those who espouse this fallacy cannot be consistent with it. If all morality is relative, then killing or adultery or corruption would be virtues in one society and vices in another.

The biblical position gives a consistent worldview that there are universal values that are true for all people everywhere and for all time. Therefore when we know what is wrong and we do it, we are struck with guilt. This is an important first step for real repentance to happen.

However, knowledge alone is not enough for repentance to happen. In fact knowledge causes fear of punishment; it aggravates insecurity in the heart. I am sure you are familiar with this feeling. At the human level you may sense alienation from the one you have wronged, and be gripped with the fear of punishment for the wrong committed.

Second is the Emotional part of repentance. When sin is not attended with shame about what we have done, it tends to be repeatable. This is the positive side of shame – the sorrow about the wrong we have done. It is usually called guilt; when remembrance of your sin causes you to feel unworthy.

David knew about this feeling at different times. He poignantly expressed it in Psalm 51. He committed adultery, lied and then murdered the husband of Bathsheba. But he had no peace. We hear him cry for release from the bloodguilt of his sin in that Psalm. Elsewhere (Psalm 32) he talks of the drain of sin.

Guilt takes a toll on your health. Grieving over sin can be dangerous. Indeed Paul talks of two different kinds of sorrow over sin; the worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. The former leads to remorse and despair. People overtaken by worldly sorrow sometimes commit suicide or descend into lunacy.

This is what happened with Judas. Both Judas and Peter denied Jesus; they both were remorseful. Peter however, had godly sorrow and went up to the third step of repentance while Judas halted his steps at feeling emotionally defiled. Emotional sorrow may not see hope and that is why it can be catastrophic.

Similarly, Esau (the brother of Jacob) sinned when he despised his inheritance. Later he wept before his father, Isaac, for the blessing of a firstborn. When he did not get it, he sunk into more ungodly relationships in the hope that he would appease his parents. He did not repent.

True and genuine repentance must finally become Volitional. This means a change of purpose, a turning away from sin to seek God’s pardon and cleansing. True repentance issues forth into real active life.

The Samaritan woman was living with a man she was not married to. Her repentance meant she could not return to the man because he was not her husband. Present day preachers soothe adulterers and fornicators into remaining in such relationships but this is not the Gospel of Christ. It is not also the Gospel of the East African Revival.

Repentance without a change of life is impenitence. Authentic repentance is what we see in Peter, David, the prodigal son, St. Paul, and many others. True and genuine repentance never leaves a sinner wallowing in their sin; it results in salvation.
I stand in a long line of saints to proclaim that when a sinner repents, it entails intellectual understanding and acknowledgement of their sin. It leads to contrition and shame over what they have done. And finally the sinner commits to a change of direction and thus of lifestyle.

Go and do likewise. Amen.

Rev.Dr. John Senyonyi is the Vice Chancellor, UCU.

A nudge from Chuck on humility

What Is True Humility?
Adrian Rogers

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. James 4:10

Have you ever wondered what humility is all about? True humility is not thinking negatively about yourself. It is agreeing with what God says about you. The grace of God will exalt a person without inflating him and humble a person without debasing him. I am what I am because of Christ. In this life, you are not going to be sinless, but as you deal with sin in your life, you can come closer to being free from sin. Sinless? No. Blameless? Yes. As you confess and stay prayed up, you can be blameless.

A word of grace from Chuck

Friends....

I heard T.D. Jakes Sunday preaching on “Who told you?” referring to Adam’s discovery that he was naked. God responded, “Who told you?” He made the point that sometimes we say to ourselves I am not this, or that such as “I’m so dumb” and God answers who told you? or, I’m just a loser...or I’m too old, I could never do that....why am I always this way, etc. We need to get a second opinion: God’s opinion as to what HE thinks of me. Sometimes our mood is governed negatively by what others tell us what we are and how we’ve done something. Get God’s opinion. I was greatly helped by this thought: “Who told you?” Thought you might want to chew on it and see what you can get out of it. Put it into practice: “Who told you?”

“Amazing Grace, how sweet it sounds!”

chuck higgins

I saw a bum

You will be blessed with this up-to-date testimony of Pete McJunkin.

sitting in traffic
I saw a bum, a panhandler
on his staked out corner
pleading with the stopped cars

"Will you help me please,
... will you help me please?"
over and over again.
the light would change,
more cars would come -
again and again, all day long.

He stumbled and fumbled
up and down the sidewalk
suffering from some
debilitating affliction

with nothing to offer anyone -
no talents, no song and dance -
just his pleas for help
some people gave money
some turned their heads away
again and again, all day long.

and as I watched
I heard a quiet voice inside -
"that's you, that's you..."
"ME??" I cried, "ME??" - But it is true.
I have nothing to offer my Creator,
that is of any value whatsoever
only my desperate pleas for His assistance.

no song and dance, no magic tricks -
just myself, my thanks, and my love.
God doesn't turn His head and drive away,
He's always there with His open arms
"I love you, it's all yours"

Eph. 2:20a

Please note, the most recent one is on the top. They then appear in reverse order.

2:20a Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
Paul adds a metaphor to describe our position in Christ Jesus, parts of a building in which each item plays a part in the edifice, God’s house, the Kingdom of Christ Jesus.

Every building needs a foundation, so it is in this building. The Apostles and Prophets are foundational. They have been used by God to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christian theology is not an eclectic bundle of the ideas of philosophers an kings. The Gospel explains what God has done to redeem mankind and how that redemption is received and lived by people.

Paul contended against Judaizers. John contended against Gnostics. All the New Testament writers encouraged the believers to return, again and again, to the histological facts of Jesus’ work and the core beliefs around which any Christ-honoring theology may be constructed.

Eph. 2:19

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,

Because we all “died” to any loyalty other than loyalty to Jesus Christ, we, through the death of Jesus, are made sons and daughters of God and fellow citizens in his Kingdom.

As I consider the word “consequently,” I am pushed back again, to the unfathomable love of God. God was moved by his love! Not pity. He so loved the world that he took the initiative to save us. That is love incarnate.

A lot had to happen before I could be reborn into my new universal family. I had absolutely nothing to do with that! I just believe it and live by faith as I find it enlightening my way. To unpack all that is in that package of grace would take a lifetime, and more. I know it is complete because it witnesses to my spirit. As I live, I believe.

Paul is saying, you had nothing to do with the preparing of your salvation, nor in choosing your new brothers and sisters. All of that is in the hands of God. Now, however, as redeemed people, you have become a new family. Now, choose to live peaceably in your new family.

I need to keep in mind that in the Kingdom there are no foreigners or aliens, just blood-bought and blood-washed adopted children whose delight is in the Lord. I must be careful that I do not stand above others, feeling that I deserve to be here. I am a saved alien, a welcomed foreigner.

Thinking out loud; I wonder if the members of our local congregation here feel like they are “home bodies,” not foreigners or strangers. I fear that at times our customs and habits reflect our thinking that “the real citizens or birth-children” do it a certain way. May the Lord of this universal Kingdom give us grace to make everyone feel “at home.”

Fellow citizens sounds wonderful. Members of God’s household is even better! Both pictures say the same thing – in the Body of Christ every person has full access to the fullness of God in Jesus Christ.

Eph. 2:18

18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

We both, Paul says. He was near and the Gentiles were far away but both, in the church at Ephesus, have believed in Jesus Christ, there they have equal access to the riches of the Father. If both came through the one lowly door, Jesus, then in Jesus Christ, they are changed and redeemed, in precisely the same way.

Jesus’ body, his Kingdom, does not have two doors of entrance, one for Jews, another for Gentiles. The door is one and it is open to all at the foot of the Cross. We can restate this for our times by posing two very diverse groups, like Tanzanians and the Pennsylvania Dutch who, if they are believers, have equal access to all there is in God.

Through Him. The way to God is through the Cross of Christ. If another way is possible, the incarnation/atonement events in Jesus Christ are not at all necessary. The Gospel story has no meaning, whatsoever.

We are not dealing with a capricious God but an honest, faithful, trustworthy God who makes a way for us. He does not close false doors. That is not his design. No, he is Lord because he has made a door, his own body, by which all enter.

People find it difficult to rest on the fact that the door to God is there, and open. As Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep.” Others who try to get into the riches of God in a way of their own making will always be frustrated because God made one door, not many.

As I read, I hear people saying, “There must be many ways to enter the place of God’s fullness.” Behold, there is no other way. Jesus is the way. What he did can not be duplicated or replicated.

