Month: October 2025

Our Purpose Revealed

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Ephesians 2:8-10

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.“

What is our purpose? Why are we as believers here on this earth? More specifically, FOR WHAT PURPOSE did God choose us in particular among all people–to redeem us by His blood and sanctify us to Himself?

A look at the book of Ephesians, particularly chapter 1, answers this question. Let’s look at the two specific and clearly laid out reasons God chose us to be His.

  • To be holy and without blame before Him in love. Many times, in our modern day, people overemphasize “making a decision for Christ.” “Pray the prayer and you’re saved” is the mentality. But the truth is that the first moment the Holy Spirit leads us to put faith in Christ is only the beginning. WHY did God choose us to be His children? Why did He choose us “in Him before the foundation of the world”? To be holy and blameless in Him. Becoming a Christian means dying. It means dying to our sinful nature and the old man. It means crucifying the flesh and dying with Christ. It means leaving our past and sinful nature. A prayer does not save us. Christ Himself saves us by grace through faith, NOT of ourselves (Eph. 2:8). Faith without works is dead (James 2)! God gives us faith in Him, and He redeems us. Faith is not a one-and-done thing! Faith is living and active! We must LIVE OUT our faith, bearing fruit for Jesus. He saves us not so we can just keep living however we want to. Our old selves have DIED, and we no longer have anything to do with them. The first purpose for our salvation is HOLINESS. We are to be set apart from the world, spotless and blameless, pure and holy, consecrated to His use alone. The Greek word for without blame (ἄμωμος) is translated as a sacrifice without blemish. Going to Romans 12:1-2, we discover what the sacrifice is. It is ourselves–a holy, living sacrifice to the Lord. This is what He chose us for–in Him–before the foundation of the world! He predestined us for HOLINESS and BLAMELESSNESS. We have no place mingling with darkness and the world. We must be completely set apart and consecrated for His service.

  • To the praise of the glory of His grace. The phrase “to the praise of His glory” is repeated three times in Ephesians chapter 1, as relating to the purpose for which God chose us to be His children, predestining us before the foundation of the world to adopt us as His own. The second purpose God has for us in Christ is for His praise and to His glory! All things are of Him and through Him and to Him. He is worthy, always entirely worthy of all our worship and adoration. All that we do should always be for His glory alone. When we praise Him, we bring Him glory. When we live in holiness, fulfilling our purpose, we bring Him glory. When we endure suffering with patience, we bring Him glory. He has called us to bring Him glory. He has saved us for the sake of His glory. Everything He does is for the glory of His name. Strong’s concordance describes the Greek word for glory (δόξα) as a “most glorious condition, most exalted state.” The glory of God should be our end purpose, our chief goal in life. And as we pursue holiness in Christ Jesus, who has purchased us with His precious blood for this very reason, we bring glory, honor, and praise to His name.

Now that we know our purpose in Christ, are we living it out? Let us reevaluate our lives. In what ways do we need to be separate from the world–set apart and consecrated in holiness to our Master? In what ways do we need to rededicate our lives to solely seeking after His glory and praise in all things? This is our calling. This is the reason our Lord and Master chose us to be saved. This is the reason He purchased us on the cross, suffering the ultimate penalty for our sins. He has done so much for us. Can we not fulfill the purpose to which He has called us?

Lamentations 3:40

Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD.

Ephesians 1:4-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…

7 Key Reasons American Christians Should Support Israel

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

“I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

  1. The Bible tells us to. In Genesis chapter 12, God promised Abraham that those who blessed his descendants would be blessed, and vice versa. This was never a conditional promise, and God never set a time limit for the “expiration” of this verse.
  2. Jesus Christ came to the earth as a Jew. Jesus Christ was born of the seed of David according to the Law (Gal. 4:4, Matthew 1). He came as a Jew, and His main earthly ministry was to the Jews. (Matthew 15:24) Salvation is of the Jews since the Savior came from the Jews. (John 4:22)
  3. Israel is God’s special people. We are to be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1-2). God has numerous times declared that Israel is His special chosen nation. Scripture clearly states that even in New Testament times, God has not cast away His people. (Romans 11:1-2: “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.”) Even though the Jewish people as a whole have rejected their Messiah, God has not rejected them, and the nation of Israel still plays an essential role in God’s plan for history.
  4. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, loves Israel. As previously mentioned, Christ’s earthly ministry was nearly entirely focused on the Jewish people. Salvation came first to the Jews who spread the Gospel to the Gentiles.
  5. Israel will play a key role in God’s plan for the future of the world. There are many prophecies in Scripture concerning Israel’s future salvation and her role in end-time events. In fact, these events will center around Israel.

Even if you take these most important factors out of the equation, there are significant practical reasons for the US to support Israel.

  1. Israel is America’s strong ally. Historically, Israel and America have worked side by side. This is no different from the present! The leaders of both countries have great relationships and work closely together.
  2. Israel is very smart and up-to-date on technology, making them a valuable country to have a good relationship with.
  3. Israel’s location in the Middle East gives the US an ally in that turbulent area of the world.

God has made it abundantly clear that His children in Christ must support and bless His chosen nation, Israel. That fact alone ought to convince us that we must do so and stand boldly for the Jewish people.

I hope this post equips you to better understand and defend your position on Israel!

Psalms 122:6 (NKJV)
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.” For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.”

Or in Hebrew: Shaalu Shlom Yerushalayim! (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!)