Ephesians 1:14 The Earnest

… who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph. 1:14

The Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 18 on Assurance of Salvation states:

Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and estate of salvation, which hope of theirs shall perish: yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.

This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God: which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.

The Scripture makes it abundantly clear that he who believes in the Son has eternal life (Jn 3:16, 36, 5:24, 6:47, 1 Jn 5:10-11). The gospel of John and epistle of 1 John were written by John for this explicit purpose – that ye may know that ye have eternal life (Jn 20:31, 1 Jn 5:13). Salvation, while something that is to be consummated in the future, is something we possess today, based upon faith alone in Christ alone. The gift of salvation, as all of God’s gifts, are given to us, without repentance (Ro 11:29). God assures the Christian disciple of His preserving grace, many times in the Scripture and in many ways (see Is 43:1-3, 54:10, Jn 6:35-40, 10:27-30, 17:11,12,15, Rom 5:8-10, 8:1, 29-30, 35-39, 1 Cor 1:7-9, 2 Cor 4:14,17, Eph 4:30, Col 3:3-4, 1 Th 5:23-24, Heb 9:12,15, 10:14, 1 Pet 1:3-5, 1 Jn 2:19,25, 5:4, 11-13, 20, Jd 1, 24-25). The doctrine of the final Perseverance of the Saints is demonstrated throughout Scripture yet, John Reisinger has written:

The doctrine of Assurance of Salvation has been the subject of both confusion and controversy down through the years. Actually, it goes all the way back to the New Testament times. The question, “Can I really be sure I am going to heaven?” has been given a variety of answers. Some have not only said yes, but have gone a step farther and taught that you must be sure or else you do not really have faith in Christ. At the other extreme, men have not only answered with an emphatic “No!” but have earnestly contended that any form of assurance of salvation was a dangerous delusion of the devil. In between these two positions have been the many forms of ‘maybe’ which were attended by many ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ that tended to nullify each other. I personally think this is one of the most misunderstood doctrines of our generation.

Ephesians 1:13-14, we see a three-fold role of the Holy Spirit in assuring the Christian of God’s gift of salvation. First, He is the “promise,” that is, God promises to give Him to everyone who repents and believes. Second, He is God’s ‘seal,’ that is, His mark of ownership and of authenticity. And then thirdly, the Spirit is the earnest or pledge, which God gives to His children, guaranteeing their safe passage into eternity. The Greek word, arrabon, has come to mean, “an engagement ring,” in modern Greek; however, in ancient times it was a trader’s word signifying the first installment or deposit – the portion of the purchase price paid in advance which guarantees full payment. While an engagement ring promises marriage, but is not itself part of the marriage, the arrabon, or deposit, is more than a guarantee – it is part of the actual payment itself. So by giving us His Holy Spirit, God is not merely promising a final inheritance, but is actually giving us a foretaste of it! What a joy it is to know that because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, eternal life is something which we possess a share in today.

Judges 6: 25-32 Tear Down That Altar

After calling him, God wasted no time in testing Gideon’s commitment. That very night, God returned to Gideon and gave him a very difficult assignment. He was to bear a strong testimony for God before his own family and neighbors where a man usually finds little honor.

The Lord’s command to Gideon was that he was to destroy the false worship center built to Baal on his father’s property. He was to build a true altar of worship to the Lord on the very same location and offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord. The bull he was instructed to offer was to be seven years old, that is, mature and fully grown. The purpose of this burnt sacrifice was to provide atonement or reconciliation with God. In it God provided the only way to approach Him in order to become reconciled and acceptable to God. A person secured atonement or reconciliation with God through the substitute sacrifice. The sacrifice was to be totally consumed by fire, symbolic that the sacrifice paid the full ransom to free the believer from sin and death; the sacrifice bore the full punishment of God’s justice and judgment that was due the sinner. Keep in mind that the burnt offering was a type of Christ, a picture of Christ, dying as the substitute sacrifice for us.

No doubt, God instructed Gideon to offer a burnt sacrifice to demonstrate a renewed reconciliation and recommitment to God. Whatever the case, Gideon was given a most difficult assignment, that of destroying the false worship center of his father and neighbors. Gideon knew what any person in that position would know, if he obeyed the Lord, he would be risking his life. For tearing down a worship center and constructing an altar of worship to one’s own God upon the same sight was the ultimate indignity against Gideon’s father and neighbors. He could expect only the most severe consequences, perhaps even mob rage and violence. This fact clearly demonstrated the strong courage and dedication of Gideon.

Are there any altars in your life that God has commanded you to tear down?