By one Spirit. Behind everything is the Holy Spirit of God. He is the guide, the “convictor,” the instigator, the ever-present Spirit of God who yearns that all people might come to Jesus, the door that opens people to God’s fullness. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in their ministry of grace. All of those who are led by that Holy Spirit are one in that same Spirit who guides each life.

Eph. 2:17

2:17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

He came. This must be one of the greatest announcements to reach human ears. God came to earth in Jesus Christ! This is startling news. When human beings think about the supernatural, about God, they generally assume that he has little personal interest in us and must be persuaded to turn his face in our direction. Religions are based on the belief that we must get God's attention in some way or another, if not through giving expensive gifts, then through presenting him with our list of charities and good deeds. In shore, religions are based on the assumption that we must do something to earn the benefits of a God who is somewhere, certainly not here, on the earth, among us. He is far off somewhere, with little interest in what is happening here and now. In that case religion is mankind’s way of reaching out to God.

The Gospel is Good News in that God came to us! We did not woo or compel him to do so. He came voluntarily in order to break the bondage of sin so that we can live in fellowship with him.

Jesus came preaching peace, that is, that the Triune God is doing everything necessary to bring us into his Kingdom, the Kingdom of Peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. His reign is the reign of eternal peace.

To you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

If I read this correctly, Paul believes that the Jews are near while the Gentiles are far off. What does he mean? I believe that Jesus promised peace to the Jews who were in a Covenant relationship with God as outlined in the Old Testament. That placed them near to the Gospel. Not that the Jews opened their hearts en mass to Jesus, but, as the Old Testament states again and again, it is the Jews that God chose to receive special favors promised in the Covenant he made to Abraham and his followers.

Those special favors did not bring the Jews into Christ but they brought the Jews very near to Christ – blood relatives, so to speak. But they, like Gentiles, had to actually enter into Jesus by believing in him. So, no matter who was near and who was far, all go through the same small door, Jesus Christ.

2:16b

2:16b Through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

How is hostility put to death, killed outright, crucified as on a cross?

This world is full of hostility. I see hostility in politics, in the church, in families, in homes, in business, in tribes and clans – hostility everywhere. The prisons are overflowing and the courts can not keep pace with trying to resolve conflict.

Can it be that there is a conclusive cure for hostility, for conflict? Paul declares that people who identify with the crucified Son of God/Son of Man, die to hostility because Jesus died to hostility in his own body on Calvary. Or we might say, hostility was put to death in that Body. Our hostility is, there, put to death, killed!

I think this is one of the neglected benefits of the atoning work of Jesus. If I am like others, I want to protect myself, my family, my group, my nation, my culture. I am expected to do so and when I do, I am applauded. The world pronounces such hostility to be good. Jesus wants to slay it, crucify it in his body.

Jesus laid down his rights, nailing them to his cross for all to see. The Son gave himself to be the Lamb slain for sin. Is that what I must do? Lay down my rights and die to them in Jesus Christ? The answer is clear and compelling, there is no other way to have peace with Almighty God and certainly no other way to live with hostility toward none.

Eph. 2:16a

2:16a And in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross.

The one body is Jesus, of course. This takes me into a zone of thinking that I can scarcely understand. Why should one body be even thought about when considering the topic of unity? I need a new way of thinking and perceiving at this point.

My first thought is that to get peace we should recognize the fact that we came from the same mother. Being born of the same mother would surely help, I suppose. But, then, as I reflect, I see that this is not what Paul is getting at. Being born of the same mother guarantees nothing as far as unity is concerned. In fact siblings sometimes become the worst of enemies. A common mother is not the answer and it is not what Paul has in mind, either.

Paul does not use the picture of being born by Jesus. He never appeals to the motherhood of Jesus, in that sense, at all. No, we are not “one” because we are born out of the body of Christ as a child is born from the mother. We are “one” because (and this comes as a surprise) because we are crucified with him in his death. In the body of Christ I died! In the body of Christ my brothers and sisters in Christ have died! Our unity is not the unity of siblings from the same mother, but our unity is the unity of those who have died in Christ!

I never thought about that but the more I think about it, it is undoubtedly the truth, a most compelling truth. My spiritual siblings are not similarly born but similarly crucified! We are all dead to self – alive to God. We are sons and daughters by death and resurrection! We become truly reconciled to one another as we experience death to self in the body of Jesus. This way of looking at the Cross of Calvary opens a way that makes it possible for us to be reconciled to every person who has experienced death to self in Christ Jesus. As Jesus died to self on the Cross (remember his words, “Not my will but yours be done,”) so we lay down our rights to ourselves and die to them in Christ Jesus, just like he did.

I note that Paul insists that all true Christian unity is built on the foundation of the fact that we have died and have been reconciled to God. In other words, it all begins with getting reconciled to God. If I seek reconciliation with a person simply in order to be more fully human, true spiritual unity will escape me because any peace made outside the Cross is good but temporary and temporal. Peace in Jesus is eternal.

I am consoled by the fact that I am at peace with God because I am a forgiven sinner. That is where peace begins. Then, another person has a similar experience of death to self in Jesus, and God places us in proximity to one another. We are duty bound to reach out to one another, in the name of Jesus, as true eternal siblings, adopted into the family of God. This unity is heaven-made and still startles the world.

Eph. 2:15b

Please note, the most recent one is on the top. They then appear in reverse order.

15b His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.

What is God’s plan for all mankind? Surely it is to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace. In our fallen state we foster individualism, patriotism, ethnocentrism, all sorts of self-protectionism that actually keep us apart. Yet most people think that they must develop a strong me/they or us/them stance in order to preserve the tribe or some human system that they belong to and need to defend.

Few people ever give one thought as to God’s desire. God's desire is surely to crash all the walls that divide us human beings. That is God’s purpose – to break down the walls that divide us, to make peace, not by compelling people to do everything to protect their groups, but by deliberately disowning the desires to consolidate groups as the way to peace.

I am overawed by God’s costly provision to make this possible – providing Jesus in whom all people are, finally, one.

Paul lived in and age of Pax Romanica. The wide-spread Roman Empire ruled most of the known world at the time. They preserved peace, as best they could, by military might. It was a precarious peace, to be sure, because they had to put down one revolt after another. The Jews had their own vision of how to bring about unity, by reestablishing the nation of Israel as at the time of King David. That was a flawed hope, as history proved.

All such attempts to bring peace will utterly fail because they are all built on the assumption that people will voluntarily give up one allegiance, let’s say allegiance to a tribal rule, for a greater allegiance like allegiance to the Empire or Emperor. History blasts that hope.

God’s plan is the only plan that is based on reality. Each of us seeks to live self-sufficient. That instinct can only be broken by a radical move of God – to change us in Christ so that we, as God, place all relationships on the basis of divine love for all mankind.

Our history books describe the futility of human efforts to love enemies. Enemies are usually those whom we fear or are different from us. The theme of World History is to hate enemies with a passion. That is considered meritorious. In the Kingdom of God that is anathema.

Eph. 2:15a

15a By abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.

Does this mean that the Law is gone, done away with, non-existent, out-of-date, now no longer in effect? Does this mean that the followers of Jesus can disregard the Law as practiced by Jewish people for ages? Jesus declared that he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. That task of taking the principles behind the Law and putting them into cultural behavior is to be done by every generation in every culture. The Spirit of the Law never changes. How could it change since the Law is implicit in God’s character?

The Gospel is not devoid of the Law. Lawlessness is not what the Spirit of God is speaking of here. The believers have the law written on their hearts as a result of the New Birth. They submit to that law with their whole hearts. We are not saved in order to live without Law.

A rephrase of our lead verse might be, “God, in Christ, abolished the notion that the religious practices of the Jews as then practiced should be required of all believers.” Behind such a statement is the hope that if we all practice the same cultural religious practices, routines and so forth then unity will be assured within the body. Spiritual unity - Gospel unity - is not based on uniformity of religious practices but on faith in Jesus Christ.

Many Christian groups have tried to maintain spiritual unity by requiring cultural unity. That attempt is doomed to fail because even obedience to a uniform law can have self-effort as the center, rather than Christ, so self reigns, even though it appears as though everyone submits to a common set of cultural practices. That “self” will ultimately destroy unity!

The only way for true spiritual unity is for sin or the sinful nature to be dealt with. The importance of cultural practices should not be the means toward unity. In order to bring the Kingdom of God on the earth, a kingdom built on love, the love of God, the power of self-assertion, of sin, must be dealt with. So, the Spirit says, “Listen, everyone, Jesus, in his flesh abolished the idea that keeping the law and commands are the central feature. Jesus’ blood was spilled to bring everyone to salvation, no matter what the religious background, thus abolishing the idea that we earn salvation by being and doing good.” By going the ultimate extent of become a sacrifice, Jesus demonstrated that God saves by his grace alone. If there would have been any other way, Jesus would not have died.

