kcgodlyman

To be holy is to be set apart; apart from the world goals and from our flesh. Believers are set apart for God's purposes and for His kingdom. We can stand blameless before God because we were set apart from these things when we were covered in the blood of the Lamb of God - Christ! This is the only way to stand blameless before God.

Before we were saved we were children of the world. We belonged to the family of the flesh. Now that we rest in Christ, we are in God's family and are His adopted heirs. He adopted us out of slavery and into freedom. We should be encouraged because adoption is all about being chosen to be a member of the family - God chose us to be His and He loves everyone in His family; even to the least of us!

Predestination means that we had a place in God's heart from before time began. He loved us and knew that we would love Him in return. It is a reference to the church as a whole, rather than individuals. It is only scary if you think that it applies to individuals and that you could have been excluded from His presence before you were even born. Paul brings it up because this Epistle is about unity and one of the things that unifies believers is the fact that we were predestined to be Christ's followers.

We are now the hands, feet and mouths of Jesus. We are united under the headship of Christ just as a body is united under the head. This being the case, I have an obligation to continue Christ's ministry here on Earth just as He would if He were still incarnate. It also means that I need to care for other members of the body or the body will sicken and possibly die. We are so interconnected that all are affected by the actions of others.

Hi everyone, My name is Keith and I live in Newport Beach, Ca. I am 46 and I teach a small group bible study for our church and we are currently starting Ephesians. This study has already helped me with inspiration and with clarification. I also teach K through second graders in our church's Royal Rangers group. I am starting ministries to provide mentoring for newlyweds, crisis couples and for men and I co-lead a men's bible study. This study provides a chance for me to recharge my batteries and to interact with others who have a love of the Word. Blessings to all, Keith