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Ephesians 1:13 Sealed

… in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Ephesians 1:13

Upon belief, the Christian is sealed, which is the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit. Though He is certainly at work in the human heart, drawing the sinner to Christ and regenerating him, this is the first explicit mention of the work of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians chapter 1. If you will recall, we have already seen the work of the Father in eternity past, in election and predestination, and the work of the Son on the cross, in redemption; now for a brief few verses the Holy Spirit is given attention in His work of sealing.

The Holy Spirit is the prominent promise of the Old Testament (see Is 32:15, 44:3, Ez 36:27, 39:29, Joel 2:28, Zech 12:10). He is also the promise which Christ left with His disciples (Lk 24:49, Jn 14:16-17, 16:13-14, Gal 3:14). It was not until Jesus was glorified that the promise of the Holy Spirit was realized (Jn 7:30, Acts 1:4-5, 19:2). It is no wonder that Paul refers to the Divine Person here as, ‘the Holy Spirit of promise.’ He is both the gift of the New Covenant, and the guarantee of our future inheritance. He is likened to the engagement ring given upon the promise of marriage by the bridegroom.

Sealing is a manifold work – the word sfragi/zw (sfragidzo) refers to a stamp of authority, as a king would seal a letter with his signet ring impressed upon a wax seal. An unbroken seal is a token of authority, ownership and safety. As such we can imagine the Holy Spirit as God’s signet ring, impressing the image of His Son upon the human heart, marking it out as His own (2 Tim 2:19), and indicating that whatever is marked out by him will safely return home to Him (see also Rev 7:3, 9:4). The word is not often used in the New Testament; at times it refers to a literal seal, as at the tomb of Jesus Christ (Mt 27:66). It is notable that when the word appears as an illustration of that which is spiritual, it is usually linked to both the Holy Spirit and the act of believing on the part of the individual (see Jn 3:32-34, 6:27-29, 2 Cor 1:18-22).

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Ephesians 1:11-13 Heard, Believed, Trusted

n Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Eph 1:13

We have been cherishing the Spiritual blessings of Ephesians 1 which God, according to His own good pleasure, has by free grace bestowed upon us, in Christ. Having been enlightened to the purposes of God which our eternal destiny is involved in, we come now, to the earthly detail of our salvation – after having heard the Gospel, we then come to faith – that is, belief and trust in Christ. Though we cannot take credit or praise for it, it is through faith that we are saved. There needs to be an exercise of faith, without which none of the other blessings of salvation are genuine; yet although man is responsible for trusting Christ, all glory nevertheless goes to God. How we understand the detail of our coming to Christ must pass the test that promotes God’s glory alone, as salvation comes in spite of ourselves – it is all of God and all of grace. This has been Paul’s emphasis in the words, “according to the counsel of His own will.” We are not saved on the basis of our own will, but on God’s will. God never apologizes for free grace; yet, on the other hand, neither does He apologize for calling all men to faith through the preaching of the Gospel. Rather there is a tension that exists in Scripture between God’s sovereign choice and the manner in which our salvation works out in our life.

We see an example of this tension in Matthew 11:25-30 where Jesus prays, thanking His Father for revealing Himself to babes while hiding himself from the prudent of this world. In verse 27 Jesus says that only those whom He wills to reveal the Father to, will come to know Him; all this, yet in verse 28, He calls all men to come to Him and find rest. Some in the church believe that a general call for all men to come to repentance and faith is incongruous with a salvation which is the product of God’s good pleasure alone; so they fail to press upon the consciences and wills of men to make a decision to come to Christ. Failure to understand the role of man’s responsibility to obey the command to come to Christ, to believe, or to repent – have caused many preachers to refuse to compel men to come; but that is the very commission of the preacher (Lk 14:23). The means that God uses to place us in Christ is faith which comes by hearing the Word of God, which comes through the conduit of the preacher’s voice (Rom 10:9-17). No one can say they are a Christian apart from hearing and receiving the word of truth. This is why Paul told Timothy to “preach the word” … “do the work of an evangelist.” (2 Tim 4:2,5). In 1 Tim 2:4 Paul states that God would have all men to be saved, and then follows that up by stating how men are saved, as they come to a knowledge of the truth. This is Christianity. Many different religions and cults can produce testimonies of changed lives, moral or ethical lifestyles, and good people; but the vital question of Christianity is, “have you come to a knowledge of the truth?” We become Christians as that which has been previously unattractive, boring, and incomprehensible becomes the most wonderful news we have ever heard. Though it is the same truth heard from the same preacher, it is only when the Gospel is believed that it becomes alive, vibrant, and understood. The definition of a Christian is one who has rested the trust and hope in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation. It is the Gospel preached, heard, believed, and trusted that is the power of God unto salvation.