So it is. Praise God.

Jesus abolished that which separates us, that is, self-centeredness. As we humbly submit to the Spirit of God we find that we want to do good. It is the natural expression of our new life in Christ Jesus. We want to live and do good as he did.

Eph. 2:14b

Please note, the most recent one is on the top. They then appear in reverse order.

14b (Jesus) himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.

One of the most outstanding benefits of Jesus among us is that he breaks down all barriers that society and culture erect. We humans are intensely group-oriented. I think that is one of the marks of being human – to strengthen the groups we are in so that the “we” can survive and prosper. This is the essential ingredient in a great variety of human relationships that we are involved in. We enjoy many different groups beginning with our families and friends to strong nationalism that paints all who are not “with us” as our “enemies.”

I find this strong urge in my own life at many levels. One of the most acute is racism. God pointed that out to me clearly as a missionary in Africa. I admit to having felt superior because I was “white and educated.” I think the only way I could have been broken at that point, and fortunately was, was to live in the reality of the Cross where all barriers are broken as one cleansing blood, one covenant blood, cleanses the soul. That happens regardless of barriers and the result is simply outstanding.

A missionary can be one with local believers, Jews can be at one with Gentiles, former enemies can love one another. Is there a greater witness to the power of the blood of the Cross?

At times I am tempted to think that I should be in a church where everyone is, in a sense, like me. That would solve a lot of problems. But where is the barrier-breaking blood of Christ if I just naturally like everyone else in the group and they like me in return?

Eph. 2: 14a

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.

Jews on one side and Gentiles on the other, with a thick wall between, built painstakingly over the centuries. It was a wall marking hostility between the two. The Jews were dealing with almost two thousand years of separation from all other people on the earth. The Old Testament repeats a refrain that marked Jewish life, “Be separate, do not allow the evil in any other culture to penetrate yours.” The Jewish theme, commanded by God, was to be separate. History does prove that when the Jews interacted and intermarried with people who had other gods, their allegiance to Yahweh was compromised. God was not against other cultures, he was against their religions that focused on worshiping gods of their own creatiion.

That cleavage between the covenant people and all others was built into the Jewish consciousness and was reinforced by ritual, behavior and social protocols.

Can the Jews ever consider Gentiles their equals? That seems impossible. Paul admits that it is a mystery how this might be achieved. We recall that Jesus announced, at the Last Supper, that he is making a Covenant based on his atoning blood. This Covenant made possible a spiritual unity in the Kingdom of God, because all who wish to be citizens are cleansed in the same blood, and are reborn from above by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is, therefore, a Kingdom marked by mutual love between all, without regard to culture, philosophy or language. In light of the Jewish refrain of separation from Gentiles, how can this be possible?

We come to the declaration of God's provision for that here in verse 14. “(Jesus) himself is our peace.” Had God commanded Jews and Gentiles to love one another, how could they possibly do that? Never. So God devised a plan whereby that love could flow – by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

As each of us, Jew or Gentile, comes to Jesus, each is accepted because of common need – we are dead in sin. We have nothing to plead, certainly not any cultural achievements or superiority. All that is scraped off us as we enter the low door at the foot of the cross. As we participate in the blood, the death, etc., of Jesus, we find that all those who come to God as dead, helpless sinners are my brothers and sisters, no matter where they come from.

The key is Jesus himself. Jesus did not just promise us peace, Jesus himself IS our peace.

Eph. 2: 13

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

But now. This is a great way to look at the redeeming work of Jesus. You were…But now… Old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.

Paul rejoices in the fact that now Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ and if they can be one in love, then Jesus can break down any human barrier so that together we, in our time and in our circumstances, can become brothers and sisters in the new family, the Body of Christ, right here on the earth.

Love and unity is a sign of the New Kingdom which is the result of, the reality of, the New Covenant in the Blood of Christ. It is even more remarkable where people of cultures in conflict come to Jesus for cleansing and then live as true brothers and sisters within the Body of Christ, without leaving this world. This was the case between Jews and Gentiles in the great city of Ephesus. And it continues today all over the world where God is reconciling people of hostile cultures in Jesus Christ. It still astounds me that the great World Wars of the Twentieth Century, fought in Europe, were Christians fighting Christians. At least they were nominally Christian.

The all important, But now is possible only because of Jesus Christ. Paul uses an expression, as he often does, In Christ Jesus, to summarize Jesus’ full atoning work including forgiveness of sin, the gift of a new heart, the blessed ministry of the Holy Spirit and much, much more. Paul described it as God filling all with the fullness of Christ Jesus.

Paul points to the Blood of Christ in concluding his description of the new life in Christ. The Blood stands for many things, including cleansing from sin, protection from the evil one, power to overcome and thus the promise of a life of victory in Christ Jesus.

Eph. 2:11

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)

Remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision." Paul is writing to two groups, essentially, to the Gentiles and to the Jews. He begins by addressing the Gentiles who are there in Ephesus, who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Paul asks them to stop and think for a moment about where they came from.

To begin with, the Jews remind the Gentiles of who they are by pointing to their own uniqueness, The Gentiles were born outside of the Covenant God made with Abraham, the sign of which had become circumcision.

(That done in the body by the hands of men) Paul had a caution of holy scorn here as he notes that circumcision, per se, is superficial, a cut on the body inflicted by the hand of another body. I suppose Paul thought that the Jews had made far too much out of the importance of the mark of circumcision.

It was not Paul’s intent to denigrate the high place of God’s Covenant with Abraham and his descendants. But, with his new understanding of the grace of God that now extended out to include both Jews and Gentiles, he warns the Jewish believers to think humbly of themselves and not carry on their shoulders the chip of their own special God-given status among all mankind.

And he reminds the Gentiles that they should pause and remember who they were before they knew Jesus Christ.

Eph. 2:10b

10b For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This phrase should help clear up the issue of whether a follower of Jesus should think much about doing good works or just rest in the fact that God did the great Good Work in redeeming our souls, a work that astounds and blesses us.

We might well ask, “What little that I can do will have any meaning whatsoever in comparison with the Gospel work already done by the Holy Trinity already?" Good question. The answer is that we can do nothing to help God in his work of redeeming us. The Trinity did it all and it is done. God does not ask me to help in that.

What he does require of all believers is that they now perform the good works that God has designed for them to do in order that his Kingdom may be increased on the earth.

Being a follower of Jesus is a demanding profession. By making Christ Lord we are then enabled and encouraged, even commanded, to do our part in Kingdom building. Not only are we called to “work” in a generic sense like being kind and gentle, but each of us is called to do a good work that was designated for us “in advance.” The “in advance” may refer to God’s plan that was in his heart before the creation of the world.

However, I rather think that Paul means that we do not determine what good works each of us should do by looking around and then deciding what we want to do. No. Even in the area of doing good, God is the Director. He chooses what I should do, not me. It is my responsibility to do what he says, without any assurance that what I do will be at all helpful or successful from my point of view.

Only God can see the future, certainly not me. In a sense, he sees “in advance.” I must learn the daily lesson of hearkening to him to know what He requires of me for the day.

Another thing impresses me in this verse. If God determines in advance what part I should play in the advancement of his Kingdom, then if I fail to do that but decide I would rather do something else, then the good works that were designed for me to do will go undone. That is a sobering thought, indeed.

Eph. 2:10

10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I like this contrast: “not by works” and “we are God’s workmanship.” So somebody works! Good.

My works can not bring me to peace with God. But God's works do just that.

God did the phenomenal work of creating me and the entire universe. He worked hard. So the issue is not work or no work. The issue is, who does the work and why? It is clear, God worked so that I can have fellowship with him and with brothers and sisters of all places, times and situations.

So I accept the work that God did for me and for all mankind. I accept his marvelous deeds on my behalf. If I have trouble doing that, God extends yet another precious gift to me, the gift of faith. I find it hard to believe everything that God has done. For this I need extraordinary faith. Fine. God is more than ready to supply me with the necessary faith. This is Jesus' faith in his Father, and becomes my faith as he "believes" through me.

Then, having been changed by the atoning benefits of Jesus I find myself wanting to do good works like Jesus did.

I must not denigrate “good works.” In fact, God does “good works” more than anyone else, if I can use that expression.. Paul lauds “good works.” He writes, God created (us) in Christ Jesus to do good works. Forbid that we should even consider good works to be bad. Or worse yet, not to do those “good works.” Paul reminds us that one of God’s good works was to create us in the first place, and then to redeem us. Both require stenuous work. God is a worker and I have been created to work!

