THE LOVING ACT OF PREDESTINATION

Ephesians 1:4-6

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -- to the praise of this glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

I've noticed in Christian centered conversations that words like "chosen" and "predestined" (especially any word derived from "predestination") gets avoided.  These are words that trigger debate and even conflict.  People immediately assume that these words mean something exclusionary and rob us of our free will.  On the contrary, being chosen and predestined should open our eyes even wider to the great love that God has for us . . . for ALL of us!  First of all these words are easily taken out of context.  They must instead be brought into the context of God's overall character.  God is not exclusionary, therefore, being chosen does not mean that He's included some and not others into His great plan of redemption.  God never overrides our free will and, therefore, accepting the idea of being predestined does not mean that we submit to a doctrine "no choice."  I believe that the idea of being chosen and predestined is seated, embedded, into God's all surpassing wisdom and omniscience.  Friend, God knew you, chose you and planned for you "before the creation of the world."  He already chose you and predestined you, by the mere fact that He created you, for redemption and to be adopted as his sons or daughters.  Adoption is no small thing.  In our world, people wanting to adopt a child would give almost anything they had -- everything they have in order to adopt.  Adoption is a very serious matter invoking all the rights and privileges to the one adopted as would be given to a natural son or daughter.  Think about this!  You have been given all the rights and privileges as Jesus himself! 

"In love He predestined us..."  Predestination is a loving act straight from the loving nature of God.  Any interpretation (and there are many!) of this mysterious doctrine that detracts from the love of God should be suspect.  In love He chose you for eternal life with Him and predestined you to live holy and blameless through Jesus Christ.  And, through Jesus Christ you are received into His family by adoption.  This, my friend, is His plan for you and for me.  Why?  Because it pleased Him to create you, to know you, to love you, to plan for you, to make room for you in this world -- His world.  He didn't have to create you at all.  But, He did.  He thought of YOU and it pleased Him to make room for you in His story!  Accepting His son as your Savior and Lord is in His plan for you . . . this is what you were created to do!  This is what you were predestined to do!  This is why you were chosen to have life!

Now, whether or not you choose Him (free will) is up to you.  It always has been.  Each one of us on the planet is chosen for creation and He knew each one of us before time began "and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." (Acts 17:26b, NIV)  His plan for you and for me is be holy (set apart to reflect His purity) and blameless (free from blemish) and this seemingly daunting task is accomplished one simple way: by accepting the grace given us through Jesus Christ.  This is not a doctrine that robs me of free will or excludes some from knowing Him.  Instead, this speaks to me about a God who, before He created the world, thought of me and planned for me and determined that I would live in the times I do and, once here, set eternity before me and created opportunities for me to choose eternity with Him.  He allowed  me to freely choose Him, and, when I did, His grace, the grace I need to live holy and blameless was (and is) freely given to me through His son!

I realize my interpretation of the doctrine of predestination in this post is a tad oversimplified.  This is an interpretation that God has been showing me for a number of years now and, although it may in fact be simple in nature, it doesn't mean it's wrong.  I submit that it's just another layer to a very deep theology.  I encourage you to search out the idea of being chosen and predestined for yourself. 

Chosen,
Kerry

A MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE

Ephesians 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  NIV

One of the purposes of Paul's letter to the Ephesians was to reveal the "mystery" of the church.  In somewhat simplistic terms, the church's purpose was (is) to reveal and express the fullness of Christ here on earth, doing so by uniting all believers no matter our race, gender or background and to equip us to extend Christ's victory over evil.  To further simplify, we are to show Jesus to the world so that they may know Him, too.  Now, I've had my issues with the church.  It hasn't always been kind to me (at least in my estimation).  And I can tell you this: it's a messy place -- full of baggage and despair and disappointment and even hypocrites.  The church falls short many times in showing the world the love of Jesus.  But, I can also tell you that the church is beautiful because of all of those same things.  It's those within the church that are broken and know it that define it's beauty.  It is beautiful by virtue of the fact that it is the Body of Christ.  And, it is in His body that my healing is found.  "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5, NIV)

