EPHESIANS 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Jesus lights the flame of the fruit of Holy Spirit, that piece of the Father, that is in every human born. Without Him it remains dormant. Without Him it is impossible to be reconciled to God.
Galatians 5:19-26 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
The flesh when separated from the Sprit of God is left to its base, survivalist, nature. It is not under the covering of God until we are reunited with Him through Jesus.
Romans 5:8-11 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
The Lord can open our hearts to His message. It is up to us to accept it. In His love for His creation God sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, to die for our sin. He broke the bonds of sin and death on our lives. He takes our heart of stone and replaces it with His heart of love. In His mercy and love for His creation we enter into His grace in reconciliation. In Jesus, by God’s grace, we are saved and not by our works lest anyone can boast. Carla
Christ died for us the proof and revelation of God’s love for His people. We have been declared righteous in Him. By His blood refers to Christ’s death, which put the ungodly in right relationship with God. Atonement through sacrifice required blood (Hebrews 9:22). Atonement In this context, the Greek verb used here, sōzō, probably refers to deliverance from final judgment. Christ has saved people from sin now so that they can begin to live in right relationship with Him, and He will save them in the future from judgment. Paul probably has in mind both humanity’s sinful rebellion against God’s ways and God’s wrathful response to their sinful ways. The Greek word used here for reconciled, katallassō, describes bringing two hostile parties into friendly relations.
The death of Christ was the means by which God and humanity were reconciled (Isaiah 53:10–12). Through Christ’s death, God pardoned the sinner and condemned the sin (Romans 8:3), thereby demonstrating His care and concern for sinful humanity. By His life refers to the resurrection life of the risen Christ. People are saved by their union with the risen Christ and His mediation on their behalf. Reconciliation Indicates that Jesus has repaired the relationship between God and humankind (2 Corinthians 5:18). Faithlife Study Bible
If God loved us when we were helpless, ungodly enemies, how much more will He love us now that we are His children? By His blood … through the death of His Son we have been justified, that is “declared righteous,” and reconciled, meaning our state of alienation from God has been changed. Believers are no longer enemies of God; they are at peace with God. Many take these verses to refer to final salvation from the presence of sin. But in this context, Paul goes on to discuss being saved from the power of sin. Thus wrath here is God’s present wrath (1:18), and His life is the life of Christ in believers (verse 18). The point is that since God’s love and the death of Christ have brought us justification, then as a result of that love, we can also expect salvation from God’s wrath. The NKJV Study Bible.
justification (Gk. dikaiōsis) (4:25; 5:18) Strong’s #1347: The Greek noun for justification is derived from the Greek verb dikaioō, meaning “to acquit” or “to declare righteous” (used by Paul in 4:2, 5; 5:1). It is a legal term used of a favorable verdict in a trial. The word depicts a courtroom setting, with God presiding as the Judge, determining the faithfulness of each person to the Law. In the first section of Romans, Paul makes it clear that no one can withstand God’s judgment (3:9–20). The Law was not given to justify sinners but to expose their sin. To remedy this deplorable situation, God sent His Son to die for our sins, in our place. When we believe in Jesus, God imputes His righteousness to us, and we are declared righteous before God. In this way, God demonstrates that He is both a righteous Judge and the One who declares us righteous, our Justifier (3:26).
reconciliation (Gk. katallagē) (5:11; 11:15; 2 Cor. 5:18, 19) Strong’s #2643: The Greek word basically means “change” or “exchange.” In the context of relationships between people, the term implies a change in attitude on the part of both individuals, a change from enmity to friendship. When used to describe the relationship existing between God and a person, the term implies the change of attitude on the part of both a person and God. The need to change the sinful ways of a human being is obvious; but some argue that no change is needed on the part of God. But inherent in the doctrine of justification is the changed attitude of God toward the sinner. God declares a person who was formerly His enemy to be righteous before Him.
2 Corinthians 5:18–20 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation…
Colossians 1:20–22 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled…
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
This week, let us take heart in the truth that, “In the shelter of each other the people live.”
My head (and my heart) find solace in this story from my memory, about connection and shelter, both present and healing, even in a sad and terrifying incident which occurred during the tragic Sarajevo war.
A reporter, covering the fighting and violence in the middle of the city, watched a little girl fatally shot by a sniper. The reporter threw down whatever he held, rushing immediately to the aid of a man who knelt on the pavement cradling the child.
As the man carried the child, the reporter guided them to his car, and sped off to a hospital. “Hurry my friend,” the man urged, “my child is still alive.”
A moment or two later he pleaded, “Hurry my friend, my child is still breathing.”
And a little later, “Please my friend, my child is still warm.”
Although the reporter drove as fast as was possible, by the time they arrived at the hospital, the little girl had died. As the two men were in the lavatory, washing the blood off their hands and their clothes, the man turned to the reporter and said, “This is a terrible task for me. I must now go tell her father that his child is dead. He will be heartbroken.”
The reporter stood speechless. He looked at the grieving man and said, “I thought she was your child.”
The man shook his head. “No. But aren't they all our children?’
Yes. They are.
We live in a world that can be cruel and merciless. And brutalizing.
And there are a heap plenty of people and systems to blame. (Although it is always some “other” people, and some “other” system.)
But the truth is that we wound one another.
We wound with real wars, and real bullets.
And we wound with words, with hatred and resentment.
And we wound with intolerance and small-mindedness (some of it in the name of “love” and God).
So. Let us pause.
And let us take to heart Mother Teresa’s reminder, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
Well, if we do belong to one other, then “they”—the “least of these” and those without voices—are indeed, our children.
Ours to care for.
Ours to listen to.
Ours to see.
Sabbath Moments
Tuning up
Beloved, God of peace,
I listen for your voice alone.
Amid chaos and disturbance
I tune my heart to the silence within.
Amid the swirling, the urgency,
I surrender to your serenity.
Despite the shouting of hate and greed
I seek harmony with your love.
Despite the noise of force and threat
I tune myself to your song of peace.
Even despite my fear of unworthiness,
Beloved, bring my heart into perfect pitch.
Tune my heart to your love,
that I may live in harmony with your grace.
Amen.
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
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