This week read Paul’s preaching of the Gospel to Agrippa in Acts chapter 26. Take note of the elements of his sermon, in particular how he brings it to a closing in verse 27. Ask God to help you to ‘close the deal’ so to speak in your Gospel witness to others.

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Judges 6:11-23 Man of Valor

And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6:12

No one could say that George Smith didn’t have courage. A daring jet test pilot in the 1950’s, back when the sound barrier was first broken, he could face anything – until he had to bail out of a jet going 805 miles per hour. Though he survived, he was afraid of ever flying again. Then, during his hospital stay, a nurse gave him an antidote to fear. He took her word to heart: “Courage,” she said, “is knowing the worst – and discovering that, in God’s world, the very worst can’t really hurt you.”

This nurse taught a lesson that all the people of God of all ages need to learn: that with God by our side we cannot lose no matter what or who we face in life. This was true for the people of Israel, it is true for the church, and it is true for each of us. God wants to teach us today how to be mighty men/women of valor; people who have the courage to stand up for God, no matter what circumstances they find ourselves in.

In the book of Judges, chap. 6, we find that the people of Israel are not living as men/women of valor. In fact, we are living as a defeated people. They have fallen away from God and back into a sinful lifestyle of paganism & idol worship. In fact, Gideon, the hero of our story, had a father who had become a priest of a pagan God. Because of Israel’s sin, God allowed them to be delivered over to their old enemies of the desert, the Midianites and the Amalakites, who came up like “swarms of locusts” with their cattle & their tents, covering the whole breadth of the land & devouring its produce, so that the Israelites had no food left, or sheep, oxen, or other livestock. The people of Israel were forced to find refuge in dens, caves, & fortresses in the mountains. This went on for seven years, until finally the people cried out to God for help, and God sent them a prophet to rebuke them for their evil ways.

But God’s sending of this prophet was a prelude to His sending them aid. For God would once again teach the people of Israel, and teach us by their example, that those who follow God should fear no one or no thing, because God is on our side.

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Ephesians 1:10 Re-united

that … He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth … Ephesians 1:10

In verses 3 through 9 of this glorious doxology in the prologue of the epistle to the Ephesians, Paul is consumed with the matter of God’s grace as it is directed toward men in bestowing all Spiritual blessings upon them. He first describes the unseen and unfelt blessings of eternity past; then he moves on to express the realized blessings of our present condition in Christ – namely our redemption, forgiveness and the revelation of the mystery of the gospel. Now in verse 10, he discloses the summation: God’s grand, comprehensive and ultimate purpose – the reason for which all of this has been done for us – far bigger and greater than our own personal salvation – that … He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. Here you have the bottom line of God’s heart, the central purpose of His decrees of grace; that for which He and all creation have groaned and travailed for – the re-unification of all things.

In the manifold wisdom of God, He created a variety of beings. In His goodness and love, He called out of that variety, some from every sort, to reconcile to Himself and to each other. God united a variety of persons under one head, namely Jesus Christ; who, in His person, is the sum of all of their natures and conditions (taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men - Phil 2:7), and yet He is distinct from them (yet without sin – Heb 4:15). So we describe Christ as being fully human, while never ceasing to be fully God. So Jesus could rightly and accurately say, “I and My Father are one” (Jn 10:30). The unity of the three persons of the Godhead is the pattern and perfection of God’s design for the ultimate unity of all creation. So much effort has been exercised through the ages to defame the unity that exists between the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit; but any explanation other than the unity of the Godhead, eternally existent in the persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, yet one in essence and nature, actually deprives the church of an accurate understanding of the purpose of God to gather together in one all things in Christ. In other words, if we fail to understand the word “echad” in the fundamental Hebrew declaration of Deut. 6:4: “Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai, Eloheynu, Adonai echad” Hear O Israel, the Lord thy God, the Lord is ONE” we will misunderstand God’s ultimate purpose in uniting everything else. Even contained in the very name of God, “I AM THAT I AM,” God reveals the unity of His nature, and so His desire to reconcile all things in Himself. Jesus Christ made this desire quite clear in His high priestly prayer of John 17, … that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

The unification of which Paul writes in this verse includes that which are both in heaven and which are on earth. So the great divide that exists between God and man is bridged, as the blood of Christ appeases God’s wrath and reconciles Him to His creatures. But then, there also is reconciliation between man and man. The barriers that separate human beings from one another are torn down in Christ. He … has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, … so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross … (see Eph 2:14-17). To see what this ultimate unity looks like, read Revelation chapter 4. God is glorified as a diverse people, who we are told, are from every tribe and tongue and nation, worship and enjoy Him together forever (Rev 5:9,

In order to begin to gain an appreciation for the theme of the unification of all things in Christ, read and meditate upon the following: Jer 32:39, Ez 37:18-28, Zeph 3:9, 14:9, John 14:19-21, 15:3-5, Col 3:11, Eph 4:1-6, Gal 3:28-29, 1 Cor 12:25-27.

