A New IDENTITY ... Passover Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart.... Ephesians 1:6

EYE HATH NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD... NEITHER HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS WHICH GOD HATH PREPARED FOR THEM WHICH LOVE HIM+. 1 Corinthians 2:9

Meditations  for Pascha

(The Passover Season, 2016)

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Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart

Now is My+ soul troubled;

and what shall I+ say ...

FATHER,

save ME+

from this hour ?

but for this cause

came I+ unto this hour.

FATHER,

Glorify Thy Name.

Then came there a Voice from Heaven, saying,

I have both glorified It,

and will glorify It again.

John12:27-28

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Meditation Verse 

Ephesians 1: 6

 To the praise of the glory of HIS Grace, wherein HE hath made us accepted in the BELOVED+.

The literal Greek:

Unto praise of the Glory of HIS Grace 

in which HE favored us

in the ONE+ Having-Been-Loved+ . 

 translated by SJH 

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MEDITATION

We have been favored with an identity in CHRIST JESUS... an identity that was established before the foundation of the world. 

This new identity makes us "acceptable," to receive the favor given to us by Our Heavenly FATHER. 

This new identity for us, a new "definition" if you will, was set in motion long before there were any of the Adamic race on the face of the earth.  This new identity was given to us by The FATHER, in love,  an identity available for all who turn to JESUS.

This new identity was SONSHIP .  We are invited, now, to enter into SONSHIP through JESUS CHRIST. We are invited to be adopted unto GOD the Heavenly FATHER, our true Father.

Marvelous and wonderful, this new "position" in life will last for all Eternity in Heaven... for all who lay down their lives to follow JESUS.

This is to the praise of the glory of Our FATHER'S Grace that HE bestowed upon us through JESUS CHRIST, The BELOVED+.

It would be unthinkable to throw away such a marvelous gift. No-one would, if he could clearly see it.

However, day by day, hour by hour, we make choices to indulge Self instead of to sow to the Spirit. Each time we do that, we lose more of the true picture of what Our LORD JESUS CHRIST has procured for us... by the sacrifice of His+ Life.

Our actions show our priorities more than our false promises and forsaken commitments. 

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Let us pray:

 O Dear Heavenly FATHER, I offer THEE my praise and thanksgiving for calling me to a new identity, created for us within Thy BELOVED SON+ , JESUS CHRIST... created for all who will follow HIM+.

Help me to follow HIM+, in sincerity of heart and in spirit.

I have wandered from Thy SON+ in my heart, in so many ways. I have not regarded His+ Word.  I have turned a deaf ear to His+ SPIRIT. 

I have not quieted myself like a weaned child, in meekness, in order to learn how to behave in CHRIST.

I have done things not in line with the character of Thy Holy SON+ JESUS  and destroyed my witness for HIM+ even with my own tongue, at times.

Also, O FATHER,  THOU knowest my bad attitudes even if no-one else does.

Cleanse me, once again, O LORD. Take not Thy+ HOLY SPIRIT from me. Renew in me a right spirit, that I may perfectly love THEE+ and worthily magnify Thy+ glorious Name, O CHRIST.

In Whose+ Name I offer praise and glory to THEE, Holy FATHER, for Thine inestimable love in the redemption offered to the world through Thy SON+ JESUS CHRIST.  Amen.

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PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING 

be to The FATHER,

and to His Beloved SON+

JESUS CHRIST,

and to the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.

ONE GOD:

FATHER,

SON+,

and HOLY SPIRIT,

both now and forever,

world without end.

Amen.

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Worthy is the LAMB+.

Worthy is The LAMB+

that was slain.

Worthy is the LAMB+,

slain

from the foundation

of the earth.

Revelation 13:8

PRE-DEFINED Limits OR PRE-DESTINATION ? -- OR --- DARE to Be a DISCIPLE ... Passover MEDITATIONS for the Monastic-At-Heart ... Ephesians 1:5

Meditations  for Pascha

(The Passover Season, 2016)

+  +  +

Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart

Now is My+ soul troubled;

and what shall I+ say ...

FATHER,

save ME+

from this hour ?

but for this cause

came I+ unto this hour.

FATHER,

Glorify Thy Name.

Then came there a Voice from Heaven, saying,

I have both glorified It,

and will glorify It again.

John12:27-28

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Meditation Verse

Ephesians 1: 5

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by JESUS CHRIST to HIMSELF, according to the good pleasure of HIS Will,

In the literal Greek:

Having pre-defined us for placing as a son through JESUS CHRIST unto Himself according to the good pleasure of HIS will.

The literal Greek, expanded in meaning*:

The FATHER ,  Having pre-defined us for the purpose of placing us as a son through JESUS CHRIST unto The FATHER Himself , according to the good pleasure of HIS ,The FATHER'S ,will.

{ *See the discussion of the Greek grammar at the end of the post .}

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Our Great Heavenly FATHER made a way ... ONE way ... for mankind to come unto HIMSELF. The LORD JESUS told us what that one way is.