So, lest I think lightly of work, I am reminded that God‘s good works flow from his love and so have a purpose – redemption. God knows that he creates us to do good works, with the same purpose in mind. We are duty bound to do good works.

How is that possible since we are humans who have our own needs to be supplied? It is possible because God knows our weakness and gives us Jesus and His Spirit to do the good works through us.

Eph. 2:9

9 Not by works, so that no one can boast.

“Saved by grace, not by our works.” It is not that our salvation was not worked for. Someone worked for it! Salvation is not made possible without cost. Whoever made it possible paid a gargantuan price. Who so worked? The Trinity did. All were completely involved. God had to be willing to send his only Son, Jesus, to be mocked, rejected and finally killed by the people whom he created. Jesus, as we have noted again and again in this passage, paid the ultimate price, obedience unto death. And the Holy Spirit was no less involved than Father and Son. The Holy Spirit was in the entire transaction or one might call it a battle. So Father, Son and Holy Spirit were prepared to do what had to be done, to pay what cost that had to be paid, to make it possible for a human being to have full access to God through the Atoning work on the part of mankind. Praise God, the work is done!

I would like to think that after Jesus accomplished the Atoning work, he then entered into his Sabbath rest – the work being absolutely completed. It is, in a way, an impertinence to try to add my one cent to the million dollars, so to speak, that it cost God to purchase my redemption. I receive salvation as a free gift – then I pay - my entire life is a living sacrifice, daily cross-bearing, daily self-giving. As it cost God everything to save me, I am in debt to his grace so deeply that I pay gladly in order to walk in obedience with him.

So that no one can boast

When I see the word “work,” I think of doing a good deed, thereby earning some merit. But I am sure the meaning goes much deeper than that. It is first and foremost an attitude based on a false assumption, that is, that I had a part in making it possible. I did not. All I can do is receive it when offered. Anything that I can boast of is a “work.” Boast is letting it be known, to me or to anyone else, that I have done or thought something noteworthy that enabled me to be redeemed. All boasting of the sort has “I” as the center, not God.

C. S. Lewis wrote, “Pride is a spiritual cancer, it eats up the very possibility of love or contentment or even common sense.”

Eph. 2:8c

8c (Faith) is the gift of God.

It is a gift, indeed. All people have the potential to believe. That is universal. Faith as we know it is not to be found on this earth, except in people. I think the potential, the ability and the desire to have faith is uniquely human.

Intuitively, I know that I can believe in a power of some kind that can help me to live. This is not a weakness, in my estimation, but a phenomenal strength. It is what makes me a worshiping being – I am fashioned to be a worshiper of a power greater than I am.

Looking at it this way, I freely admit that I have within my psyche the potentiol if not the will to believe. But that does not make me a believer. I must choose whom I will worship. People have been choosing their deities from time immorial in all cultures. We human beings can choose among a bewildering variety of “gods,” depending on the culture. I know of no culture that does not create "gods" of some kind or other for people to believe in.

So the potential to believe is, as I understand it, the remnant of the image of God that marks every human soul. In that way we might affirm, correctly, that faith is a gift from God.

I believe, however, that this passage of Scripture goes beyond that. Paul writes that the faith he is talking about is “not of yourselves.” In other words, belief in Jesus is not something that I conjure up for myself, it is as Paul clearly declares, “It is the gift of God.” If that is true, and I know it is, then God encourages me to place my faith in Jesus Christ. This implies that I can not, on my own, become a true believer. So if I do believe in Jesus, that is a gift from God.

Paul clarifies this even further by writing that the work to believe is itself a gift of God. If faith in Christ is something that I figure out and work to get it, it is faith by works. That is the whole point here. We are saved by grace. And the most fundamental grace is the gift of faith that points me to Jesus.

Eph. 2:8b

8b (Saved) through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

To gain the benefits of God’s grace, I must believe that Jesus can flood that grace into my heart. In other words, I must believe who Jesus is, what he taught, what he accomplished for me in his death and resurrection, what he is doing for me right now as he intercedes before the Father for my welfare and for the welfare of all who love him.

The key is to believe - to believe things that are hard to believe like that I am a derelict sinner and that Jesus has the right and the power to make me an eternal son of God Almighty. That takes more faith that I can possibly conjure up. That is for sure.

How can I believe? Paul has the answer for that. I can not believe on my own but “Jesus in me,” gives me faith. It is his faith that enables me to believe. Jesus never doubted that his atoning work is sufficient to save all people, even me. I need that faith. I have that faith because He who resides in me is first of all and always, a BELIEVER.

I am invited to align my faith attitudes with the faith of Jesus Christ. Is there anything more marvelous than that? I am helpless when it comes to believing in the goodness of God but Jesus in me knows the goodness of God, completely. He is my ability to believe in all that God is able to do for me and for those for whom I am interceding.

Eph. 2:8a

8a For it is by grace you have been saved.

It is no wonder that Paul insists on telling us, again and again, that we are saved by grace. Here he states it once again. For him, that is the bedrock of all his understanding of God’s salvation and it describes the way Paul, the evangelist and apostle, reaches out to others – it represents, or in fact is, his all embracing approach to life. God knows we have nothing to contribute to our salvation. In fact if we think that we can help to gain salvation by good works or good breeding or good culture, we are heading for frustration. Our salvation in Christ is either free or it is not obtainable.

If there is a recurring phrase in all of Paul’s writings, this it, “Saved by grace.” This is the truth for all people, everywhere, who seek to know God’s love.

It is also the basis of all genuine life-changing fellowship – each person enters the Kingdom stripped of all privilege, just sinners with real sin who will perish unless Jesus saves them. If I can remember this fact I can have fellowship in some depth with all other sinners who have come to have peace with God through the merits of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Eph. 2:7b

7b Incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

God’s riches are “expressed.” That is, God lavished his riches on me. He had to express himself, it is his nature to do so. He did so “on me.” God’s love always finds expression. He can not love and remain inactive.

He can do this freely because of what Jesus has done in that complete work – the Atonement.

I ask myself a searching question, “Do I reach out to others in the same way that Jesus reaches out to me?” I hesitate to answer that. God reaches out to me because he knows that Jesus has already done the good work that assures God’s blessing if I deliberately reach out in the name of Jesus Christ and bless others.

Expresses in his kindness. The kindness of God to us highlights the accomplished work of Jesus. Jesus is kind to me and that gives me the courage to be kind because it is Jesus in me that enables me to be kind. Jesus is always kind. It is a common virtue of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All are kind, each is kind.

As I focus on this word, “kindness,” I think one could substitute the word “love.” Probably not because kindness is in a sense limited while love embraces life in its entirety. Love is many faceted, one facet of which is kindness. I wish to be kind as Jesus is kind.

The greatest kindness ever expressed to mankind is Jesus Christ, who opens the door to the “incomparable riches, of God’s grace.

Eph. 2:7a

7a In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace.

God has raised me up in Jesus Christ, by the exertion of his awesome power, not to set a standard for me that I can not attain, but in order to show me the full extent of his powerful grace. He does not let it up to me to be holy. He is, in me, my holiness. As I cling to that truth I desire in my inner being to serve him with all my heart.

In the coming ages. I like to think that Paul is speaking of the “coming ages” as from this very moment until eternity. The plenteous grace of God meets the needs of the moment and will do so forever, no matter what the circumstances, whether on the earth or in the heavenlies, or both!

That he might show. What a releasing truth! The way my mind works I sometimes feel that God has saved me, now it is my responsibility to show that I can perfect my ways. Never! The whole glory of the Good News is that it is God who shows me everything, including the truth about my blundering self and the truth of his willingness to flood my dry heart with life-giving water.

The incomparable riches of his grace. In other words, grace that is so rich that it can not be compared to any other “wealth” on earth or in heaven. Every saint, every redeemed sinner, stands in awe as he or she recognizes the marvels of God’s grace, always a surprise, always fitting, always renewing. That sets the heart to singing!

Eph. 2:6

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

That is the first thing to embrace. God raised Jesus from the dead. If I can not fully accept this fact, all else is in vain. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is not just one of the foundation stones of my faith, but it is almost like it is the entire foundation. All faith rests on that unexpected and surprising life-giving work of God. This was, is and always will be the central fact upon which our faith is established.

God raised Jesus who was dead! I begin by believing that. But what does that have to do with my life in Christ? Paul could not be clearer on this point. He writes. God raised us up with Christ. Can it be? God raised me up from the dead as he raised Christ from the dead. Or we might say, when God raised Christ from the dead I was there, raised up with him!

