Day 83: How Does Father God View Us in Christ?
Today we are going to take a step back and look at the “big picture.” We are going to look at some key, core truths that flow out of all that we have been discussing in this study. Our identity is shaped by those we are in relationship with. Father God has worked in Christ through the Holy Spirit to love us, empower us, accept us and set us free.
We are Dearly Loved (Beloved).
It is vitally important to understand that we are truly and dearly loved by Father-God, in Christ. Take a look at these verses again:
Ephesians 2:4–5
But God, being rich in mercy,
because of His great love with which he loved us,
even though we were dead in transgressions,
made us alive together with Christ…
We could add many more verses to this list; you may have some that come to mind immediately. In our formative years as humans, it is critically important that we receive and experience love. Knowing that we are “dearly loved” is important in our spiritual growth as well. If we are not convinced that Father-God truly loves us, we will lack the assurance we need to mature. Paul prays this very thing for the Ephesians:
Ephesians 3:16–19
I pray that according to the wealth of his glory He (Father-God) may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, 3:18 you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 3:19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Since our core exercise for this unit is Prayer, this prayer from Ephesians 3 is a great model for us. Pray it once a day for a couple of weeks and see what happens!
Because we come to know the love of God in Christ, we too are called to express that love by imitating God Himself:
Ephesians 5:1
Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children.
We are Empowered.
Notice also in Paul’s prayer above the way he begins: “I pray that according to the wealth of his glory, He (Father-God) may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,… (Ephesians 3:16). Because of all the blessings that we have received in Christ and the particular blessing of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we are now empowered to live a life of peace and joy. Although we have only briefly touched on the role of the Holy Spirit in our growth so far, His empowerment is a very important truth that you need to understand more deeply. These are the very topics that we will address in our next study units.
Paul also prays this for the Colossians:
Colossians 1:11–12
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Paul prays that the Colossians would be strengthened with all God’s glorious power/might sot that they might endure, be patient, have joy, give thanks… Following Christ in a World hostile to Him and His Truth is not easy. We need to know who we are and what Father-God has given us in Christ in order to stand firm in our hope and faith and love.
We are Accepted.
In Romans Paul makes a powerful and profound statement:
Romans 8:1
“There is therefore NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!”
Think back to our discussion of God’s righteous wrath being turned away from us In Christ—propitiation. There we said that we do not have to fear either God’ present or future wrath against unrighteousness. Paul sums up the implications of that teaching here in Romans 8:1: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” Now and when we finally see Christ face to face, He will not condemn us for anything!
One of the great benefits of understanding truths like propitiation and forgiveness is the reality that Father-God now treats us as His children in love and compassion, not in anger and wrath. You may have been brought up in a tradition that teaches that when “bad things” happen to you, it is because God is angry with you and punishing you for you sins. This is a lie. If we are In Christ, we are no longer under any form of condemnation from Father-God. Read Romans 8:1 again!
Hard times will come to us as followers of Christ. Bad things will happen. But these never come upon one of God’s children because He is wrathful and angry. When He allows pain and suffering in our life, it is not intended to beat us down but to build us up. And know this: He will allow or even purposefully plan suffering and affliction to come to us. These are, in fact, some of the primary tools that He uses to shape us into the likeness of Christ. Yet in all of this, He now treats us as beloved children, not as enemies. Consider this:
Hebrews 12:5-7
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him. 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 12:7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
Every good fathers disciplines his children in order to shape them into mature and good people. The author of Hebrews goes on to explain that our earthly fathers disciplined us as best they could, but our Heavenly Father disciplines us so that we may share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:13). The discipline of the our Heavenly Father may hurt us deeply, but we must be convinced that He does it because of how much He loves us. This is a difficult truth, but one that you need to know in order to stand firm in the difficulties that will come to you as a follower of Christ.
We are Set Free.
Romans 6:7
For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
We have talked about being “set free” quite a bit in this study. Christ came to give us the Truth and set us free (John 8:32, 36). In several of these passages, we are set free through our dying with Christ. But what does this mean. That is the topic we will explore in our next unit: Rooted and Growing in Christ.
Take a look at all the verses mentioned today and notice how many of them contain a prayer. How could these prayers shape the way you pray?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
