Made New: An Ephesians Book StudyНамуна

A friend greeted me as I walked into the room, saying, “Look, the saints just walked in!” It made me smile, and I kind of made a joke of it. But he wasn’t joking. He was serious. He said, “No, no. You’re a saint. I’m a saint. That’s what we are called.”

For most of us, saint is a weird word. It’s either some mysterious thing in the Roman Catholic church or some guys who play football in New Orleans. It’s not the usual descriptor that we would pick for ourselves. Yet, my friend and the Apostle Paul would agree. We are saints.

In the New Testament, saint refers both to our identity as Christians and our holy way of living. We are saints because of the grace of our Heavenly Father. We are not born into it; we cannot earn it. We are saints through the transforming love of God. He has chosen and blessed us with every blessing in His love. It’s that truth that initiates Paul’s overflowing praise.

It’s also from that truth that we are becoming holy and blameless. In Jesus, we already are holy and blameless, so we can rightly be called saints. But we know ourselves. I tried to shrug off my friend’s greeting because I knew I was not perfect. Yet, in Jesus, I’m also becoming more holy and blameless. I’m more of a saint today than I was yesterday.

What we call ourselves shapes who we will become. We are the sons and daughters of God. We are freely loved. We are blessed and chosen. We are saints. We didn’t give ourselves those names. God, the Father, gave them to us.

Response
1. Paul writes that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. How would you describe those blessings in your life?

2. Knowing that you are already called a saint, how does that impact how you live your life?

3. For Christians, praise is admiring God and what He has done. Write a prayer of praise, thanking God for what He’s done in your life.

Weekly Memory Verse
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight."
Ephesians 1:3-4

Written by Jake Musselman