Ephesians; 1:4 – Election of church age believer, part 39. The elected priest.

Tuesday January 8, 2019

 

We are currently looking at passages in the NT concerning the election of the church age believer.

 

So far, we have covered:

 

3) Passages where election is applied to believers in this age:

 

3a. The elect are to reveal the emptiness of human desire for life without God, 1CO 1:27-29.

 

3b. Worldly status has no bearing on this position and the elect realize that they are poor in worldly good and rich towards God, JAM 2:5.

 

3c. Our election freely gives us all things. God will always be for us and His love will never separate from us, ROM 8:31-39.

 

3d. Election is to Christ’s love which is to unify our entire heart in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, gentleness, patience, forbearance, and forgiveness, COL 3:12-17.

 

COL 3:12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

 

COL 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

 

COL 3:14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

 

“And upon all these things put on love which is a binding factor of perfection or completeness.” [better translation]  

 

COL 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

 

COL 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

 

COL 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

 

3e. The elect endure all things for the sake of one another, which pleases God, 2TI 2:1-10.

 

2TI 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

 

2TI 2:2 And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

 

2TI 2:3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

 

2TI 2:4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

 

2TI 2:5 And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

 

2TI 2:6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

 

2TI 2:7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

 

2TI 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,

 

2TI 2:9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

 

2TI 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

 

3f. The believer is elected according to the foreknowledge of God, 1PE 1:2.

 

1PE 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen

 

1PE 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.

 

3g. The elect are royal priests in the kingdom of God, 1PE 2:1-10.

 

1PE 2:1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,

 

1PE 2:2 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

 

1PE 2:3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

 

1PE 2:4 And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice [chosen or elect] and precious in the sight of God,

 

1PE 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 

And while the OT priest offered up animals and incense, the priest in the royal house of God offers spiritual sacrifices, but only the ones that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 

The OT priest assisted and served the people in the ritualistic worship of God. The royal priest serves others in the true worship of God.

 

When you love, serve, give, and pray for others, you are a royal priest assisting and leading them in their real relationship with God through Jesus Christ. In all charitable virtues there is the goal of helping others to see and experience the life that is Christ. The end goal is not rewards for ourselves, but actually assisting others in their relationship with God. All of Paul’s recorded prayers in his epistles are for others to enter into the fulness of their relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

 

Spiritual sacrifices are not ascetic formulas or rituals, but the life of charity or love within the believer. The less personal and less real Christianity becomes to people, the greater are the rituals and formulas within the churches. If a person has to be forced into a religion, he prefers the ritual. If he desired a real relationship with God, he would not need to be forced.

 

The believer priest in this age has been blessed by the Father with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. These are used by the believer is service of others in the divine love of God.

 

Spiritual sacrifices: charitable virtues are in view, such as compassion, kindness, graciousness, patience, gentleness, goodness, forbearance, and forgiveness which are all wrapped tight by the perfect bond of love, COL 3:12-14.

 

ROM 12:1 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

 

ROM 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

Presenting yourself to God as your spiritual service of worship is then spelled out by Paul in four chapters (12-15). It is the lifestyle of the elect priest.

 

ROM 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

 

If you think more highly of yourself than you ought, then you will be of no service to anyone but yourself.

 

ROM 12:4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

 

ROM 12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

 

We are many, but we are members of one another.

 

ROM 12:6 And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;

 

ROM 12:7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;

 

ROM 12:8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

 

ROM 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

 

ROM 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

 

ROM 12:11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

 

ROM 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

 

ROM 12:13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

 

ROM 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.

 

ROM 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

 

ROM 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

 

ROM 12:17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

 

ROM 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

 

ROM 12:19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

 

ROM 12:20 "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." [not his destruction, but firing up his conscience]

 

ROM 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

For what purpose do we behave toward others in this way? Helping, building, edifying them.

 

ROM 14:19 So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

 

ROM 15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.

 

These spiritual sacrifices, these charitable virtues are a part of the meaning of life, the meaning of Christ’s life. The people of the world who reject Christ, reject life. Some believers resist the Holy Spirit and reject them. Yet, this is the life.