Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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THE RESTORING  CHRIST


Rev. B. Mathew
St. James MTC NY

V.10.  '  We are called by God for good workers. We are saved for good works and never by good works'.


                         The first three chapters of Ephesians can be titled as 'the calling and design of the church. In chapter 2 Paul describes the Church is likened to a building, it's cornerstone  is Jesus Christ Himself  and believers are fitly framed together  to form a holy temple in the Lord.
                         Paul explains the fact how God creates a new man that He created originally in His own image and likeness but who through disobedience falls from his lofty position. In the fullness of time God sent His son. Through His virtue,  life, victorious death and victorious  resurrection He is restoring to the Father His fallen creatures. Here Paul emphasis the need for being made a new creation by reviewing the believer's past history before they became saved.

                    Here in today's passage (2:1-10) Paul explains a triad of evil and a triad of good. The ravaging forces - the world, the flesh and the devil(v.1-3),the redeeming facts - mercy, love and grace (v:4-6)and resulting features like alive together with Christ, raised up together with Christ and made to sit together in heavenly places. God's plan for redemption is revealed in what Christ did for us. Through the atonement Christ provides the way to resolve our broken relationship  with God. In other ways God provides us an opportunity to restore our broken relationship with Him through Christ's death and resurrection .

                       God knows us personally and loves more than we can comprehend. To accomplish His plan He provides Christ, that is the important gift we can ever receive. Through Christ we are experiencing forgiveness, restoration and the promise of spiritual life that begins now and lasts for ever. The word redeemed implies the idea of a slave standing on the trader's auction block being offered to the highest bidder. At last the price is paid by a compassionate new owner, who then gives the slave his unconditional freedom. But the freed slave out of gratitude to his new owner offers himself as a living bond servant for life to his redeemer.

                                             In v.10, Paul affirms that we are created, and transformed for good workers. In other ways we are His workmanship  doing His works.The good works spoken of here constitute one of the purpose of God in saving us.

PRAYER

Thank you, Lord , for Your mercy, love and grace. Enable us through the power of the spirit  to do Your good works. Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
'Spiritual blessings come only through undeserved grace -  True  faith demands not only our words, but our actions'.

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