As we continue our study of Ephesians, let us realize the revelation of our full purpose in Christ that is found in this great epistle:
Ephesians 1:6-7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
This is the most basic of all Christian truths, but one of the most difficult for us to comprehend—we are accepted by God in Christ! The fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil causes us to think that we must do something to earn our acceptance. Almost all of life is a constant battle to measure up to someone else’s expectations, a continual judging, and scoring of our performance by which we are either rewarded or punished. Consequently, to receive the ultimate reward of adoption into the family of the King, nothing but faith in Christ and what He accomplished on the cross, challenges the foundations of our entire life paradigm. To even begin to comprehend this, results in a transformation so great that we are born again. This is truly "the riches of His grace." An entire lifetime of pondering this one thing would not be enough to exhaust the revelation of God’s love that was manifested on the cross. However, for us to not grasp our acceptance in God through the cross alone, but our own human efforts, is to continue to eat from the Tree of Knowledge and its poisonous fruit instead of the fruit of the Tree of Life.
Ephesians1:8-10:
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens andthings upon the earth.
It has often been said, if we do not stay focused on the ultimate purpose of God, we will be continually distracted by the lesser purposes. Many are distracted from the River of Life by all of the little tributaries that feed it. The ultimate purpose of God in our life is Christlikeness. The purpose of every trial in our life is to help us to be conformed to His image. If we would keep this in mind it would help us to understand everything that is going on in our life. It would also help keep us from being distracted by the many lesser purposes that are constantly trying to draw us away from the Tree of Life—Christ Himself.
This should also be the governing purpose in everything we give our time and efforts to. The apostolic mandate was not to build ministries, or even churches, but to labor until Christ was formed in His people (see Galatians 4:19). If we ever let anything eclipse this basic devotion we have been distracted from the path of life. Paul wrote in II Corinthians 11:3: "But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ."
Ephesians 1:11-14
to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
"We have obtained an inheritance," and it is nothing less than the inheritance of Christ, being called as His bride to be joint heirs with Him! This too is incomprehensible, especially as we consider the sin and rebellion against God that we were delivered from. That He would take us who are deserving of the eternal punishment, death forever, and not only give us eternal life, but willingly share with us His own inheritance, is a love that all of eternity will not be enough time to fathom. It is no wonder that He is forever called the Lamb in heaven as there is not greater revelation of the riches of His grace, His love, and His forgiveness, than what He did for us through His own sacrifice.
As His pledge to us of this inheritance, He has given us His Holy Spirit to live in us now. All of the treasure on the earth is not worth the Holy Spirit that He has so freely given to us. How awesome is our God! How unfathomable are His ways! Surely, man in his most outrageous imagination has not been able to invent a story that is as wonderful as the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we not walk in wonder and awe continually? How can any who know this great truth fail to share it continually? We love because He first loved us, and we share the story of His love because there is no greater story that will ever be told.