◄ What Does Ephesians 5:30 Mean? ►

Salvation for pre-cross believers who lived in the dispensation of the Law and post-cross believers who live in the dispensation of the grace-of-God, is given and received in the same way - for salvation is by God's grace through man's faith in the God's Word. In this Church age salvation is ours by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ..

Salvation is always a matter of faith.. but the way God deals with His servants in different dispensations varies in a number of ways. As Church-age believers we are members of Christ's body. We have been born into the kingdom of God by faith.. for unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Having been born from above we are part of a spiritual Body. However our physical bodies.. in which dwells the Spirit of God, are used by the Lord to be ministers of reconciliation to a lost and dying world. As part of Christ's body we are called to continue His work on earth as He lives in our heart by faith - for we are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh.

As members of the old Creation in Adam we are fearfully and wonderfully made - but we are nonetheless fallen creatures with a sin nature. But as members of the new Creation in Christ we are members of His body - bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh and we have been made the righteousness of God in Him, for if any man is in Christ he is a new creature - old things are passed away and all things are become new. Day by day our new life in Christ is being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ Himself.

As Christians we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; who are called to show forth the praises of Him Who has called us out of darkness into his marvellous light. Our body is a temple in which dwells the Holy Spirit of God and as individual believers and as the corporate Body of Christ we are His ambassadors.. representatives of Jesus Himself. And it is through our body that He is enabled to live and work.. reconciling the world unto Himself - as we dwell in Him and He in us - for we are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh.

There are times that we become overly familiar with terms such as 'born again', 'a new creation in Christ', 'made the righteousness of God in Him', 'accepted in the Beloved', 'ministers of reconciliation', 'ambassadors of Christ', 'seated with Him in heavenly places', 'hid with Christ in God', ' Christ in you the hope of glory' or 'bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh'.

But every one of the hundreds of privileges that have become ours by faith in Christ.. contain a supernatural element for we have been 'blessed with all spiritual blessings'... because we are His workmanship and are one with Christ.. created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.

Heavenly Father, how I praise and thank You that by faith in His death burial and resurrection, I have become bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh - so that I may be used as a witness, a testimony and a minister of reconciliation to a lost and dying world. Help me to honour You in all I say and do.. in Jesus name I pray, AMEN.