Gracefully Truthful
  • Register!
    • GT Journey Groups
  • Today’s Journey
  • Previous Journeys
  • Faces of Grace
  • GT Bookstore
  • Our Mission
    • Our Beliefs
    • GT Partners
      • Audra
      • Dee
      • Donna
      • Merry
      • Michelle
      • Rebecca
      • Sarah
      • Sara Melissa
    • Translations Matter

Message

Calling Day 2 Into Inheritance: Digging Deeper

October 6, 2020 by Melodye Reeves Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Into Inheritance!

The Questions

1) What important truths do we miss if we rush through the greeting of the writer? (verses 1-2)

2) What significance does the theme of “blessing” in verse 3 have on the rest of the passage?

3) In the context of this whole letter to the church at Ephesus, why does Paul begin chapter 1 by repeating the phrase “in Him” so often?

4) How is the Holy Spirit a down payment of our inheritance as saints? (verses 13-14)

Ephesians 1:1-14

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time – to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. 11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory. 13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Original Intent

1) What important truths do we miss if we rush through the greeting of the writer? (verses 1-2) Rebecca writes in yesterday’s Journey Study regarding Paul’s introduction, “in just the first 14 verses, we, the Church, every saved-from-sin-rescued-from-death believer, are hereby declared…”
What a wonderful word description and declaration for the Church! In his greeting, Paul identifies three important aspects of this letter: 1) he identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ by God’s will; 2) he identifies the Ephesian recipients (both Jew & Gentile, 2:11-13) as the saints of Jesus Christ; 3) he identifies that his message is from God. This declaration of identity is then fully enlarged in the following verses. We do not skim the greeting because its significance is essential to our understanding of the remaining verses. Once we know the writer (Paul), the audience (Christian Jews & Gentiles in Ephesus), the message (grace & peace), and the original author (God), we can appreciate Paul’s enthusiasm in the following verses. As blessed saints, we are showered with grace and peace from God. For those who are in Christ, this grace and peace is lavished on us through endless blessings from the One and Only God of blessing.

2) What significance does the theme of “blessing” in verse 3 have on the rest of the passage?
Simply stated, it is everything. The word “blessing” is a translation of the Greek word eulogy, and it means “to speak well of.” All these verses (3-14) are focused on Paul’s charge to the Church to bless the Father. We declare God blessed by praising Him “with worshipping love.” (HCG Moule, A Commentary on Ephesians) It is essential to note that this passage comprises one long sentence in Greek. (enduringword.com) It appears that Paul is writing from such an overwhelmed condition that he hardly takes a breath between thoughts. It is as if Paul breaks out in a song of praise that he does not quite know how to end! When he considers all the spiritual blessings he has received from God, he cannot contain his worship. Pastor John Piper helps us understand what Paul is expressing, “When God blesses men they are helped and strengthened and made better off than they were before; but when men bless God He is not helped or strengthened or made better off. Rather, it is an exclamation and expression of gratitude and admiration.” The faithful saints of God, including Paul, bless Him by recognizing His glory and goodness which were demonstrated in the way He has blessed the believer with every spiritual blessing. Wow!

3) In the context of this whole letter to the church at Ephesus, why does Paul begin chapter 1 by repeating the phrase “in Him” so often?
Every believer has available to him or her certain, eternal spiritual resources. All those who are in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, are on the receiving end of God’s blessings.  What does Paul mean when he writes we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.”? (verse 3) It has been expressed like this, “Contrary to some beliefs, [blessings] are not some mysterious power or cosmic connection reserved for a select few. They are the key benefits of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.” (Primary Source Unavailable) Although some Bible translations (NIV, ESV) leave out the two expressions from the original Greek  (“in him” and “into him” in verses 5 and 10), likely because they appear unnecessarily repetitive, I agree with New Testament Professor Kenneth Berding, “Union with Christ (‘in-Christ-ness’) is crucial to Paul’s thought and is repeatedly snuck in by Paul. Union with Christ can be viewed as a web that extends into the rest of Paul’s theology and holds it together. Perhaps Paul isn’t simply being redundant. It could be he is being intentionally repetitive, even in-your-face repetitive, because the idea of being united with Christ is so significant to him.” (The Good Book blog, Talbot School of Theology)
(2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

