So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Regardless of your Bible translation, I believe this is a beautiful declaration of truth. I’ve read it and heard it preached many times before. However, this time, after spending two weeks reading through the first two chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, it seems brighter and clearer.
It has put being a member of God’s household in a whole different light for me. Not only is the fullness of the Trinity involved in the building of God’s household, but the apostles and prophets are involved, as well as all believers then and now. Through Jesus, we have been made part of the Church. We have become a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. This is a wonderful gift of our salvation. It is an honor and an undeserved privilege to be cherished.
Previously, Paul described the collective church of Jesus, the apostles, prophets, and all other believers as a temple. Here, Paul also includes his readers as an important part of the building process. Notice that this work takes place “by the Spirit.” We worship by the Spirit (Philippians 3:3), live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), are led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:18), walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), are taught by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13), and are washed, sanctified, and justified by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11). Just as salvation is something owed purely to the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8–9), success in the Christian life is owed entirely to the power of God through the Holy Spirit.
Bibleref.com
The More We Know
Enjoy more insight into today’s journey from the LGG, Secure in Christ, journal, p83.
Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh—who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” that is performed on the body by human hands— 12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
I love the way Paul writes about this subject to the believers in Colossae, in Colossains chapter 3. Paul reminds believers that they have put off their old nature and should now put on the new nature, get to know God, and become like Him. He goes on to tell them that “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” Here in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul paints another ‘before-and-after’ picture. Summing the old nature up in verse 12, Paul reminds them that at one time they (the Gentiles, those who were not Jews) were without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel (the Jews) and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. That is definitely a very bleak before picture. Yet, Paul doesn’t stop there. Instead, he continues with these words of great hope in a portrait of the “after”: “But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Is there any better news for those of us who were ‘far off’, having no hope and without God in the world, than to learn that by the blood of Jesus Christ we have been brought near to God?
Thank You God for Jesus’ blood, the hope of the world! Thank You for the reminders in Your Word that we were once without hope at all, and no claim to Your covenants of promise. Death and destruction were our ‘fate’! “But now in Christ Jesus,” by Your gift of grace through faith, we have the joy of being “brought near by the blood” of our Savior, Your only begotten Son. – We are a people most blessed! – Amen
The More We Know
It should be noted that Paul is pointing out that the circumcision of old was performed by human hands, while the circumcision of the heart is by the blood of Jesus Christ. Read the following link by Gotquestions.org for more on the important difference …
I read, quote, and pray these verses often, but for some reason, as I read the passage today, I was reminded of Mr. Perry. When I was a teenager, I used to witness to Mr. Perry, who went to my church. He was a weekly, (nearly) every service church-goer, but he wasn’t saved. He sat in the same pew week after week, listening to the sermons. He interacted with the people, attended the fellowship dinners and other church-wide events, and supported the teen choir when we had car washes. However, whenever I talked to him about Jesus and salvation, he would tell me: “Sweetheart, I’m a good man, and God knows it, so don’t you worry about me getting to heaven.”
We didn’t see each other much after I grew up and changed churches. When we did, he kept the conversation to ~”I’m good, sweetie, don’t you worry about me.” It made me sad to think that, after all the years of sitting in church and being involved with Christians on a regular basis, he had never gotten past the belief that his goodness/good works were enough. I wanted so much for my friend to understand that salvation is based on nothing he had done, or could ever do. I longed for him to trust Jesus as His savior and to understand that no amount of goodness and kindness could ever make up for our sins. Ultimately, I was reminded by a mentor that I wasn’t responsible to save him, only to share the gospel, live it out, and pray that he would come to believe the message that he continually heard preached in church and shared by those who witnessed to him personally.
Mr. Perry passed away about five years ago. My heart was filled with sorrow at his passing. However, joy soon followed when I learned that at the time of his death, he wasn’t just a ‘good man’ but a believer saved by grace.
The More We Know
Who can you tell about Jesus and God’s grace? Who can you pray for that isn’t saved or believes that their good works are enough? Ask God to use you and don’t stop praying for them. – Need help sharing the message? Feel free to use or share the following page.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
Ephesians 2;4-5
There are a lot of “but God” moments in my life and in the Bible, but verse 4 of Ephesians 2 is perhaps the biggest “but God” statement ever. Paul writes that “we were dead in our trespasses and sins…but Godmade us alive!” This wasn’t a transformation earned or deserved, but rather an act of mercy and love, a gift of grace. Paul wrote something similar to the Corinthians, telling them, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” As Paul explains it to the Ephesians, God gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.
What are some “But God” moments in your life?
