Through the New Testament Reading - Romans 6-10
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 3 – Key Verses Considered
Ephesians 2:6-7
In Christ's death he became like us in our spiritual deadness. In his resurrection, he opened the door for us to become like him in his spiritual life. By God's grace, because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are made perfectly whole, and worthy to be in the presence of God with Jesus. God is pleased to let his grace be seen in how he is now able to accept and love even us. His grace in our life preaches that he is kind and good.
Ephesians 2:8-10
By placing your trust completely in the life and work of Jesus on your behalf, you are saved from your spiritual deadness and made alive in him. If any of your hope remains in your own efforts to be "good enough" you are an arrogant fool. How can you be "good enough" for God. This would only lead you to self righteously hold your own standard above others. The good news is better than this. We are all equally acceptable to God now, no matter who we are, no matter where we're from. It's entirely a gift of his grace, and transcends everything you can do, and everything you fail to do. God was the one who first picked up the tools, the first to put his hands to work in making you, and he is the one who gave you the ability and desire to do good works yourself. You can't point to yourself. It's all from him, the creating and the redeeming. Now that we're made alive spiritually, we can get on with this good life, this real, God-honouring life that he planned for us to walk in all along.
Ephesians 2:14
Jesus broke the barrier between a perfect, holy God, and created beings that had declared war against him. With that wall broken down, true peace can now reign in our hearts, and in the heart of all creation. Since all creation is now equally under the reign of the prince of peace, there is no longer any real barrier that can stand between people to keep them enemies. God has leveled the field between us. We are equal, and equally precious to him.
+
James 4:1-12
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
No comments:
Post a Comment