Ephesians; 1:4 – Election of church age believer, part 40. The elected priest

Ephesians; 1:4 – Election of church age believer, part 40. The elected priest.

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.

All believers have been imputed with the divine righteousness of God. They have perfect standing before God, which renders unnecessary all works of human merit.

At the moment of salvation, our sins are forgiven because of the judgment upon Christ, we are imputed with God’s righteousness, which gives us a perfect standing before God, eliminating any work of human merit, and we have been released from the captivity of Satan who had power over death.

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.

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.

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.

Last time we saw the rest of this chapter and that it consists of the way of this service, which is fully comprised of service to others in virtue.

And, the service of others is in essence service to the Lord. As you have done it to others, you have done it to Him.

Rom 14:7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;

Rom 14:8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Rom 14:9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

I believe that there is quite a bit to this life that we will yet understand until we are in heaven. There are so many commands demanding our loss of the self-life and doing for others, but we don’t find long treatises on why it glorifies God or is so beneficial for us and others. There are the obvious benefits. Helping others is beneficial to them and losing ourselves is beneficial to us. Is there more to it than that? Is it possible for God to explain to us why His life works so beautifully in all its glorious detail? Just like salvation, we see that it works, and works quite wonderfully, and there is never a time when it doesn’t work. People argue incessantly about things like election and predestination because of the obvious unknowns, but I think there are many more of these unknowns which are just not as obvious. Jesus said, “if you know these things (why I washed your feet and why you should do the same to others), blessed are you if you do them.”

God does not tell us all the glorious details of why loss of self is the perfect life. Even for the perfect Man Jesus this was so. He does tell us over and over to do it.

Joh 13:12 And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?

Do we know what He has done for us? We know what is revealed, but do we really think that we know all about it? The Son of God begotten and eternal, born of a virgin and therefore taking on humanity, which in essence makes Him unique among the Trinity who are co-equal and unchangeable. He takes the role of a servant, though He was perfect. He denies the expression of His deity, for a time. What was the Son of God expressing in the thirty or so years of His humanity? He allows Himself to be tempted by His enemy. He weeps. He is often filled with sorrow. He is tempted and weakened. The God-Man is thirsty and hungry? He allows Himself to be tried unfairly in an illegal court and doesn’t say a word about it, other than that, yes He was the Son of God. He constantly serves and teaches His disciples who constantly waiver in their faith. He chooses one of them who He knew would betray Him. He allows Himself to be nailed to a cross and to be forsaken by His Father so that He could be judged for the sins of the world, even for those who would not believe in Him. Do we really know all of what He has done for us and to us? Perhaps the silence of the disciples is more wise than it is ignorant.

Joh 13:12 And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?

Joh 13:13 "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.

Joh 13:14 "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

Joh 13:15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

Joh 13:16 "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

Joh 13:17 "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Joh 13:18 "I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.'

Psa 41:9

Even my close friend, in whom I trusted,

Who ate my bread,

Has lifted up his heel against me.

Joh 13:19 "From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.

Joh 13:20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."

Receiving others, meaning the extension of charitable virtues to them, is in essence receiving Jesus Christ, and that is the function of our elected, royal priesthood.

Predestination and foreknowledge happen at the same time. “I know the ones that I have chosen.” When God foreknows something, it has to happen. His knowledge is not chronological, which is an unknown concept for us. The closest example I can think of is an author writing a fictional novel. He has already planned the entire story and then he sets to writing it. The end from the beginning is in his mind as he writes, but like all analogies, it is not a perfect one, since as he is writing things may change in his mind and the process of writing is chronological.

God foreknows things because He planned out those things and within that plan He allowed certain human freedoms/choices.

God foreknew that Judas would betray Jesus and that made it certain, however, Judas was not under compunction from God. He chose to do it.

Joh 6:60

Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"

Isa 46:8-11

“Remember this, and be assured …

For I am God, and there is no other …

Declaring the end from the beginning

And from ancient times things which have not been done,

Saying, 'My purpose will be established,

And I will accomplish all My good pleasure' …

Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it, surely I will do it.”

We scratch our heads and wonder how it could all happen without God forcing some men to faith and others to judgment. But, we must stop scratching and remember our part in this wonderful, grand plan.

Joh 13:16 "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

Joh 13:17 "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

And,

Joh 13:20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."

Receiving others, meaning the extension of charitable virtues to them, is in essence receiving Jesus Christ and that is the function of our elected, royal priesthood.

God has allowed plenty of people to reject the plain truth of what the Creator desires the human race to be in order to serve as examples for us of what not to do.

Rom 9:21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?

Rom 9:22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

Pastor Ed Collins’ blog 1/5/19:

“So what if it takes us a little longer [avoiding areas that lead us into sin], if it requires a little more patience, and if it demands a bit of endurance. Let our lives shine for all to see, to God’s glory! “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). We are God’s children. We have been prepared from eternity past for a purpose, and it isn’t to be seen as the idiot jumping up and down on thin ice. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).”

Again, our main passage:

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.