NEEEEXT! Ephesians 1

   Haha! That was a triumphant "Haha!" Like a guy in a sword duel. Yeah. It was triumphant because it's been less than a week since my last post. There is still hope!
   Anyways, I had the onederful idea to alternate betwixt yon Olde Testament and yon New Testament. We'll see how that works out. So here's Ephesians 1. Actually, it's just the first few verses of Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1 is RICH, like richer than Bill Gates. Or chocolate mousse. Or those greasy onion rings from that one burger joint. It is PACKED with theology, and it's pretty important stuff that shouldn't be skipped over.
   It can also get controversial, so feel free to chime in. In a respectful way. There's a lot about predestination-type stuff, which a lot of people are not too fond of in regards to its "Calvinist" interpretation. I think that can be, at least in part, attributed to a lack of knowledge on the real "Calvinist" position (i.e. what it is really about). So put on your seatbelt, this could get bumpy. Maybe. And if you don't have a seatbelt installed in your computer desk or wherever you... compute, I would recommend it! And not just an across-the-lap kind, but the full on four-point seatbelt they use in racing. Okay, enough randomness! Ready, set, go!

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

I'm going to stop here. First of all, I'd like to point out how many times the names of God are mentioned, even within these first six verses. It's about a gazillion. Okay, not really. It's 17, that including pronouns. There is an immediate establishment of who this letter is about. And it is maintained! It's like a big giant sign with flashing lights and arrows pointing to... God! And it gets even crazier!

Starting from verse three, Paul goes on a praise rant about how great God is. This spiel continues basically through verse 14, but we'll just stop here for now. What does Paul use to show how awesome God is? His sovereignty in salvation.

Verse 3: God is the giver of all true blessings, and He has given us EVERY spiritual blessing! Whoah! He doesn't just give us a few, but EVERY spiritual blessing. And where are those spiritual blessings from? Jesus Christ! They are found IN Christ. Every spiritual blessing is in the PERSON of Jesus Christ. Your satisfaction is in the person of Jesus Christ. Your salvation is in the person of Jesus Christ. Your righteousness is in the person of Jesus Christ. Your spiritual resurrection from spiritual death is in the person of Jesus Christ. Your future physical resurrection from physical death is in the person of Jesus Christ. Your life is in the person of Jesus Christ.

Verses 4-6: Yet Paul points out a very specific example of our spiritual blessings (in Christ): God's decision, made before the foundation of the world, to not only save, but also to sanctify and to adopt us, and to make us acceptable (once again) in the person of Jesus Christ (the Beloved). 

And to make God look more magnificent: WHY did he choose us from before the foundation of the world? "... according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace..." So that we would see His grace and praise Him for it. People ask, "How could a gracious God send anyone to hell?" WRONG QUESTION! How could a holy and righteous God forgive rebellious sinners? Yet He does FAR more than even that; He makes us righteous, but at the HIGHEST COST: His own blood. WHAT is more precious than the blood of God? NOTHING. He deserves our praise, and our everything. And I believe that once we are free from the influences of the World, Satan, and the Flesh, we will be able to see even just a glimpse of the price He paid, and we will not be able to help but worship Him for eternity, with all of our hearts, and it will be so right!

But I would encourage you to dig into His word more, and see "the glory of His grace" more, so that you can live a fulfilling life of sincere worship.

Point of the passage: God is AWESOME, SOVEREIGN, AND GRACIOUS.