• Home
  • GracEmail Ministry
    • What is GracEmail?
    • Latest GracEmail
    • frequently asked questions
    • GracEmail Category Index
  • Written Ministry
    • Articles
    • Special Bible Studies
    • Books
    • Online Books
    • Worship Resources
    • Interviews
  • Videos
  • About
    • The Personal Pages
      • Photo Albums
    • My Professional Life
  • Contact

Edward Fudge Ministries

Joyously drawing water from the springs of salvation Isaiah 12:2-3

You are here: Home / GracEmail / THE ESSENCE – 5

THE ESSENCE – 5

Uniquely honored among all God’s creatures, we humans are made in the Creator’s own image. Sin, which at its core is a denial of creaturely dependence, and therefore of our created identity, obscures God’s presence and removes the source of ultimate human fulfillment and joy. By dealing with sin, Jesus brought us back close into God’s presence now, and he promises to make us immortal in a new universe where there will be no more sin or death.

This, then, is the essence of life, the highest goal, the greatest good, the path to our fulfillment and to God’s joy — that we live each moment coram Deo, “before the face of God.” David, the man after God’s own heart, earnestly pleaded for this blessing when he prayed: “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek; do not hide your face from me” (Psalm 27:8-9). Jesus described it when he promised: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

This life is accessible to God’s ekklesia, the community of believers, the body of Christ. It is fed by the Scriptures, when received in faith and focused on Jesus Christ. It is enriched through the sacraments or ordinances, when by faith we encounter the risen Savior through these physical elements. This life is expressed and strengthened in loving deeds of benevolence and charity. But back of all those things, undergirding it all, giving it all meaning and purpose, making all those things useful and powerful and effective, is the core and the essence. It is life coram Deo — “before the face of God.”

Filed Under: GracEmail, our response to God's salvation, the inner life, WORSHIP AND DEVOTION

Search

SEARCH more than 1,200 gracEmails by verse or word below

Sign Up to gracEmail

Click HERE, then fill in the blanks and click “Subscribe.”

Or send a completely BLANK email to:
join-edwardfudge@injesus.netatlantic.com

Video Categories

  • Videos
    • Divine Rescue
    • Hell
    • Hell & Mr Fudge
    • Lectures
    • Miscellaneous
    • Preaching
    • Q & A
    • Testimonies
    • The Fire That Consumes

gracEmail

gracemail

This Christ-centered, Bible-based internet column is published once or twice each week at no charge, for thousands of subscribers throughout the body of Christ around the world. Read More…

Written Ministry

written ministry

For 50 years, God has blessed readers through Edward’s writings — including books, sermons, worship resources, articles, Bible studies and reviews. Many of these writings are available here at no charge. His seven current books can be ordered through links found with their descriptions. Read More …

Speaking Ministry

preaching

You can also enjoy Edward’s Video Teaching right now.

  • Home
  • Site Map
  • Latest GracEmail
  • Written Ministry
  • About
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 Edward Fudge Ministries · KT Websites · Log in