It is not my usual thing to go straight through a book in the Bible the way I am doing with Ephesians. I have a wonderful reason for doing so. In the last chapter of Ephesians is the description of the Armor of God. It is amazing, and it occurred to me that the love song in the first part of Ephesians might help us really see something new about that armor. Anyway, that is where I’m going, and I invite you along for the journey.
Last time, we talked about Ephesians 1:5 being created to be sons of God and that Messiah was in charge of adoption plans. Verse 6: “…to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
The Amplified Bible says it this way: “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.”
This is so beautiful. No one had to twist God’s arm (nor Messiah) to make a way “which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved (Son/Messiah). It is so good to know that from the foundation of the world, the Godhead had a way of freeing us from the captivity into which we were tricked. It was the Accuser that set all of this in motion.
The King James says: “…He made us accepted in the Beloved.” The word accepted is so sweet. How much of our lives and our time do we spend trying to be “accepted.” Here it says that we are accepted because of the Beloved Messiah. What a tender, compassionate Godhead.
Being accepted IN someone is so much different than being accepted because of someone or because of what they have done. You see, we are accepted from the foundation of the world. The agonizing drama had not yet played out. Oneness is another way of saying we are accepted IN the Beloved. His desire in John 17 is that we be one in the Godhead as they are One.
He offers us His fulness. He offers us His mind. He offers us His Spirit. Hebrews speaks of God making man a little while lower than the angels. His plan was that mankind would reach those creation parameters and surpass the angels. Even now, angels are lovingly serving God in serving and helping mankind.
Philippians 2:5-9 talks about how even though Messiah knew that He was equal to God (not robbery), He humbled Himself to the work of the cross. Such a contrast. There is such beauty here. In the Messiah, I have the Godhead. It is not you and me. There is the Original! We do not have to be little gods. All our works are just about self…man centered, works oriented. The only way we can live IN these creation parameters is God living IN us. This journey includes “being humbled to the work of the cross.”
He has made us accepted! This is the only acceptance that is needed on our part. It will have the effect of Him living us through each and every stage that was the Messiah’s experience. How does this happen? It is through relationship with the Godhead…communion with Them in that Oneness that is our privilege to experience.
My words feel very inadequate as I try to express what Ephesians is sharing with us. Let us finish up with words from Ephesians 1:7…In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according the the riches of His grace.” According to His rich grace…it is not about anything that I bring to the table. Thank you, Lord.
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