Still looking at Ephesians 1:3-14;
Nugget #3 - But, what about the part about being “holy and blameless in His sight”?
When we think of words like “holy and blameless” we think that holiness is all
about being absolutely sinless and pure, and we don’t want to claim that for
ourselves. But it’s not that at all.
Holiness means
“wholeness” and wholeness means “to be restored to the originally intended
function, for proper use"…that’s all. Physical wholeness prevails when the body
works the way it was intended to work. So, man (who was created in God’s
likeness) body, soul, and spirit, are all functioning the way they were
intended to function, we are “holy”.
O.K. what about
“blameless”? We have a tendency to confuse this word with “sinless”. There is a
huge difference. If you did something sinful, and you acknowledge it, apologize
for it, ask forgiveness, and do what you could to restore it, then there’s
nothing more you can do. You can’t change the fact that you did it. At that
point you are not sinless, but you are blameless. This is what God intends for
us through Jesus Christ, to be blameless and made whole. Being made “whole” is
a process however, (sanctification) made possible by the work of the Holy
Spirit. So, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and The Holy Spirit are all three
involved in making us “holy and blameless”.
Nugget #4 - Ephesians 1:7 - “In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in
accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.”
So, let’s start with “redemption”… Here are
a couple more scriptures;
Galatians
3:14 – “He
redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the
Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of
the Spirit.”
1 Peter
1:18-19 – “ 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.”
“Redeem” means to regain possession of
something in exchange for payment; to retrieve, regain, recover, reclaim, or
buy back; synonyms are exchange, convert, or give in exchange for something.
There is something about that term
“redeemed” that brings joy to the Christian heart. We have been saved, washed,
bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ! What a gift it is to be
redeemed! Free from sin; Born again; all things new!
A story is told of pastor A.J. Gordon of a
church in Boston. He met a young boy carrying an old rusty cage in which
several birds fluttered nervously. Pastor Gordon asked him, “Son, where did you
get those birds?” The boy replied, “I trapped them out in the field.” “Well,
what
are you going
to do with them?” Gordon asked. “I’m going to play with them for a while, then
I’ll just feed them to the old cat we have at home.” The preacher said, “I’ll
give you $2.00 for the cage and the birds.” “It’s a deal.” Said the boy, “but
your making a bad bargain, they can’t even sing very well!” The boy then went
away whistling, and happy with his $2.00 Pastor Gordon then went around behind
the church, opened the cage, and let the struggling creatures soar into the
blue.
The next Sunday he took the empty cage to
the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek
and to save the lost, redeeming them with his own precious blood.
We have been held captive to sin, but Jesus
purchased our pardon, and set us free! When you have this life-changing
experience of being Born again, you will understand that God chose you and
loved you while you were yet dead in your sin, and He gave His only Son to
redeem us back to Himself. Jesus was a priceless sacrifice. He was the perfect
sacrifice. The perfect Lamb of God. And, while this plan of God may confound
us, it ought to lead us to worship! It says in Acts 4:12 that “There is no
other name under heaven by which we can be saved, but only the name of Jesus!
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