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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? What is the significance that all things will be brought under one head -- Christ himself? This is God's mystery. A plan which is revealed after Christ died. Christ is the universal way, the truth and the life. Everybody with any religion or faith, will eventually come to Him in the endtimes and become His subjects in His eternal blissful life if we just follow Him, His ways and all. How does this relate to the Creator? This was God's plan and will surely be fulfilled eventually. Christ's ways is God the father's or creator's ways, so anything or anybody coming together under Christ is like coming together under God Himself, considering Christ, after all, is God the Son. What does it say about unity? United under one rule and the right rule at that, under Christ - the God redeemer, God - the creator and God- the Spirit.

Q1. (Ephesians 1:7) In what sense have you been "redeemed" from slavery? What do you think your life up to now would have been like if you hadn't been redeemed? What would your future be like without redemption, do you think? Answer to 1st question: I am redeemed from slavery to sin by accepting Him as my Saviour. As the right way, the real truth and the good life. Being followers of Him, makes us sin less or no more, according to God's rules and teachings because we try to obey and learn to love such things. Answer to 2nd question: I would have no choice but to behave and conduct my affairs like an animal, as I have no guidelines on how to live a good life or how to live as a human being or man, made according to the image and likeness of God. Answer to 3rd question: My future would be like its always survival of the fittest and strongest... before, now and tomorrow, as usual. It'll be like an animal world for me, using and following my animal instincts to survive here on earth. And we all know already that this entails might, strength, slyness, wickedness and anything under the sun just to be ahead and over others or our potential downfalls.

Q4. (Ephesians 1:5-6) Why is adoption a particularly apt illustration of God's relationship to us? Why is the concept of adoption encouraging to us? If we look up to God as our God, believe in Him, love Him and follow Him, then it is only right that we be called adopted sons/daughters of God This is just the relationship, He being the Father and creator of all, after all. This is very encouraging because, then, we are assured of His promise of eternal and blissful life with Him in the final end of earthly living. If are assured that just like a Father, He is always there, ready to welcome us after sinning or being away from Him for long. This spells security in short, and there is no other better thought indeed than to think that somebody, somewhere is always tying to love us despite our many faults and mistakes, deliberate or not.

Q3. (Ephesians 1:4) What does it mean to be "holy"? In what sense can you stand "blameless" before God? Holy means consecrated or separated to God for Himself or one who/which belongs to God. In some other interpretations though, being holy means being almost like God 100% including the physical aspect in a way that the physical needs (especially the sensual/sexual ones) are already absent or not considered essential to physical life anymore. However, not everybody has this kind of holiness. Only simple consecration for the majority. No spiritual holiness, rationalizing it on the premise that we are only physical, we can never get rid of our physical needs. So, with this, I believe the word "holy" here simply means for one or a thing to belong to Christ, whether chaste or not. If Christ' saving us from our sins makes us blameless in God's sight, then I guess this is the biggest legacy Christ and God have given to all christians. It appears like we are stripped of the responsibility over the sins we commited after Christ' death because Christ has already saved us. Is it really like this? Or is there a condition that we will only look blameless in God's sight if we try to follow Christ' teachings, since as Christ said, He is after all, the way, the truth and the life. If we don't follow Christ, are we still blameless? Maybe in a way that God is always ready to hear our remorses and repentance, when we are ready and willing already. He doesn't blame us for sinning, understanding perhaps the fragility and weakness of humans, that He is always ready to be with us (again, if we've been with Him from the start, but just got swayed into the wrong path). I think the "blameless" word here means He doesn't judge us while earth is still there and spinning. Only in the end of time perhaps, after making us aware of many warnings and yet we remain stubborn and continues with our fragile and weak ways. Only this time will he not see us "blameless" anymore. (AM I RIGHT DR. RALPH?)

Q2. (Ephesians 1:4-5) What is scary about predestination? What is comforting? Why does Paul bring up predestination? Why do you think he praising God for it in the "hearing" of the Ephesians? Predestination seems to say that God has chosen only a set of people, predestining them to be holy and blessed on earth, excluding others or the rest who have no idea at all why they are on earth in the first place, who did not will to be born on earth from the start and have no idea at all what they are supposed to do, saved by their ancestors who train them on what to do. Otherwise, it would appear like they are born into this earth without a choice due to predestination. This is scary, knowing what if I am not among those chosen, I will not belong to God or be considered his child because He did not predestine me at the beginning? Poor me! But if predestination means for anyone who tries to embrace Him as his/er God and continues to pursue it despite the struggles, then this is something comforting. At least, we are given the free will to follow and honor Him or not. If we do follow and honor, the process makes us predestined according to His ways and wills, especially so if we really are serious with it and try to perfect it. Paul brought predestination to give us encouragement. To strenthen our faith, that despite the many fumbles and falls we make while trying to be a christian, God is always there, ready to rescue us if we confess and try to repent. He praised it in the "hearing" of the Ephesians so the Ephesians will be encouraged by it as well.

