When you think of it, the apostle Paul must have been a grateful person. He knew how to give praise where praise was due. Read through his epistles and see. He must also have read, and perhaps, even memorized, the Psalms. He knew how to give adoration to God as did most of the psalmists. Read through the Psalms, this you will also discover to your delight.
There is added praise in the New Testament because of the major change that Jesus' death and resurrection brought to the peoples of earth. As seen in Ephesians 1:3 (ESV), the apostle Paul wrote,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Chist..."
The psalmists praise God their Creator, Refuge and Rescuer. Here Paul brings in the name of Jesus, or "Rescuer" and Blesser (if you read on in the next verses). God blessing us through Jesus; a New Testament theme.
Blessing, not so much with material blessings as was promised to the Old Testament followers of God and His ways, but with spiritual blessings that come from "Heavenly Places" (vs) through faith in Jesus Christ.
There would be no end of these and they do not depend on the follower of Jesus Christ's behavior. It is because these New Testament believers are "in Christ;" the crux of the matter with which Paul praises, and incidently, blesses God, back. Isn't that remakable? I think so, that's why I said it. Ha, ha.
We too can learn such praise. Take a minute or two to thank the Lord now for those, "every spiritual blessings," (nicely listed here in chapter 1 of Ephesians) and even more importantly, praise the Giver and the One through Whom You are able to receive them. Praise and bless Him.
God chose, through Chist, to give us these blessings. What was His purpose, and desire for us? That we,
"...Should be holy and blameless before Him..." (v 4).
Christ, who made His sacrifices (death and resurrection) on our behalf, now turns us, into His offering, so to speak, which He presents back to God His Father. Yes, God imputed His righteousness to us and in His sight we are therefore holy. However, now our every day modus operandi, "Should be", writes Paul, "holy and blameless" and these because of our christening of spiritual blessings in Christ!
Did you get it?
We were "chosen" to be "holy and blameless". A step futher too..."before Him;" before God, that is. This is what He chose us for!
We must examine ourselves and see if we are.
Sometimes we may examine ourselves in the eyes of our fellow church goers and they see us up there, worship leading, with what appears to be, leading our hearts out; deeply godly. Or, preaching with what appears to be without compunction but on the inside -- on the inside -- it's mostly a hollow, shallow cavity. No integrity to our actions. The actions were, just that, an act; 'Sunday-go-to-meeting' Chistian ritual act.
Exceedingly sad commentary. Paul would understand this well. Prior to his conversion, he would have rubbed shoulders with the likes of the members of the Sanhedrin-type people that Jesus would confront for their duplicity -- their hypocrisy -- their do as I say but never mind what I do pretense.
Thereby prompting Paul to write, "should be.."
"Should be" because as believers in Jesus Christ we have His Holy Spirit within us and God's word in our hands so we know and can even ask for wisdom to understand and follow the Lord's will and ways. If we feel ourselves getting "stale", ask for a refreshing of our spirit and souls through Him. Take time to be with Him.
Oh Father God, we worship and adore You, the ever Living God. We give You thanks and praise for all those spiritual blessings You have bestowed upon us, "in Christ". However, oh Father, how we fail You greatly and miserably at times! How we put Your name and the name of Your children to shame time and again.
So many of those who we've seen as great leaders in the Christian community, even globally, who have had so much influence, not just among Your children but even among those who would deny Your very existance; they did not engage the "should be". They "should be holy and blameless" but weren't. Great is their downfall. Your name in disrepute.
We are so sorry and sad. Make each of us more conscience of looking into Your mirror and examining ourselves by Your standard of holiness. Don't let us go away and forget what we look like until we have activated the "should be holy and blameless, in Christ". Until we have fallen on our faces in front of You, our holy and righteous God, and have confessed to You our unholiness and un-blamelessness. We praise You and thank-You that Jesus will forgive and cleanse to once again present us "holy and blameless in Christ, in progressive sanctification.
Then we can bless you back as Paul did and give You thanks and praise for all our spiritual blessings; for chosing us even before You laid the foundations of this world! That's amazing and mind-boggling, by-the-way! Last but not least, for sure, for giving us the way to be, "should be holy and blameless".
Then we can serve You in greater humility and genuinity before the congregations of Your children and even of the peoples of the earth who do not yet know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. In so doing, to bless You back, even as the apostle Paul did and encouraged the Ephesians to do, too.
It is in Jesus' name we pray and by His grace we walk holy and blameless. Thank-You, Jesus.
~ERC March 2021~
Based on Ephesians 1:3-4 (ESV)
Sing, Shine Jesus Shine, with St. Laurence's Church Chorley
