“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6 NASB1995)
God the Father is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is not only the only begotten Son of God, born of a virgin, and conceived of the Holy Spirit, but he is God, and he is our creator God, and he was with God in the beginning, and he always existed with God. And while he lived on the earth he was fully man and he was fully God (God incarnate). And he never sinned. And one day he became the sacrifice for our sins on a cross so we can die to sin and live for God.
And these words here in this Scripture passage are being spoken to those who are in Christ Jesus by faith in Jesus Christ – a faith which is born of God, which is gifted to us by God, and which is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirement that we die to sin and we are changed in heart and mind away from our sin so that we will now obey God and his commands, in daily practice. This faith is not of human flesh lest we should boast that we earned our own salvation.
[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]
And those who are of such faith as this in Jesus, who have denied self and died to sin, by the Spirit, who have made Jesus their Lord and Master, and who are now walking (in conduct) in obedience to his commands in holy living, in the power of God, they have been blessed of God with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. We are the body of Christ, his church. We not only have been given salvation from sin, and the hope of eternal life with God, but God has gifted us, too, with spiritual blessings.
And what do these spiritual blessings look like? Well, first of all we have forgiveness of all sins, and we are given the hope of eternal life with God, both of which are contingent on us continuing to die to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. This does not require that we never sin (1 John 2:1-2), but that we not profess faith in our Lord and then continue right on living like we had been living in willful and habitual sin against our Lord, and not in walks of obedience to his commands.
For what does this say next?
He chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him. And to be holy means to be pure of heart and mind in Christ Jesus, to live righteously, faithful in Christ Jesus to the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles which are for all of us who believe in Jesus. And it means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus, as we cooperate fully with his work of grace in our lives.
And to be blameless is to be righteous, morally clean, upright, and godly people, by genuine biblical faith in Christ Jesus, by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in purifying our hearts and in making us to be more like Jesus. And this is of God, but it requires our full cooperation and participation with God and with his plan and purpose for our lives. Again this doesn’t mean that we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2), but that sin must no longer have mastery over our lives, but we are now to live holy unto God.
For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
A Believer’s Prayer
An Original Work / July 31, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.
Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.
Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.
He Chose Us in Him
An Original Work / November 6, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
