Need a Deeper Sense of Security?

When I realized Ephesians 1:5 offers a deeper sense of security, I was extremely excited and grateful.

Here is the verse: “he (God) predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

Interestingly, in the Roman culture when Paul wrote this Epistle, a Roman father could disinherit a son born into the family. But an adopted child could not be disinherited. The idea was a father had no choice as to what he received when a baby was born naturally into the family. If the child grew up and disgraced the family, the father could justify disinheriting him by saying, “I didn’t know he had all these flaws, otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen him.” 

But an adopted child was chosen specifically with full knowledge of his strengths, weaknesses, appearance, and anything else a family considered important. Therefore, a father could not justify disinheriting him. A father could never say, “I didn’t know what I was getting.” 

Paul’s wording didn’t just say we are sons (or daughters). He included the fact we are adopted. Paul fully knew the Roman culture—he was Jewish yet had Roman citizenship.

I hope this speaks to you as much as it speaks to me. God wants us to know we cannot be disinherited—we cannot lose our salvation! He chose us fully knowing we would not be perfect. But he also wants us to desire to please him out of gratitude for the great salvation he has given us. As we live in that assurance, we’ll give glory to God. 

When you read through Ephesians 1, it’s striking how often God’s glory is mentioned. You’ll find it in: 

vs. 6: his grace brings him glory
vs. 12: we are to the praise of his glory
vs. 14: the gift of the Holy Spirit brings praise to his glory
vs. 17: God is the Father of glory
vs. 18: we can know the riches of his glory revealed in our inheritance. 

What glorious connections to our inheritance. 

If you are a Christian, you are secure. You may not always “feel” it, but you are regardless of your feelings. As we more fully develop joy and a sense of security we enlarge God’s generosity in the eyes of others.

If you aren’t a Christian, you can receive Christ as your Savior and become His child–a Christian. Admit your sin and need of a Savior. Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose from the grave to demonstrate we can have eternal life in heaven after we die. Let me know if you would like to hear more about this wonderful gift.

(This excerpt is from my book Pure-Hearted: The Blessings of Living Out God’s Glory. Check out that book for more information)