Have you ever noticed the “but God” moments in your day-to-day life? Sometimes they are more obvious than others, but I guarantee they are there. Ask God to help you see them, to be alert to what He is doing in your life or that of your family and friends. Write them down and read them often, look for them in Scripture. Take time to praise Him for them, remembering they are precious and priceless acts of His mercy, love, and/or grace.
When I was five years old, when no one was looking, I disobeyed my parents, climbed into my brother’s Batmobile car, and rolled right out into the street. I was hit by a car…but God spared my life.
My daughter Annie was diagnosed with leukemia on her 10th birthday…she faced many difficult battles and was in and out of the ICU for several years…but God healed her.
My daughter Abi was born with crippled (club) feet…but God healed her.
These are just a few of my life’s bigger “but God” moments. There are plenty more, including the day-to-day “but God” moments of seeing things like His protection from a wreck or His provision of a necessity when I saw no way for it to happen. All of them, the ‘big’ and the ‘day-to-day’, remind me of His goodness and His faithful love, mercy, and grace. Yet none can compare to the truth of Paul’s statement in my own life – for I was dead in my trespasses and sins…but God…gave me life and now I live!
Good news, good news, Christ died for me, Good news, good news, if I believe, Good news, good news, I’m saved eternally. That’s wonderful, extra good news!
CEF/children’s song
While the Spirit directed my thoughts/writing to the “but God” phrase Paul used, it is crucial to note and understand the significance of Paul’s words in verse 5: that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!). Today’s journal entry by Love God Greatly sums it up nicely:
Paul writes the truth of our state before God. He states that we were dead in our offenses and sins. Sin is anything we think, say, or do that is not pleasing or honoring to God. Our sin completely separates us from our holy God. Not only were we dead in our sins, but we chose to sin. We indulged in our desires and were deserving of wrath. There was nothing we could do in our broken, depraved state.
It isn’t that God gave us a hall pass to be forgiven. No, He took our dead state and made us completely new. The old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is such good news! You have been made alive and new!”
Secure in Christ Journal/p67
Thank you, God, for loving us so much. Thank You for your rich mercies and amazing grace, and for Jesus Christ, who died so we could live!
Oh, what love, no greater love Grace, how can it be That in my sin, yes, even then He shed His blood for me
I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
Ephesians 1:16-17
After nearly three years of living with the believers at Ephesus, Paul had come to know them well. He was impressed, not only by their faith but by their love for one another. It was clear to him that they knew the facts and blessings of salvation as well as the future hope believers have with God. Clearly, this knowledge and his relationship with them fostered the beautiful and heartfelt prayer for them to more fully understand the importance of their salvation and eternal hope, and grow in their knowledge of God. Oh, that we might pray for and encourage each other like this.
Today’s journal entry by the Love God Greatly team is too beautiful and encouraging not to share. I pray it blesses you as it has me. I pray for each of you, truly from the heart, that together we might understand the blessing of our salvation and the hope we have in Jesus Christ. I pray that He might give us spiritual wisdom and insight so that, together, we might grow in our knowledge of God. You are dearly loved and such a blessing to me. 💕🦋
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.
Redemption, which is the forgiveness of sin, comes only through the blood of Jesus, and it only comes to those who believe in the name of Jesus. As today’s passage of our journey explains, it is not by our name or anything we have done. Instead, it is because God poured out His kindness and grace, and not begrudgingly, but out of His good pleasure, that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son. In Christ, God made a way for us to know Him and to receive forgiveness for our sins. Scripture is very clear that there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. There is one redeemer, and He is Jesus Christ, our Lord.
There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Redeemed through His infinite mercies, His child, and forever, I am.
Hymn/Redeemed (scroll down for the full song)
Today’s journal entry by LGG points out that Paul isn’t writing about the classic “world’s version” of redemption. You know, the one
Friends, the story of God’s love and the story of Jesus on the cross are one and the same. And, as today’s journal entry points out, “It is the greatest story of redemption ever known. No matter where you are today, you can receive the redemption found through Jesus.” If you have not trusted Jesus as your savior, I plead with you to believe in Him today, to call upon the name above all other names, the only name under heaven by which we must/can be saved.
As today’s journal entry also points out, Paul’s letter about redemption, written to the Ephesians, wasn’t about the stories of redemption we read in books or see in movies. “in the secular world, redemption occurs when an individual accomplishes something or does something good. This is not so for those who are in Christ. We don’t have to do anything to receive redemption. We simply have to recognize our sin and trust in Jesus.” As Luke points out in Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else.” Jesus alone is the one who secures our redemption.
We are not the heroes of the story. Jesus is. We are merely recipients of His lavish grace. And what’s more, Paul tells us that our redemption is part of God’s bigger plan for His creation. One day, Jesus will return as the forever king. When this happens, all who have placed their faith in Him will be united together under His leadership.
