Ephesians 1:3-10
Verse 4a For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.
Paul explains in our passage today how though the Gospel seems like a mystery, it is a mystery God wants His people to understand. While the Gospel should be at the center of everything we do as a Christian, it isn’t something the average believer has much knowledge of. There are various teachings in modern churches about how easy it is to become a Christian. While it isn’t hard in the sense He does all the work, it is more than just saying a sweet little prayer.
Because of these various teachings, there are many walking around thinking they are Christians who have no idea what that really means. Yes, they have acknowledged they sin and asked Jesus’ forgiveness but they don’t understand what it truly means to give their lives to Christ. They accept His act for salvation but it doesn’t change who is the one in charge of their lives.
It is one thing to embrace the idea that Jesus died for sins and quite another to accept the truth He didn’t die so we could continue living life as we want to. Having Him as our Savior is only part of what He requires, He has to be the Lord of our lives too. His being Lord means He is in charge of our lives. We don’t make decisions without Him and we don’t live in the way which brings us pleasure if it goes against His character.
A wrong understanding of the Gospel means we are less likely to use it properly. It may sound strange to talk about the Gospel like it is some object or tool but if we think about it in the sense of sharing it, we can see it really is a tool to be used. As we said before, to use a tool properly we need to understand it properly.
So what is the Gospel and how can we understand it properly? This takes a few things, allowing the Spirit to guide us to all things Godly and gaining an ever-growing knowledge of Scripture. By understanding the Gospel we will understand it is His work which brings us to salvation and for the purpose of being made holy and blameless for Him.
Making It Personal
How has the Gospel affected your life? What steps do you take to make sure you are understanding and using the Gospel correctly? How are you using the Gospel?
Making It Personal Kids
What do you understand about the Gospel? How could you learn more about it? How is the Gospel supposed to be used?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for choosing us. Help us know the depth of the Gospel and guide us so we know how to use it as a tool for Your kingdom and glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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