As Paul shores up this first section in the trinitarian unfolding of blessings (Eph 1:3-6), a question surfaces when we think upon the wonders of the Father’s grace. Why would God do such marvelous things for such underserving people? What are God’s motivations in taking the infinitely ill-deserving and exalting them to a gloriously accepted, deeply intimate, and lofty position? The wonders of grace are truly amazing and His ways are certainly beyond finding out (Rom 11:33). Thankfully, the text gives the reader a glimpse into the heart and mind of God in making human beings the objects of His eternal mercy.
First, consideration must be given to the absence of punctuation in 1:3-14. This author’s view of 1:4 is that believers were chosen after being in Christ to be holy and blameless in their love for one another as stated previously. The reason for this view is because “nowhere in Scripture is election unto salvation but always to blessing and service.” But it is equally as plausible that the phrase “in love” is connected to the Father having predestined those in Christ to the adoption as sons. While this author does not hold to the latter understanding, it is both logical and biblical that “in love” is demonstrating the prime motivation of the Father. We should not be dogmatic about either understanding but be fully convinced in our own minds (Rom 14:5). Seeing that the punctuation is questionable, and that both interpretations uphold the overarching teachings of Scripture, there is no conflict in holding one view over the other, and yet being able to rejoice in the view not held. Both are wonderful truths!
This does not mean that “predestined” now takes on a salvific meaning, but actually gives greater credence to the future aspect of “adoption” seeing that those who hold to salvific predestination do not believe that God’s love stretches to the entire world. The corresponding Pauline evidence as listed above has not changed (Rom 8:12-23). But it does mean that the Bible resonates with the Father’s heart for men and women and that His great and eternal love is the catalyst that moved Him to place those who have believed in Christ into a privileged position as His sons and daughters (Gal 4:5).
Coupled closely with the motivation of God’s love, Paul speaks to his readers about how such blessings were secured. This “adoption as sons” is “through Jesus Christ.” This means that Jesus is the indispensable element in the granting of such great spiritual blessings. This causes us to reflect upon three areas that qualify the Lord Jesus as the conduit for such profound grace.
Jesus’ Person as Deity
The demands of God stipulate nothing less than perfection. Seeing that He is righteous, holy, and just (Deut 32:4; Psa 119:137-138; Jer 9:24), it must follow that the One to atone for the tragedy of sin must be righteous, holy, and just as well. One cannot be superior over the other in regards to ethics, morals, or principles, but must share in the same high level of expectations and standards, leaving no stone unturned, no disagreement in solution, and no allowance of sin. This was a matter made clear in the Old Testament. Geisler writes:
…the Jewish Messiah that Israel believed in was regarded to be God-even in the Old Testament. Psalm 45:6 refers to Him as “God,” saying, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” Confirmation that this was understood as a reference to the deity of Christ is its citation in Hebrews 1:8: “About the Son [God the Father] says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.”
The Savior, the One through Whom all blessing would come, could be no less than God. Even in Jesus’ time, there was no ambiguity about this for those who were poised to accept it.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. -John 1:1-3
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” -John 20:28
Even the Jews who were against Jesus understood His claim of Deity which caused them to respond violently.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. -John 8:58-59
“I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
-John10:30-33
Though His deity was difficult for many to understand or even accept, it is no less who Jesus is, being God in the flesh (John 1:14).
Jesus’ Perfect Work on the Cross
There is no doubt about it, salvation is by works. Yes, you read that correctly. Salvation is by works. But the work required to satisfy the righteous demands of God against sin is only possible by One who is as righteous as God and who is able to completely and sufficiently remove the sin issue that separates God from His special creations. You and I could never engage in such a work, being the sinful ones who are so desperately in need of God’s righteousness. However, Jesus the Savior is the indispensable element in our being brought into the Father’s eternal family, securing God’s righteousness for us on the cross of Calvary.
Only Jesus Christ is the Worthy One that has redeemed the saints. He alone has placed us in a position of being continually welcomed into the presence of the Father (Heb 4:16; 10:18-22). No other person, belief, or religion will suffice in accomplishing the qualifying requirements that would garner God’s bestowal of “already blessings.” Only Jesus Christ accomplishes an acquittal of sin, a removal of guilt, and a dismissal of all shame, elevating the believer to the “astounding station” of receiving the Father’s grace! Jesus Christ is the only Way (John 14:6), because He is the perfect Way.
The Father has enlisted His perfect Son as the only suitable Savior to accomplish redemption, paying the full price for the sin debt incurred and opening the floodgates of grace upon all who would enter in by faith alone. Remembering what has been seen previously, “love” is God’s motivation for making salvation possible.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” -1 John 3:1
God’s love and God’s life meet at the cross of Jesus Christ!
