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The Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love (Eph. 1:3-4):
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God's chosen ones should be saturated only with God Himself, having no foreign particles, such as the fallen natural human element, the flesh, the self, or worldly things; this is to be without blemish, without any mixture, without any element other than God's holy nature.
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We do not become Christ's bride by self-correction but by being saturated with God; this is the holiness, the sanctification, revealed in the Bible (1 Thes. 5:23; Rom. 6:19, 22).
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The church, after being thoroughly washed by the water in the word, will be sanctified in such a way as to be saturated and beautified with Christ organically so that she may be His glorious church, His holy bride (Eph. 5:25-27; cf. John 17:17).
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In Ephesians 1:4 love refers to the love with which God loves His chosen ones and His chosen ones love Him; it is in this love, in such a love, that God's chosen ones become holy and without blemish before Him:
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First, God loved us; then this divine love inspires us to love Him in return (Hymns, 546, 547).
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In such a condition and atmosphere of love, we are saturated with God to be holy and without blemish, just as He is.
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To be holy is first to be separated to God; second, to be taken over by God; third, to be possessed by God; and fourth, to be saturated with God and one with God.
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Eventually, the issue of this is the New Jerusalem, a holy entity belonging to God, possessed by God, saturated with God, and one with God.
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 5:27 That He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.Rev. 21:2 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
To be holy is first to be separated to God; second, to be taken over by God; third, to be possessed by God; and fourth, to be saturated with God and one with God....The issue of this in the Bible is the New Jerusalem, which is called the holy city, a city that not only belongs to God and is for God, but a city possessed by God, saturated with God, and one with God. The New Jerusalem is a holy entity belonging to God, possessed by God, saturated with God, and one with God. This is holiness. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 28)
Today's Reading
Outward correction...means nothing. Being saturated with God and being soaked with Him, however, mean a great deal....Suppose someone is proud and adjusts himself to be humble. This means nothing....[What] matters is that we are saturated with God....This is the holiness, the sanctification, revealed in the Bible.We all have been chosen to be holy in this way. First, we are separated unto God; second, we are saturated with God; eventually we become one with God. One day, we shall be just like Him. That will mark the completion of our sanctification, the process that begins with separation, continues with saturation, and is completed with the full redemption of our body. At that time, from within to without, we shall be the same as He is. We shall be holy. It is for this purpose that we were chosen by God before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:4...says that we were chosen in Him to be without blemish. A blemish is like a foreign particle in a precious gem. God's chosen ones should be saturated only with God Himself and have no foreign particles, such as the fallen natural human element, the flesh, the self, or worldly things. This is to be without blemish, to be without any mixture, to have no element other than God's holy nature. After being thoroughly washed by the water in the Word, the church will be sanctified in this way (5:26-27).
Today, we still have a great deal of mixture. Many foreign particles, such as the flesh, the self, and the natural life, are still in us. But we are gradually being transformed. Therefore, eventually we shall be so holy and so pure that we shall be without blemish, without any foreign particles, having only the divine element.
We shall be holy and without blemish before Him. [In Ephesians 1:4] before Him means to be holy and without blemish in the eyes of God according to His divine standard. This qualifies us to remain in and enjoy His presence. We shall be holy and without blemish, not according to our standard or in our eyes but according to His standard and in His eyes.
We shall be holy and without blemish before Him in love. Love in 1:4 refers to the love with which God loves His chosen ones and with which His chosen ones love Him. It is in this love, in such a love, that God's chosen ones become holy and without blemish before Him. First, God loved us. Then this divine love inspires us to love Him in return. In such a condition and atmosphere of love, we are saturated with God to be holy and without blemish as He is. In this love, a mutual love, God loves us, and we return this love to Him. It is in this kind of condition that we are being transformed. Under such a condition we are being saturated with God.
I hope that we can see that the holiness revealed in the Bible is absolutely different from that found in today's teachings concerning self-correction and improvement of behavior. First, we are separated unto God, and then we are continually saturated with God until all the mixture in us is swallowed up by the divine nature. When this takes place in full, we shall be wholly sanctified, transformed, and conformed to the image of God's Son, Jesus Christ. Then we shall be completely holy. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 31-33)
Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 3