Showing posts with label Ephesians 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ephesians 1. Show all posts

2/16/2016

Priceless, LOOSENING INSTRUMENT+ ... Passover Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart... Ephesians 1:7






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

+  +  +

Meditation Verse
Ephesians 1: 7

In WHOM+ we have redemption through His+ BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of HIS grace;

In the literal Greek:

In WHOM+ we have  something to loosen with by the instrument of His+ BLOOD, the sending away of the side-stepping, transgressions, according to the fullness of HIS [ The FATHER'S**] favor.

Re-worded:

In WHOM+ we have a "loosening" instrument, His+ BLOOD,  used for the remission of transgressions according to the fullness of HIS favor.

 ** This is part of one LONG sentence, extending from verse 4 to verse 10 !  The subject, the one doing all these things for us   THROUGH HIS BELOVED SON+ ,
is
The FATHER !

Therefore, the pronoun HIS in verse 7 refers to The FATHER's fullness of favor.

+  +  +

MEDITATION

The BELOVED+ of The FATHER, our LORD JESUS CHRIST, has provided each one of us an instrument, a tool, for us to be loosened from the deadly grip of our sins.

That Divine  INSTRUMENT  was His+ own BLOOD. No finer instrument exists. His+ BLOOD is totally effective to loosen away the grip that sin has on our hearts, minds, emotions, and bodies.

Interestingly, the word for SIN  [ parapt0ma ] in this verse is NOT the normal Greek word used for SIN, found throughout the LXX and New Covenant.

The normal word for SIN is [ amartyia -- refusing to be a martyr ]. 

The Greek word,  parapt0ma , used in verse 7 is found approximately 18 times in the New Covenant. It means "an infraction, a violation, a transgression."

Thus, WHAT or WHO is being over-stepped, side-stepped, or being fractured ( broken ) ?  This verse does not tell us.

However, it is obvious that "transgression" means that the character of GOD, the character of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST, is being violated in word, deed, or thought.

That is to say...

we have stepped-upon, stepped-around, infringed upon, and over-stepped the boundaries of righteousness as defined by HIM+.    

We have taken advantage of His+ kindness; we have not laid to heart WHAT Our FATHER'S mercy to us cost HIS SON+. We have ignored the Price+ of our Redemption, the loosening from our death-bringing sins.

Transgression involves breaking "the rules" of GOD; after all, HIS rules reflect HIS character, HIS righteous ways.

Now, we DO know what The LORD tells us to do. In Matthew 5, 6, and 7 ( and in other places in Scripture ) there  are clear things we OUGHT to be doing, for HE+ is the LAW  made INCARNATE+.

Thus, whatever HE+ says, do it. ( John 2:5 )


No, we do not CHOOSE to live as sinners any longer. We, however, still have our Adamic, human nature to contend with as long as we are living on earth. We must train ourselves to submit to the Living Word+ of GOD.

BUT AFTER our IMMERSION and the marvelous RE-BIRTH from above ... we now have a Divine, Priceless INSTRUMENT+  which equips us to loosen the grip of sin and transgression from our lives.

In WHOM+ we have a "loosening" instrument, His+ BLOOD,  used for the remission of transgressions according to the fullness of HIS favor.

This wonderful, Life-Giving INSTRUMENT is... His+ BLOOD.

We are bought with a PRICE+;
we are not our own any longer.

The fullness, the richness, of our FATHER'S favor is freely provided to mankind in CHRIST JESUS. Our Heavenly FATHER has given the utmost to help us escape from the grip of our sins.

Do we WANT to ?

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Let us pray:

Gracious Heavenly FATHER, The FATHER of us and of our LORD JESUS CHRIST...

I have foolishly sinned against THEE by ignoring my transgressions and not dealing with them with my WHOLE heart. 

I have allowed myself little indulgences here and there, and worse, I have stifled that still small voice that tells me I am doing wrong. 

I am only fooling myself, for there is NO HIDING place from THEE.  

Against THEE only have I sinned and done what is considered "evil" in THINE eyes.

My sin, my un-GOD-like choices for self-indulgence, my hidden attitudes, have blinded my eyes to my own transgressions against Thy HOLY SON+ JESUS.

I have been remiss in battling my own Adamic nature.

THOU hast done Thy part, O FATHER; help me do mine.

Help me to submit my flesh unto the cleansing BLOOD+ of my LORD JESUS CHRIST  daily... and without guile.

Then I will know the release from death and sin that HIS+ BLOOD obtained for me... and for all who would come to  HIM+... in spirit and in truth.

Create in me a clean heart , O GOD, and renew a Right spirit within me.

For the sake of the ONE+ WHO+ hung on the tree to release me from my sins, I offer THEE my love and my allegiance now and forever, my GOD and my KING+. 

+  +  +
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

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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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2/14/2016

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

+  +  +


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 .}

+  +  +

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.

+  +  +
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.


+  +  +

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.