Faîthful in Christ
Faîthful in Christ
If you have been following my blog recently, you know that I have been pondering the book of Ephesians. I have been commenting on verses or portions of this letter they have touched my heart. It had been a sequential review of what I have read so far. You may have been expecting that I would continue onto the next section. Honestly, so was I. However when I opened to chapter 1 of Ephesians one recent morning I was particularly struck by to whom the letter was written.
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:”
Ephesians 1:1 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.1.niv
I will share some thoughts about the believers in Ephesus and their honorable attributes.
Paul addressed those to whom he was writing as God’s holy people. They were identified as belonging to God. They were his possession.
- “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
1 John 3:1-2 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1jn.3.1-2.niv
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—”
John 1:12 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/jhn.1.12.niv
When someone belongs they are chosen.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
John 15:16 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/jhn.15.16.niv
“For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you,”
1 Thessalonians 1:4 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1th.1.4.niv
“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,”
Ephesians 1:11 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.11.niv
When someone belongs they have been redeemed.
“But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/isa.43.1.niv
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1pe.1.18-19.niv
“who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
Titus 2:14 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/tit.2.14.niv
When someone belongs they are loved.
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
Jeremiah 31:3 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/jer.31.3.niv
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.16.niv
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
1 John 4:16 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1jn.4.16.niv
As we consider those to whom Paul wrote his letter first I was struck by the fact that they were God’s people. As those who belong to God they and us have been chosen, redeemed and loved.
The Ephesians were also referred to as holy. As I reflect on this I am comforted to think that the characteristic is because they are becoming like God to Whom they belong.
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.””
1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1pe.1.15-16.niv
The Amplified version of the bible clarify holy people as those who are consecrated and set apart.. Something consecrated is intended for a special purpose. We are called to bring glory to God. Those who are holy are also set apart. As we serve God we do not blend into their actions and attitudes of our culture. Being set apart is significant in our modern times as it was when this was written to those in Ephesus. It was a place under Greek and Roman rule and given over to worship of idols and other heathen customs. In our modern society we too need to be set apart.
We also see in the opening of the letter to the Ephesians that they were considered faithful in Christ.. Faithfulness is a whole hearted pure loyal devotion. Perhaps another way to look at it is to be full of faith.
If the question arises in your heart as it did in mine, how do we acquire such characteristics of holiness and faithfulness. I believe it is key that we put our faith in a holy and faithful God.
Since we rely on His Faîthful love for our commitment to God I want to share with you a few songs that are very meaningful to me:
Come thou fount of every blessing
What a faithful God have I
Who am I?
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