4) How is the Holy Spirit a down payment of our inheritance as saints? (verses 13-14)
Of all the spiritual blessings listed in the previous verses, perhaps the blessing of the Holy Spirit is the one that best ties them all together. When we become the daughters of God through Christ, He places His stamp of ownership on us, promising us a never-ending guarantee of salvation. Union with Christ means: We are chosen (verse 4), we are adopted (verse 5), we are accepted (verse 6), we are redeemed (verse 7), and we are forgiven (verse 8). It also means we gain wisdom (verse 9) and a guaranteed inheritance (verse 11). God reveals the genuineness of the believer’s relationship with Him as the Holy Spirit testifies through our lives when they look more and more like Christ. This guarantee, this assurance, acts as “the down payment of our inheritance.” It is God who holds us fast. It is our union with Jesus Christ the Son, by the power of His Holy Spirit, that we are kept safe until the day Jesus returns for us and brings us into His eternal kingdom. This is all done to the praise, and for the glory, of God. We return full circle to verse 3, “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Everyday Application

1) What important truths do we miss if we rush through the greeting of the writer? (verses 1-2) “Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],To the saints (God’s people) who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (AMP (amplified) Version) Oh, friend, do you see the good news Paul was greeting the church at Ephesus with? As a chosen representative of the Messiah, by God’s choosing and for God’s purposes, he proclaimed grace and peace to them and upon them. It is this ‘grace and peace’ that is always available to all the people of God who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:27-30) It is this ‘grace and peace’ that brings spiritual blessings too numerous to count and too wonderful to fathom!
“Grace and peace, oh how can this be?
Let songs of gratefulness ever rise, never cease.
Loved by God and called as a saint, my heart is satisfied in the riches of Christ.
Oh, what an amazing mystery that Your grace has come to me!” (Grace &Peace by Sovereign Grace Worship)

2) What significance does the theme of “blessing” in verse 3 have on the rest of the passage?
If you follow any sort of social media, most likely you have seen it: Hashtag “blessed.” (#blessed) Though I have never personally used the hashtag sentiment, I would be less than honest if I did not admit my own tendency to equate the good things in my life as being a reward for my good works. It is way too tempting these days to post pictures of parties, or décor, or gatherings, or vacations as a way of picturing my blessings for all to see. After all, I really AM #blessed. Dear sister, testifying of our blessings is certainly not the problem. Paul was so overwhelmed by his blessings he created the longest run-on sentence in the New Testament. James reminds us that every good thing the believer has is indeed a blessing from God. (James 1:17) The problem lies with confusing the spiritual with the material. Too often, we allow our perspective to be hindered by the obstacle of discontentment. It simply does not matter if we are rich or poor, healthy or sick, powerful or weak by the world’s standards. Paul reminds us we are all #BLESSED in Jesus!

3) In the context of this whole letter to the church at Ephesus, why does Paul begin chapter 1 by repeating the phrase “in Him” so often?
John Stott says, “The expressions ‘in Christ,’ ‘in the Lord,’ and ‘in Him’ occur 164 times in the letters of Paul alone. To be ‘in Christ’ does not mean to be inside Christ, as tools are in a box or our clothes in a closet, but to be organically united to Christ, as a limb is in the body or a branch is in the tree. It is this personal relationship with Christ that is the distinctive mark of His authentic followers. What distinguishes the true followers of Jesus from false pretenders is neither their creed, nor their code of ethics, nor their ceremonies, nor their culture, but Christ. What is often mistakenly called ‘Christianity’ is, in essence, neither a religion nor a system, but a person, Jesus of Nazareth.”
In Christ, we are blessed with “every blessing”. We have them all within our reach. Read through these verses again as a prayer, and thank God for blessing you beyond what you could ever ask or imagine. Close your prayer in intercession (praying for others) and doxology (praising God for His blessings). (Ephesians 3:14-21)

