Author: Ben Bourland

​ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 2:1-3 [ESV]

This weekend, Marianne and I attended the 2024 Biblical Counseling Conference at church. The main subject was “Life Enslaving Additictions”. It was such a great conference and we were given so much information and help in our desire to help others out of exactly what Paul calls out here in the beginning of Chapter 2 of Ephesians. The question that sometimes pops up in discussion is the doctrine of ‘Total Depravity’, meaning – that our situation before Christ is a 100% inability to ‘not sin’. This doesn’t mean that unbelievers don’t do good things, it just means that without being reborn, the ruler of our heart is not the One Who has the power to give us strength to choose rightly. Our hearts are inherently evil. Until the object of our worship becomes the Savior of our souls, we live in a state of ‘lostness’.

Every human being made in the image of God, worships. Yep, you heard that right…we are made to worship. Some worship money, some people worship themselves, and some worship creation. Until we direct our worship to God (the God of the Bible) alone and turnover the kingdom of our hearts to Him, our desires will always be toward the idols we worship. The deliberate choice of anything over the Creator, is in itself ‘Evil’. So, more simply put – until someone realizes their depraved situation and accepts the perfect gift of Salvation by turning their lives over to Christ, every single one of their choices is wrought with danger since they are blind without the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Application:

3 thoughts come to mind as I dwell on the Words of God through Paul.

• I can never forget from where I have been saved. I must daily preach the gospel to myself so that I am not tempted to feel above those who are in situations of life enslaving sin or other suffering induced through worship of fleshly desires. We are all equally evil in the sight of an Almighty Holy God.
• God is the Caller of souls. I cannot personally help anyone who is dealing with the bondage of sin in their lives. Only God has the ability to redeem them from their situation and make them ‘new’.
• I must not get so confident or proud to think that I don’t have to search my own heart minute by minute and listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice in my heart, and obey what I hear Him saying. Daily structured time in God’s word and a prayer life that cultivates my relationship with the Almighty God of the universe is required if I am to run well, the race set before me.

Today’s Psalm:

​Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

Psalms 33:1-3 [ESV]

"[That you may know] what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, for above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." 
Ephesians 1:19-23  [ESV]

This prayer is all about what we as believers have in Christ. Through the second half of this prayer, Paul is describing how much power is available to us now that we are in Christ Jesus. Its the same type of immeasurable power that God the Father used to raise Jesus from the dead.

So, theres this power, but not only that, the Person this power is given through is above any conceivable authority or power we can think of and more. This rule is personal, spatial, and eternal… over everything, everywhere, for all time. God has placed everything under the feet of our Savior, who we are IN when we accept the gift of grace by believing in Him! Paul then says how much the ‘Church’, or the ‘assembly’, plays a part in Christ’s rule and power. We, the church, His body, are the fullness of Him. As’ our (the church) Head, He works in and through us to accomplish His will.

Application:

What do I have to fear after reading this prayer of Paul over the church at Ephesus? NOTHING! Those of us who genuinely believe, are recipients of all that Paul talks about here. The only thing that can get in the way of this power being used by Jesus though me, is me; and my fleshly heart. When I submit my entire being to Jesus, I remove all the potential blocks to being use by Him power­fully in His ministry through me!

Today’s Psalm

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.”

Psalms 32:8-11

"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints (the people of God), I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. (For I always pray to) the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation (of insight into mysteries and secrets) in the (deep and intimate) knowledge of Him.  By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones)."
Ephesians 1:15-18 [AMP]

Paul just got done telling the Ephesians about the guaranteed hope we all have in anticipation of the full implementation of our inheritance. Paul sees his unceasing prayer as a reinforcing thankfulness of the impact of the Ephesians churches love and service to the people around them.

I have so much I can learn from the prayers of people in the bible and Paul is a big one. Paul’s prayer for wisdom and revelation of the know­ledge of God is an amazing prayer he could pray for them. If they receive from God what Paul is asking for, they will have not only a more full ministry but also a deeper relationship with the only one that matters. Paul says here, that the wisdom and revelation he asks for them will flood their hearts with the light of knowledge and under­standing of God’s will on their lives… all the while increasing their appreciation of the glorious inheritance yet to come.

