Ephesians chapter two . . .

[Selah7]

Thank you, @com7fy8  These verses in Ephesians truly show the love and compassion and mercy of our Father in heaven—His amazing free gift of Grace.  I’ll post these scriptures again because they’re so good:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

- Ephesians 2:4-9 (NKJV)

and in Isaiah…

"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.  
- Isaiah 1:18

selah

 

[Your closest friendnt]

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

[com7fy8]

Thank you for blessing us with God's word!

God has made us alive. 

"But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives." (1 Timothy 5:6)

So, a person can be conscious but "dead" . . . not only "she", but this could go for "he", too, it is clear to me. 

But I see how God has made us alive in His love. We are alive to Him, alive and willing to love any and all people, growing and maturing in this. Because God is all-loving. And love "hopes all things" > in 1 Corinthians 13:7. So, yes have hope in prayer for any wrong person, and I need to be humble to know how I can be my own main problem!!

Now, about that letter to the Ephesians in Revelation > that is not like Paul writing to "the faithful in Christ Jesus" in Ephesians, is it?

@Your closest friendnt Do we have any chronology about when each letter was written? I find it concerning that Paul could write such a letter to ones "faithful" but John would say the Ephesians had left their first love. My opinion is that anyone who became "faithful" to Jesus had the character to stay this way.

Edited November 13, 2022 by com7fy8

[DPMartin]

22 hours ago, Omegaman 3.0 said:

Are you for real? com7fy8 but some effort into e reading the scripture, and expounding upon what he/she read. They were reasonable, patient and polite in responding to your insults and criticisms. You could learn from those behaviors how to have a conversation, yet you suggest perhaps they are on the wrong site!

So what you’re saying is, as long as even the devil smiles and communicates in a sugar coated manor he’s more than welcome here, correct? But a believer confronts the contentious who sugar coasts it bluntly, isn’t ok with you, you find that offensive, correct?

[com7fy8]

 

We have how God 

"raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (in Ephesians 2:6).

While we still are in our physical bodies, how is it that God has us sitting "in the heavenly places" with Jesus?

I'm getting this, right now > if God is present in us while we are still in physical bodies, then I suppose His heavenly love of heavenly places can already be in us. And Romans 5:5 does say >

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)

So we can be seated . . . resting . . . in Jesus "in the heavenly places", by being in His heaven-quality love in the Holy Spirit 

And we have 1 Peter 3:4 >

"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)

If this "beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" is "incorruptible" and "very precious" to God Himself, then this "gentle and quiet spirit" is of Heaven's love, in us who are gentle and quiet in Jesus.

And because this gentleness and quiet rest of Jesus is "incorruptible", this is almighty in safety against cruel and dominating emotions and feelings > as it is written >

"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus," we have in Philippians 4:6-7.

This almighty peace is not only a feeling, then, but guards our "minds", our Apostle Paul says, plus this is God's very own peace, which I would say is "in the heavenly places" where Jesus is.

Edited November 13, 2022 by com7fy8

[Your closest friendnt]

17 hours ago, com7fy8 said:

 

We have how God 

"raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (in Ephesians 2:6).

While we still are in our physical bodies, how is it that God has us sitting "in the heavenly places" with Jesus?

I'm getting this, right now > if God is present in us while we are still in physical bodies, then I suppose His heavenly love of heavenly places can already be in us. And Romans 5:5 does say >

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)

So we can be seated . . . resting . . . in Jesus "in the heavenly places", by being in His heaven-quality love in the Holy Spirit 

And we have 1 Peter 3:4 >

"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)

If this "beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" is "incorruptible" and "very precious" to God Himself, then this "gentle and quiet spirit" is of Heaven's love, in us who are gentle and quiet in Jesus.

And because this gentleness and quiet rest of Jesus is "incorruptible", this is almighty in safety against cruel and dominating emotions and feelings > as it is written >

"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus," we have in Philippians 4:6-7.

This almighty peace is not only a feeling, then, but guards our "minds", our Apostle Paul says, plus this is God's very own peace, which I would say is "in the heavenly places" where Jesus is.

raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (in Ephesians 2:6).

Paul understood the Inheritance of the believers in Jesus. 

He described the Inheritance of the believers of  Jesus. 

This message to the jews believers in Jesus is that their Inheritance is not with Abraham anymore. 

