3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:3-14 NKJV
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Are you able to recall the exact date when you were saved? You had no idea what was going on at the time. What happened in that instant was so enormous that you’ll never know the full extent of it until you’re standing in Christ’s presence on the other side of the veil.
To grasp the magnitude of our deliverance, we must first comprehend where we came from. We are not exempt from the repercussions of our actions because we are descendants of Adam.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Romans 5:12-14 NKJV
The Word of God describes this condition as being dead in our trespasses and sins.
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2:1NKJV
We were still physically alive, but spiritually we were in a state of death. However, when we accepted Christ as our savior, we were no longer in Adam because the Holy Spirit placed us in Christ. Consider how safe our place is and how fully accepted we are by our heavenly Father as we reflect on the depths of this fact.
The Holy Spirit’s work of sealing us in Christ has made us eternally secure in Him. We are sealed in Christ. We are no longer subject to the condemnation of the law, but we are sealed in His righteousness.
Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have been delivered from the power of sin and death through faith in Him, and we have been given a new life in Him. We have been made a new creation in Christ Jesus. We are not under the condemnation of the law, but we are sealed in His righteousness. We have been made righteous by faith in Him.
The world would tell you that “it’s not what you think” “there are so many ways to experience joy and peace.” Sure, a person can feel good and happy, but there is no replacement, only counterfeits for the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7NKJV
The world is good at provided numbing medication through the different ideologies and belief systems it offers. There is a system of belief for everyone. The world doesn’t care how or what a person believes as long as it is not the truth. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. . .” John 14:6 NKJV
Sometimes it is difficult to accept the Word of God and to follow the directions set before us in Christ. Obedience is also difficult.
What God’s word teaches is diametrically opposed to what the world would want us to believe. These opposing beliefs of God’s word and the world can cause what is often referred to as cognitive dissonance.
Social psychologists theorize about cognitive dissonance. When a person’s actions and beliefs don’t line up, this is known as “confusion.”
If a person maintains two beliefs that are in direct opposition to one another, this can also happen to them.
Cognitive dissonance generates emotions of anxiety and tension, and people strive to alleviate this discomfort in a variety of ways. “Explaining things away,” for example, or rejecting new information that clashes with their current ideas are examples of this.
John sees this behavior and the result of it can be dangerous.
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. John 6:60-66 NKJV
Some times what God tells us is difficult to understand and accept. Particularly when it comes to His love and knowing Him intimately through Jesus Christ. We have become new creations in Christ, all things are new and all the old things have fallen away.
The only way a person can be taken from Christ is if that individual makes the decision to not accept God’s gift of salvation and walks away. Or if that person intentionally rejects what God the Father has done through His Son, and rejects the work of the Holy Spirit.
Because of the triune character of our God, we have an eternal and unchangeable new position. God would not have accepted us if we had had any role in our own salvation. However, He is the sole author of the work. Since the beginning of time, He has made a decision to unite us in Christ, sent His Son to serve as the mediator, and sealed us with His Spirit. It’s not up to us to save ourselves. We are safe and sound in the hands of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is why God’s love is unbreakable.
It is not simply a matter of opinion. God’s love is the ultimate truth, and we must believe it to be true by faith. The fact is, God has loved us. That’s the only thing that matters.
You need to know that there is nothing you can do to change God’s love for you. There is no other way of salvation except through Christ. If you don’t know the truth of God’s love for you, then you are condemned to an eternity in hell.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13 (NKJV)
In Christianity, the doctrine of salvation is the assurance of God’s love for humanity and his intention to save all who will come to repentance. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the only way to enter into eternal life (John 3:16-18; 10:9-10). Through faith in Jesus Christ, sinners are saved from sin and death (Romans 3:23) and given a new purpose in life (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
There is power in the name of Jesus. The phrase “pray in the name of Jesus” is often used by Christians, and it refers to the practice of praying to God and asking for His help, guidance, or protection.
Two things about the death of Christ. The first was that since one person died for and in place of everyone else, everyone had died. What is this death at the end? Either the death they deserved because of their sin.
It’s odd how we often acknowledge that we take on too much, and try to accomplish things in our own strength, and need to rely more on Jesus. And yet we continue to do the same thing over and over.
The conscience is a divinely given moral compass that can be swayed by many factors, such as our background, experiences, and thoughts. What is important is the truth that one has to inform their conscience.
Life is rough for most people today. Just when we have hope of a life returning to normal, we are seeing things none of us have ever seen in our lifetime.
To grasp the magnitude of our deliverance, we must first comprehend where we came from. We are not exempt from the repercussions of our actions because we are descendants of Adam.
