[Pastor Ralph]

Q3. (Ephesians 2:17) What does it mean to have "access to the Father"? In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? In what way does Jesus enable this access?

[Ken7]

The ground is level at the foot of the cross for everyone, yet access to the cross is available only to those who ‘repent’ – turn from self and sin with a U-turn toward Jesus Christ.

The exclusivity is that God is Holy and will not allow His Kingdom and Heaven filled with our sin. We have become holy priests because of what Jesus did at the cross.

Born again believers have BOLD access to Gods throne, we are to enter boldly through the blood of Jesus Christ. Gods Spirit gives us the ability to speak directly to our Father in Heaven.

[haar]

To have access to the Father means that we can communicate to God directly because of our special position as His children. This relation and access was made possible through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The Holy spirit knows the mind/ heart of God. He helps to pray by guiding us in our prayers.

Jesus is the Way, through Him we can have direct contact with the Father. Those who are not Christian cannot have direct contact with God.

[Helenmm]

Father has adopted us into His Family. We are able to come boldly to His throne of grace and ask what we will and it shall be done. We are most blessed! Only those adopted into the family have these amazing privileges. While we are abing in Him (by the Family rules) we have all the privileges. If we leave the family as did the prodigal sone, then we cut ourselvesoff from privilege, but can still repent and return, although we have damaged our inheritance (potential in Christ).

Jesus had to leave His disciples on earth and return to Heaven so that they might receive His Spirit, thus becoming His hands and feet, His voice and love on the earth. That way they would be spread all over the earth with the message of the Gospel, and all men would have opportunity to participate in the Truth. The Gospel would not be limited to Jewish people but be available to everyone who repents and has "a broken and contrite spirit." Even persecution would be a means of spreading the faith. We who love Jesus have the annointing of His Holy Spirit, to do the works that He has prepared for us to walk in, which are the same miraculous works that He did when He was here. It's like we have the "family DNA"! Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. We have the DNA (Holy Spirit) implanted in us to be like Him as happened to the disciples at the first pentecost.

Jesus enables this to happen by
1. His perfect sacrifice through which we can come into the Holy place and be saved, be a family member.
2. Sending us His Spirit, that we might be, as He was, miraculously powerful and Truthful people, directly connected with, and representing, the eternal Jehovah.

[Patricia A. Conti]

We are able to pray to the Father directly in faith knowing that he hears and will answer our prayers. If you don't have faith, prayer means nothing. The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) enters into all who believe in Jesus Christ and have faith in him. Jew and Gentile become one through the one Spirit of God. Jesus' offering on the cross atoned for all our sins so we may be able to enter into God's presence through prayer in this life and face-to-face forever in the next.

[Blessed Me]

Q3. (Ephesians 2:17) What does it mean to have "access to the Father"?

Genesis 17:1-14 Father God is the God of Israel, He made a covenant with Abraham and Abraham's descendants, it is an everlasting covenant. God promised He would be God to Abraham and his descendants. God promised in the covevnant with Abraham, all the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession; and He would be their God. This is My Covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you, and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
The Gentile beleivers have had their hearts circumcised by the blood of Jesus Christ, this covenant tore the temple veil, allowing the believer to boldly enter the throne room of God; For Jesus gave the believer righteous garments to wear. God is not only the God of Abraham, but the Gentiles God also. Thank you Jesus for loving us so much that you made a way for us to come to the Father.

In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? In what way does Jesus enable this access?

The Holy Spirit convicts us, He touches our hearts with the truth of the Word, He keeps drawing us and opening our eyes to the true condition of our soul without God. It is our will to either follow after His lead or to say no. Jesus is the only way we can come to God, to be adopted into the family. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness, we too must believe God when He said," Jesus is the only way for us to come into the covenant with Him." We believed God and it was counted onto us as righteousness.

[Eudora]

Q3. (Ephesians 2:17) What does it mean to have "access to the Father"?

Ezekiel 36:25-28
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36:27
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

God spoke these words through the prophet Ezekiel of a spirit that would live with in mankind. His spirit in us, put there by God, so that we would walk in His statutes and keep His judgments. Through Ezekiel, God was pointing to the resurrected spirit of Jesus Christ who would come in the flesh. God promised to restore Israel not only physically but spiritually. To accomplish this, God would give a new heart to those who would follow Him and keep His law. God would put His seal of approval on all that they do by the witness of the spirit with-in them who would lead them to a righteous way of life. In this way, the new covenant was promised, ultimately to be fulfilled in Christ.

