Saved By Grace

When I pause to consider the great plan of God it leaves me dumbfounded. I share in the sentiments of Paul when he heralded that the wisdom of God is past finding out. He was correct; this wisdom cannot be figured out, it must be revealed to you. It is time for such wisdom to be revealed unto the Body of Christ as it was to the churches of the scriptures.

The book of Ephesians gives us a look into this great wisdom of God, detailing the plan of salvation.

Ephesians 1:1-2

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul sets a precedent here, establishing his position in the Body. He is an apostle writing to the faithful saints. Because of his apostolic gift he was able to receive the mystery that he is about to explain. This lack of apostolic positioning in the church has led to a state of ignorance in the Body. Nevertheless, in these present days, God is raising up His true and holy apostles to inform the church of the mysteries of God.

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

Let us be mindful that Paul is addressing the Body of Christ, therefore, the teaching that follows does not apply to the people of the world. The saints have been blessed with spiritual blessings.

Paul once quoted Isaiah concerning these blessings, saying,

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

These things are not futuristic, rather they are right now, in Christ Jesus. These are the blessings that Paul begins to outline to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:4

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

The first spiritual blessing is that we were chosen in eternity. We were selected and placed in the eternal Christ - to the intent that in the realm of time we would be holy and without blame before God in love.

Notice that the intent of the Lord was that we as individuals would be holy and blameless. Adam had turned over the human race to the devil. The law of sin and death kept mankind in captivity and prevented them from a holy life. However, God’s intent was holiness. Please discern my intent here, I am not saying that God wanted to declare us righteous despite our sinful state. Instead, He wanted us to be righteous as He is righteous.

Moreover, He wanted us before Him in love. His Son described what this love is.

John 14:15

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

It was God’s eternal desire that there would be those who would stand before Him in a heart that is not only willing to keep His commandments, but one that actually does. This steadfastness in obedience is what would make these individuals holy and blameless.

How was this to be achieved, however, seeing that mankind would be sold under sin?

Ephesians 1:4 says He has chosen us “in Him”. The solution was to place us in Himself. His plan was to bring salvation to the soul by placing it inside of the Holy Ghost. This union would grant unto the soul deliverance from the captivity of Satan; changing its nature from carnal to divine. The soul placed in the Holy Ghost would be an act of procreation - the birthing of a son of God. This new creature through the divinity of its nature would naturally carry out the commandments of the Lord.

Ephesians 1:5

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

Before the world was, God had determined that we would not remain under the clutches of sin but we would be redeemed unto Him. The methodology God used to achieve this, however, is where the Lord seeks to bring us enlightenment.

…unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself…

According to the scripture, our adoption from the clutches of Satan to sonship would be by Jesus Christ.

Many, upon reading this, fail to discern the plan of God because they limit Jesus’ redemption to His death on the cross. Paul explains this adoption by Jesus Christ in detail in his epistle to the Colossians.

Colossians 1:20

And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Jesus’ blood achieves peace. If it were not for the blood of Jesus we could not be washed from our sins. The sanctification of body, soul and spirit, by the blood of the cross, allowed the soul and spirit to rest inside of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost in our bodies. Mark 2:22, teaches us that the new wine of the Spirit of God must be placed in a new or sanctified body. The blood of the cross achieved this, allowing God to be content to dwell in us.

Peter teaches us that the blood of Jesus is only applied through the Spirit:

1 Peter 1:2 - Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

It is sprinkled upon body, soul, and spirit unto obedience, by and through the Holy Ghost coming into the flesh.

Colossians 1:20

And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Once again we see that it was God’s intent to reconcile man to Himself by Jesus Christ.

RECONCILED BY THE BODY OF CHRIST

Colossians 1:21-22

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.

Here is the great mystery of salvation. Christ has reconciled us in His body. By placing our souls in the body of Christ, we will be able to live a holy, unblameable and unreproveable life. This was God’s intent which He mentioned in Ephesians 1:4, (According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:)

This operation brings clarity to the following verses of scripture.

John 6:51

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Jesus mentions here that He will give His flesh as bread that if a man eat, He will be made alive unto God.

John 6:52-53

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

The Jews, unable to see His intent, thought he was speaking about cannibalism, however what He was referring to is oneness. You must partake in the flesh of Jesus Christ. Your soul must be baptized into His body. If this does not happen you are still dead in your sins - yet to be reconciled to God.

John 6:54-57

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

Here it is, by taking on the flesh of Jesus, we, who were dead, would have been granted the right to life. Moreover, we would live by the body of Christ. Reconciliation, then, is achieved by the body of Christ - His flesh and His blood.

Ephesians 5:30-32

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

One might ask, what then is the body of Christ, seeing that He ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father?

Colossians 2:13 - And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Once God forgave us of our sins, He began the operation of salvation.

1. We were first dead in our sins, and our flesh was uncircumcised from the law of sin and death.

Colossians 2:11 - In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

2. He circumcised the soul from the body of sin, then circumcised sin from the body, sanctifying both soul and body.

Colossians 2:12 - Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

3. The soul is then baptized into the Spirit of God, by which it is raised to life.

Colossians 2:9-10 - 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.

4. The Godhead enters your body, claiming it as His own. The body now belongs to Christ - it is the body of Christ. Seeing that we were already placed in the Spirit, we are complete in Christ as He dwells in the flesh. Thus, reconciliation to God is achieved via the body of Christ.

SAVED BY GRACE

Ephesians 1:6

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Notice that it is the grace of God that gets the glory for the reconciliation. It is also in grace that we are made accepted. We learned earlier that peace was accomplished by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. However, this was achieved through the Spirit of Grace.

Hebrews 10:29

Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

It is by the Spirit of Grace that our souls were quickened with the body of Christ. It is grace that has changed our nature.

Ephesians 2:5

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.

It is grace that has brought us alive unto God. Grace is God’s internal influence that is reflected in our life. This influence brought our souls from death to life, by quickening us together in the Body of Christ. Grace is the operation of the Holy Spirit in the sons of God.

The grace of God is God’s unmerited favor that:

1. Brought us to God, through forgiveness of sins and drawing by the Word of God. (Ephesians 1:7)
2. Sanctified our body, soul and spirit, through the blood of sprinkling. (Ephesians 1:7)
3. Quickened us alive unto God in and by the body of Christ. (Ephesians 2:5)
4. Transformed us from natural beings to spiritual beings allowing us to partake in the divine nature of God. (Titus 3:4-7)
5. Teaches and enables us by our conscience to live a holy life. (Titus 2:12, 2 Corinthians 1:12)
6. Strengthens our inner-man to stay the course of godliness. (Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 3:16)
7. Rests upon our flesh - anointing us for ministry. (Acts 4:33, Ephesians 3:7)
8. Resides in our heart and is reflected in our lives. (Hebrews 13:9)

Grace is the tool that has brought about salvation on the earth! All praise and glory to the Spirit of Grace.