Application:

Each night I go into our master bedroom closet, shut off the light, close the door, and pray in the quiet stillness of the evening. I have a prayer list that I pray through and also take a majority of that opportunity to just gratefully sit in the presence of my God, revealing to Him my struggles and desires to know Him better. Reading through this passage today I am reminded of how to pray for those on my prayer list. 1) pray in thankfulness for them, 2) pray for spiritual wisdom for their lives as the live to serve Christ before He returns, and 3) deeper knowledge of the transcendent God of the universe.

Today’s Psalm:

I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Psalms 32:5-7 [ESV]

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of His glory."
Ephesians 1:13&14

These 2 verses are such a great rooting for us as believers. In my study of this passage this morning, I learned that the words for ‘hearing’ and ‘believing’ are linked to ‘sealed’. Essentially the action on our part and God’s response. God plans and elects, Jesus redeems, and the Holy Spirit seals and guarantees…that is so awesome and how this end of the passage is so appropriate –> “to the praise of His glory”!

One interesting thing about these 14 verses of Chapter 1 is that in the first 12, Paul uses ‘us’ and ‘we’ but in verse 13 he switches to ‘you’. This points directly to his speaking to the Gentiles (me). He is reaffirming what is now available to us in ‘our’ salvation through Christ Jesus.

Finally, we come to the ‘seal’ that ‘guarantees’. In biblical times a seal was a stamp that identified someone or authenticated something. When we hear and believe the gospel message, we immediately received the seal of the Holy Spirit that is the down payment for eventual inheritance. The Holy Spirit is a foretaste of what is to come and keeps us until the end. If there was ever a set of verses that establish “once saved, always saved”, wow!

Application:

My salvation is complete and when I think about God the Father electing me, the Son redeeming me, and the Holy Spirit sealing me, I have a deeper joy and desire to seek Him more! I now look forward to that full redemption when my body is also glorified in heaven and I am welcomed into my forever home with my Savior and King. There is a hope and freedom that is enjoyed when I preach this to myself. Thank You Lord for the gift of Your Word!

Today’s Psalm:

“Oh love the Lord, and you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully pays back him who deals haughtily. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!”

Psalms 31:23&24

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." 
Ephesians 1:7-10 [ESV]

As I study Ephesians, I am finding I have to spend more time than in other books, wrapping my head around Paul’s train of thought. For this first chapter so for I am getting 3 principles he is making.

• In verse 3, God Blesses us – In Christ
• In verse 5, God for ordained us – Through Christ
• In verse 9, God revealed the mystery of His will – Set forth in Christ.

As you can see, everything is in and through Christ. Everything is about Christ. Access to the Kingdom of God is through Christ. The end of time will come about under the headship of Christ. This is the secret that Paul is talking about – the fulfillment of what God told Abraham (Genesis 12:3). This promise is now seen and realized in what Christ has done.

Application:

When I read again here what I have written, the evidence is overwhelming. My life, my direction, my focus, my work – must all be about Christ. His teaching, His sacrifice, His resurrection, and His place in heaven should be the reason behind every decision and act I take in not only my life, but my headship of my family, my ministry, and my service to others. Ultimately it is the focus on what He has secured for me in eternity that gives me the freedom in Him to love like He has loved me. Following, worshipping, and obeying Jesus is what my life as a Christian is all about.

Today’s Psalm:

How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence, you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.

Psalms 31:19-20

"For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]-[so that we might be] to the praise and commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." 
Ephesians 1: 5 & 6 [AMP]

[Catching up on some posts]

So many Christians struggle with the doctrine of predestination because of the implication that would remove our personal will to accept Christ of our own conscience. However, what Paul tells us here is that the important ‘will’ is that of God Himself (“in accordance with the purpose of His will”). Gods existence is outside of time; my brain can’t exactly comprehend the aspect of God ‘choosing’ and me having my own decision. But, over and over again, we see in scripture that both these things exist. I choose Christ and God predetermined that I would. It also says that ‘anyone’ who seeks God will find Him. So, the place that the Lord has brought me in my understanding is that God knew before this timeline we under­stand, that I would choose Him. In the same way He already knows those who will not.

Application:

I believe that God’s Word is very clear on this topic. I also feel that everyone is on their own road of sanctification and there are doctrines like this one that take some time before the Lord not only reveals this truth but also gives confidence through the Holy Spirit on the fact of this truth (some of you reading this might have recoiled a bit here). I believe that Jesus gave us insight into this aspect of our growth when we seek after and follow Him…more and more will be revealed as the Lord increases our knowledge of Himself. Here is what Jesus has to say in Mark 4:22-25.

For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”