LGG/Secure in Christ Journal/p49
The More We Know
Want to know more about how to be saved and redeemed by the blood of the lamb? Please click and read Know These Truths below. Questions or want to talk about these truths and/or being a follower of Christ? Simply scroll down and leave me a message in the ‘reply’ box. This is the most important decision you will ever make and I’d love to talk with you about it.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
Ephesians 1:3-6
In yesterday’s journey, we learned that God radically transformed Paul’s life from a persecutor of Christians to an apostle of Jesus Christ. Today’s journey reveals how the transformation happens. Namely, all those who identify themselves as followers/disciples of Christ, which according to Luke 9:23 means that they have turned from their wicked ways and taken up their cross daily to follow Jesus, are gifted with “every spiritual blessing.”
Gifts of Redemption
According to gotquestions.org, these blessings are “gifts of redemption.” They are only available to those who identify themselves as followers/disciples of Christ. They include: “eternal life (Revelation 5:9-10), forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), righteousness (Romans 5:17), freedom from the law’s curse (Galatians 3:13), adoption into God’s family (Galatians 4:5), deliverance from sin’s bondage (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:14-18), peace with God (Colossians 1:18-20), and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). To be redeemed, then, is to be forgiven, holy, justified, free, adopted, and reconciled. See also Psalm 130:7-8; Luke 2:38; and Acts 20:28.”
An Act of Love
Paul sums these gifts up in verses 4- 5, beginning with how and why God chose to adopt us as His children. Today’s LGG journal entry explains it this way: “He did this out of His great love for you and for all who would trust in Jesus as their Savior. And it doesn’t stop there. He not only chose us to be part of His family and adopted us, but He has chosen to make us holy (set apart), blameless (fully forgiven), and has given us countless blessings… In Christ, we have access, freedom, purpose, family, and so much more… If you have trusted in Jesus, this is true of you! And while the best is yet to come in heaven, God has a purpose for you in the here and now. He has chosen you to become like Him. He wants you to be His holy and blameless child, loving others as He loves you.”
Our Response
Friends, as the journal entry goes on to say: “If God has chosen us to live in such a way, we can expect Him to accomplish His mighty work in us. We should pray daily to grow in holiness and love. And when the devil wants to plague us with temptation, fear, and doubt, it is vital to remember that we have been loved and chosen by God from before the creation of the universe.”
To know that I have been loved and chosen by God, not because of anything I have done, but before the creation of the universe, is one of the most wonderful, life-changing, calming truths I have ever known. Singer/songwriter Matthew West put the truth into a song, one that is embedded in my head and heart and has rescued me from many wrestling matches with the enemy. My favorite line is: “I don’t have to answer to any name that the enemy tries to call me ~ I don’t have to answer to any name but chosen child of God.”
You changed my name You changed my name From too far gone to saved by grace And now I am forever changed All because You changed my name It’s all because You changed my name And I don’t have to answer to any name that the enemy tries to call me I don’t have to answer to any name but chosen child of God Oh, I don’t have to answer to any name that the enemy tries to call me I don’t have to answer to any name but chosen child of God.
Chorus/Chosen Child of God/Matthew West
Want to hear the full song? Just click the video below –
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus. 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Ephesians 1:1-2
Friends, have you ever found yourself making snide comments or turning away from someone with a scandalous or tainted past? Or, perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of the sneers and brush-offs because of something from your past that others still judge you for. The example we see in today’s Scriptures should help us understand the wrongness of both.
Paul was cruel, a persecutor of Jesus’ followers – that is – until he was radically changed by God.
🦋
Paul was a persecutor of believers. Actually, when Jesus identifies Himself to Paul, He says, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Paul was a wicked man, intent on ridding the world of Jesus and His followers who spouted His teachings. That is, until Paul, looking for more believers to capture, met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and his life was forever transformed. To quote from one of my favorite songs: “This is amazing grace! This is unfailing love ~ That You would take my place ~ That You would bear my cross, You laid down Your life ~ That I would be set free. Oh, Jesus, I sing for ~ All that You’ve done for me!”
Who breaks the power of sin and darkness? Whose love is mighty and so much stronger? The King of glory, the King above all kings Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder? The King of glory, the King above all kings
It isn’t only others who report Paul’s cruelness, but Paul himself shares his testimony with Timothy, in 1 Timothy 1:12-17, saying: “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Amazing grace (how sweet the sound) that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.
