Granny2Shoes

Q3. (Ephesians 1:11-12) According to verses 11 and 12, what is God's purpose for our lives? What do we need to do to fulfill this purpose? How does this purpose relate to Matthew 5:13-16? 1. Our purpose in life is to praise God. 2. We need to praise Him. After all, the Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Our spirits need to connect with God in worship, the culmination of our praises. 3. In Matthew 5:13-16 it says we should let our light shine before the world. No light can shine from vessels that are not connected to God through praise and worship. This is what separates our acts from those of the world.

Q2. (Ephesians 1:9-10) What is the significance that all things will be brought under one head -- Christ himself? How does this relate to the Creator? What does it say about unity? Extra Credit: How does this verse relate to 1 Corinthians 15:24-28? 1. The significance of everything coming under Christ is that the fulfillment of God's plan is Christ himself. Before the foundation of the earth God's plan was for Christ to come to earth and become the sacrificial lamb--even before Adam fell from grace. All the Laws set down by Moses were just shadows of what Christ would fulfill when he materialized as a human being. 2. This relates to the Creator because as the Word, Christ was the first thing the Creator created. He spoke and Christ as the Word came into being. As the Word He was the very essense of the Father--one and the same. God is Light. Light is energy. When energy begets energy they are the same. A part of God is in His Word and His Word is a part of God. There is no separation, they are one. 3. Just as stated above. They are one. One is unity. 4. I Corinthians 15:24-28 says basically the same thing as Ephesians 1:9-10. When the end of the age comes, after Christ has fulfilled everything, then He and all His redeemed will be finally reconnected with the Creator. This is as it was in the beginning.

1. In what sense have you been redeemed from slavery? Before Christ came into my life I was a slave to stress, depression, and so many other problems. When He came into my heart, I felt as if a heavy load had been lifted from my shoulders. I had a sense of "lightness". I felt as if I could cope with all the problems of my life, which I couldn't do before. 2. What do you think your life would have been like up to now, if your life had not been redeemed? I know what my life was before I was redeemed. I could not function without my Valium (which was the Prozac of those days). I felt my life was a living hell on earth. My life would have probably been a thousand times worse without Christ, as I spiraled downhill. 3. What would your future be like without redemption, do you think? I don't even want to think what my future would have been like. I would not have a future without redemption. I can now spend eternity in Heaven. I have a hope in tomorrow that I never had before.

Q1. (Ephesians 1:3) What does it mean to you to be "in Christ" -- incorporated into Christ? What are the implications of this for your life? To the first part of this question I would say that to be "in Christ" would be comparable to being an employee for a corporation. Just as there is a CEO of a corpoation, Christ is the CEO of my life. As an employee of a corporation I have benefits for working for that entity. With Christ as the CEO of my life, I reap the benefits of being a part of Him. Instead of health insurance, I have health. Instead of a 401K, I have material blessings. However, corporation tend to be stressful, but Christ gives me a peace, such as I have never known working for any corporation. As a person, I must do whatever it takes to identify with Him. Just as with a corporation, everything I do reflects back on Him, so I must be the best representation of Him that I can be to an exemplary part of His family. I am a part of Christ and in return He has taken me to be a part of Him. By adoption He has made me a part of His family which is the highest in the universe. To the second part of this question I would say that the first part pretty much sums up the implications. I have to be the best representation of Christ as an adopted member of His family. He took me out of a life of stress, depression,and sin and made me a part of His glorious family. To show how much I appreciate what He has done for me, I must take up my cross and try to attain the perfection He has. I do have an advantage in being able to do this because I have Him to intercede with the Father for me each and every time I fail to live up to the perfection the Father requires. He is my big brother coming to my defense, so the punishment I deserve will be tendered with mercy because He is my big brother. I love Him all the more because He paid the price of my sin, so I could come before the Father as a perfect human being, not as a flawed one.