We are Included

I pray that you may be able to grasp how wide and high and deep and wide is the love of Christ – to know for yourself that love so far above understanding. So will you be filled through all your being with God Himself. Ephesians 4:17-18

I received a Christmas gift that to me is a marvel of computer technology. Appearing to be a simple picture of my grandchildren, one only has to be in the room for a few seconds to realize that this is no ordinary frame. Instead, it is a continuing display of photographs. Watching it, I am reminded of the resemblances of generations that mark us as being family.

In Ephesians, Paul begins his letter to the Asian churches by reminding them that they were a part of God’s plan from the beginning. “Before the foundation of the world,” He chose them to be His children. The recipients of Paul’s letter were Gentile churches, not bonded by the human genealogy of the Jewish people. But theirs was to be a blood connection. Not the continuation of generations, their inclusion in the holy family would come through adoption, redeemed and purified by the sacrifice of the Son. We, too, fall into this category of family. We are included by the gift of the Savior and acceptance of salvation through His grace.

Someone once explained grace to me in a way I have not forgotten. It began with a hypothetical situation. I am driving down the road and carelessly allow my speed to exceed the limit – I am going 60 in a 45 mile per hour area. Soon I see the flashing lights of a police car and pull to the side of the road. The officer explains to me that I was traveling above the speed limit and must pay the fine established by the state. That outcome described justice. Same scenario, but this time the officer advises me not to let it happen again and lets me go with a warning. In that case, I received mercy. The final situation shows me again with a heavy foot and an encounter with the policeman. Again he explains to me that the punishment for speeding is a fine. But then, he takes several bills from his wallet and clips them to the paper. “Your fine is paid,” he explains. That is grace.

God is a God of justice, a God of absolutes. The first commandments reveal His nature. No gods before me, no killing, no adultery, no coveting. Not situational ethics, only the straight measurement of the law.

But God is a God of love. And from the beginning, He promised to crush the serpent’s head, not by the power of man but through the sacrifice of the Messiah. Jesus explained this to Nicodemus. God loved His creation so much that He sent His Own into the world to redeem it. Redemption came through sacrifice, paying the price of transgression. This is the beautiful story of Grace. There is no other way – only justice and grace.

It is God’s will for us that none should perish but all should come to repentance - that we might find perfection and fulfillment in Him. Everything, all history will be consummated in Jesus Christ. He is the center and the meaning of our existence. Our response must be a lifetime of praise and thankfulness. The power of family is the power of inclusion.

In our courts today, when a child is adopted into a family, a document is issued verifying the legal standing of the new family member. We too have received verification that our standing in the family is legitimate. We have been stamped, Paul says, with the Holy Spirit. We have more than a legal document. We receive the indwelling of the very Spirit of God. Our “DNA” changes, so to speak. We are no longer of the world. Our faith strengthens us, our hope lifts us and our love for others becomes an outcome of our heritage.

Paul gives a beautiful description of the church, fellow citizens in the household of God. Each part that goes into its existence – the messengers, the prophets and the Cornerstone which is Christ – all fit together to form the temple to the Lord God. And we are a part of this building with all those who have come before. We are the church. Christ is the head but we are the body. We no longer stand in the outer courts of the temple. We have become the Holy of Holies.