4) How is the Holy Spirit a down payment of our inheritance as saints? (verses 13-14)
The Greek word for “down payment” is used only in the New Testament in regards to the Holy Spirit. He is our only down payment of coming glory; nothing else is provided or needed. (biblehub.com) The saints of God have an assurance that there will come a time when we will take possession of our full inheritance. John Calvin wrote, “We do not have the full enjoyment of it at present. Seeing that the Holy Spirit reigns in our hearts, we have something for which to give praise even in the midst of all our temptations. [So] we should rejoice, mourn, grieve, give thanks, be content, wait.” (Ephesians Sermon, 1558—59). When we fully grasp in our hearts the inheritance that awaits us, we are better able to sincerely give God praise even during trials. No matter what you are facing, friend, I believe Paul would remind you we have God’s guarantee of eternal glory, through His Holy Spirit that dwells with us. The God who validates our relationship with Him by His own Spirit, will absolutely keep us until the big reveal. That will be the day He testifies of our redemption and takes final and forever possession of His inheritance – US! (Romans 8:16 1 John 3:1-3)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Into Inheritance!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Calling Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Posted in: Accepted, Adoption, Called, Forgiven, God, Grace, Holy Spirit, Inheritance, Jesus, Peace, Power, Praise, Redeemed, Relationship, Salvation Tagged: blessing, calling, chosen, glory, goodness, identity, Lavish, Lavished, Message, One and Only

Pause IV Day 8 Self Or Savior

September 23, 2020 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

Pause IV, Day 8

God didn’t really say that.
The Bible’s message is outdated.
That wasn’t gossip, I was just sharing facts.
Sin is a pretty intense word; it’s just a mistake.
God doesn’t really care about my mistakes; He forgives everybody anyway.

Look, his ego is inflated;
he is without integrity.
Habakkuk 2:4

The Lord had taken great care to ensure His message was clear, easily understood and accessible to everyone, but there were many who scoffed. Even though God said His message was not a lie, many people decided they would somehow escape His judgement.

They felt justified to trust themselves, their interpretation, and their feelings, over God.

In today’s reading, the Lord lays out 2 paths, either trust self or the Savior.
We are given the same choice.

Whether it’s about eternal salvation, trusting God’s view of our value, or listening to God’s wisdom for living over our own, we are given the choice to trust Self or the Savior.

Today's Invitation

1) Be a scribe and copy the precious words of Scripture down word for word. Make space in your journal to write down Habakkuk 2:4-5. As you copy, lookup a cross reference or two as you come to them (they are the small letters next to certain words in your study Bible or online at www.biblia.com). If you find today’s passage a little confusing, jump into a commentary and read what other students of the Bible have discovered. (Try Studylight.org)As you write, think of the incredible gift it is to be invited into God’s presence through His word!

2) Choose one of these options to answer the invitation of going deeper into biblical community! 
a) 
Take a photo of your journal time this week and share it, or share a quote from it.
b) Do a Facebook Live on the GT Community group and share how God has been working in you.
c) Leave a comment here about it.
d) Share something God has been showing you in a comment at the GT Community Group 
e) Plan a coffee or lunch date with a friend and share what you’ve been learning and soaking in as you have hit Pause.
f) Write a note of encouragement to a sister who has been through the nitty-gritty of real life with you. Let her know how deeply she has impacted your walk with Christ.
g) For some of us, having a “2am friend” to build biblical community with is a new concept. If that’s you, this is an exciting, fresh place to be! Connect with our Facebook Community, send us an email, reach out to your local church body, seek out a small group and plug in! 

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Connect with our community on Facebook!

Join the GT Community on Facebook!

Habakkuk 2:4-5

Look, his ego is inflated;
he is without integrity.
But the righteous one will live by his faith.
5 Moreover, wine betrays;
an arrogant man is never at rest.
He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
and like Death he is never satisfied.
He gathers all the nations to himself;
he collects all the peoples for himself.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1.Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Pause IV Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies
in Pause IV!

Posted in: God, Gospel, Pause, Salvation, Trust, Wisdom Tagged: eternal, integrity, Message, Mistake, Savior, Self, Sin, value

Social

Follow GT!

Questions or Comments?

Contact@gracefullytruthful.com

RSS Gracefully Truthful

  • Questions 2 Day 3 All Roads January 27, 2021
    “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”    These words, spoken by Jesus in John 14:6, are the foundation of Christianity. In this statement, Jesus disputes the arguments of many religions both in His time and ones to come. A non-Christian coworker told me, […]
    Marietta Taylor

Copyright © 2021 Gracefully Truthful.

Lifestyle WordPress Theme by themehit.com