This is the second point in this passage that Paul wants us to know: if I am in Christ, by faith, that same life-giving power raises me from my death. I was dead. In a sense, my brain stopped, my heart ceased its pumping. I was dead and so could not even wish to be alive. But the resurrecting power of God raised me from the dead like Jesus. I am trying to plumb the depths of that revealed reality. To fully grasp that is a life-altering verity.

I may not be able to figure it all out but I am convinced that all understanding of grace starts with the realization that I am dead in my sinful nature. Even though I am alive physically, I am dead spiritually. A dead person can do nothing but remain dead! Am I convinced of this? Or is there, in me, the lurking hope that I can somehow breathe resurrection power into my life by being good or doing good? How can a corpse hope at all, let alone do something? I am dead in trespasses and sin. Grace is for the hopeless ones, the dead ones.

I recall that William Carey, sometimes called the father of modern missions, insisted that it be written on his tombstone:

William Carey
born 17th Aug. 1761, died 9th June 1834
"A wretched, poor, and helpless worm on thy kind arms I fall."

Carey’s epitaph reveals his complete dependence upon the mighty grace of God.

Eph. 2:5b

2:5b It is by grace you have been saved.
When Paul wants to put into a few words what God had done for us he repreats the phrase, “Saved by God’s grace.” If that statement is true, and I believe with all my heart that it is, then I can view life from an entirely new and helpful point of view in which the grace of God is a living reality, inviting me and all mankind to accept the free gift of God, not because it was free to God for it cost him the death of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, but it is free to me and to all believers. We need only accept what is already prepared for us, by God’s grace. We receive it, not by our effort or any other human merit, we receive it as a dead person receives life, from the outside, not from the inside which is dead!

If it is true that we are saved by God’s grace alone, then salvation is available for all who believe because it is free to all.

Included in the meaning of God’s grace is that all of our efforts to win salvation are futile. All the good works that were ever done, compounded to the highest integer, could not atone for even one wee sin. I am saved by grace. I live by grace, and my inheritance in Christ is mine because of the gift of God’s astoundingly rich grace. Who can even begin to understand this? None of us but that does not keep us from beholding a truth that sheds light on everything on earth and in heaven.

Paul, at this point, dwells on the marvels and realities of God’s grace.

Eph. 2:5a

5 (God) made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved.

I am writing this in the season of Lent when I have the opportunity to ponder, again, the mystery and the reality of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Here are my thoughts as I allow this text (v. 5) to enter my heart.

Having taken our sin upon himself, Jesus died to that sin. My sin was judged, therefore in Him. That done, Jesus rose from the dead, free and glorious. He had accomplished what he was determined must be done. This was in the heart of God before the foundation of the world - that is to slay sin, do away with its tyranny, let it be judged.

All that happened “in time” but its effects were beyond time. His sacrificial death and resurrection was the singular, most important event that every happened, certainly much more significant and much more difficult than the creation of the universe.

Paul invites me to focus, once again, on the Cross. To comprehend what happened there, I begin with the fact that I was dead, dead in transgressions. I was so dead that I could not possibly do anything! That picture is full of despair and hopelessness. Unless I begin with that tragic fact I can not possibly comprehend what happened. However, if I admit it, then I begin to see how truly amazing is the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ. Seeing my condition, Jesus died for me, canceling out my debt of sin and raised me to newness of life.

Paul, upon this background, describes perfectly what happened to me at my conversion. I carried my sin in my own body. By faith, I transferred my sin over to Jesus who pled with me to do so, and then my sin, in him, was judged and dealt with. Now I am raised from the dead - identified with Jesus in his resurrection. That is why Paul can say, (God) made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. Dead in transgression to being alive in Christ, what a huge transition. That is the marvelous effect of the new birth and the daily walk with Jesus, day after day, moment after moment, forever. This is Easter indeed.

Eph. 2:4

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy. Let us ponder this line for a while, Because of his great love for us. What does that mean? I think it means that God is motivated by his central attribute – love. Paul, here, asks, “Why did God act to save us?” Paul peels away layer after layer until he arrives at the very heart of God and finds there the motive that caused God to act, he did what he did and he does what he does “Because of his great love for us.” That is it! We are objects of God’s love.

It is not just generic love or amorphous love, but specific love. Paul uses the expression, “love for us.” Love is only operative when it has an object. I am the object of God’s love.

All of us sinners are included, no matter our social status. God acted on the basis of love – that is divine love that gives expression, so to speak, to God's many virtues. The only possible answer to the question of what motivated God to save me is very simple, God loves me and his love acted to save me.

“But.” Our text opens with the word “But.” The text states, in essence, we sinners are doomed. Who can stand against God’s anger? No one. We are all the objects of God’s wrath. Does that mean that we are all doomed? That is absolutely correct – unless God’s wrath is dissuaded or withdrawn. That is exactly what happened. God’s wrath was poured out and spent, so to speak, as Jesus took upon himself my sin and the sin or sinfulness of all mankind. As we believe that we are transformed and accept God's grace of forgiveness, a further expression of his love. That is the only way we can live in peace with God.

That is why Paul can begin the sentence with the word, “But.” Were it not for that “But”- that God is “rich in mercy” - all is dark and hopeless. Paul exclaims, God is “rich in mercy.” In his mercy, prompted by his love, he made a way for us to have perfected fellowship with himself.

God hates sin because it separates himself from people. He is furious because he created people to have an intimate relationship with himself – a purpose thwarted by Satan who encourages people to reject God. It is little wonder that God detests sin and disobedience to his divine will, because it defeats the purpose of creation.

So, how is God going to deal with sin without destroying the sinner who is guilty of sin? Paul points to God’s love and the glorious truth that God is rich in mercy. All mankind, it seems, agrees that God is full of wrath. Few agree the he is full of mercy. In that truth lies the nub of the Gospel. Jesus Christ, the sinless one, took upon himself the sins of all mankind, past present and future, and carried them in his own body on the Cross where the wrath of God was expended on those sins. The result is that, as we hide ourselves in Jesus, our sins are purged and we stand liberated and full of joy before God himself, covered, not with our own righteous ness, but with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Can we ever really understand the mystery of it all? Never. But that does not preclude us from reveling in the reality of it all, either. And rejoicing with joy unspeakable.

Eph 2: 3b

2:3 b Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

No matter how moral or how “good,” every human being is by nature, like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. God hates what is bad for me!

We were the object of God’s penetrating scrutiny, if I may rephrase the word “wrath,” at this point. This sounds strange to modern ears, including mine. We live in an age when “good” means helpful, kind, altruistic, and so forth. Every human being knows he or she should live like that.

So it is commonly understood that we should pursue our own happiness and prosperity first, and then share what we have, including our time and substance, to do good. We could rightfully ask. “Does this not please God? Is this not the purpose of life?” The answer is, God is pleased when we do good, certainly, but God does not judge us on the basis of how much or how little we do along the line of good works. Good works please him greatly, but it seems, as we read this text, that God pays little attention to human good works when it comes to what truly pleases God.

What God actually sees is “why” we do good, or do bad, for that matter. Do we do good to please our natural desire to be doing good or because doing good is the unconscious overflowing of our life in God and his life in me?

Paul insists that, in eternal terms, it makes little difference how much “good” we do. God always penetrates to the heart of the issue, “Why be good?”

Further, whose wrath is Paul referring to? God’s wrath, of course. A person who does good is usually applauded by society. That is why it is so shocking to know that if we do good for natural, selfish reasons, the good deeds elicit God’s wrath. God's wrath rests on reasons that self spins.

Wesley sings his lament; #362

“Withhold whate’er my flesh requires,
Poison my pleasant food;
Spoil my delights, my vain desires
My all of creature good.”

Wesley was keenly aware of the need, before God, to have the right motivation in doing good.

Eph. 2:3

2: 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.

All of us were dead! Did Paul really mean that? All of us? Even himself? He was raised as a law-abiding Pharisee in the home of greatest strictness. He clearly stated that he grew up, in his Jewish religious home “according to the Law, blameless.” This does not sound like “dead in sins and transgressions.” In fact, as a young Pharisee himself, he gained high praise for his prestigious “holiness.”

All of what Paul is writing in this passage is to be seen against the background of Jewish concepts of righteousness - righteousness which comes by complete and unquestioned obedience to every word of the law. That sounds exemplary to me and I could wish that everyone on earth would live like that.

No Jew could find any disobedience in Paul. As far as they were concerned, Paul represented the highest level of obedience to the law that Jews attained, that is the law as interpreted by the Pharisees. None surpassed him in law-righteousness.