In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:4 Paul makes this very understandable in that those who let themselves be controlled by the spirit, would no longer follow that of the sinful nature If Jesus hadn’t offered us a way out, we would all be walking in sinful nature. The way of Jesus brings life and peace.

Galatians 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

In what way does Jesus enable this access? Jesus prepared the way so that we would then prepare the way and make the path straight for Him to come again once His kingdom was released upon the earth. There are no limits and no boundaries for us. His Kingdom will come through us. We are His kingdom, it is in us that His kingdom lives.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

We should follow the example of Joseph who went into Egypt and took that nation by storm. Joseph had Holy influence over the nation and we too are to go in and posses the land. Subdue it and have dominion over all that is un-holy to our Holy God. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot 'SEE' the kingdom of God.

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

[Jezemeg]

Prior to Jesus, if anyone came into God's presence, death was immediate, because sin was an abomination to God and unless if elaborate rituals and sacrifices were performed by people pre-selected as being worthy to approach God in the first place, ordinary mortals couldn't hope to enter into His presence. Even Moses never saw God's face, although he was called into His presence often. The Holy of Holies, God's footstool on this mortal planet was screened from view by a veil and could only be entered once per year and only after the priest concerned had performed the elaborate rituals etc.

At Jesus crucifixion when He gave His spirit up, this curtain or veil that had separated God from man was torn from top to bottom, signifying that the old covenant was now completely torn asunder and that now there was a way for mortal man to approach God, and that path was Jesus, who is our mediator, our lawyer if you wish to call it that. He is the one who stands and pleads our worth before God, no longer are elaborate and lengthy rituals and sacrifices required, in fact to continue to practise them indicates that what Jesus did for us on the Cross was not sufficient, that somehow we mere mortals must add something that was missed.

[PCHRIS]

Christ's work on the cross and the tearing down of the curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the people. Symbolising we no longer need a "priest" to come to God, we can now go to the Father direct.

The Holy Spirit guides, encourages and groans for us as we come to the Father

Jesus is the only way to the Father, Jesus says that no one comes to the Father except through me.

[pickledilly]

Isn't it heart-breaking when divisions arise in families? I've seen situations where some disagreement or catastrophe completely breached the relationship between individuals and even entire families. When that happens, communication between the two is severed. Hostilities and resentments grow until neither one has free approach to the other. Our offense against God created somewhat the same situation for humanity. Man's enmity with God perpetuated the breach, but He made the way to repair the damage from the very beginning because He is perfect Love and Mercy. Christ came to bring peace between God and man that would re-establish unhindered access for us.

According to Eph.2:18, the complete Trinity is responsible for this right of approach. To have access to the Father means that He and I have been reconciled; we are at peace with each other, and He welcomes me into His presence as His beloved child. Because Christ has restored the broken relationship we previously had, there is no division between us - no separation that prevents me from approaching Him anytime, anywhere, with anything. I am covered in the holiness of Christ, and holiness is what makes me acceptable to the Father. The Holy Spirit in me is my facilitator. He leads me to the throne and interprets me to the Father. And He reveals the Father to me. What humbling access.

[JustJeff]

On a ship there are hatches or steel doors that prevent compartment flooding in the event of damage to the vessel. When these hatches are secured it is not possible to go from one compartment to another. There is no access. For those who do not know Jesus and have no relationship with Him. For those mired in sin, there is no access to the Father, the hatch is closed. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. To get to the Father we must go trough the Son as He is the door. Once access is attained the Father hears us, at anytime, in any place.
The Holy Spirit is our Intercessor. He reveals the desires of our heart to the Son when we are unable to pray as we need to. He enables us to be in perfect communion with the Father through the Son. The Holy Trinity in action!

[ElizabethTX]

I feel like such a child when I study these lessons. My understanding of God's plan for believers has grown so much, and so has the way that I am able to relate to Him. We are the living stones of the temple and Jesus Christ is our cornerstone. He holds us together as the living temple for our God to be with us. We have all heard that it is not the building. God wants and needs His living temple so He can be among us. This gives such a strong meaning to assembling with the saints. Our first and foremost reason for coming together is to worship and praise God in His presence.