Jesus’ Present Life
The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives the world something that it has never had before: a perfect, sufficient, and living Savior! Only a living Savior can facilitate the blessings of the Father to the saints (Phil 1:10-11; Titus 3:5-7; Heb 13:20-21). The death of Christ was for the multiple offenses that we have committed against God, but it is the life of Christ that is imparted to the believer that places him or her in the position of blessing (Rom 6:4-13). This returns us to the fact of our positional standing in Christ. We stand in Christ Jesus, the Living One!
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. -Colossians 3:2-4
Our “adoption as sons” coming “through Jesus Christ” is only possible because He IS our Life! Being adopted as a son is only possible because Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. In Him, living as unto God (Rom 6:10), is found the monumental blessing of our placing as sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Another motivation in issuing such blessings is the nature of God’s will. This predestination of saints for the “adoption as sons through Jesus Christ” is all in accordance with “the kind intention of God’s will.” The ESV has chosen to use the word “purpose” while other translations have selected the words “good pleasure” (NKJV, Darby), or just “pleasure” (NIV). The word is eudokia, which means “that which pleases someone.” Robertson seeks to make clear that this word should carry the meaning of God’s “purpose” rather than indicating His “benevolence.” It would be concerning to think that God’s actions toward those “in Christ” would be anything less than benevolent regardless of this word carrying the meaning of “purpose.” His purposes toward His sons and daughters are always kind, otherwise we would not find room for rejoicing at the pronouncement of “every spiritual blessing” being ours in His Son.
Our being chosen for the task of being “holy and blameless” in our love before Him (Eph 1:4) and our “adoption as sons” (Eph 1:5a) is for the satisfaction of God’s will. Simply put, it brings God pleasure to place us as His sons and daughters. God’s plan for the saints is that they would be bestowed the privileges of sonship. This would be in line with the wide-open field of obedience that has been chosen by God for the saints to fulfill in their lives. He provides the necessary grace, gifts, talents, and situations in order for the saints to fulfill the good works that He has prepared beforehand that they (we) should all walk in them (Eph. 2:10). In all that God asks of His children, He will also graciously provide the needed elements for complete obedience. Our sin (in failing or choosing not to obey God) seems nothing short of hypocritical when placed against this Truth of God’s will being that our adoption as sons is an “already blessing” in which God provides all that is needed for success. Thus, He has established our position by His grace, and lavished His provision by His grace, in order to equip us for a righteous practice that lives by faith in the light of His blessings upon us.
Before moving into v. 6, we must understand that Paul is telling us that it is God’s prerogative and God’s initiative alone that brings Him to bless those in Christ with such marvels of His grace. That is His will. If they were contingent upon what the objects of His blessings deserve, then the blessings would never come. God’s motives are His own and everything that He does is according to His will. His reasons are His own, and these marvelous blessings are exactly what He desired for His children.
Such reasons and motives are never separated from His kindness as a standard for such graces and His unadulterated love as the motivation for giving them. Knowing this to be true, how could a believer find comfort in a place outside of His will? How could rest be captured or peace be felt if the child of God were knowingly amiss in conforming his or her life to that Perfect Will? Does not Paul’s opening to this very letter speak of God’s will as a matter of fact with him standing upon its pedestal? To be in His will, and by living in your position in Christ you are, is to be standing above the masses, secure and at peace though the world falls apart. His will, full of kind intentions for you and for me! Such thoughts are why worship is our next point of consideration (Eph 1:6a).
The purposes of God in giving such blessings to those who are “in Christ” are for the purpose of bringing praise to His glorious grace (Eph 1:6a). The phrase “to the praise of His glorious grace” is seen in some form (“to the praise of His glory”- v.12; “to the praise of His glory”- v.14) as an “ending” to each of the sections that deals with each part of the Trinity. Lenski translates this as “to the glory-praise of His grace.” If the motivations for His actions are that of love and the kind intention/purpose of His will, the goal in God’s outworking of such grace is the worship of His grace.
Worship should be the result of considering the Father’s blessings. “God wants us to worship Him. The God who doesn’t need anything nevertheless wants worshipers. The God who in His uncreated nature is self-sufficient yet wants us to worship Him …” Worship is the desire of a perfect God leading His subjects in a perfect way. Praising Him, adoring Him, blessing Him with our words, singing, and raising our hands while bending our knees are only scratching the surface of the extolling that is due Him. It is no wonder that when we are privileged to read about the realm of His throne room, we see such magnificent callings about the Lord’s Person and accomplishments! A continual chorus of “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (Rev 4:8) is followed by the 24 elders saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” (Rev 4:11). He is holy, eternal, worthy, Creator, and the Purveyor of all mankind and existence. Should the saints not rejoice at the glorious nature of His grace? Yes, for this is the goal of His kind intentions toward those in Christ.
One must not pass by the word “glorious,” for that is the chief purpose of God in the halls of time and eternity: That His glory would stand as the pinnacle centerpiece of every creatures’ focal point. Beyond creation, beyond miracles, beyond salvation- as important as those things may be, they all find their end as pie-pieces in the great Trivial Pursuit whole of that which makes up the glory of God. Ryrie writes, “Scripture is not man-centered as though salvation were the main theme, but it is God-centered because His glory is the center.” Glory is the centerpiece of all existence and it is rightfully God’s in light of His matchless grace.
