Identity of the Church – You Are Predestined and Adaopted Part 3

Identity of the Church – You Are Predestined To Adaoption Part 3

These are the words of the Apostle Paul to the saints in Ephesus.

“5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved.”  (Ephesians 1:5-6)

Before the foundation of the world, God, in His infinite mind, planned for the church to exist. The church was predestined to be occupied by individuals who will obey the Gospel. In the physical sense it would be like a man designing plans for a “building” with intention of filling it for some specific purpose. The building by itself is just a building – until occupied. What is inside defines what name is on the building.  Let me explain:

  • In the 1900’s a man named William Isaly designed a building and had it built in Mansfield, Ohio
    He then filled the building with Ice-cream products and Isley’s was born.
  • Years passed and Isley’s went out of business and the same building became Austin’s Outlet Store.
  • Again Mr. Austin passed and the building was purchased by Barberton Check Cashing.
  • Again, that business closed and the building became Redline Train and Hobbies. . .
  • Then after they closed up, Billy Bob bought it. . .
  • Finally, Billy Bob retired, and the Fellowship Community church purchased the building.

God is the original designer for His church, and had a purpose for the building before the building existed and listen, God’s building the church, is eternal, for it exists now, and is the only thing that will be delivered up to Heaven to the Father when the end of the physical comes as Paul wrote, “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.”   (1 Corinthians 15:24). God the Father is eternal and He therefore, never dies as we read what John wrote, “The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8). Who was and is and is to come means He is eternal.

God determined in advance that there would be a church, the name, the church of Christ after it’s Savior.

  • That church would be made up of individuals who, in faith, obeyed the gospel.
  • People who by their own free will, decided to act on what they read in the inspired word of God.
  • The “whosoever’s” of John 3:16, that believe in Jesus.

They are the church of Christ, purchased by His blood and members of His eternal body.

  • The spiritual church – consists of every believer washed in His blood.
  • The local physical church made up of the saved who are living to do the work that God wills.

Men, women, and young and old who have decided to follow Jesus.

  • Thus, before the world was ever created, God decided that He was going to have a people for Himself.
  • These are those who are added to the Lord’s body through belief and baptism
  • Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
  • Acts 2:41, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”
  • Acts 2:47, “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Verse 5 explained this idea with a little more detail.  Since the dawn of creation, people have asked “What’s the purpose of life?” “Why am I here? “ God predetermined your purpose before you were ever born.
God, “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). That purpose includes His desire for us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ. The reason for our being created is to become members of the family of God, to become the church of Christ. Truth is there is something within all of us that wants to belong to something. Belong to family, accepted at school, or at work — It is natural for us. The local church is the only way for our souls to find belonging spiritually. Paul wrote, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” (Eph. 4:11-12).

Being in the church, the body of Christ, the Kingdom, is where one is built us up and strengthened spiritually. We who have obeyed the gospel, were predestined to belong to Jesus, to be in Him. That is what you have been called to.

This is another aspect of your Identity, Now to the topic of Adoption…