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Ephesians 1:7 Redeemed

n Him we have redemption through His blood … Ephesians 1:7

Having considered in verses 3 through 6 of Ephesians 1, the great and eternal plan of the Father, purposed before the foundation of the world for us – that we should be holy and without blame before Him, adopted and accepted in the Beloved – we now begin to consider how God’s eternal purpose is carried out through the person of the Son. In verses 7 through 12, we will take up the matter of the work of God’s Son, which is also toward the end of the praise of God’s glory. Having had the grand plan laid out before our eyes, and seeing what is our highly favored position in Christ, verse 7, in a sense, brings us back to the reality that we are yet on earth, still human, still mortal, and still sinful.

How can it be that we may ever attain to the exalted place which is described in Ephesians 1:3-6? Isaiah 59:1-2 summarizes the reality of our condition so well: Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you. In order for us to arrive to our predestined position, something must be done with the problem of our sins which separate us from God. So God in His eternal wisdom and foreknowledge designed a way whereby men could and would be reconciled to Him. That way is Christ – in Him we have redemption. Christ came to seek and save that which was lost – to literally and completely save His people from their sins – to reconcile God and man. And what Christ did on the cross at Calvary accomplished such redemption, as 2 Corinthians 5:19 tells us that God was, in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. The work of Christ is the means that God uses to accomplish all that He had predestined to do in and through His people.

Redemption is required because mankind is sold into the slavery of sin. The whole world lies guilty before God in bondage to sin and under the yoke of Satan. On the cross, Christ accomplished the work that He said He would accomplish, by giving His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45), and thus purchasing us out of slavery. Today, if you are in Christ, you have been bought with a price (I Cor 6:20), and that price was His own blood (Acts 20:28, Rom 3:24-25, Eph 2:13, Heb 9:12-22, 1 Pet 1:18, 1 Jn 1:7, Rev 1:5).

Look up the word blood in a concordance in order that you might get an appreciation for the importance of blood to our faith. As you think about blood, what comes to mind? How is blood offensive to us? Why is blood so pervasive in Scripture, yet so disregarded by many in the church? Is there really any other way to understand Christ’s redemption of His people than a ransom of blood?

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Judges 5 Song of Victory

Gaining victory, triumphing over, or conquering some problem or difficulty, is a great motivating factor in life.  Once a conquest has been made, the human heart is aroused to rejoice in the victory achieved. This is the experience described in the present passage of Scripture. The great judge of Israel, Deborah, and the commander of the armed forces, Barak, had just led the Israelites in an impossible victory over the mighty army of the Canaanites. For eighteen long years, the Canaanites had held the Israelites in the bondage of slavery and brutal oppression. But God had raised up Deborah and Barak to break the back of the enemy and set the Israelites free from the cruel oppression. A great victory had been achieved over a far, far superior force. At some point after the battle, probably soon after, Deborah composed a song of victory to celebrate the great triumph.

The song of Deborah is a rousing declaration of praise to God. The hearts of Deborah and Barak break forth spontaneously in an emotional outburst of praise and thanksgiving to God for the victory. It was God who had stirred the courage within the Israelites to stand against such a formidable enemy. And it was God who used nature to burst forth in a thunderstorm, a downpour of rain that swelled the banks of the river and engulfed the enemy with its 900 chariots. It was God who had caused chaos and confusion among the enemy troops and stricken them with panic, causing them to flee from the pursuing Israelite soldiers. Praise and thanksgiving were to be lifted up to God; only He was deserving; and the people’s hearts were filled with praise, in particular, the hearts of Deborah and Barak.

May you be filled with praise as you study Judges 5.

Psalm 16 Song of the Risen

My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16:9-10

Psalm 16 is a song of confidence expressing a deep trust in the Lord in both life and death. The Psalmist possesses a security as he rejoices to know that his future is safe, and that the Lord will not allow His beloved to “see decay” (a metaphor for suffering eternal abandonment from God’s presence).

