Devotional For the Week 20 September 2004

A Vessel for God
Scripture Reference: Ephesians 2:10.

The meaning of Salvation
For most believers “Salvation” is one of the most important things that can happen to their lives. Each has their own testimony of how they come to know God and how they surrendered their lives to God. It is a path that many had walked, and many more will be walking. But what does it means to have received salvation?

By our free will we repented from our sinful ways and received God’s forgiveness of sins as a free gift. At this point we are made righteous by the blood of Christ. We are called from a life of darkness (Dead) into a life of light (Life). It means we are free from a life of compulsive “sinning” (kingdom of darkness) to a life of godly obedience (kingdom of light). We changed our citizenship status and come under the governance of God’s kingdom. This new status transformed us into “children of God”. We begin to address God as our Father because we are “born” of the spirit. We inherit a new nature and become a new creation in Jesus Christ in the eye of God.

The meaning of being a new creation of God
How do we know if we have received salvation and are saved from eternal death and given eternal life? There is the physical and spiritual evidences that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ. Liken a physical birth, in the spiritual we inherited the characteristics or nature of God. In
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” Being a new creation we are expected to fulfil what is written in Ephesians 2:10. “For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepare beforehand that we should work in them.” What does “work” mean?

Reflection
If we study the verse Ephesians 2:10 closely, we will realise that the “work” means we are to actualise the good works prepared for us. According to the verse, we are recreated for the purpose according to His plan. Therefore, we have a changed mentality. We move from a “rescued” mentality to being a “born again” mentality. We begin to live out the salvation by having a close and intimate relationship with God the Father. We begin to lead a life of obedience to the Word of God and become a vessel to honour God. Being transformed as a new creation in Christ, there are three realities we see in our lives.

We are recreated in Jesus Christ as His workmanship. It is God’s own hand moulding us into a vessel useful for His purpose. Without being transformed into a new person we will be handicapped in walking the good works and fulfilling the predestined plan of God. (Ephesians 4:21-24. “If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”)

We are to walk in the good works. Walking in good works require us to imitate the work of Christ. Walking in love (Ephesians 5:1-2. “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.) Walking as children of light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-10. “For you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord"), and Walking circumspectly in wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-16. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil")

We are to walk according to the predestined plan God has prepared for us. That is walking in obedience, loving and having an intimate relationship with God and carrying God’s blessings to all. The blessings that all will be saved by the grace of God in Christ Jesus.

How then can we gauge we have the new nature of God in us? In A W Tozer’s words,

“We may be known by the following: What we want most, what we think about most, how we use our money, what we do with leisure time, the company we enjoy, who and what we admire and what we laugh at” Let us therefore examine ourselves and work toward being a new person in Christ.

Tan Lye Whatt