That very Paul, the person who meticulously obeyed the law from birth, as exemplary as he was, writes, “All of us were dead in trespasses and sin.” He went so far, in his writings, to proclaim that he is the greatest sinner, ever! That is a stretch for me.

Was Paul simply making a point, using hyperbole to drive a point home? Is he honest and sincere in what he believes? The answer to that is; he saw that his strict observance to the law was little more than great self-effort, centered, not in relating to God, but in proving that God’s law is perfect and should be obeyed.

He goes on to say that his strict observance of all aspects of the law was simply “gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature.” Alas, depending on self-effort to please God is sin!

I like Wesley’s lines. # 362

“Now, Jesus, let thy powerful death
Into my being come.
Slay the Old Adam with thy breath,
The man of sin consume.”

The Kingdom of God is bound together by the Blood - the complete atoning work - of Jesus Christ. All of us, no exceptions, are incorrigible sinners, hopeless but for the Blood of Christ.

Eph. 2:1 b

2: 1 b You were dead.

Can we honestly say that people who are trying desperately to do good, helping out where they are able, living exemplary lives – can we list them as dead in trespasses and sin? The answer to that is to be found, not in making that judgment, but by considering the cost that God, the Trinity, paid for our redemption. If people can be spiritually good as God is good, without loving God, then why all that cosmic struggle that brought Jesus to life from the dead and raised him above all names?

As I read this passage I am made aware of the fact that the purpose of mankind is not to improve one’s self, but to walk humbly with God.

Conversion precedes ethics. The changed heart will long to please God. This is the proper place of ethics in the Kingdom of God. It is a sign, not an end. The end is to be one with God through Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit.

Paul explains what sin is, it is pushing God aside and then trying to be good or bad by employing the ways of “this world,” to live a happy and prosperous lives by self-effort. The ways of “this world” are the ways of Satan.

Paul observes that the one who dominates “this world” discourages obedience to God. The sin is disobedience to God. Our Maker. That is the mother of all sins.

Eph. 2:1

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.

As for you. The soaring promises of God and the glory of life in Christ make for breath-taking reading. I read on and meditate on every word, almost every syllable, because I do not want to miss a thing. By reading and praying I begin to fathom the reality of the new life in Jesus Christ that is not only a possibility but a daily reality in my own life.

Having said that, no matter how sublime the redemption story, it remains only compelling and brilliant literature unless it is a present, living, compelling reality for ME! “As for you.” I recall that Jesus, on a high Syrian mountain, asked his disciples, “But whom do you say I am?” He put the emphasis on the YOU!

Can the work of God’s redemption and the enormous promises of God become a living reality in Ephesus where people of many cultures are experiencing the Kingdom of God, right there in that great cosmopolitan city? Absolutely. Because the gift of life is for US, for each ME. All are encouraged to believe and obey the revelation of the Gospel of God in Jesus Christ.

You were dead

Each person was dead, absolutely unable to do anything at all about the human tragedy, whether Jew or Gentile. Paul calls it, “Dead in transgressions and sins.” This picture is shocking to human pride. Is each person is a living corpse? A corpse has no power to believe or live at all. Neither I nor anyone else can break the death grip of sin which is rebellion against God because I am powerless, absolutely powerless, DEAD according to Paul.

Sometimes I wonder, is it really all that hopeless? Can not people, by philosophy and religion or just by pure determination break out of the grave of death? Can a corpse will to life when it is dead, absolutely dead? Hardly. However, it seems as though human history is one long tale of that attempt.

Wesley penned a poem about this, # 360.

Faith is thy power thou seest I have,
For thou this faith hath wrought.
Dead souls thou callest from the grave,
And speakest world from naught.

Eph. 1:22, 23

Please note, the most recent one is on the top. They then appear in reverse order.

22, 23 God appointed him to be head over everything for the church, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

The assumption is that without Christ we are empty, meaningless, vapid and unfruitful. Salvation is God’s way of correcting that - his way of making us whole.

When we acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord, the fullness of Jesus, the fullness of the Godhead, flows into the vacuum of our emptiness and, to our delight, we find that we are full, satisfied, with purpose and zeal. That is a genuine work of grace. He fills each individual with his fullness.

In addition to that God, purposed that the body of Christ, the redeemed ones, would, in their communal life together, receive the fullness of the Godhead and utilize all the fullness, all of the gifts and graces so freely given, to strengthen and extend the Kingdom of God on the earth today. One person can not possibly exhibit all the fullness of the great variety of gifting – but as each person does her part and his part, the fullness does its marvelous work of making Jesus Christ known in the world.

A few reflections on Chapter 1

* Is there a more sublime passage in all of Scriptures? If I am ever tempted to undervalue the position I have in Christ Jesus, on earth and in heaven, I need only open, then unpack, ever so carefully, the glorious realities of God’s love and grace by absorbing, once again in an ever deepening way, the glorious truth of what God has already done for my soul.

* Jesus, the fullness of God, fills me with that astounding fullness.

* I find it hard to believe that Paul wrote this while in prison! If his faith rises to such heights in prison – imagine living freely in the light of all that glorious provision in Christ Jesus without chains. I need to know what Paul knew. He relied completely on God. God filled him with all his fullness, every moment of every day. That is the way to live!

Eph. 1:21

Please note, the most recent one is on the top. They then appear in reverse order.

21 Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

In spiritual terms, power, or the amount of power, so to speak, is determined by a person’s place in the order of powers. Since Jesus is above all, his power surpasses all. Paul asserts, Jesus is above all titles, not only in the present age, but in the ages to come.

To emphasize and enlarge on this point, Paul said:

22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body.

Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, as he told his disciples when he sent them into all the world to spread the Good News. No power can possibly “overpower” him, ever. His reign is eternal.

The question arises, “Why does Jesus not use his power to destroy Satan now!” The answer to that persistent question is to be found in God’s love for and plan for his Church, the body of Christ on the earth, us! The church is the apple of God’s eye.

That church will be his eternal bride. That church is the context in which God will exhibit all his virtues and benefits. That church is the instrument Jesus uses to spread the Good News to all peoples in all places. If I can comprehend God’s love for the church I can begin to understand what is happening.

In my missionary career, when I saw how the church was being persecuted and hemmed in I was tempted to ask God why he does not simply show his strong arm and destroy the power of Satan right there and then. In my more sober moments I ask a deeper question, “Who am I to think that I know what is best for Jesus’ body on the earth. Should I not let that up to him? He cares for his body a thousand times more that I.” My thoughts are earthly thoughts. Jesus’ plan for his body is eternal.

We read in Hebrews 2: 7 – 9: You…crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet. In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus.

We stand before a deep mystery here. How Jesus wields his phenomenal power is not for us to fully understand, but we have the assurance that he is focused, entirely, on the welfare of his body, the church, those who believe. That is where he pours out his fulness.

Eph. 1:21

Please note, the most recent one is on the top. They then appear in reverse order.

21 Jesus is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

“Far above.”

Not just “above” but phenomenally “above.” No one comes near!
Above angels.
Above all saints in glory
Above all evil powers and dominions of powers
Above Satan himself, “far above!”
Above all temporal powers, kings, rulers, etc.

I am reminded of the many passages in the Book of Hebrews that describe Jesus’ exultation, just like here. All true lovers of Jesus find it challenging to describe his sublimity, his authority, his reign in his Kingdom. We should not be surprised if this is the favorite way believers worship and learn all over the world. I recall a sister in Africa urging me before I preached, “Show us something new in Jesus.” I needed that admonition. I often forget that every sermon, every meditation, every testimony, every word shared in fellowship is God’s way of showing us how wonderful Jesus is. I learn more and more of Jesus in fellowship and in marinating in the Word himself.

Paul wants us to grasp this overarching reality, Jesus is now far above all powers. Having settled the sin issue through his shed blood, Jesus announced to his disciples that, now “All authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make disciples.” He was not speaking in similitudes. He was announcing a fact that shifted everything in heaven and on earth. Jesus is Lord of All. John the Apostle saw, in the Revelation, that written on Jesus side were the words, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

I do well to just sit here, for a month, just trying to digest this grand and glorious reality, not a promise but a present reality, that Jesus is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

I am left with a searching question, “Is Jesus ‘above all’ in my life?”

Eph. 1:19, 20

19 And his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.

His great power for us who believe. This is the second HUGE blessing! God wants us to know how awesomely powerful he is to change us and make us his children. That power can not be compared to any other power. No doubt because no other power can turn wretched human beings into sons and daughters of God. It is simple as that. I certainly do not have the power to do that nor does anyone else. Only the mighty power of God can give a lifeless person life or a struggling person peace.