The quotation from Psalm 16 by Peter in Acts 2:25-28 and Paul in Acts 13:35 makes this Psalm particularly cherished to Christians, as it speaks of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Psalmist’s assertion and confidence in his own resurrection is not unlike that of Paul’s in Romans 8:5-11, wherein he speaks of a future resurrection in terms of absolute certainty (8:5). While it is one thing for Paul to write this after witnessing the resurrection of Christ, it is even more striking that David sings it in Psalm 16 long before the advent of Christ. It was similarly Job’s confession, long before Christ, in Job 19:25-27, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”

This was however, not always Job’s state of mind. Just read Job chapter 17 and you will see his lack of peace, as Job considers his own death and corruption in the grave. Contrast this to how his heart burned in his faith-filled statement only two chapters later in 19:25. It is his faith in the resurrection that makes the Christian a hopeful creature. True faith in the resurrection instills a confidence not only in death, but in life as well. Faith in the truth of the resurrection leads to genuine optimism in the life of the Christian, even in the most adverse of circumstances. As Paul wrote, “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18). The beloved apostle John writes, “it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 Jn 3:2-3).

It is important to realize that the Christian hope in the resurrection is not a vain hope, neither in its source nor in its product. The source of the Christian’s hope is based on the veracity of the risen Savior. If He did not rise, then we will not rise; if He did not rise, then we remain in our sins; if He did not rise, then our faith is in vain, and we are of all men most pitiable (1 Cor 15:13-19). But it is equally true that our faith in the resurrection is not vain in its product – that is, because He did rise and conquer sin and death, it will produces in us the fruits of joy, peace, patience, and a hopeful and pure life in Christ.

Ephesians 1:6 Graced

… to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:6

As we have already seen, God’s divine purpose in all that He does from eternity past, to the present, and on to the eternal future, is toward the attainment of praise for His own glory. As it has been said, God’s chief end is to glorify God … ‘Glory,’ as it is used in the Bible describes the manifestation of God’s saving presence. Though we have seen it similarly phrased in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 12 and 14, here in verse 6, the word ‘glory’ is used adjectivally to describe one particular aspect of God’s presence, namely His grace (in Greek, charis). It may be accurately understood to translate this phrase as, “to the praise of His glorious grace” (as the ESV and RSV do). To say that God’s grace is glorious, means that it is a reflection of His glory, that is, His revealed character. To praise God’s grace then is to praise His name.

“Grace!” Phillip Doddrige wrote, “’tis a charming sound, harmonious to the ear.” John Newton sang it, “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound!” Pastor Tim James wrote…

“Grace is such a singular and absolute thing that it will countenance no rival and tolerate no adornment. It stands alone. No words can do it justice. No song can encompass its true melody. No sermon or theological treatise can expound the depths or heights of its glory. Every redeemed sinner rests in it and is motivated by it. … Those who have experienced the beauty and the power of it find their minds and hearts consumed by it. Grace is mystery and revelation. Our language is salted with it. Our relationships are monitored and measured by it. Our souls are permeated with it. God’s grace is his glory.”

Our text in Ephesians doesn’t end here, but rather drives us on with a relative clause which emphasizes another aspect of God’s glorious grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. This statement prepares us for the following verses which declare the manifestation of God’s grace in history, in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (the Beloved), in whom we then trust and believe. This reminds us once again that all of God’s blessings, including most of all His grace, come only in Christ, “the Beloved” – Can there be a more appropriate name and title for the glorious Bridegroom of our soul! Blessed is the one who can say of Him, with a heart of faith, “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” (SS 6:3) Is Jesus Christ your Beloved? If so, then be encouraged by His promise here in this verse.

He made us accepted in the Beloved. With these words, the Holy Spirit declares one of the most beautiful and comforting truths in all of Scripture, the fact that there is an inviolable, immutable union between Jesus Christ and His people. This union is entered into upon the initiative of God who “accepts” (in Greek the verb is, charito-o) literally, “favors” or “graces” us. The verb, e-charit-osen (from the noun charis which remember means grace) is an aorist indicative verb, which describes a past tense single action taken by God, which in turn, changes our position. I Corinthians 15 speaks of our either being in Adam or in Christ; this positional change initiated by God, is because He has graced us in the Beloved. Chosen from all eternity to be the bride of Christ, when we come to faith in Him and are born again, we enter into a marriage covenant – a vital union whereby everything that is His is ours. To be “graced in the Beloved” means that, as objects of His love, we become highly favored. We become pleasing to the Father and He accepts our offerings in Christ (1 Pet 2:5).

This week read the Song of Solomon – as you do, consider your relationship with Christ, with whom you have been brought into union, by grace.

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