Ephesians 1:7,8 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
We all owe a debt that we cannot pay. Jesus came to pay a debt that He did not owe. The Son of man came to give His life as a ransom for many. The word redemption here in verse seven means "a ransom paid in full." We as a result of the fall and because of our sin nature have been taken captive by Satan and death. The wages of our sin is death and so there was a ransom that had to be paid in order that we might be freed. This ransom payment was much more than a million dollars, or a billion dollars. Truly the ransom payment was priceless, no amount of money in the world could satisfy the debt. These verses tell us redemption is through his blood. The only source of payment that was good enough for the ransom to be paid in full was the precious blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18,19 says, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" Jesus came to pay sin's ransom and offer a way out for ALL people! Limited atonement is heresy! 1 Timothy 2:6 says, " Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Jesus blood was shed as the payment for the sin of the world. 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Jesus Christ gave His life and shed His blood in order to pay the ransom that each of us owe. If we reject His offer and do not apply His payment to our account then we must pay it ourselves in hell forever and ever and ever. Don't reject His payment, sign the back of that check and be forgiven, set free and delivered from death and hell! Now when a person accepts Christ's ransom payment, that person has been purchased with His blood. Once that blood ransom payment has been accepted then the debt is satisfied, which results in the forgiveness of sins. We have a rich God! He is the only one who can pay the ransom and when our ransom is paid by Him we are justified. Salvation is absolutely free to us because it is the riches of His grace that offers us a ransom payment. In Romans 3:24,25 it says, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" Because of the riches of His grace we abound or have in excess the blessings of wisdom and prudence. God has tipped us with wisdom and prudence. Jesus not only paid the bill, but He also left a tip. Hallelujah what a Saviour that truly paid it all and then tips us with wisdom and insight to live as His adopted child!
Monday, May 27, 2019
Saturday, May 18, 2019
A Predestined Adoption - Part 2
Ephesians 1:5,6 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
As we have previously said it is important to keep God's divine order intact. That order is as follows: First Foreknowledge, Second Election, Third Predestination. Why is this the right order? Remember predestination is God carrying out what He has already determined or chosen. Predestination is an action of God but before an act there has to be a decision or a choice. Now we come to the crux of the matter what was behind God's choice or God's election? Foreknowledge. Before the world was created, before Genesis 1:1, God existed in eternity pass. Since God was perfectly existing with ALL of His attributes, then before He ever performed one act, foreknowledge existed. Foreknowledge has to be first. God's foreknowledge is inextricably linked to His Omniscience and therefore an attribute of God. In other words it is a part of His nature, it is who He is! Foreknowledge is first! Before the world existed, before God did any act, He already knew each and every believer by name. God simply had prior knowledge of who in their own God given free will would choose to believe given the chance. Now listen, it is impossible for God to go against His nature. God could only elect and predestine in agreement with what He foreknew. God never did elect and predestine someone unto adoption who chose not to believe, nor could He. God acted in total agreement with what He knew beforehand. Foreknowledge was first! Election and predestination stem from God's foreknowledge. God did not randomly choose who to elect and predestine. No man is a robot pre-programmed by God to believe or made to believed. Calvinism is heresy! It is God's good pleasure and His will to adopt all those who believe and accept Christ. It praises the glory of His grace. His unmerited favor upon us is exalted due to the fact that we are accepted. The reason that a Holy God can accept sinners is because they are in the beloved. In Matthew 3:17, the Father's response to Jesus baptism was: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." As believers we are in Christ and for that reason are accepted and valued in the sight of God. When we in our own free will believe on Christ we are accepted in Him by the Father. The Father accepts us as His own due to the righteousness we have in Christ. Listen to me now, this world is in a mess! Every individual has a genuine need for love and acceptance, but people go to all the wrong places to find it. It is only in Christ where we can find true love and acceptance! What this world needs in order to deal with the rejection that we all have experience is found in the person of Jesus Christ! He is the answer! Dear Christian friend don't find your identity in your appearance, performance or possessions. Find your identity in Jesus! God accepts those in Christ! What an adoption. Now as adopted children we can experience the love of the Father, which is perfect love. No rejection! He accepts me in the beloved!