Paul is telling the Ephesians in this verse that our God, the same God who sent His Son, the same God who paid our redemption, the same God who saw fit to tie His name to us,  has also blessed us with spiritual blessings.  And, those blessings are ours here and now.  He's not talking about material blessings here.  He's talking about the blessings of adoption, forgiveness and being chosen.  Friends, wrap your mind around this!  You have been adopted and brought in to this most sacred union between Father and Son!  You have been forgiven of your past and chosen to live and dwell and walk among those who are called "redeemed!"  Don't get me wrong.  This is NOT an elitist group in the sense that it's difficult to be brought in.  On the contrary, it couldn't be more easy to be included.  However, it is an elitist group in the sense that you can ONLY be brought in one way and one way only: through the blood of Jesus who paid your way in. (John 14:6, Ephesians 1:7)

If you consider yourself a believer then you are a part of the Body of Christ.  And, if that be so, then you must find your place among a body of believers.  You will never function at your best as a believer apart from it -- this is a lesson I've had to learn.  Yes, the church is messy.  Yes, it's not always as kind as it should be.  But . . . Hello! Neither am I and neither are you, but, therein lies the mystery.  It's people just like you and me that make up this most precarious and beautiful place.  It's people like you and me that God has chosen to bless with "every spiritual blessing."  (Even as I write that I cannot fully grasp the weight of what I'm saying.)  I'm a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore one of the redeemed.  Like a piece of a puzzle Christ's Body is where I fit.  I do not fit anywhere else.

Blessed,
Kerry

TO THE FAITHFUL

I've decided to do some expository teaching from the Word.  Expository teaching is one of my favorite ways to learn and teach God's word.  Over the next several months my posts are going to be limited to 1-3 paragraphs teaching on one or two verses of scripture starting with Ephesians 1:1-2.  Expository simply means to expound on or to explain something.  It's a fairly common way of preaching and teaching by pastors, although some enjoy this style more than others.  Expository teaching is usually limited to just a handful of verses at a time because it would take way too much time to expound on and explain an entire chapter at a time.  The beauty of this kind of teaching is that it is extremely thorough (which I love) without being too lengthy at any given time (so, hopefully I won't bore you to death).  Here goes!

Ephesians 1:1-2, NIV

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

In every epistle (or letter) that Paul wrote, he addressed his readers first by stating clearly who he was in Christ.  Early on in Paul's ministry there were many who questioned his status as an apostle because he did not start out as the other 12 disciples who walked closely alongside Jesus during His earthly ministry.  Paul became an apostle later under rather precarious circumstances.  While on his way to persecute Jesus followers, he was struck by a bright light, blinded and was spoken to by our Lord convincing him of his wrong behavior. Although he immediately turned his life around, I'm sure others weren't always convinced of his change of heart and still feared a little for their lives.  As time went on, however, he became more well known for his actions as a Jesus follower instead of a Jesus persecutor.  But, you and I both know how the enemy likes to drag up our past life with all its past mistakes and find new ways to torture us.  I'm sure Paul woke up every morning having to come to terms with his past sin of persecuting his fellow believers.  I know I would.

Beginning each letter in this way not only reminded his readers of his status as a true apostle but solidified in his own heart each time he wrote it out who he was in Christ.  And, in that same vein, he addresses his readers as "saints" and "faithful," reminding them of who they are in Christ!  Paul does this in every letter he writes in some fashion or another.  Here's something to think about: what if every time you introduced yourself to someone you added something that spoke to who you are in Christ; and, every time you met someone new you referred to them as someone with whom God is interested?  Like this: "Hi! My name is Kerry, servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace and peace to you, _________________, loved by God." Saying all of that would be awkward for sure, but you can still think it!

"Grace and peace" was a common way to address someone at the time, but the Apostle Paul made sure that there was a spiritual component to this most common greeting: ". . . from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."  Basically, Paul is saying let there be no mistake! It is from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that I come as I do, and it is from God alone that I speak and ". . . live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28, NIV)    Let there be no mistake, readers!  If you consider yourself a Jesus follower, then you are an apostle, a servant, a prisoner, a saint, and one of the faithful in Christ Jesus -- no matter your past!

Grace and peace,
Kerry