We are God’s workmanship—intimately created, redeemed, and being transformed into the image Christ.
But at what a cost! God the Father sent the Son to redeem us through His blood, and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. This is a Trinitarian work, a beautiful picture that ought to increase our gratitude the more we understand it.
Because we are God’s workmanship, He prepared good works beforehand “so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). We cannot contribute anything to God’s purposes, but we can participate in them. He gives us this dignity in His eternal purpose, though it is difficult for us to understand in this present time.
God graciously gives us resources in this present darkness that we should use and treasure. One of those resources is the Word of God. Consider the power of the Word of God—it equips and prepares us for acts of righteousness.
Another resource is that of prayer. However, we ought not to assume this is completely separate from His Word. Instead, praying Scripture back to God can be an enriching experience, deepening our faith as we adore Him, confess our sins to Him, and then present our petitions.
A third gift we may not think about is that of suffering. If everything went our way, chances are we would begin to take God for granted. We might even fall into the trap of thinking of Him as a sort of genie, granting us our every wish. But suffering is an opportunity for spiritual growth, one that can drive us to greater depths in prayer and in the Word.
Paul continues his examination of the human condition in Ephesians 2:11–13.
At one time, we were all separated from Christ. Many of us walked in man-made religions, trusting in false gods and the works of our hands.
But at the end of the day, only the blood of Christ can save us. It is through His sacrifice that He reconciles us to God. Therefore, let us not be imitators of this world, looking to our own good works to try to make ourselves righteous, but let us increase in gratitude for God, doing good works out of the assurance we have in Christ.
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Watch other videos from Ken’s Monday night study.
Looking for resources on prayer? Check out Ken’s Handbook to Prayer, which can help you pray Scripture back to God.
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In the article below, Dr. Boa synthesizes material from several teaching sessions from his series Biblical Principles for Marriage and from portions of his spiritual formation text Conformed to His Image (primarily from chapter 18, “Holistic Spirituality”). Dr. Boa focuses on agape love as one of the five forms of loves (based on the different Greek words). After reviewing all forms, he gives reasons for why agape is the greatest.
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