Sunday, May 18, 2014

5/19/14- Before the world began

That same eternal God and Father, who by grace alone chose us in his Son Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world was laid, appointed him to be our head, our brother, our pastor, and the great bishop of our souls. But since the opposition between the justice of God and our sins was such that no flesh by itself could or might have attained unto God, it behooved the Son of God to descend unto us and take himself a body of our body, flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, and so become the Mediator between God and man, giving power to as many as believe in him to be the sons of God; as he himself says, "I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God." By this most holy brotherhood whatever we have lost in Adam is restored to us again. Therefore we are not afraid to call God our Father, not so much because he has created us, which we have in common with the reprobate, as because he has given unto us his only Son to be our brother, and given us grace to acknowledge and embrace him as our only Mediator  (Scots VI)

20Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, (Hebrews 13:20)

4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5heb predestined us for adoption to sonshipc through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—  (Ephesians 1:4,5)

Thoughts: Knox emphasizes that we are thought of and elected before the foundations of the world.  Christ is not only our leader, but the one who came down to assume our flesh.  He uses the words of Genesis and the woman: "bone of bones, flesh of flesh."  Christ tied himself to humanity not only by creation, but by becoming human.  When we are united to Christ (in faith), we are tied to His salvation.  Jesus enables us to call God "Our Father."  

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your everlasting love, and your care.  

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