SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/4/2019
12:11 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Intro to “Unity
in Christ”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Eph. 2:13-18
Message of the Verses: “13 But now in
Christ Jesus you who
formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.14 For He Himself is our peace,
who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing
wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of
commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make
the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might
reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death
the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND
PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one
Spirit to the Father.”
We
have spent a few days looking at the alienation that we had with God, the
social and spiritual alienation. As we
move to these verses we will begin to look at how Jesus Christ cared for our
alienation when He came to earth and then died on the cross for us who believe.
Notice
the highlighted words “who formerly were far off” as seen in verse
thirteen. This speaks of the Gentiles
who had come to know Christ. The words “far
off” were common words used by Jewish Rabbis to talk about Gentiles, speaking
of those who were far away from the true God.
“Creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to
him who is near," Says the LORD, "and I will heal him’ (Isa. 57:19).” “"For the promise is for you and your
children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to
Himself’ (Acts 2:39).” By the way this was from Peter’s sermon on
the Day of Pentecost, so he had to be talking about Gentiles coming to
salvation too. John MacArthur writes “Jews
on the other hand, considered themselves and their converts to be ‘brought near’
to God because of their covenant relation to Him and the presence of His Temple
in Jerusalem. But ‘in Christ’ every
person, Jew and Gentile alike, is ‘brought near’ to God ‘by the blood of
Christ. And that nearness is not an
external dispensational, national, geographic, or ceremonial nearness—but is a
spiritual intimacy of union with the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 1:24).” “But to those who are the called, both Jews
and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
If
we had to name the problem of disunity and divisions it would have to be sin,
for sin causes people to have conflict with others because of things like where
they live, or what color is their skin, or what religion they follow. When we think of the Godhead and the reason
that there is no disunity in it is because there is no sin there. I heard a sermon one time where the speaker
said that if there was only One person in the Godhead then there would be no
love. This makes sense to me, for as we
look at the different functions in the Godhead there is love between the
Persons of the Godhead. Think for a
moment about salvation and the different functions that each Person of the
Godhead had to do with it. The Father
chose individuals for salvation before the earth was formed, the Son came to
earth to purchase His bride by dying on the cross, and the Holy Spirit is the
One who gives an effectual call to those that God chose and Christ died
for. The same is true with the creation
of the world as all members of the Godhead were involved.
Jesus
made it possible to have perfect unity in the sight of God for all believers by
dying on the cross for our sins as He shed His own blood as seen in verse
13. All who trust Him for salvation are
freed from sin now in their new nature and they will be practically and then
permanently freed from sin in their new bodies when they meet the Lord, and
what a day that will be. MacArthur adds “The
cleansing value of the blood of Christ immediately washes away the penalty of
sin and ultimately washes away even its presence.” I for one am truly very much looking forward
to that.
It
is because of the fact that we are “in Christ” that the great foundational barrier
of sin has been removed, then every other barrier has also been removed. Those of us who are in Christ are one in each
other even though many times we don’t really live like it or even totally
understand it. “17 But the one who joins
himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17).”
It is because our sin is removed
that Christ gives us peace not only with others but we have access to God.
Spiritual meaning for my life
today: I suppose that if all
believers did not have the “old nature” or as some call it the “flesh” then
there would be no disunity with the body of Christ.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To continue
to fight the good fight, and to remember the truth of Romans 12:3, and to
remember that truth is more important than emotions.
Answer to
yesterday’s Bible question: “Jesus
Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:9-15).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who said ‘They that be whole
need not a physical but they that are sick’?”
Answer in our
next SD.
1/4/2019 1:07
PM
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