Made Holy Dan Hudson
Ephesians begins with these remarkable words of address: “to God’s holy people in Ephesus”, not describing a sub-group within the church but the whole church in Ephesus.
Ephesians 1
In the past most of the Ephesian church could never have hoped to be described as 'God's holy people'! In Acts 19 we read of a mixed group, some who had been spiritual seekers, others had been heavily involved in the occult in their past, others in idol worship. People say “a leopard can’t change its spots”, but something had clearly happened for these people, for them now to be called “saints” or holy ones.
This change seemed to happen in a moment. Verse 13 says, “When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”
There are two types of “righteousness” for a Christian to enjoy and understand. One is “imputed” (given to him/her) as a gift. This is right standing before a holy God so that we are called saints, holy ones. The other is “imparted”. This is a process of becoming more like Christ through partnering with the indwelling Spirit. It is completed when we see Jesus face to face.
God’s ultimate plan is for a set apart people to be like Him in name and also in behaviour. The whole of the narrative of the church is destined for that day when Christ will present the church “to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or blemish, holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:27)
Questions:
Life change. The gospel is all about life change (See Acts 19 – misinformed people coming to know Jesus, idol worshippers becoming Jesus-worshippers). How has your life changed (or is changing) since following Jesus?
Authenticity v Accepting God’s truth about us. Is there any conflict between describing yourself as fully Holy and also as a work in progress with regards to Holiness?
Motivated by guilt or grace. Paul uses grace to motivate Christians to Christ-like behaviour, whereas many people default to using guilt to get things done. Why is grace better than guilt?
The hymn says, “When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within- upward I look and see him there who made and end to all my sin”. Why is it important to answer temptation on the basis of Christ’s righteousness rather than our own feelings?
Second-class Christians? Paul only had one category for Christians: “God’s Holy People." There is no place for divisions or “classes” of Christians. What tendencies do we have to classify Christians and how can we ensure we are not being divisive?