But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Summary: Paul’s words in this passage are unusually clear and direct. Enjoy them!
Paul has been talking about mankind’s relationship with God in detail. Now, in this sentence, he uses a broad stroke with a wide brush to paint a very simple picture.
“You who once were far away …”
He is writing to the churches in Ephesus, to people who know the Lord. Some may have been Jews before they believed. Most were probably Gentiles. Either way, Jew or Gentile, there was a distance between them and God. The Gentiles were separated from God by ignorance. The Jews were separated by their reliance on the legalism of their traditions.
Now, by the blood of Christ, we can draw near to God’s throne.
That sounds so simple, yet, when I think about these words, my head spins! How does the blood of Christ allow us to draw near to God’s throne?
Well, we humans have a sin problem. As Pastor Rich says, “Sin is what separates us from God.” But what is sin?
Sin is a condition. It is also a choice. And it is a shortcoming.
The Bible shows us two people who walked in perfect harmony with God. The first one, Adam, chose to turn his back on that relationship. The other was Jesus, who chose to die the most painful death imaginable rather than give up that relationship.
Through Adam, we inherited the condition of sin, meaning we were separated from God at birth. Through Jesus, we are invited back into a relationship with God, even though our flesh, our “natural” selves, are prone to serve self-interest rather than God.
It is a weird kind of thing. We are not what we seem to be. Satan would have us believe that we are nothing more than a bag of bones that lives and dies for self-gratification. God knows that our spirit or soul, whatever you choose to call it, is a real thing, just like God is real. When the flesh dies, the soul continues on, and this is when things get interesting.
Stripped of its flesh, the soul is laid bare. Every secret thought is exposed in the realm of the spirit. We see God for what He is, and He sees us for what we are. One thing we all will have in common is our sin; the choices we have made, and the times we have tried but fallen short of doing good.
In the spiritual realm, Satan is the king of the corrupt. He owns everyone who falls short of being acceptable to God. If he is condemned to hell (and he will be) then everyone he owns is going with him — except those who belong to Jesus.
When the only innocent man who ever lived was condemned and crucified unjustly, he racked up enough IOUs from the cosmic scales of justice to buy every soul who had ever lived back from the gates of hell. Jesus doesn’t force us to accept his offer and his love. Sadly, many choose to reject him. But for the rest of us, we can rejoice that we have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ.
Application: Turn to Jesus!
Food for Thought: What changes as we draw near to God?
So much could be written about this question. I believe “at the heart of it” is the heart. We understand our sin and how it separates us from Him. I don’t mean in just the first meeting, but as we go through life we see God at work in our lives, and feel the peace of His presence and guidance. We long for that safe place in our hearts. Our desire to sin is overshadowed by our desire to be close to Him.
Ezekiel 36:26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Hi Chris!
Well said! I appreciate your ‘heartfelt‘ response. 🙂
Good thoughts Chris, I agree. There is a heart change. By the heart changing – our passions, world view, mindset, desires, pursuits, etc. are all transformed. We desire to live for God and please Him rather than just living for self. 2 Corinthians 5; 15, 17.
You might say we have a new King on the throne of our heart.
Nicely said, Rich!
I especially like the 2 Corinthians 5: 15 verse:
“The old has gone, the new is here!“
04-18-2023, What changes as we draw near to God?
As we draw away from influence of this world, God will draw close to us, and we receive His blessings as we seek His will in our lives. We will grow in spiritual wisdom as we increasingly reject the world and depend on the counsel of Holy Spirit in all things.
We will find we are more at peace, with a greater concern for others over ourselves, as we are transformed from enemies of God into willing servants of God, having His peace in all circumstances.
Psalm 73:2, James 4:8, Psalm 128:1, 1 Corinthians 2:12-14,
Romans 2:12, Psalm 29:11, 119:165
Ron,
Thank you for the reminder of God’s gift of Peace. In these times of conflict and unrest, God’s Peace is invaluable!
While all around us are losing their minds, fearing the unknown, all those of faith find peace in the full assurance, our God is Sovereign, All The Time!
Amen!
What changes as we draw near to God?
I wrote tomorrow’s answer about peace without reading today’s blog. Lol
Well heart is definitely agreed as well as my answer to problems…. actually everything changes. How we talk, see, hear, feel, understand, think, even how we taste. ( I don’t have the same appetite or hunger for sinfulness as I use to) just like a new creature.
Tim,
Thank you for sharing these words! They testify to the work God has done and is doing in your life! 🙂