U-N-I-T-Y

Ephesians 1

New International Version (NIV)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

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

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Today's passage of scripture written to the Church at Ephesus from Apostle Paul is one of the more confusing text in the New Testament. Paul uses uncommon words like predestined, adoption, and sonship in this scripture. Paul's main point in this text is that God has chosen humankind to be unified with God, all of the other words that are used just speak to the unity between us and God through Jesus. Therefore we are adopted, predestined, unified, redeemed, forgave etc. However we first must choose to become unified with God as God has already first chosen us through offering Jesus as salvation for those who believe.

How have you decided? Have you decided to be one with God? If so then that means you have also decided to be one with your neighbor and fellow brothers or sisters. Remember to be one with God is to be one with all creation. That's true UNITY.

Be Well, P.J.