READ – Ephesians 3:6-12
Being adopted into God’s family means that every child of God shares equally in Christ’s riches. That must have come as a shock to the Jews, God’s chosen nation. As one of the spiritual leaders of his people, the Apostle Paul understood the awesome significance of his words to the Gentile Christians in the city of Ephesus:
Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.
This was an earth-shaking declaration, not just for Paul and his Jewish contemporaries, but also for the Gentile believers who read his letter to the Ephesians. They had been adopted into God’s family. For the first time, they could actually connect with God – not the wooden and stone idols of their pagan past – but the living God who demonstrated his presence in sending Christ to dwell among humankind.
Because of their faith in Christ, Paul wrote, “we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.”
That same promise is true for believers today. We, too, can come boldly into God’s presence. When we struggle to overcome our fears, our temptations and our doubts, we can bring them with us to God, knowing that he is with us. Not only that, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, he is in us.