Our Present State and Divine Potential

According to the Bible,

In our natural state we are ...

Lost without God

·       Alienated from God (Colossians 1:21)

·       Separated from God’s life (Ephesians 4:18)

·       God’s enemies (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21)

·       Spiritually dead in sins (Ephesians 2:1)

·       Blind and perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3; 1 Corinthians 1:18)

·       Guilty before God (Romans 3:9-18)

·       Children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3)

·       Condemned (John 3:18)

·       Without hope (Ephesians 2:12)

Known by God and in God’s Plan

·       Foreknown (Romans 8:29)

·       Predestined as first fruits of salvation (Ephesians 1:5, 11-12; Romans 8:23)

·       Chosen before the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:4)

·       Called out of darkness into light (1 Peter 2:9)

With our willingness and cooperation, we can be ... 

Rescued by Grace 

·       Brought near to God (Ephesians 2:13)

·       Reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19)

·       Rescued from Satan’s power (Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:13)

·       No longer condemned (Romans 8:1-2)

·       Saved by grace (Ephesians 2:5, 8)

·       Given eternal life as God’s gift (John 5:24; Romans 6:23)

Made New in Christ

·       Redeemed (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7)

·       Reconciled to God (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:22)

·       Forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)

·       Justified (Romans 3:24, 28; 4:25; 5:1; 8:30)

·       Given a new birth (1 Peter 1:3, 23)

·       Becoming a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

·       Sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:2,30)

·       Considered righteous (Romans 3:21-22; 4:6-24)

·       Saved through Christ’s life (Romans 5:10; Hebrews 7:25)

·       Made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)

·       Dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:9-14)

·       Loved (Ephesians 1:4)

·       Accepted (Ephesians 1:6)

·       Glorified (Romans 8:30)

·       Sealed and secured by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Welcomed into Family

·       God’s chosen and special people (1 Peter 2:9-10; Titus 2:14)

·       A holy nation (1  Peter 2:9)

·       Holy and royal priests (1 Peter 2:5,9)

·       Citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20)

·       United into one body (Ephesians 2:15-16; 3:6)

·       Children of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:14-17; 1 John 3:1-2)

·       Members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19)

·       Raised up and seated in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6)

·       Heirs of God with a guarantee of eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:17)

Empowered by Gifts of the Spirit

·       Blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3) 

·       Recipients of the riches of God’s grace and kindness (Ephesians 2:5-9) 

·       Given confident access to God’s throne of grace (Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 4:16) 

·       Shown the mystery of God’s will (Ephesians 1:9-10) 

·       Granted awe, reverence and devotion to God (Isaiah 11:2-3)

·       Having heart filled with love (Romans 5:5; 2 Timothy 1:7) 

·       Given faith and hope (Ephesians 1:18; Hebrew 3:6; 10:23; 1 Timothy 1:14) 

·       Receiving knowledge and understanding (Ephesians 1:8) 

·       Given revelation and wisdom (Isaiah 11:2; Ephesians 1:17) 

·       Recipients of God’s power and fortitude (Isaiah 11:2; Ephesians 1:19; 2 Timothy 1:7) 

·       Given self-control and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) 

·       Manifesting the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) 

·       Recipients of eternal life (Romans 6:23; 8:10-14) 

With divine nature and life in us, we are ... 

Sent on Mission

·       God’s masterful workmanship created for good works (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:12-14; 3:1,8,14)

·       Temple of the Holy Spirit – built for the Spirit’s habitation (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21-22) 

·       Called to a holy life – worthy of our position in Christ (Ephesians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Timothy 1:9) 

·       Meant to be light and salt to the world – and walking in the light (Matthew 5:13-16; Ephesians 5:8-9 

·       Intended for the praise of God’s glory (Ephesians 1:11-14; Matthew 5:16) 

·       Exhorted to follow Christ’s example of humility, gentleness, patience and love (Ephesians 4:1-3) 

·       Asked to put off the old life following the way of Satan – to crucify the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24; Ephesians 4:17-19)  

·       Urged to put on the new life in Christ of loving others as Christ loved (Ephesians 4:20-24; 5:1-2) 

·       Exhorted to submit to and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20) 

·       Encouraged to put on the armour of God, including continuous prayer for protection from Satan’s attacks (Ephesians 6:10-17) 

·       Exhorted to use one’s spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-10; Romans 12:6-8)

·       Encouraged to grow in spiritual virtues (2 Peter 1:3-8; 3:18)

·       Urged to continue in the faith and hope of the gospel (Colossians 1:23) 

Our present assurance and future hope is that we are ... 

Awaited by God

·       Chosen and unconditionally loved by God (Romans 8:31-39)

·       Interceded for and upheld by Jesus (Hebrews 7:23-25)

·       Expected at a great banquet (Luke 12:35-37)

·       Invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:5-9)

·       Sharing in Christ’s eternal inheritance – everlasting life (Romans 8:17; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 9:15)

·       Being glorified like Christ and seeing him as he is (1 John 3:2; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

·       Being granted rulership and priestly positions with Christ in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:28; Revelation 3:21; 5:9-10)

·       Taking part in an infinitely increasing eternal heavenly kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 2:44)

·       Experiencing eternal joy and bliss beyond comprehension or imagination (1 Corinthians 2:9-10; 13:12; 1 John 3:2)

© Eva and Alex Peck, 2010