Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Chosen to be Holy and Blameless”

Ephesians 1v4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (NIV)

This verse is full of deep truths that are well worth meditating on:

• God the Father chose you and I. That is amazing. Not because of anything we have done, but he chose us “in Christ”: we could only be chosen because of Jesus’s work on the cross. That’s Biblical ‘grace’ – favour without merit.
• God the Father made this decision long before we were born, long before humans even thought of us, even before the world was created. Yes, you and I are part of God’s plan for the world. We are not an afterthought, but a fore-thought!
• God the Father chose us for a purpose: so that we would be holy and blameless in his sight. Firstly, notice that we are in the sight of God: he sees everything about you, warts and all, and he loves you and has chosen you. Secondly, his choosing is for us to be holy and blameless. This holy and blameless means both the forgiveness of sin, but also the work of the Holy Spirit in us as he makes us more holy. This is core to the New Testament message – you and I have been made saints in Jesus Christ, so that we can now live as one. It is the reason you and I are chosen.

May God fill you with that assurance of his love and purpose for you,

With love and blessing,

Roland