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Pastor's Blog September 26, 2019
"Righteousness by Faith"
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Ephesians 4 has the distinction of being what I call "the 1888 chapter" or "the righteousness by faith chapter." We're not quite sure if Ellen White quoted any of Ephesians 4 during the 1888 General Conference session, but we know that two of her favorite phrases, "speaking the truth in love" (v. 15) and "the truth as it is in Jesus" (v. 21), began to make their rounds in the 1890s when she fervently preached the message of Jesus, his love, and the righteousness that he longs to give us in our friendship with him.
Likewise, several of the chapter's themes became platforms for spiritual renewal among Adventists after 1888: the triunity of God (vv. 1-6); the manifold and different gifts of the Spirit bringing us into unity with each other as we share in God's own unity (vv. 7-16); us becoming more like Jesus, the measure of the Christian life and our intimacy with God (vv. 17-24); and us not grieving the Holy Spirit away, who makes us more like Jesus and establishes our relationship with God (vv. 25-32).
And a gem that is packed away in this treasure-trove chapter is found in Ephesians 4:24, which says, "and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness" (NKJV). Contextually, Ephesians 4:24 presents us with a beautiful and breathtaking picture of holiness as the work of God in us. While this passage does instruct us to "put on the new man," it also identifies God as the one who has prepared our new life "in true righteousness and holiness." What is even more exciting about the holiness of the Christian life that God has for us is the fact that Jesus is the definition and content of that holiness (cf. vv. 7, 13, 15-16, 20-21, 32). According to Ephesians 4:24, God wants us to be holy - which is simply another way of saying, "God wants us to be like Jesus."
Friend, do you want to be like Jesus? Do you want Jesus to make you holy and bring you closer to God? As we worship today, let us "put on the new man" and let Jesus and his holiness and love flow through us and out to others.
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
