We get to heaven by being ’in Christ’ . Occurs 146 times
Our union with Christ before & after we have come to Him by faith.
Chosen before the creation of the world. Kept by Him. We are one with Him & the Father & the Holy Spirit.
In Christ : God chose us in Him.
We are justified by God-given faith in Him.
We are saved by Grace through faith & not works.
We are kept safe. No one is able to pluck us out of the Father’s hand.
Source of our union with Christ: the Choosing of God the Father’s.
Ephesians 1:3 'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.'
Eklegomai means to choose something for oneself
Used in NT & OT Septuagint: Psalm 78:70, Isaiah 42:1, John 15:16, Ephesians 1:4,
Acts 13:48 'When the Gentiles heard this they were glad & honoured the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed'
Tasso means to appoint or arrange. Being appointed flows from God’s choice:
Matthew 28:16, Acts 15:2, Romans 13:1
Being predestined flows from God’s secret will. Proorizo to set beforehand
Romans 8:30 'Those He predestined he called, justified, glorified'
1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 1:5
Matthew 11:27 'All things have been committed to me by the Father. No one knows the Son except the Father & no one knows the Father except the son & he whom the Son chooses to reveal him.'
John 6:37 'All that the Father gives me will come to me & whoever comes to me I will never drive away.'
2 Timothy 1:9 'Who has saved us & called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose & grace. This grace was given in Christ before the beginning of time.'
Ephesians 1:4-5 'Chosen in Christ before the Creation of the world to be holy & blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons in accordance with his pleasure & will.'
Choice made by God the Father John 6:37 Before the world began 2 Timothy 1:9
Before we believed. Ephesians 2:1-4 Before we were born Romans 9:11 Past present & future in Christ.
All appointed for eternal life believed. God thought of us as in Christ from eternity.
Union with Christ: Justified by Faith
It began with Christ’s life on earth Romans 5:10 We did not exist then we were only present in Christ's in God’s thoughts. Why?
Jesus is our substitute as He lived our life, died our death, rose our new life. He fulfilled the Law Matthew 5:17, John 19:30 and He did it for us.
Romans 5:19 'Through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous'
Christ is our source of righteousness, holiness & redemption 1 Corinthians 1:30 Philippians 3:9
God thought of us in Christ and He regarded our sins as belonging to Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21 'He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.'
Isaiah 53:6 'The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.'
God knew in advance all our sins. But saw them belonging to Christ. When Christ died, we died. Our old nature was crucified with Christ
Romans 6:6Galatians 2:20 'I have been crucified with Christ' 2 Corinthians 5:14 'One died for all thus all died.'
Romans 6:4-11 Buried with Christ. Raised with Him.
Ephesians 2:6 Jesus back in heaven, all the blessings of salvation are ours. As though we earned it.
All that Jesus did are ours by faith Romans 3:22-26
Dikaioo to make righteous Galatians 2:16, Titus 3:7 We may not feel it but God reckons us. Romans 4:6-8
Justification: Forgiveness of sins Romans 3:25 Christ‘s righteousness imputed to us, put to our credit We are in Christ Romans 8:1, 1 Corinthians 1:30
A new creation: 2 Corinthians 5:17 'If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone the new has come.' 1 John 5:11 'God has given us eternal life & this life is in his Son.'
Our Security due to our Union with Christ.
1 John 3:1 'Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God.'
Faith brings us into His family. Romans 8:14 'Those led by the Spirit of God are sons of God'
Sonship, belonging to Christ: Received Christ by faith John 1:11-13 'To all who welcomed Him to them gave He the power to become children of God born not of natural descent nor of human decision or a husbands will but born of God.'
Adoption by the Father. Ephesians 1:4 In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure & will.
The Rights of the sons of God are the same as that of the one & only Son.
Sons with the privileges of sonship. 1 John 3:1
We are adopted into God’s family. Hebrews 2:10 'God will bring many sons to glory'
Romans 8:29 Jesus Christ is the firstborn among many brothers. He is our elder brother.
Adopted, we are co heirs with Christ. The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s kids.
Heirs of God & joint heirs with Christ. Jesus is in the Father, so are we...
Our adoption is not based on works. We were chosen before we were born Ephesians 1:4-6 God adopted us. Because He set his love upon us. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure & will to the praise of His glory.
God never wants us to doubt his love. Jesus never doubted the love of the Father.
We are co heirs with Christ. God loves us as much as His Son John 17:22-23
John 10:28 'I give them eternal life & they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.'
We are in Christ, eternally secure.
The Ultimate Purpose of Being In Christ:
Ephesians 1:12-13 'We who first hoped in Christ might be for the praise of His glory.'
Romans 8:30 'Those He predestined, he also called, ...justified, ...glorified.'
Able to sin, creation, Not able not to sin, the fall, Able not to sin, saved ; Not able to sin, glory
Glorification assured: Adopted in Christ, who intercedes for us & is coming back 1 Thessalonians 4:13
In Christ? Heaven is home.
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