Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:1)
If you would like to know what the real God looks like, the God who is great and glorious, who is magnificent and majestic, who is supreme and sovereign, you need to look no further than a letter that was written two thousand years ago by a man named Paul who had met this God personally on the Damascus Road.
When you read who he says this God is and what this God has done, and what this God is doing and wants to do, the only word you’ll be thinking is, “unbelievable.” It may sound contradictory, but we really do believe in a God who is unbelievable. And in the book of Ephesians, Paul tells us that what God has done for his people is unbelievable and what God wants to do through His people is unbelievable.
Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians by saying, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1). Do you know what he called everyone in the church? He called them saints. From this description, you get the idea they were a cut above you and me. But no, they had the same kind of people in their church that we have in our churches today – people who struggled with anger, lust, jealousy, bitterness gossip, and greed. Yet Paul calls them saints.
His point in doing so is that he is talking to ordinary believers like you and me. There is no special class of Christians who are saints. Every believer is a saint and every saint is a believer, because that’s what God says we are. May we not forget the power and comfort we can derive from that truth!
Dear Lord, thank you for Paul’s reminder that I am a saint because of your sacrifice. Help me to remember that truth everyday and to live in the power that comes with it. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Grace
