WE'RE ALL BROKEN, BUT WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER...

Blessed are the poor in spirit 
who are torn apart
Blessed are the prosecuted and the pure in heart
Blessed are the people longing for another start
For this is the kingdom
the kingdom of God...
And all the people said Amen

PUT ON THE 'NEW' SELF....

Those who are truly saved shall see God. These are the pure in heart. Their lives have been transformed by the grace of God ...

Ephesians 4:23-24King James Version (KJV)

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4

V 1–6: UNITY Paul urges the Ephesians to a worthy walk which reflects the oneness of the body of Christ in spiritual unity. In so doing, he clearly emphasises that there is only ‘one Lord, and one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all’. Unity for him does not mean sacrificing truth. It is because of his stand for God’s truth that he writes as ‘the prisoner of the Lord’. V 7–10: INDIVIDUALITY This unity does not detract from the fact that grace is individually given to each person who trusts Christ, and that God gives enabling gifts to individual believers. He is the universe’s highly ascended Lord, and can do that easily! V 11–16: COMMUNITY God has given certain gifted people to His church. They are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. His aim, through them, is to equip and edify His people so, together, they know Christ, stand firm on biblical doctrine against those who would deceive, and recognise how they all together fit into the body of Christ of which He is head. V 17–19: FUTILITY The Christian Gentile is to be contrasted with the other Gentiles who, as unbelievers, walk ignorantly, blindly, and in sin and greediness. V 20–24: IDENTITY In coming to know Christ, their old ways are dispensed with and the ‘new man’ is put on, in righteousness and holiness. There is a spiritual renewal of the mind and a radical change of identity for the born-again Christian. V 25–32: QUALITY There is a new quality of life of the Christian which reflects the fact that he does not ‘grieve the Holy Spirit of God’. He rejects former sinful ways, words and works, and applies himself to replacing them with positive good. He gives the devil no place in his life and rejects his former negative behaviour and sin. His new quality of life is shown by tender-heartedness, showing forgiveness to others, and avoiding grieving the Spirit. The springboard for this is that ‘God in Christ forgave you’.

King James Study Bible Notes:

• ■■■▶ Matt. 5:8:  Those who are truly saved shall see God. These are the pure in heart. Their lives have been transformed by the grace of God. They are not yet sinless but their position before God has been...
  
  
  
  
• ■■■▶ 2 Cor. 5:17:  If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: What Paul particularizes in verse 16 he generalizes in verse 17. Paul could no longer think of Christ in purely carnal terms, because of the... 
  
  
  
  
• ■■■▶ Introduction to the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
• ■■■▶ Eph. 4:22–24:  Christianity taught the addressees to (1) put off . . . the old man, to renounce their pre-conversion life and sins; (2) be renewed in . . . your mind, to be constantly changed, being... 
  
  
  
  
• ■■■▶Eph. 4:25—5:2:  This section gives practical guidelines as to how “the old man” (v. 22) can be laid aside and how “the new man” (v. 24) can be assumed in daily living. The passage specifies five sins to... 
  
  
  
   

Dictionary of Bible Themes:

• 1065 God, holiness of:  The moral excellence of God that unifies his attributes and is expressed through his actions, setting him apart from all others. Believers are called to be holy as God is holy.
• 1125 God, righteousness of:  An aspect of God’s nature which expresses his unique moral perfection and his readiness to save sinners. It is made known especially through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• 1462 truth, in NT:  The NT encompasses the Greek idea of truth as reality, as well as the Hebraic concepts of faithfulness and reliability. Jesus Christ is shown as “the Truth” and the apostles present the gospel as “truth”.
• 2303 Jesus Christ, as creator:  Scripture identifies the pre-existent Jesus Christ as involved in the work of creation, and relates this to his work in redemption, by which a new creation is brought out of the ruins of the old.
• 4010 creation, renewal of:  God’s creation, spoilt by sin, will one day be completely renewed. The old order will pass away and a new everlasting order established.
• 4030 world, human behaviour in:  Human behaviour in the world is now characterised by self-centredness as a result of sin. Believers are called upon to renounce such sinful behaviour.
• 5013 heart, divine:  The inner thoughts, feelings, will and desires of God, as they are revealed in Scripture and in Jesus Christ.
• 5023 image of God:  Humanity is created in the image or likeness of God. This image of God, given in creation, was damaged in the fall, but may be restored through Jesus Christ.
• 5034 likeness:  The similarity between objects or persons. Humanity is created in the likeness of God. Jesus Christ possesses a likeness to both God and humanity, which is expressed and safeguarded by the doctrine of the incarnation.
• 5769 behaviour:  A person’s actions or way of life. Good behaviour will not earn salvation, but believers must practise good behaviour in accordance with Scripture as evidence of their conversion. Scripture stresses that bad behaviour is inconsistent with Christian faith and urges believers to mend their ways.
• 5832 desire:  A sense of longing for or wanting something. It may be a positive or negative force in the human character, but sinful desire is characteristic of human nature and must be overcome by the believer. God also expresses desires in Scripture.
• 5894 intelligence:  The natural ability to acquire knowledge and to learn skills. It is not emphasised in Scripture because wisdom is viewed primarily in spiritual and moral terms. Human cleverness proves ultimately futile; nevertheless, believers are called to develop and use their minds to the full in God’s service and to dedicate gifts and abilities to him.
• 5904 maturity, spiritual:  The development of Christlike character and behaviour in the Christian through a renewed mind and tested faith.
• 6030 sin, avoidance of:  God calls his people to avoid sin, and through Jesus Christ gives them the inner power to be victorious over it.
• 6185 imagination, inward desires:  The usually sinful inclinations of a heart which is by nature corrupt and stubborn, but which may be renewed by God, resulting in purified desires.
• 6698 newness:  Through Jesus Christ, God has made possible a new relationship between himself and sinful humanity. This involves the renewal of human nature and eventually a renewal of creation itself.
• 6745 sanctification, nature and basis of:  The process of renewal and consecration by which believers are made holy through the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the consequence of justification and is dependent upon a person being in a right relationship with God.
• 7756 preaching, content of:  Preaching is centred on the nature and will of God and his claims on all people. Expressed in prophecy, declaration or teaching, it includes the proclamation of the way of salvation to unbelievers and instruction about the faith to believers.
• 7797 teaching:  The apostles’teaching formed the basis of the instruction given to the first Christians. Parts of the NT draw a distinction between preaching and teaching, seeing the former as a means of converting individuals, and the latter as a means of instructing them after conversion.
• 8115 discipleship, nature of:  The state of following Jesus Christ, and serving and obeying him. The NT stresses the privileges, joys and cost of this calling.
• 8136 knowing God, effects of:  Knowing God has a transforming effect on a person spiritually and morally and makes that person bold in actions for God. Not knowing God in the present will result in dissatisfaction and degeneration into wickedness and in the future will bring eternal alienation from him.
• 8145 renewal, of people of God:  The transformation by God of the lives of his people, whether corporately or individually, leading to the recovery of lost vitality and purity.
• 8151 revival, corporate:  The experience of God’s people both in the OT and NT when prayer is answered and their growth and effectiveness are renewed.
• 8157 righteousness, as faith: Full faith and trust make a person pleasing in the sight of God. 
• 8206 Christlikeness:  The process by which believers are conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ, especially in relation to obedience to and trust in God. Through the Holy Spirit, God refashions believers in the image of his Son, who is set before them as a model of the form of the redeemed life.
• 8244 ethics, and grace:  Ethical conduct on the part of believers rests upon both the grace of God and human obedience.

  People are unable to fulfil the law of God without divine grace

• 8255 fruit, spiritual:  The spiritual life and growth of believers is likened to a fruit-bearing tree. As the fruit is evidence of the health and vigour of the tree, so the believer’s life, attitudes and behaviour should reflect the presence of the Holy Spirit.
• 8273 holiness, ethical aspects of: Behaviour that reflects the holy character of God himself is to be expressed in both social and personal dimensions of life.
• 8311 morality, and redemption:  The morality which is appropriate for God’s own people is expressed in the OT law, and in the person and teaching of Jesus Christ.
• 8422 equipping, spiritual:  Scripture provides examples of individuals who have been equipped to carry out tasks or responsibilities of a spiritual nature.
• 8443 growth:  The process of development and maturing, used to refer to the progress of the kingdom of God and the spiritual development of believers. Scripture uses images of growth (such as seeds, plants and infants) to stress the dynamic nature of personal faith and the kingdom of God.
• 8451 mortification:   The act of self-denial or the “putting to death” of sinful instincts in order to have freedom from sin and to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. The NT stresses that this act of humiliation comes about through the grace of God. It is the result of, not the condition for, conversion.
• 8466 reformation:  The process of bringing religious practices and beliefs back into line with the word of God. The OT portrays Israel as requiring reformation at several points in her history. God’s people continue to need to review their beliefs and practices in the light of God’s word.
• 8476 self-discipline:  The dedicated training, through the study of Scripture, prayer and self-control, which enables Christians to be more effective witnesses to the gospel, to lead lives more pleasing to God, and to win the crown that awaits those who are victorious over sin.
• 8486 spiritual warfare, armour:  The armour of God refers to the resources that Christians possess for defending themselves against the attacks of the world, the flesh and the devil.

#JESUS♡