That now that they are the children of God in Jesus Christ their Inheritance is with Jesus Christ, and not with Abraham..

We need to keep in mind that Paul is addressing the first generation of believers in Jesus, people like him who were born and raised and lived a good part of their lives in obedience to the Law and having the hope that as the children of Abraham at the time of their death they will be gathered to their Father Abraham...in that part under the earth where the Lord had given to Abraham for his Inheritance after his death and the death of his children...so the Jews correctly believed that at their death they are gathered to their Patriarch Abraham to where he is and who is waiting for his children to come to him at the time of their death... 

Set apart from the people the rest of the world...in their own place...

Paul is describing one of the big changes that took place from the old to the New Covenant...

Paul is telling the Jewish believers in Jesus that they have a new Inheritance in Jesus Christ..

That at the time of their death they will not be gather to Abraham as it was in the past before the death of Jesus Christ but they will be gathered to Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior.  

Paul points to the believers in Jesus that the Heavenly Father has appointed for them to have a Heavenly Inheritance. An Inheritance together with Jesus Christ. 

We are sited with Jesus Christ in Heavenly places that we cannot be separated from Jesus ever...we are with him now while we believe, as we are nourish from Jesus with spiritual Heavenly blessings. And we will always be with him even after the death of our body...which at the time of the death of our earthly body nothing can hold us back and we will be free to be with Jesus and to be with him forever.  

A similar situation will take place with the Gentile believers in Jesus Christ.. 

Paul emphasize that in the New Covenant we are nourish from our Savior Jesus while we are still alive on earth, before we die.

In contrast to the old where the people of God were nourish by the Law of Moses, and the prophets and the teachers of the Law of God...but not from Abraham their Father...and Patriarch. 

 

[com7fy8]

On 11/13/2022 at 1:26 AM, Your closest friendnt said:

Paul emphasize that in the New Covenant we are nourish from our Savior Jesus while we are still alive on earth, before we die.

We are nourished "from Jesus"> Jesus Himself says >

"he who feeds on Me will live because of Me," in John 6:57. 

So, it looks like Jesus agrees with you 

[com7fy8]

"that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7)

So, thank You, God our Father!

Humans can be kind to us, with nice gestures, give us something to eat, say something to makes us feel good. But God in His kindness affects a person with grace, changing our character so we are pleasing to God like Jesus and loving like Jesus.

God's grace turned us "from the power of Satan to God" > Acts 26:18.

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Grace has made us intimately sharing with God, each child of God "one spirit with Him" > in His own Heavenly love > in union with each one of us, He changes our character so we can experience and benefit from His love which He shares with each of us >

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)

 Yes, God's grace does so favor us, within us. And this is "in Christ Jesus" > He is favoring His own Son, by changing us to become how Jesus is so pleasing to Him.

Edited November 14, 2022 by com7fy8

[com7fy8]

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

So, we have been saved by grace . . . not by faith only, then. And "not of works" >

Titus 3:5 says,

"not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit," (Titus 3:5)

So, I see here that grace regenerates and renews a person to become saved. This has a major effect in the person, making him or her a new creature in Jesus. The washing and regeneration is in our spiritual character so we are together with God (1 Corinthians 6:17, Acts 26:18) so He is changing us to become and love like Jesus.

So, we do well to pray for people to be truly converted so they really get saved, and do not push people to just say a copy-cat prayer and go along with a church's social culture. But trust God for how He draws someone to Jesus so the person is yoked with Christ and learning from Him and therefore has "rest for your souls." (in Matthew 11:28-30)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

So, the grace doing this in our character is not only distant "favor" of only being pardoned and reconciled from Heaven's throne, but in us God has personally changed us.

And >

"He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (in Philippians 1:6).

And I would say God's working in us includes the working of "the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe." (in 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

God in us has His word working all that God Himself means by His word (Isaiah 55:11). So, we do well to feed on God's word and discover how He does His word with us >

"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

So, I see how God desires to be this personally sharing with us, all the time doing together with us all that His word means to Him.

"Therefore submit to God." (in Jamed 4:7)

Edited November 21, 2022 by com7fy8

[other one]

but one does have to accept the grace.   And we are expected to live different lives once that happens....   living the different lives does not have any salvation process, it's just a sign it's happened.