Nine Things that God has done for us in Christ
The River ChurchPublish date: 05/27/2012
May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm! 4 Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. 5 For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent] — 6 [So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor, 8 Which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence), 9 Making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in Him, 10 [He planned] for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth. 11 In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will, 12 So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory! 13 In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. 14 That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it — to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:3-14 AMP
1. He has blessed us (Ephesians 1:3).
Father God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm. This means that, in Christ, we have received all the benefits of a relationship with Him. We have: been chosen as His; received His salvation; been adopted as His children; been forgiven; received insight into the things of the Spirit; received the power to serve God and do His will; received the gifts of the Spirit; and the hope of living forever with Him. We can enjoy these blessings now, because we have an intimate relationship with Him. Spiritual blessings in the “heavenly realms”, means that these blessings are eternal, not temporal.
2. He has chosen us (Ephesians 1:4).
Father God “chose us in him” to emphasize that salvation depends totally on Him and not us. We are not saved because our works deserve it, but because of God’s free and gracious salvation. We could not and did not influence God’s decision to save us, but He saved us according to His own plan. We can’t take the credit – all we can do is express our gratefulness and thanks for His wonderful love for us.
3. He has predestined us (Ephesians 1:5 &11).
“Predestined” means “marked out beforehand”, and is another way of saying that salvation is all God’s work and none our own doing. In His infinite love, and through Jesus’ sacrifice, God has brought us into His family, adopted us His own children and made us heirs along with Jesus. Under the law at that time, adopted children had the exact same rights as biological children, even if they were previously slaves.
4. He has made us accepted (Ephesians 1:6).
Father God freely and graciously accepts us even if we don’t deserve it. Not only that, He loves us as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23).
5. He has redeemed us (Ephesians 1:7).
Jesus blood’ represents Jesus’ death. Through His death and the riches and generosity of His gracious favor, He paid the price for us to receive both redemption and forgiveness. Redemption was the price paid to gain freedom for a slave. We are released from our slavery to sin and brought into the freedom of forgiveness and right-standing with God.
6. He has abounded toward us (Ephesians 1:8).
God’s grace has been LAVISHED on us. We have received a generous, over-abundance of God’s love, grace and favor!
7. He has made known unto us (Ephesians 1:9).
In His love and mercy, Father God planned to save and redeem us from the foundation of the earth. His plan of salvation was consummated in Jesus Christ and could only be fully understood by us after Jesus rose from the dead. When you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, through God’s word, the Holy Spirit reveals to you the Father’s plan for you.
8. He has given us an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11,14).
An inheritance is something you don’t earn. It’s bestowed upon you at the discretion of another. We have inherited the Kingdom of God and all of God’s wonderful promises and blessings with it!
9. He has sealed us (Ephesians 1:13).
The Holy Spirit is the seal and also the “earnest” or “pledge” of our inheritance. The word “seal” means: to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); to keep secret; to attest. We use the word “seal” to denote several things: we seal things for security, to hide them, to confirm or testify to something, and to confirm ownership. We are sealed by the blessed Holy Spirit! The word “earnest” or “pledge” is used to indicate part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee – the “earnest” or “pledge” – of our glorious inheritance!