According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Ephesians 1:4
The president of the company instructed his human relations department to hire three graduates from the local business school, to become trainees for a new program he was creating. The trainees arrived and spent the next three years working as assistant managers for the various departments within the company. They learned as much as possible about each department before moving on to another one. At the end of the three years, the trainees were called in to the president’s office for an interview. The president complimented them for their hard work and for all that they had learned in their three years. He then revealed the reason why he had hired them: the company was opening new operations in three new locations, and these three trainees were to be in charge of them. They were surprised and delighted, because they had no idea what they had been chosen for. In contrast, the Word of God makes it very clear what our Lord has chosen as the occupation for you and me.
The previous verse tells us that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. And one of those blessings, as our text today describes, is that we have been chosen to be holy and blameless before Him. Some people are called holy who have no right to such a designation. The pope, for example, is referred to as his holiness, but he is certainly not holy, as evidenced by his leading an organization of blasphemous practices and rank idolatry. Other religious figures are also often referred to as holy men or women, but the title simply indicates that they are religious, not that they are holy. Of all the people in the world today, only a tiny fraction have been given this great blessing. That tiny fraction includes only those who have been saved, who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, those who are born again. God’s eternal purpose, before He even made our world, is for us to be holy and blameless. He has given us a holy and blameless position. And He desires for us to have a holy and blameless condition.
Leviticus 11:44 includes an appeal to the Israelites to be holy even as God is holy. 1 Peter 1:16 makes the same appeal for the New Testament believers. Our holiness refers to the measure in which we are like our Lord. Holiness is possible only if we learn the Word of God and put into practice what we have learned. Holiness is possible only if we spend time in His presence in daily prayer. Holiness is possible only if we permit the Holy Spirit to have His control over our daily lives. Holiness is possible only if we yield our wills and our purposes to the will and purpose of God.
We can be holy and blameless, that is why God reached and saved us. If we fail in these, we miss out on God’s richest blessing for us. -Jim MacIntosh