From the Pen of Paul

God's Blessings in Ephesians 1

Paul writes in Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ." Then he goes on in this marvelous chapter to enumerate a number of these matchless gifts.

(1) "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world..." (Eph. 1:4). Long ago—even before God created our world—God determined, "The people who accept my Son Jesus Christ shall be my chosen people." He did not arbitrarily choose individuals to be saved or lost; but He chose a class of people—those who are in Christ—to be His people. Any interpretation of this passage which removes the free-agency of man from the equation or which removes the possibility of salvation for anyone is a false interpretation. Christ died for all; He desires and makes it possible for all men to be saved (Isa. 53:6; Heb. 2:9; I John 2:2; II Pet. 3:9; I Tim. 2:4). Even the great commission itself shows that all men can be saved. The gospel is to be preached to "all nations" and "every creature" (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15). The invitations listed in Scripture also prove this vital point. The invitation is extended to all ye that labor and are heavy laden; to whosoever will hear my voice and open the door; and to whosoever will (Matt. 11:28-30; Rev. 3:20; 22:17). We are made "holy and without blame before him" (Eph. 1:4b) by the salvation made possible by the blood of Jesus Christ (Matt. 26:28; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 22:16; Rom. 4:7-8; I John 1:7; Rev. 1:5).

(2) "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself..." (Eph. 1:5). Men have tried for ages to make something difficult out of predestination—but its meaning is not difficult. God planned and designed the entire creation to accomplish the fulfillment of the plan which existed before the world began. That is a simple definition of predestination. God's purpose in creating man was that he might become a son of God through Jesus Christ. However, we cannot omit the factor of the human will. This will, given by God, allows men to hinder or even prevent the fulfillment of God's purposes in their lives. This verse is simply telling us that God predetermined that those in Christ would be adopted as children into His family. We exercise our free will when we hear the gospel and react to it.

(3) If we properly obey—we are stamped with "that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13-14). Paul is telling us that when we accept the condition of the plan which God predetermined for getting us into His Son, we are made "holy and without blame before him", adopted into His family, and given the Holy Spirit as the earnest (pledge, promise) of our final reward. God is, by this gift, sealing us, stamping us, marking us as His children; and He is promising us that if we remain faithful to Him and His word, He will ultimately give us heaven itself.

Is it any wonder, after considering these marvelous blessings, that Paul said, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift" (II Cor. 9:15)? God's spiritual blessings are numerous; those considered here do not even touch the hem of the garment. However, we do know that all of them are found only in Christ and none are located outside of Him. When you add to this list the fact that the Christian has continual cleansing of sins as long as he "walks in the light" (I John 1:7), help with temptations (I Cor. 10:13), "peace that passeth all understanding" (Phil. 4:8), prayer as a means of access to the Father with promise of them being heard and answered (I John 3:22; 5:14-15), and "all things working together" for our good, surely we, too, can say with Paul, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."

Take time to count your blessings. As the song says, "Name them one by one; and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."
—Paul Wilmoth

From the Preacher's Viewpoint. . .

In the church there are those who live good moral lives. They attend worship and get involved in some good work. They may even teach a class and talk a good talk but when all is said and done they are sometimes a hindrance to the work of Jesus Christ. They hold back the church and keep it from growing as it should. What is the deal?

These church members do not stand for much of anything. They go with their crowd and do not have the backbone to stand up for Jesus Christ. When church wreckers get into the congregation they are often in their company. The church wreckers take these very weak people into their crowd because they stand for nothing and fall for just about everything. The troublemakers talk against the elders, the faithful preacher, and the work in general. They truly hold back the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But good moral people in the church fellowship and associate with the troublemakers. How can they do such? They can do such because they do not stand up for truth. By compromising we can get along with just about anyone in the world and in the church. Jesus would have us cold or hot and those who are lukewarm make the Lord sick (Rev. 3:14-22).

People of principle have a tough time in life. They are often hated and despised of men. Jesus Christ was hated and despised even though a perfect man. God's faithful people must declare a clear and plain stand against wrongdoers and wrongdoing. When you see a member of the church run with and be a part of the troublemakers in the church, mark it down—he is sympathetic with or is an undercover worker with them (II Cor. 6:14-18). Sometimes this kind of church member is hard to see but if you will keep an eye open, he will declare himself. How can one be a friend to church dividers and the wrecking crew? By being an excellent fence-straddler and a good double-talker.
—Malcolm L. Hill