As we have previously said it is important to keep God's divine order intact. That order is as follows: First Foreknowledge, Second Election, Third Predestination. Why is this the right order? Remember predestination is God carrying out what He has already determined or chosen. Predestination is an action of God but before an act there has to be a decision or a choice. Now we come to the crux of the matter what was behind God's choice or God's election? Foreknowledge. Before the world was created, before Genesis 1:1, God existed in eternity pass. Since God was perfectly existing with ALL of His attributes, then before He ever performed one act, foreknowledge existed. Foreknowledge has to be first. God's foreknowledge is inextricably linked to His Omniscience and therefore an attribute of God. In other words it is a part of His nature, it is who He is! Foreknowledge is first! Before the world existed, before God did any act, He already knew each and every believer by name. God simply had prior knowledge of who in their own God given free will would choose to believe given the chance. Now listen, it is impossible for God to go against His nature. God could only elect and predestine in agreement with what He foreknew. God never did elect and predestine someone unto adoption who chose not to believe, nor could He. God acted in total agreement with what He knew beforehand. Foreknowledge was first! Election and predestination stem from God's foreknowledge. God did not randomly choose who to elect and predestine. No man is a robot pre-programmed by God to believe or made to believed. Calvinism is heresy! It is God's good pleasure and His will to adopt all those who believe and accept Christ. It praises the glory of His grace. His unmerited favor upon us is exalted due to the fact that we are accepted. The reason that a Holy God can accept sinners is because they are in the beloved. In Matthew 3:17, the Father's response to Jesus baptism was: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." As believers we are in Christ and for that reason are accepted and valued in the sight of God. When we in our own free will believe on Christ we are accepted in Him by the Father. The Father accepts us as His own due to the righteousness we have in Christ. Listen to me now, this world is in a mess! Every individual has a genuine need for love and acceptance, but people go to all the wrong places to find it. It is only in Christ where we can find true love and acceptance! What this world needs in order to deal with the rejection that we all have experience is found in the person of Jesus Christ! He is the answer! Dear Christian friend don't find your identity in your appearance, performance or possessions. Find your identity in Jesus! God accepts those in Christ! What an adoption. Now as adopted children we can experience the love of the Father, which is perfect love. No rejection! He accepts me in the beloved!
Monday, May 6, 2019
A Predestined Adoption - Part 1
Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Here in verse 5 there is a continuation of thought on the teaching of Divine Election. So let's review. God chooses or elects according to His foreknowledge. (1 Peter 1:2) At this point we should define the word foreknowledge because there are some Calvinists who like to give it a different definition than what it actually means. Some inaccurately equate foreknowledge with forelove as a way to get around the true Bible teaching on Election. Foreknowledge simply means a prior knowledge or to know beforehand. In order to properly interpret scripture God's divine order must be kept intact: First foreknowledge, Second election, Third predestination. God determines who to sanctify (verse 4) and who to adopt (verse 5) based on His foreknowledge. God divinely elects to sanctify and adopt only those whom He knew before hand would trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Now in the current verse we are looking at there is, "A Predestined Adoption." Let's first define predestination. Predestination is God carrying out what He decided based upon His foreknowledge. All believers were destined by God to be made saints (sanctification) and to be made sons (adoption.) The Calvinistic false teaching says that God predestines some to believe. That's heresy! God does not predestine some to heaven and some to hell. Notice verse 5 again, "Having predestinated us (believers) unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ...clearly only believers are predestined to adoption by receiving Jesus Christ. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:". It is absolutely clear that God would only adopt us as children due to the fact He knew we would accept His Son Jesus. When we believed and received Jesus Christ, God gave us the ability (power) to become the sons of God by giving us the Holy Spirit. Notice Romans 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. God has simply predestined that all who would receive Christ would be adopted. Again in Galatians 4:5,6 we have these words: "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." How exciting it is to know that God has adopted me into His family! Now I am a joint-heir with Jesus Christ and He is my Brother, Savior and Friend! I'm so glad I am a part of the family of God, for I have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. As a result of "A Predestined Adoption," I have every right to call God the Father, "My Daddy!" Amen!!
Here in verse 5 there is a continuation of thought on the teaching of Divine Election. So let's review. God chooses or elects according to His foreknowledge. (1 Peter 1:2) At this point we should define the word foreknowledge because there are some Calvinists who like to give it a different definition than what it actually means. Some inaccurately equate foreknowledge with forelove as a way to get around the true Bible teaching on Election. Foreknowledge simply means a prior knowledge or to know beforehand. In order to properly interpret scripture God's divine order must be kept intact: First foreknowledge, Second election, Third predestination. God determines who to sanctify (verse 4) and who to adopt (verse 5) based on His foreknowledge. God divinely elects to sanctify and adopt only those whom He knew before hand would trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Now in the current verse we are looking at there is, "A Predestined Adoption." Let's first define predestination. Predestination is God carrying out what He decided based upon His foreknowledge. All believers were destined by God to be made saints (sanctification) and to be made sons (adoption.) The Calvinistic false teaching says that God predestines some to believe. That's heresy! God does not predestine some to heaven and some to hell. Notice verse 5 again, "Having predestinated us (believers) unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ...clearly only believers are predestined to adoption by receiving Jesus Christ. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:". It is absolutely clear that God would only adopt us as children due to the fact He knew we would accept His Son Jesus. When we believed and received Jesus Christ, God gave us the ability (power) to become the sons of God by giving us the Holy Spirit. Notice Romans 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. God has simply predestined that all who would receive Christ would be adopted. Again in Galatians 4:5,6 we have these words: "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." How exciting it is to know that God has adopted me into His family! Now I am a joint-heir with Jesus Christ and He is my Brother, Savior and Friend! I'm so glad I am a part of the family of God, for I have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. As a result of "A Predestined Adoption," I have every right to call God the Father, "My Daddy!" Amen!!
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