What are we here for? What is our purpose in life? In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus, we find some answers to these questions.
The first three chapters of Ephesians talk about who we are in Christ. God chose us to be His adopted children before He had even created the world. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we are fully forgiven by His blood, and we get to “bring praise to his glory†(Ephesians 1:12). God has given us hope and a glorious inheritance—all because He loved us so deeply that He sent His Son to save us from death and make us alive! And God handcrafted us in Christ and prepared good work for us to do. We are no longer defined by our divisions, but by our unity in Jesus, who makes all Christians equally part of His family. Together, we can know His unfathomable love and look forward to His return, when we will live in perfect unity with Him and each other.
The last three chapters of Ephesians give insight into how Christians are called to live like Christ. We are to be people of unity and speakers of the truth in love. No longer are we controlled by our old sinful self; we can choose to put on the new self and live like Christ. We get to act like the dearly loved children we are and follow God’s example. There should be no place in our lives for things like immorality and greed because Jesus has brought us from darkness to light. Instead of following our whims, Paul urges us to be full of thankfulness to God and submit to one another to honor Christ.
But the enemy doesn’t want us to know who we are in Christ or follow Him. Cosmic forces of evil are against us, yet God doesn’t leave us defenseless. Since we belong to Jesus, we have His power to stand against the enemy’s schemes. As we put on God’s armor and pray, we will be equipped for the battles ahead. • Savannah Coleman
• Why do you think Paul wrote first about who we are, before talking about how we’re called to live?
• As Christians, why is our identity inseparable from Christ (who He is and what He’s done)?
• Does a life following Jesus sound purposeful and satisfying to you? Why or why not?
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Ephesians 5:8 (CSB)
Read Verses:
1 Samuel 16:8-13; 1 Samuel 17:1-50; Psalms 27:1; 56:3-4
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