Q4. (20:3) What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? Why is personal righteousness and holiness important in getting your prayers answered? How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer if all gifts from God are by grace anyway? Hesekiah based his prayer for healing on his upright life with God always in his mind. Personal righteousness and holiness are important in getting our prayers answered because this way, we can be more convincing and persistent in our prayers. Believing in what we ask for and believing in our self is a strong reason why we should continue pursuing our prayer. Despite the fact that all gifts are from God by grace, God still hears better a persistent prayer from a righteous man than from an unrighteous one. Alhough I believe, it is all really in God's hands and decision. Being righteous and persistent and believing probably just add to the enthusiam we try to "water" our prayers.

Q3. Why is Hezekiah's healing important for his nation? How did it relate to God's promises to David? If he doesn't get healed, God will surely cut on His promise to David and his offsprings. And what will this make of Him? Hesekiah was a good follower of His ways, so he put it upon himself to remind God of his promise, more especially for the good of his descendants and God's other faithful followers and people in general. The nation's continuity with God as its God as a whole in short, relies on Hesekiah's health and his being able to have a follower who will be as good as he was/is.

Q2. (19:15) How do the first two sentences of Hezekiah's prayer (verse 15) correspond to the first sentence of the Lord's Prayer? How are they important to faith? How are they important to God answering the prayer? "Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.." Hezekiah's prayer acknowledged God as the God of heaven and earth. Being this therefore makes His will manifest not only in heaven but on earth as well. And so does our Lord's prayer say. This faith can make us communicate with God, looking at Him as the real true God. If we aknowledge God, He also acknowledges us. In many ways and occasions, he answers our prayers positively. In many ways and occasions too, He may also have answered it negatively. The point is that, real communication can only occur if we totally acknowledge the one communicating to and with us. This is very important for the faith. Without acknowledging God, we can never pray to Him.

It means I am nothing without Christ. Without CHRIST I Am Nothing. Without CHRIST I A N. Therefore, I should be in Christ, try to adapt His ways since He is after all, the way, the truth and the life.

Q1. (19:14) What is the significance of Hezekiah spreading out the enemy's message before the Lord? What is the underlying principle illustrated here? How can we apply this principle to our own lives? What happens when we don't apply this principle? Hezekiah gave our Lord the battle for he knows that it is God's battle ever since, but that he was just trying to play God before. But not now that he received a letter from the enemy insulting his God. This was an insult more directed to God than himself, so he told God all about it. He told God he had prepared all that he can already for the battle, but it seems to be nothing if He will not directly get involve in it, in the battle itself, especially so now that He, his God, has been terribly insulted by their enemy. God's direct involvement in the battle was the most significant thing that's needed at that time to make sure He and His people will not be shamed and to prove that He is really the true and real God. The underlying principle is that anyone's effort is nothing without God in it. More often than not, if we don't apply this principle, its either we succeed but its not God who helped us succeed but another spiritual power, probably the evil one. Better to enjoin God in all our efforts, undertakings and battles to be sure that in the end we will not lose the promised eternal blissful life with Him.

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? If Christ means Messiah, which means Redeemer or Saviour in English(?), then when I say I am in Christ, that means I am oneof those saved by Christ. I believe in Him and clings to Him always for all my needs and concerns in this world. He is the pivoting point of my life, without which I would be nothing. As they say, without CHRISTIAN in our lives means, "Without "Christ, I Am Nothing"".

If a person praises generously and from the heart a certain person or group or thing, he is bound to be generous to that same entity in many other ways. The act of giving is actually and act of love. If one is possessive, one cannot fully love according to God's standard of love. Therefore, it gets in the way of worshipping God. One cannot worship anybody or anything, let alone God, if one does not have real love towards his object of love. All my possessions belong to God because He is the maker, creator and initiator of all things on earth, even people and because of this, I should only give Him what is due Him and praise Him according to what He deserves.

Q3. Verses 11 and 12 both attribute various characteristics to God, such as glory, honor, and might. How might you begin to mention God's greatness in your own prayers? Where is this kind of praise found by example in the Lord's Prayer? What are your favorite songs that point to God's greatness? Answer: As I am always in a time-constraint situation, I may start my prayers with "O, holy, almighty and eternal God. Lord of both the living and the dead...etc" More or less similar to these lines can be found in the first lines of the "Our Father" prayer, saying, "Our Father, who art in heaven. Holy be your name. Your kingdom come, your will...." My favotire song that points to God's greatness is, "Glory to God in the highest..."

Exalting God is like putting Him on a pedestal. We exalt Him because we Him to be our idol, our model. He has to be on top of everything. He is the cause of everything we live for on this earth. Thus, we need to exalt Him to maintain this ideal.

Our prayers bless God in a way that it acknowledges God's supremacy over all. We cannot praise without believing, acknowledging what we believe and loving. And in the process of our belief, faith, love and all, we just have to empower that which or whom we believed in, by and through blessings. This affirms God. This pleases Him. But praise with deeds is the most wonderful praise God wants us to do.