Holy and Blameless

Ephesians 1:4b

Last week we looked at the meaning of the first half of Ephesians 1:4. We read about how we were chosen by God before the world had even began. We, an unworthy people, chosen for nothing that we had done. Today we look at the second part of this verse which tells us what He expects from us now that we have been chosen.

Let’s look at the verse again. It says, “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” [emphasis mine]. Before we dive into what this verse is saying, I think it is important to see what this verse is not saying.

This verse is not saying that we are already holy and blameless once we get saved. We were chosen by God that we should be holy and blameless. This means we need to strive to be holy and blameless. God chose us to be saved even though we did not deserve it. What He asks in return is that we be holy and blameless.

It is also clear that He chose us to become holy and blameless; we do not get saved because we are holy and blameless. I know this was mentioned in the previous article, but it is so important to nail down. We were chosen, not under our own merit, not because we were more spiritual or holy or religious than those who were not chosen, but because God chose us. “All our good deeds are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). By the grace and love of God we were chosen.

What this verse is telling us is that we are called to be holy and blameless. This is not just a good idea or something to think about, it is a command. In Leviticus 11:44-45, God says twice to the Israelites to “be holy, for I am holy.” Lest we think this command was only for the Israelites, Peter also was inspired to remind believers to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).

This verse is not only written to those called to the ministry, but to all believers. As we saw in verse one, Paul is writing this “to the saints who are in Ephesus.” A saint is a believer, so Paul is commanding all believers, whether called into the ministry or not, to be holy and blameless.

It is important then for us to understand what it means to be holy. The Greek word used here is ἅγιος which is translated hagios. Hagios means we are sacred or set apart. The HELPS Word-studies defines it as different, or unlike. When we are called to be set apart to God we will stand out. We will be different and unlike this world because this world is in direct opposition to God. We are called to be in this world temporarily, but we are never called to be of it. For a deeper study on what it means to be holy I highly recommend Jerry Bridges book The Pursuit of Holiness.

We are also called to be blameless. Daniel is a great example of someone who was blameless. In Daniel 6 we see high ranking officials in Persia who were jealous of Daniel’s success and wanted to find something about him that they could use against him. However, they could find no fault in him (Daniel 6:4). He was blameless. This does not mean he was perfect, he still sinned, he still messed up, but from the outside looking in, even when trying to find the smallest sin, his enemies could not.

This is how we ought to live. No one should be able to look at us and find faults and failures. If this is true in us then others will see that we are genuine and what it really means to be a follower of Christ.

Being holy and blameless are not easy commands to follow, in fact they are lifelong battles that we must face every day. But remember who it is that has called us to this life. It is God, the One who chose us. The One who chose to love us and show us grace when we did not deserve it. The One who sent His Son to die for us and had already decided to do so before the foundation of the world. This leads us to the end of the verse. “We should be holy and blameless before Him in love” [emphasis mine].

We are not robots. God has chosen us and called us to be holy and blameless, but He wants us to do it in our love for Him. In fact, we cannot be holy and blameless without love. The greatest command is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. How can we be holy and blameless without following the first and greatest commandment?

Therefore, the primary way to become holy and blameless is by establishing a deeper and deeper love for Him. This is done by spending time with Him, recognizing all He has done and continues to do for us every day though we do not deserve it, and getting to know Him personally. Those you love the most are those you spend the most time with. Prioritize Him. Draw nearer to Him and He promises to draw nearer to you (James 4:8).

Follow Us on Social Media!