Ephesians 2, 1 Corinthians 1-7

Through the New Testament Reading - 1 Corinthians 1-7

Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:6-7
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:14
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility

Day 5 – My Personal Response to Ephesians 2

My acceptance and love in Jesus, and my good works in and through and for him, are all by him. He is our righteousness. He is our peace.

The good news in this passage is that it's done. There isn't anything that we can do to make this any more true.

To put this into practice is a tricky one. To respond with an attempt to walk holy and righteous could very well be a fundamental misunderstanding.

With careful consideration, what I see is that in Christ, we cannot boast. This non-action is in itself an act of surrender and faith. To boast and brag or act self-righteously points to myself instead of the finished work of God. I see this applying to all judgmentalism and pride that would puff myself up in relation to others.

If my application is not to do those things, the result will also be a manifestation of verse 14. If I act in humility toward those around me, because of my faith that it is God who deserves all glory in my life, and not myself, that dividing wall of hostility is removed. As soon as I make less of myself and more of God, I also make more of others in my life. If I do not place myself in the position of judge in other people's lives, thinking I am better than them in my good deeds and righteous actions, I allow God to create between us the equality that he intended.

Seeing God as he is in his grace and love, and seeing myself only as I truly am in my goodness and rightness before God, I will also see others in a way that offers the same grace and love of God to them.

This week, I will not take the opportunities given me to advance myself socially in the eyes of others. I will take every opportunity to humbly honour and advance others in their walks of faith and goodness, without evil judgment.