With the exception of its occurrence in the greeting of this letter (1:2), the word “grace” comes forth with a bombastic context that illuminates the kind disposition of the Father. While many have spoken on this beautiful subject, Ironside paints a clear picture:
Remember grace that hath conditions, grace that is fettered by precautions, that insists upon pledges and promises for the future, is no grace at all. Grace is favor freely shown to those who deserve only judgment, and so we read that our salvation is to the praise of the glory of His grace, and when at last we get home to heaven, He shall have all the praise and all the glory.
Grace is surely the most glorious attribute of the Father. Not because grace is a greater level of attribute than the others, but that it is the most misunderstood and disbelieved attribute, even greater than that of His sovereignty. It must be said that if we would begin to understand God’s grace in a correct manner, as Ironside has framed it above, we would begin clearing up much of the confusion and misrepresentation regarding His sovereignty. It is such an understanding of “grace” that leads many to conclude that if one were to believe this definition, they would have to conclude that God is a Being who is full to the brim in reckless abandonment. Who ever heard of leaving conditions and precautions out of God’s dealings with mankind?! Wouldn’t this invite an abuse of His unmerited favor toward them? One can see how the argument would easily pick up momentum, but we must consider that God is in no way threatened by our acceptance of His grace.
Grace originates in God, not in conjunction with our behavior or handling of it after the fact. May we listen intently:
Grace speaks of a gift, not of barter or trade however unequal. It is pure kindness, not the fulfilling of an obligation. An act in order to be gracious must stand disassociated and alone. Divine salvation is, therefore, the kindness of God toward sinners. It is not less than it would be had they sinned less. It is not more than it would be had they sinned more. It is wholly unrelated to every question of human merit. Grace is neither treating a person as he deserves, nor treating a person better than he deserves. It is treating a person graciously without the slightest reference to his deserts. Grace is infinite love expressing itself in infinite goodness.
Such kindness cannot be controlled by our creeds and confessions, but must be left up to God alone. It is precisely the attribute of sovereignty that eliminates any contingencies that many would promote to muddy the waters of God’s grace. God is continually gracious, beyond any leniency that we would think or set for ourselves, though we find ourselves rebelling against Him. He will be praised for the extents of His grace because they will confound the comprehension of all created things, both in heaven and on earth. He loves and shows grace far beyond what we can fathom. Pondering this Truth should draw us to true worship.
The last phrase of verse 6 is “which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (“with which He has blessed us in the Beloved” -ESV). In Ephesians 1:3 the word for “blessed” occurred twice carrying the meaning of an “act of speaking in favorable terms, praise.” But in verse 6 we see the word for “freely bestowed” is charitoō which is derived from the Greek word for “grace,” and is also where we get our English word “charity.” Though the ESV has chosen to translate it as “blessed,” charitoō means “to cause to be the recipient of a benefit, bestow favor on, favor highly, bless.” Praising the Father’s glorious grace, which He “freely bestowed” on those in Christ almost seems like a redundancy. But this pushes more to the point that the apostle is trying to make. God’s grace is free! No strings attached. Even the work necessary for it was provided at the expense of the Son, so it holds the greatest cost ever paid for all eternity. However, having been “paid in full” (John 19:30), it is now offered freely at no cost to the one who believes. Having believed, one finds grace-upon-grace in the Son, being placed in a permanent relationship with the Father through Him. Thus, the conduit of grace is living, active, and constant!
McCalley writes, “We could say He ‘begraced’ us. The words in the Beloved introduce a paean of praise to the Son. This is the only place in the New Testament where the word beloved is applied to Christ as a perfect passive participle. It points to an emphatic affirmation of love.” With this word “charitoō,” we can see that it is grace-upon-grace, as we have been (remember, past tense) graced in Christ “the Beloved” with the glorious grace of God. The designation of “in Christ” is now conveyed as “in the Beloved.” With McCalley’s comments, we understand this to be “an emphatic affirmation of love.” This seems to be the only instance when “Beloved” is used of Christ in Paul’s epistles. Hoehner notes that the term “beloved Son” has been used in the instances of Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration, but that this designation of “Beloved” is the only occurrence in the epistles.
All that we have, we have because we are in Christ. In Him alone are found these tremendous “already blessings” that promote obedience and “other-worldly” living that should serve to confound the dark world around us. The stakes are high because they are stakes of grace, meaning that they are completely undeserved in any form or fashion, freely given and flowing because of the sacrifice of a divine payment, and are continually given in every situation so that God will be praised for His extensive grace. He has poured this gift upon the saints because of nothing more than their (our) location in Christ. This is a continual reminder of the gracious nature of our Father toward those in Christ, but also of the great possibilities that have been opened up for us to be able to glorify Him in the grace that He provides for His ultimate glory.
Hallelujah!