I have focused on the Holy Spirit dwelling in me. The Holy Spirit is my Provider and Comforter. Now I understand the incredible importance of coming together as the Body of Christ, worshipping God in His presence. God Almighty completes His plan through Jesus Christ in us. We must manifest the living temple on earth to truly be blessed by God.

[kiqstart]

Q3. (Ephesians 2:17) What does it mean to have "access to the Father"? In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? In what way does Jesus enable this access?

It means through prayer we have a connection with God. Jesus died on the cross for us so that our sins would be forgiven and through him we have access to the Father.

[sahala p.s.]

Q3. (Ephesians 2:17) What does it mean to have "access to the Father"? In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? In what way does Jesus enable this access?

To have “access to the Father” means that we can come in prayer to God and God is ready to hear and to answer our prayer.

The Holy Spirit facilitates this access in the way to guide and help to pray aright. Our weakness is we do not know what to pray for, and we do not know how to pray (Roman 8:26-27), so he helps our weakness.

Jesus enables this access in the way to be a “password” for access to God and a “guarantee” for answered prayer. Only through faith in Him, we can have access to God. He is the veil and the High Priest to enter the Holiest (Hebrew 10:19-21). Only through his name what we ask he will do (John 14:12-14). Only if we abide in him, and his word abide in us he what we ask he will do (John 15:7)

[Stan]

Q3. (Ephesians 2:17) What does it mean to have "access to the Father"? In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? In what way does Jesus enable this access?




It means that we have been given the power through the death of Christ for our sin, and Him rising again to call on the Father and He will hear us. We no longer need a man priest to talk to God for us we have a mediator in the presence of God talking for us. We can with the Holy Spirit that lives in us comunicate with the Spirit of God through moans and groans that man does not understand.

The Holy Spirit sent to us from Christ at His ressurection is our teacher and guide to the FAther. He interseeds for us at time when we don't know what or how to pray. He brings our spirit into the presence of Almighty God with moans and groans and God hears and answers us.

Jesus dieing on the cross brought us this great blessing no longer having to sacrifice animals for our forgiveness we have an eternal sacrifice that is Jesus who rose and became our Saviour and Mediator. He bring all our requests before the Father and His Spirit communicates with our to give us healing and comfort in our time of need.

[masika]

We were far away from God and we thank God , because by the blood of Jesus Christ we are cleansed and we can ask anything in Jesus Name . The Holy Spirit is our teacher and our guidance in our daily life.

[Linda Stanley]

We have access to God through the cross.God come down to this earth,became man(Jesus)defeated sin and death by giving his life on the cross,shed His blood for our sins.We know longer have to sacrifice animals blood to be able to go to God.It is through the blood of Jesus(Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world).This is presented to us through the scriptures in the bible.The Holy Spirit was in Jesus,and Jesus spoke to the people through his Spirit.
Jesus said,"He had to go back to His Father in order to leave the comforter(Holy Spirit)with us.God The Father,God The Son,and God The Holy Spirit are all One.In believing in the the Trinity,is having faith.Faith is Believing,that is our access to the Father.Having Faith,Hope and Believing in Jesus,we embrace Him with an open heart.Amen.

[Diane44]

Q3. (Ephesians 2:17) What does it mean to have "access to the Father"? In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? In what way does Jesus enable this access?

Access to the Father is as if some random neighborhood child was asking my Dad for the keys to his car on Saturday night, He might consider it, but would probably decline, he has no reason to grant such a request. On the other hand, if I were to ask, my father would not only consider the request, but most likely grant which I had asked. The reason being I am part of the family, he knows my, my heart, what I've been through and what I need. In this manner my God, Jesus, the Father know His sheep and He calls them by name, He knows me and I can come to Him with confidence that my petittion will be answered. The Holy Spirit will lay on our hearts, the need to commuicate and go to the Father with requests. Not just requests for healing, but also request for things we would like to see happen. Jesus obviously is the central key in this, without Him we would still be lost and unable to approach the Throne of God so boldly. Praise Him!!! He has washed us clean and through Him we are free to come into the tabernacle and approach the Almighty.

[charisbarak]

Access to the Father is simply that lines of communication have been open to us to communicate with God.

The Holy Spirit lives in Christians. He finishes our prayers--sometimes prays for us according to God's Word & Will.

Jesus enabled this process when He died on the cross for our sins. The middle wall/partition was broken down at that point.

How very blessed we are to have access to our Great God--our Creator.