Access to God (Eph. 2:18)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/11/2019 9:00 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                     Focus:  “Access to God”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Ephesians 2:18

 

            Message of the verses:  “for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”

 

            As we begin to look at this verse we have to know that the “Him” is the Lord Jesus Christ as we see that the word is capitalized, which indicates it is speaking of Christ.  It is through Christ that we have our access to the Spirit and then to the Father.  This shows us that the resources of the entire Trinity are ours the moment that we receive Christ.  MacArthur adds “It is not just a judicial reconciliation but an actual intimate relationship with practical value as we bring our needs to the Father.

 

            “Prosagoge (‘access’) is used only three times in the New Testament, in each case referring to the believer’s access to God (see also Rom. 5:2; Eph. 3:12). In ancient times a related word was used to describe the court official who introduced persons to the King.  They gave access to the monarch.  The term itself carries the idea not of possessing access in our own right but on being granted the right to come to God with boldness, knowing we will be welcomed.  It is only through our Savior’s shedding of His blood in sacrificial death on Calvary and by faith in Him that we have union in His Holy Spirit and have access to the Father.  The Spirit is at work to draw us continually to God (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6-7A).  Both and one spirit emphasize again the commonality of Jew and Gentile.  The work of Christ and the establishment of His church reach to all men.”

 

            The truth that is described in the previous paragraph is something that all new believers need to understand, for there are some believers who only rely on their emotions and not find the truth in Scripture.  When Jesus Christ died on the cross the curtain was torn from top to bottom indicating that this was a supernatural act, and this meant that all believers would now have access to the Holy of Holies which is where God dwelt in the OT temple, but now the Spirit of God indwells all true believers making all true believers the temple of God. 

 

            MacArthur writes the following about this subject:  “The only access into God’s presence, the only door into the sheepfold of His kingdom, is through His Son.  But it is a wonderful glorious access that can never be taken from us.  We can always ‘draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need’ (Heb. 4:16).  Through God’s giving Son we, too, become His sons.  Consequently we ‘have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but…a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom. 8:15).

 

            It makes no matter what background that you came from as we have learned that those who are far off are the Gentiles, and those who are near are the Jews, once we come to Christ we are all one in Him.  Then because of this new birth as we have mentioned we have access to the very throne of God.  In the Old Testament Day of Atonement the High Priest once he offered a sacrifice would then come into the Holy place where he would take a sensor filled with incense from the altar of incense and wave it before the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was thus preparing for him to go into the Holy of Holies by the prayers of the saints.  He would then place seven drops of blood onto the Mercy Seat to cover the sins of Israel for a year.  Today we need not offer a sacrifice in order to have access to God because Christ did this on the cross for us, however we do need to pray so that God can hear us speaking to Him just as the altar of incense was used for in the OT.  Today there is a temple in heaven and when we pray to the Father our prayers are like incense flowing to the Father.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful that I have access to the Father and I never want to take that for granted.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to learn humility by studying Romans 12:3, and to continue to seek the truth as I study His Word and not get emotional as I stand on the truth.

 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

 

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘Lo, we have left all and followed thee’?”

 

Answer in our next SD.

 

1/11/2019 9:32 AM