We live in a day when Satan has many people convinced that they can control their own destiny by pure dint of determination, sometimes by self-help means, or by trying yet another religion or philosophy that does not have the power to make people into sons and daughters of God. Why do we human beings turn our backs on redemption through Jesus Christ? I suppose it is human pride that always wants to be in charge.

How great is the power that gave me life? Paul knows the answer to that. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

My soul, think about that for a bit! How can I possibly take this in? Paul is referring to the divine power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and then raised him up, not only to life, but to his own right hand in the heavenlies. Now, my soul, that is power! Unequaled power.

Think on this for a season. My salvation is won by that power. It is truly resurrection power. If that thought is not amazing enough, I am told that God has not only exerted that power to bring me eternal life but that power is now at work in me to change things in the direction that God wants them changed. Can I ever truly comprehend this?

Jesus is seated. I suppose “placed” might be the meaning of the term “seated,” that is if I think of Jesus as seated and inactive. I know that Jesus is active and busy, constantly. He never sleeps nor takes a holiday. He is always there, interceding for the saints.

The point is that God is eminently pleased about Jesus, all that Jesus had passed through, for our atonement. It is like God saying, “Thank you, Jesus! You died to self and proceeded to pass through the horrors of the Cross – that is now done, accomplished, and will never need to be repeated. Now, my beloved Son, sit here! That work of atonement is now completely accomplished, leaving nothing undone. Thank you, my Son. Rest in joy as you continue your work of bringing sons and daughters into the Family of God.”

Eph. 1:18

Please note, the most recent one is on the top. They then appear in reverse order.

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

I pray…that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…to know the hope.

My heart has eyes! It has the capability of seeing. This implies that it also has the potential to be blind – seeing nothing, or so clouded, perhaps, with sin and doubt, that it sees but dimly. I must examine my own eyes to make sure that I do in fact see what really matters, to ascertain that which makes the light of God shine into my life and out again to the world.

The hardest thing to see when all is darkness and confusion is hope. The good news is that I can know the hope that is of God for me. I must clear my eyes by applying the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ to them, to remove everything that blinds or distorts and gaze with full vision on the hope that is set before me by the God of the universe and God of my life.

The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

These riches cost God at an inestimable cost. I am pondering the cost the Trinity paid to win my redemption. That cost was unbelievable, incomprehensible, but gloriously true. It cost Jesus everything to make everything available to me. God emptied heaven, so to speak, when Jesus Christ came to earth. He gave his most precious thing, his only son, beloved indeed, to redeem us sinners. Who can doubt the love of God that did all that!

The glorious inheritance. Our inheritance is absolutely unearned. When we point to the grace of God, that is what is meant. I deserve no inheritance because my spiritual nature estranges me from the family of God. I am, as noted earlier, dead when it comes to any inheritance whatsoever. How is it then, that I am a candidate for God’s grace, an inheritance? There is only one answer, God must take the initiative and adopt me. That is the only way I can receive an eternal inheritance. As an adopted child of God I participate in his rich inheritance, now and eternally. As an adopted son, I am given something I certainly do not deserve, a rich inheritance.

In light of this powerful grace of God I can but bow the neck and receive it with thanksgiving.

Eph. 1:16, 17

16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

I have not stopped giving thanks. This refers to Paul praying for his friends who are in the fellowship in Ephesus but it is a reminder to me that no matter what I am praying for, I should not stop praying. No matter if I see no movement on God’s part or if I see no change in my own attitudes or understanding, I do well to keep on giving thanks, keep on praying. Sometimes it takes a long time before I, through earnest prayer, begin to see things like God does.

I usually think of giving thanks after I receive the answer. I am reminded that I should give thanks even if nothing seems to be happening.

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Imbedded in this statement is the marvelous fellowship within the triune God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit. All three share the same essence but each has a specific, vital, office to perform.

The prayer is to God, the glorious Father, who is the source of all grace. But allied to the Father is our Lord Jesus Christ. God is in everything that Jesus is, does and has done. I think specifically of Jesus’ atoning work. The atoning work of Jesus is of crucial importance in my prayers, in fact the atonement under girds all my prayers. Finally, the Holy Spirit puts it all together for us in life-giving reality

For what is Paul praying? He is praying for them a Spirit of wisdom. This is not a prayer for what can be obtained by one's own God-given abilities – like rationality and the ability to figure things out. What I need is in a different dimension completely – I need spiritual wisdom. I need The Spirit of wisdom. I need wisdom but can not obtain that except the Holy Spirit grant it, or better yet, for him to be that wisdom himself, wisdom that sees beyond the normal and lives into the reality of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one in fellowship, one in purpose.

The Spirit of revelation. I need Jesus to reveal himself to me. It is foolhardy for me to attempt, with my own limited understanding, to peer into divine revelation because how can a creature like me see into the Spirit of God. For that I need the Holy Spirit to reveal new things, helpful things, all the days of my life.

So that. So that I many know him better. The most amazing thing in all the world is that a human being – limited by earthly time and space - can know God. Who can imagine such a thing? And who can believe that God himself wants us to see him revealed?

I stand amazed as I ponder that. I am amazed by what I see. But even more astounding, perhaps, is that I can experience that grace on a daily, moment by moment basis.

To know him better. That is why I need wisdom, not to know the world, others or even myself better. It is so that I can know God more and more.

To know God includes both knowing about God and his gracious works, but it includes knowing God in a close, personal, deep, face-to-face relationship. That is precious beyond measure.

Eph. 1:15

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints

For this reason. The reason? Because the love of god constrained him to do what he did to make it possible for anyone to have peace with God – through the Blood of Christ – and because this is the gracious plan of God, to include all in redemption. Because of all this Paul can include both Jews and Gentiles alike as his brothers and sisters in the family of God.

The proof of this is:

(Their) faith in the Lord Jesus. They all, Jews and Gentiles, trusted Jesus completely. If people put their faith in Jesus, it makes no difference at all where they come from or their DNA. What makes us one with one another is not our common chromosomes but our common faith in Jesus Christ.

(Their) love for all the saints, both Jewish and Gentiles – no difference at all. It is not that in Christ they could tolerate one another but that they actually could and did love one another, with the love of God. Love is the deepest, most consequential of all emotions. It is so with God. His love is what gives us life and light.

Am I experiencing that deep, deep love of God in my own life? I need to ponder that. Or do I have a problem in my attitudes toward others, even though they are washed by the same atoning blood that cleanses me?

The love of God is stronger than any human bond. It is the bond that unites me with all those on the face of the earth who love Jesus. That includes my closest brothers and sisters in faith who give me grief now and again. I know that the love of God is at work in my heart when I love those who naturally rub me the wrong way for some reason. I must learn to look, not on behavior and character traits but on the hearts. That love passes right through the veils that separate us and binds our hearts at the deepest level possible.

God looks on the heart. I must strive to do the same.

Paul extols God's redeeming love. God's love is at work in us who believe. That is the reason Paul can thank God for the exciting privilege of being in fellowship with all fellow believers in the household of faith, in the very body of Christ.

A further thought: If I forget the real reason for fellowship - the common cleansing in the blood of Jesus Christ - then I seek other ways for unity. That is not the hightest.

Eph. 1:14

14 (The Holy Spirit) who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory.

Until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. I am God’s possession. God owns me. I do not possess or own God. If it would be up to me to desire fellowship with God it would be bad news because, try as I may, with all my might, to go through all the demanding disciplines to enter his presence, I still stand at a distance, yearning but not entering. The human tragedy is to yearn for God, knowing that I can do nothing to satiate that yearning in my soul. Yearning is meaningless unless a way is found to actually enter into the presence of Almighty God.

I must pause before God and let him show the way. I surely can not find the way on my own. The truth is, he possesses me and so is responsible for me, entirely and always. He even gives me the desire (oh, what a precious gift!) to want fellowship with him. I do not come by that naturally. When I feel the longing to rush to God, I find it humbling to realize that the longing is a gift from God. He places within as, when we are reborn, this precious longing. The only part that I can play in opening the way to peace with God is to simply say, “Yes, covered by Jesus’ blood, I enter.”

To the praise of his glory.

Paul ends his introduction with this word of thanksgiving and praise. God deserves all the praise my full heart can know and show. God gives an ample supply of thanks. I need to replenish my store of thanksgiving so that I can give him – not the glory that he deserves, that is way beyond me, but the glory that I am able to give as I worship him and adore him.