It’s a beautiful testimony that I would dare say most of us can relate to in some way. After all, we are all sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory1. None of us has been saved by our good works, but solely by God’s miraculous and radical gift of amazing grace, and this only through our faith in Jesus.2 While we may not want to expose our old selves to others as Paul has done, just the words, amazing grace, bring tears as I remember the sin and shame that used to define my life. Yet joy flows with those tears as I remember “Calvary covers it all!” Friends, understanding this truth changes everything. It changes our relationship with God – the Father, Spirit, and Son; and it changes (or should change) the way we live and how we look at the sins of others. I mean, seriously – if God can love me after everything I’ve done, if He can invite me to boldly come into His presence (and He does), then who am I to turn away from or sneer at others for their sins? After all, Jesus explicitly gave us a new commandment to love others just as He has loved us3, and may we never forget that Scripture says that Jesus laid down His life for us while we were still sinners4.
If you followed along in our recent Abiding in Jesus journey, then you know that Jesus calls us His friends – a reminder that our old sin nature is gone and the new has come. Or as Paul said, “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time, we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!3“
Perhaps you’ve lived a life with no “major sins” to regret, or maybe your life (like mine) holds sinful choices/actions that still taunt you or others still ‘remember’ against you today. Regardless of where you are on this spectrum, the truth is the blood of Jesus covers it all, His righteousness has been imputed to us, and the freedom He died to bring us is available to all who believe. This is made clear through Paul’s life and the words he wrote to the Church of Rome, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus …4” When old sins and regrets haunt us or when we are tempted to judge another for their sin, may the Spirit be quick to remind us that, as this sweet old refrain says: “Calvary covers it all.” Jesus went to Calvary, taking on Himself all of our past, all of its sin and stain, all of our guilt and despair – and His blood poured out and covered it all! And now with Paul, we can declare that we are *“disciples of Christ Jesus by the will of God.“
Earlier this week, someone sweetly wished me an early happy birthday, followed by: “You’ll be thirty right?” I laughed at the comment but quickly and gladly claimed my real age. While I may wish my body felt like it did at the age of thirty, I have never minded celebrating another year of life. Celebrating sixty-three years of life is a blessing I embrace today. It is a gift of grace from God, given with a purpose and a plan for each day to carry out the works He prepared in advance for me to do (Eph 2:10). I don’t always do it well, and I have grown more and more weary of this world in the past year or two. I have whispered, ‘Come quickly, Lord Jesus,’ more than ever. Yet, with all my heart, I welcome each new day that He wakes me up to, saying with the Psalmist, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
When I come to the end of one year, I typically do some reflecting before embarking on the next one; and invariably, this little children’s song comes to my mind 💜🎂
Hey, if you missed my post from yesterday … check out my first birthday present!
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Galatians 6:9
Yesterday’s journey took us to Ephesians 2:10, where Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus that God had not only saved them by His grace but had also created them, in Christ Jesus, to do good works, works which He had created in advance for them to do. Today, we’re taught/reminded that “Abiding in Christ is a journey of staying close to Him, especially when life gets hard and weariness starts to creep in.”
Here in Galatians, Paul has been teaching the people what not to do. Now, perhaps because he understood that they may be discouraged or overwhelmed by the “what not to do” list, he instructs them not to let themselves become tired of doing good. – Have you ever become tired of doing “good”? If we’re being honest, I would venture to say that sometimes, after a long day at work or a list of problems still to take care of in our own lives, ~ serving, loving, and doing the right thing are the last things we want to do. I think Paul understood this, too, because he sweetens the instruction with a promise that “we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.“
Abiding in Christ is a journey of staying close to Him, especially when life gets hard and weariness starts to creep in.
LGG, Abiding in Jesus/journal p183
I hope the rest of the journal entry encourages and blesses you as it has me -~
“We live in a world that values quick results and visible success, but the work God calls us to often grows in quiet, unseen ways. Whether we’re planting seeds of love in our families, serving faithfully in our communities, or reaching out to someone who needs encouragement, God sees every moment. And as we remain connected to Jesus, He supplies the strength we need to keep going.
When we feel worn out or discouraged, it’s often a signal to draw closer to Christ. Abiding is more than just working for Him; it’s resting in Him. letting His love and grace renew us.
If you’re feeling weary, remember that you’re not alone. Jesus is with you, empowering you to keep going. The fruit of your labor may not always be visible now, but in due time, He will bring a harvest that reflects His glory. Let your work be an act of worship, trusting that He is using your efforts in ways beyond what you can see.
Dear Jesus, thank you for the strength to keep going even when I feel weary. Help me to abide in You and to trust that You will bring fruit in Your perfect timing. Let my life be a testimony of Your faithfulness, and may I never give up on the good You’ve called me to do. Amen.
Me From the Inside Out 