who are we? continued…

I finished reading the Gospel of John, now I am reading in the book of Ephesians. As I was reading it I was struck by how interwoven the book is with the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John moves from who the Son is to who we are through faith in the Son. The book of Ephesians continues to unpack who we are in Christ. If I were to state the theme of the book I would say it is: who we (the church) are in Christ Jesus and as a result, how we are to live. There are profound statements made in Ephesians about our identity in Christ. If what this book says is true, then through faith in Christ, we have been given far more than we can imagine. Our identity and calling in Christ is immense, even beyond comprehension. What if we believed what Ephesians said was true? How could it impact how we live? Here are some of my gleanings…

People who place their faith in Jesus are:

Saints

Ephesians 1:1 “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus”

Given every spiritual blessing

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

Made holy and blameless

Ephesians 1:4 “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

Adopted into God’s family

Ephesians 1:5 “he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

Forgiven

Ephesians 1:7-8 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight…”

United with God the Father in Christ

Ephesians 1:9-10 “…making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

Given an inheritance

Ephesians 1:11 “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,”

Ephesians 1:18 “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”

Indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 1:13-14 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

The body of Christ

Ephesians 1:22-23 “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Ephesians 5:30 “…because we are members of his body.”

Made alive

Ephesians 2:5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ”

Raised up with him and seated with him in heaven

Ephesians 2:6 “…and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

Saved by grace

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Created to do good works

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Made one with all who believe (both Jews and Gentiles)

Ephesians 2:17-18 “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

Citizens and members of God’s household

Ephesians 2:19 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

A dwelling place, a holy temple for God’s Spirit

Ephesians 2:22 “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

God’s wisdom being made known

Ephesians 3:10 “…so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

Filled with the fullness of God

Ephesians 3:18-19 “…that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

God’s glory

Ephesians 3:21 “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Given spiritual gifts to help each other grow in the fullness of Christ

Ephesians 4:11-13 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”

Given a new self, created in the likeness of God

Ephesians 4:22-24 “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Light in the world

Ephesians 5:8-9 “…for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),”

Loved by Christ

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”