Wednesday – August 24, 2016
The ultimate Glory of God, the ultimate goodness of God is here, His name is Jesus! Let each of us chose to receive the Word of God and allow it to change us. This does not just happen. You and I have to choose to renew our minds with the Word of God. That does not mean add the Word of God to what we already have in there. It means to add the Word of God to our knowledge of Him and to eliminate anything that contradicts that knowledge. Most any Christian will readily agree that God by way of the Holy Spirit is everywhere present, even the Old Testament prophet, David, testified to that Truth. However that same individual may turn right around and ask (pray) the Lord to go with each of us as we leave Church or to be with a certain individual. Or they may sing a song with the words ‘come Holy Spirit’. What gives with that? Now our text.
Ephesians 1:3-4 (KJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Our focus today is verse four so let’s take a look at it in a different Bible Translation for clarity.
Ephesians 1:3-6 (HCSB)
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
4 For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love
5 He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will,
6 to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.
The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) in this case smooths out the phrase found in Ephesians 1:4 of “According as he hath chosen us in him” found in the King James Version to “For He chose us in Him.” I want to immediately squash the idea that some are chosen and others are not chosen. God choose us all, some of us have accepted His invitation to be in Christ and some of us have not. Meditate the following few verses to cement this into our thinking.
John 3:16 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 (KJV)
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Notice in John 3:16 the phrase “Who [referring to God] will have all men to be saved”. In 1 Timothy 2:4 we find the phrase “Who will have all men [male and female] to be saved”. Then in 2 Peter 3:9 we find the phrase “The Lord is…not willing that any should perish”. So what is the will of God concerning salvation? It is that none perish and all be saved. People perish by their own choice which is not the will of God.
John 3:17-18 (KJV)
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Romans 1:20-21 (KJV)
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Each of us choose eternal life or death by our own free-will. He has already chosen us, so, will we choose Him.
By Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
