Ephesians 1:2

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Just as joy/rejoice/joyful occurs more than a dozen times in the book of Philippians, understand/understanding/know/knowledge occurs more than a dozen times in Ephesians. Paul is, in this Book, therefore, not so much telling us how he feels but what he thinks. It's packed with theology. Not as if there is no theology in Philippians. But theology emphasizes what is known rather than what is felt. 

So we have God as our father. What a privileged position! We have a connection with the divine.  

John said we have not been born of the will of man, but the will of God (John 1:13). And our spiritual birth indicates a connection with God beyond what we ever imagine. 

God "achieved" a breakthrough in His relationship with man through the sacrifice of His son. 

Since sin was the hindrance, the ultimate sacrifice of sin, which is Christ, took care of that. 

John the Baptist says it this way: “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). 

God (the Father) Himself cleaned up the dirt of sin with Himself (God the Son), and now the holy God (Holy Spirit) can dwell in us. 

Jesus said God would come and dwell in us (John 14:23). That is beyond imagination. But that is who He is. He is a fellowship-prone God.

When Paul says grace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ, he is speaking of our new reality made possible by Jesus. 

He is also communicating the connection between God the Father and God the Son, that there is no daylight between them. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6). 

Pairing God our Father AND the Lord Jesus Christ says all other claims in connection with God that disregard Jesus, or lessen Him, are wrong.

Also, that the grace and peace come from God our Father AND the Lord Jesus Christ communicates equality in the Godhead (Colossians 2:9). Therefore, any conception that presents Jesus as less God than the very God of very God is wrong.

People can be mistaken because God came in the form of a baby, hung on a cross. 

People can be mistaken when they say God is one and therefore jettison the concept of God the Son. Or they look for a way to ever so slightly downgrade who Christ is. All those are errors that must be avoided. 

Instead of Christ solving that problem, when Thomas called him my lord and my God, He did not stop him, nor did he say, "That's right, Thomas" (John 20:28). He let that statement hang in the air. We can take from that what we would. But my take is that He does not need anyone's validation. 

And when He sent the apostles out after His resurrection, he said they should baptize the people in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), forever revealing the triune being of the Godhead. 

When Jesus said, "The person who has seen me has seen the Father!" (John 14:9), that was either the highest form of blasphemy (meaning the worst way you can misrepresent God) or the truth, communicating absolute equality. 

John wrote that no one has ever seen God, except Christ. He is therefore different from everyone in that regard, because He has (John 1:18).

Grace: Divine enablement; the divine quality that overcomes human imperfection. Grace also means God's preferential treatment because of Jesus Christ. Grace is also a factor in our spiritual service/functioning. Grace of God's action. 

Peace: The state of undisturbedness, but it is beyond that; it is a state of harmony between God and us, and of secured protection. Peace is that quality that mitigates all the troubles that might be in the world, because it opposes us as we stand in Christ. Peace is a function of our relationship with God and ourselves.

Peace emphasized what is absent, grace what is present. Therefore, I believe that before the fall, Adam and Eve didn't have a concept of what peace was because they had never faced any issues. But they knew grace because they expressed divine enablement. I believe there cannot be a realization of peace without the experience of trouble.

Paul invokes the blessings of grace and peace on the recipients of this letter, linked to God as our Father, who brought forth the Christ to be our peace (Ephesians 2:14), and to Jesus as our Lord, who purchased us at the cost of His own life (1 Corinthians 6:20).

The point is, there is no grace, no peace, without the foundation of God as our Father and Jesus as our Lord. 

Before the advent of Christ, humanity was in a place of no grace and no real peace.

It started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When they disobeyed in the Garden of Eden, they fell from grace, were disconnected from God's resources, and lost their peace, replaced by fear. But in Christ we have the new life: grace and peace that we get to enjoy because of His obedience. Hallelujah!

Rejecting Money-For-Blessings Schemes in the Church

Rejecting Money-For-Blessings Schemes in the ChurchAre you tired of the spiritual pressure to “sow a seed” for divine favor? Have you been left disillusioned by doctrines that portray God as a cosmic merchant who must be paid before He will bless you?This book, Rejecting Money-For-Blessings Schemes in the Church, offers a critical and deeply scriptural examination of modern financial doctrines that have crept into the church. It meticulously dismantles the notion that giving is a transaction meant to control God or “activate” a miracle.In this essential work, you will: Reclaim the True Picture of God: Understand God as the generous Father who gives to all—even the unrighteous—and whose nature is to give freely, not to withhold until a price is paid. Discover Biblical Giving: Uncover the true foundation for Christian giving, which begins with acknowledging that “everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours” (1 Chronicles 29:14). Expose Misinterpretation: Systematically refute the false application of biblical parables, such as the Sower, and historical accounts, like the widow of Zarephath, to money-for-blessing schemes. Embrace a Cheerful Heart: Be released from the compulsion and fear-based giving tactics and learn to give “just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Reaffirm Christ’s Supremacy: Solidify your belief that “Christ who is your life” (Colossians 3:4), not material wealth, is the center of your devotion. This is a vital resource for anyone who has felt exploited, confused, or burdened by financial demands in a spiritual context. Return to the pure, unadulterated devotion to Christ, where the access to every good gift is secured by His blood, not your money. Reclaim the joy of true giving as an act of worship, not a down payment on a blessing.

gum.new