Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)
[4] even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before him.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we were not chosen to be
special. We were not chosen to be better than anyone else. We were not chosen
to coerce the world into our way of life. We were chosen to be holy and blameless
before him. As we begin a new year there have been lots of jokes about seeing
20/20. We can see clearly now. . . hmm, but can we? I fear that as evangelical believers
we have sometimes seen less than clearly. I fear that we have sometimes lost
sight of why God saved us, and to what he saved us. I fear that salvation for
some has become simply a ticket to heaven, and for others it has become a reason
to reject and abuse a broken world. But God did not choose us simply to go to
heaven, nor did he choose to be better than everyone else. He chose us to be
holy and blameless.
What does that look like? Entering into 2020 let us give
intentional thought to what holy and blameless looks like in business, in
farming, in commerce, in education, in the service industry, in worship, and in
evangelism. I watched the Pope this morning on television turn and slap a woman’s
hand in irritation because she wouldn’t let go of him. The Pope is just a man,
and we all get tired and irritated, but is that what holiness looks like? I’ve
seen preachers get rich off the poor by promising them blessing if they will
only give sacrificially to the ministry of an already wealthy preacher. I’ve
seen church members more interested in being comfortable than in being holy. I’ve
seen businesses manipulate and deceive. All of that is to be expected from the
World, but believers should be different.
I’ve heard people say that they will never do business with
a Christian again because someone preached at them and then took advantage of
them. That is wrong. As believers we ought to do whatever we do to the glory of
God (1 Cor 10:31). I’m not one for New Year’s Resolutions, but this year let us
resolve, by the grace of God, to let the holiness of Christ be seen in us in
all we do. “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and blameless before him” (Eph 1:4).
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