So, Paul, in his opening greeting, lays out in magnificent detail, the bed-rock truth – Jesus saves each of us, no matter what our backgrounds and then forms us into a fellowship of love. As we participate actively in the fellowship of open-faced love we find that God uses us to share the Good News with everyone, everywhere we get the opportunity.

Eph. 1:13

1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

And you. Paul began this section by addressing the Jewish believers, those who associated themselves with the Abrahamic Covenant. Now he turns to the Gentiles in the fellowship of believers there in Ephesus.

You also, without distinction. Jews and Gentiles alike. When it comes to being saved by the blood of Jesus, everything is irrelevant except the condition of the heart of each repentant, believing sinner. That Is all that matters, spiritually, and that is all that should matter in the fellowship of believers.

Marked in the Holy Spirit. At first I thought, “Marked by the Holy Spirit.” No, the Holy Spirit does not just leave a mark, he resides, as it were, in me. The mark is his doing. “This person is mine,” is the mark he puts on us. “Don is mine! Betty is mine! See, I have marked them. That is to indicate that we are now in him.”

A seal. A seal makes a transaction official. It makes it final.

Sometimes a seal closes a document, to be revealed only when the seal is broken. The blessed Holy Spirit, given to us freely, is the seal that is placed on our lives. We are a marked people, bearing the seal of the Holy Spirit who is now our owner.

Thank you, Lord, for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Wonderful now – and even more awesome as life moves on.

The Holy Spirit is 1) a present reality, reviving my heart day after day, 2) a guarantee of coming inheritance. Thank you, God, for the daily experience of knowing that your Holy Spirit is shaping me, giving me peace and hope and for keeping me moving toward the evermore precious inheritance of grace.

Eph. 1:11, 12

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.

In him we were all chosen. My eyes fall on the huge small word, all. This covenant, the new covenant in Christ’s blood, is for all. This was God’s choosing, not ours.

This is the way I view predestination – it is not a matter of choosing whom to bless and whom not to bless, depending on the whim of God, but the essential meaning, according to Paul, is that God predestinated that we Gentiles will have the same access to salvation and all the blessings of God as those Jews had under the Abrahamic Covenant. God predestinated that we Gentiles should have the same spiritual privileges as the Jews.

The Jews had difficulty seeing it that way. They viewed the Abrahamic Covenant as including only them, the Jews, not the Gentiles. I believe they killed Jesus, in part, because they thought he despised their culture and they thought he was as eager to bless Gentiles as he was the Jews, if not more. This seemed, to them, to be contrary to the Abrahamic Covenant that had the Jews as the chosen ones.

As I see it, the chosen is not a promise for the future, only, but a reality because in him is now a reality. He lives and he is alive in us.

For the Jews, the Covenant was words – for me it is a present reality. Because it is in him. Now.


12 In order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

God’s plans is that the Jews, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And us Gentiles are now included in Christ when we heard and believed. We join in glorifying God, a chorus of Jews and Gentiles alike.

That is the mystery or the plan that Paul is so excited about, all in Christ, Christ in all! And all in fellowship with one another in the atoning blessings of Jesus Christ. This as at the heart of the message of the Gospel and the centerpiece of our faith.

This is not theoretical, or rhetorical, but is practical and observable. We are all, those who are in Christ, marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit who was promised – now, here.

As we get around the world we experience this unity of the Spirit. It is uncanny and marvelous. The Holy Spirit has the same effect in my life as in the lives of all who believe. I am melded into that mysterious but absolutely real Body of Christ. I, too, am a believer. Glorious thought!

God chooses my spiritual family and gives me mercy, in line with his own plenteousness in mercy, to live in glorious unity with them all, so that God might be glorified.

Eph. 1:10

10 The purpose, To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Chreist.

What a vision! The magnet that draws all iron filings to itself is Jesus. What was separated is brought into a unity around our Risen Head. As I think of this, it is a vision I wish to rekindle in my own heart.

All under Christ. All my bits and pieces that I controlled by my own self effort are now drawn to Jesus Christ. All arrows point to one place, to Jesus. If there is a cluster of desires in me that look to me for fulfillment, I will inevitably be weakened in my relationship with my Father in heaven. In the Kingdom that Jesus is establishing, all parts are drawn to him, the Head. Any part of the body that functions contrary to the will of the head weakens the entire body and will bring about muddle and finally death.

This plan makes obsolete and meaningless all other human attempts to bring about unity – which is an attempt to get all people within a group to face the same way and proceed to a common goal together. This is the dream of every culture. Always alluring, never fully attained.

That drive is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God that Jesus established. It is made possible by the atoning work of Jesus Christ. This unity is amazing – all believers are drawn more and more into the person of Jesus. It is only there, where the blood of Jesus is spilled, that true unity, eternal unity, is possible.

All things in heaven and earth. I see a startling revelation here. All things in heaven and on earth find unity in Christ Jesus. When I think of unity it is either unity that brings all my personal parts into conformity to Jesus Christ or a unity among mankind that brings peace and harmony. I think I am right about those two things. But Paul introduces a new idea here - Jesus unifies all things in heaven and earth. He unifies heaven. That we see in the Book of Revelation. And in his Kingdom he unifies things on the earth. Now he broadens that vision of unity to include both earth and heaven in one bundle. Jesus binds both together. He taught us to pray that this purpose be realized. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Quite often in my life it seems as though the veil that separates heaven from earth dissolves and the two are one. Jesus, in heaven, is just as really in my study, at my computer as he is in heaven's throne. He binds heaven and earth, even now, if only we could see!

Praise Him forever. Amen.

Eph. 1:9

9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

The mystery is no longer a mystery, the plot is now unfolded for all to see and accept. It must have been a mystery indeed, for the Jews under the Old Covenant, for example, to believe that somehow the sacrifices that they were offering had any eternal consequences at all. They surely knew that animal blood can not possibly take away one sin. To them it must have been a mystery how God can possibly forgive sin. They certainly knew that he was not impressed with their endless blood sacrifices. Furthermore, they knew that God planned for them to bless the nations. Old Scriptures speak to that again and again. Centuries passed and they could see little of that promise fulfilled. They lived by faith, knowing that God will reveal the mystery of his will – sometime.

We come now to the New Covenant. Paul declared, as the Gospel always does, that God has made known to us the mystery of his will. That mystery is no longer hidden. We know the will of God – that a way is open for all to be saved and enjoy life with Him forever.

To us who believe, this mystery is now an unbelievable blessing. We are privileged to announce to all mankind that the way is open for all to come to God for forgiveness of sins, and for a place in the family of God, regardless of culture, language or religion.

To us.

Who are the us? We are the Apostles, the eyewitnesses at first. Now us are all of us who are in the growing community of the Body of Christ. To us the mystery is no longer concealed but is common knowledge – all are invited to believe in Jesus Christ. We announce that fact with absolute certainty. Salvation is not limited to the Jews or to any one people, but to all who believe.

But how did this happen? What was transacted to make it possible for all people everywhere to know the fellowship with God? That is where the mystery lay. In reading about God’s covenant with Abraham and the patriarchs it appears as though God had a plan. That was to bless one particular family on the face of the earth and then to use that family to bring the knowledge of God to all. The Jews found it difficult to believe that God could make such a covenant with other tribes and nation. The Jews stood under the cloud of this mystery – how is God going to save all people?

The answer is clear, the atoning work was done by Christ and “In Christ.” Jesus Christ is the key to the mystery. He unfolds the atoning plot before our eyes. That is the story told in the Gospels.

At the center of Jesus’ work was atonement for sins. Jesus, God’s Lamb, willingly gave his life as a sacrifice for sin so that God can legally forgive all confessed sin. That is why Jesus could announce to his Disciples in the Upper Room that he is making a New Covenant, the Covenant in his Blood, a Covenant that includes every person on earth. This open door was predestined before the earth was formed.

Jesus’ blood deals with the sin issue for all. He is the perfect, eternal, effectual sacrifice, meant for and available for all who believe. The purposes of God placed Jesus as the central figure in the New Covenant of God’s grace. That is why Paul could be so clear and emphatic, God purposed to open the door of salvation for all – In Christ.

Paul goes on to explain another wonder. God did all this according to his good pleasure. He was not forced to do this or pressed to do it. He did it all according to his good pleasure. It was the full expression of his love. God so loved that… Even before the first angel fell or the first star was hurled into space, the way of return to God was already being established – The Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world. I am a happy recipient of this plan of God that can be explained only by peering into the love of God. It was all an expression of his compelling, eternal love. Who can begin to explain that? I stand in awe and worship.