By James G. Owen
Grace, a subject St. Paul talked about a great deal. Grace defined is unmerited favor, but could be love expressed by our Creator, and loved us so much that he created a plan of salvation before everything in creation was created—before the world began. God being the Father called us to be his children, and because of sin we were separated and that kept us from knowing him spiritually, a breach in our relationship between God and us. So, God in his wisdom extended grace to mankind before the world existed. Grace was part of his plan.
His plan of salvation expanded into atonement, a sacrifice, and redemption. The atonement was that a price had to be made, and a perfect man who was fathered by God to be the sacrifice, and to make sure the price was paid in full then the son of God would give his life on the Cross. This caused sin to be defeated, and death would be defeated by his resurrection. His plan of salvation also ushered in the last covenant, the new covenant of Jeremiah 33, called the better covenant. This covenant annulled the old covenant, and it was to give all of us life, both Jew and Gentile. The old covenant could not save people from sin because the blood spilt was from the blood of bulls and other animals, but the blood of Jesus the perfect man who lived a blameless life, his blood could save all of mankind. His plan God created wanted us to be blameless, to be free from sin.
In Ephesians 1, God predestined us to adoption, to make all of mankind his children. Predestination means he predetermined his plan, and what he wanted his creation to be and how to interact in creation and in man’s relationship to God. He wanted to invest himself into his creation, to be available should his creation need him, and it proves man would need him forever. He adopted us, he chose us to be in a relationship to him, just like an earthly father and mother would adopt an orphaned child so that the child would have a life, freedom, and to take care of the orphan’s needs. The orphan would grow in maturity and fulfill the purpose and destiny injected to him at conception.
What did God predetermine his creation, man, to be like? He wanted us to be like him, to conform to the image of Jesus, and we see what Jesus was like by reading the gospels about his character and spirituality. God wanted man to act with righteous morals, to be obedient, pure, having wisdom, and come to the knowledge of him, Jesus, and of course his Holy Spirit.
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Romans 8: 29-30
How would I explain predestination further to make sure it is understood? Well, consider God the Father as an artist. The artist will have a format in which the person will follow. Not every artist will create the same, but I see God creating much the same as I would create. My process would be to conceive of an idea, plan his creation by sketching, taking note of the color palette, and whatever means he needs to execute his creation. God, as an artist I see would have much the same process but would decide what his creation will be and the extent of his creation, and foreordain the creation to possess order, beauty, and in his plan, he conceives of a rescue. That rescue was salvation. His creation would be perfect. Man’s creation would be imperfect. God’s creation would make a choice and fall into sin and would only have one way to salvation. Man’s creation may take several attempts, but is not guaranteed success, but the Father’s creation will have success as man stays within the boundaries of his grace, that he purges himself daily. God knew his creation would fail and that is the reason for salvation.
The Father calls man to salvation by the convicting of man’s heart by his Holy Spirit. Conviction by the Holy Spirit is the movement of the Spirit to cause the man to realize he had sinned through his conscience, and the thoughts of his sin will come to remembrance. The conviction will tell us we know we are not pure, and the Spirit is beckoning us to come to a decision for forgiveness. When a person decides to repent, to receive forgiveness justification will be enacted meaning he is pardoned of his sin, no longer held guilty.
Further into Ephesians 1 we see Paul writing about redemption. Redemption comes to us by his saving grace. We are saved by God’s grace, that he loved us so much he would provide a way out of sin so that we would not be condemned to eternal death by choosing his Son Jesus. Why did he give us grace? Because of our innocence and not having knowledge of what sin would cause, and never having the experience of evil. Redemption gave us access to God through faith. When he made man, he planted a grain of faith within his being, and we have been taught to enact that faith, meaning believing whatever we conceive will be done as long it is within, he will of God and his word.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Ephesians 2:8
What else would redemption bring to man? The redemption of man would be his inheritance. The inheritance would be eternal life, and to live in the New Earth that God would create for his children. This inheritance is guaranteed if we live in obedience, growing in wisdom, knowledge, and trusting in God. As we spend time with God you learn more about him, his personality, and his ways. Spending time reading the bible, in prayer, and the interaction of the Holy Ghost within us is how we learn to know and learn of him. As we get to know God, we will see his glory more as time goes by, and we understand the inheritance he has chosen for us. Those who have accepted Jesus are his chosen ones. As we interact with God in prayer, and the reading of his word he constantly reveals himself and his works. He shows us his full power in his works of the Holy Spirit through us and from us ministering to others.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1: 13-14
The inheritance is given to us as soon as we give our life to Jesus, and this inheritance was also assured by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and by the fulfilling of the new covenant. The cross gave us the victory over death, and through Jesus resurrection he ascended to heaven to sit on David’s throne and to administer the kingdom to bring things to an end. He is there sitting by the right hand of God reigning until his return to earth.
We see in Ephesians 1 that God has set Jesus above all creation giving him all authority as the head of the Church and the kingdom, and that God is Israel (God prevails). His Church is his body, his temple where the Holy Spirit dwells. In administering his covenants God has brought all the major covenants to fulfillment. His Church is prevailing in the last covenant sharing the gospel to the world so that all men will have the chance to salvation that was predestined before the beginning of creation. Grace, faith, salvation, and redemption were in place waiting for the time to come to being to bring men out of sin and to bring in the New Earth, which is Eden and the inheritance.
God deals with man through his covenants written in his word, and dispensation (administration) to cause man to stewardship (relationship) with him giving him deliverance and restoration. Can you see the love of God in all his actions? Why would God go to such lengths if he did not love us? The fact is his action is the ultimate love anyone would express. Wouldn’t a parent on earth not do the same? Your hope that Paul writes about in his letter is within God’s grace, and your hope is the resurrection that conquers death for eternity. Let me ask you this. Are you willing to change to live a righteous life to achieve eternal life? To assure your place in a beautiful, perfect place for eternity? To live and not die. Are you willing to place all things on the altar so you can break from the bondage of sin and your habits? Are you tired of sin? Tired of uncertainty? If so, make your decision so that you will assure your place in God’s record of life.
Notes:
From the website messie2vie.fr Strong’s Hebrew 3478, Yisrael.
All scripture given is taken from the King James Version, Pubic Domain, BibleGateway.
James G. Owen, Author 