Our Heavenly FATHER has no "favorites" among mankind.  HIS Great Heart is open to all. All are invited.

Because sin entered the Adamic race, however, Our Heavenly FATHER re-defined or re-set the boundaries of who will enter Heaven.  After Adam's sin, not ALL MEN will enter Heaven; it would be defiled if that were so.

HE put limitations on the Adamic race in regards as to who would enter into the Heavenly realm.

These limits HE set in motion in accord with HIS Only-begotten SON+ before the foundation of the kosmos, the world.

What were these limitations ?

These boundaries, which were pre-set before the foundation of the kosmos, the world, were defined by and through CHRIST JESUS.

All men are invited to come to JESUS. HE+ is said to be "the friend of sinners." That is, HE+ receives every sinner no matter what the sin, for cleansing ... if the sinful one repents and converts to following JESUS.

HE+ said, " I+,  I+ AM the Way, the Truth, and The Life; no man comes to The FATHER but by ME+. "  John 14:6

Thus, knowing ahead of time the sins of mankind, our Heavenly FATHER re-defined who among men could come to HIM... before the foundation of the world, before there were any "Adams."

All who repent and are converted from their Self-serving life to follow JESUS CHRIST as LORD and master of their life are the ones who enter into Heaven.

They are the ones who gain that placement there as sons. They are the ones who receive a NEW IDENTITY ... an identity which was established before the foundation of the world.

They are the ones who choose JESUS.

The FATHER ,  having pre-defined us for the purpose of placing us as a son through JESUS CHRIST unto Himself , according to the good pleasure of HIS Will, chooses us WHEN WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW JESUS.

We cannot come to The FATHER

any other way.

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Let us pray:

Dear Heavenly FATHER ...

We have sinned...

in thinking that we can live any way we want to because we have been pre-selected to have a place  in Heaven.

We have erred...

living as though we could never lose that placement, even though we were serving Self by having that very mind-set.

We have mis-judged...

Thy fatherly goodness extended to all mankind and taken advantage of it. We even promoted un-discipled living to others, thinking that we were pre-selected and others, obviously, were not.

We repent...

of mis-representing Thy Character, to others , to our own Self.

We accept...

the boundaries placed upon mankind: that we must be born from above in order to enter Heaven.

Not one person comes to THEE+, O FATHER, except through Thy Beloved SON+, the LAMB+ of GOD, slain from the foundation of the kosmos, the world, for us.

We openly acknowledge...

the limitations THOU hast established about who enters into Heaven.

Blessed be GOD: FATHER, SON+, and HOLY SPIRIT.

In our heart-felt repentance and amendment of life, we beseech THEE to make us acceptable to THEE through Thy Beloved SON+, our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.   Amen.

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Glory be to The FATHER,

and to His Beloved SON+

JESUS CHRIST,

and to the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.

ONE GOD:

FATHER,

SON+,

and HOLY SPIRIT,

both now and forever,

world without end.

Amen.

+  +  +

Worthy is the LAMB+.

Worthy is The LAMB+

that was slain.

Worthy is the LAMB+,

slain

from the foundation

of the earth.

Revelation 13:8

*Discussion of the Greek grammar of Ephesians 1:5.

KJV: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by  JESUS CHRIST to HIMSELF, according to the good pleasure of HIS Will,

Expanded Greek:

The FATHER ,  Having pre-defined us for the purpose of placing us as a son through JESUS CHRIST unto The FATHER Himself , according to the good pleasure of HIS ,The FATHER'S ,will.

At the beginning of the verse, the verb participle is aorist active and nominative. The subject is found in the previous verses, hence "The FATHER" is the subject telling us who did the action.

The two pronouns, Himself and HIM refer back to The FATHER, by a logical and careful reading of the verse. They do not refer unto JESUS.

The verb participle, pro-oriz0, has been translated in the KJV as "pre-destination."  The pre- means beforehand, obviously.

The second part of that verb, horiz0, means to set as a boundary, a limit, to mark out definitively. We know it as the English word, "horizon."

Horiz0   has nothing to do with something one is helpless to either avoid or to bring about... as the word "destiny" means.

This word simply means pre-set or pre-defined and it refers to the defining of those who qualify to enter Heaven into the Presence of GOD. They are defined as persons who follow JESUS, whose lives are centered "within" HIM+.

This limitation or definition was set before the foundation of the world, before mankind was created.

Hence, pro-oriz0, does NOT MEAN predestination.

It is unfortunate for Christendom for that word and concept to be found in this verse in Holy Scriptures.

That erroneous translation seemingly establishes the erroneous concept of persons being pre-selected for an entrance into Heaven, regardless of how they live before The LORD.

The second issue with this verse is this: 

The "adoption of children" phrase comes from huiothesia. That is, huio = son, plus thesis ( from tithemi = to place) .  Hence, it means sonship or to be placed as a son.