Our Already-Blessings by the Spirit- Ephesians 1:13-14

Our Already-Blessings by the Spirit (1:13-14)

Ephesians 1:13-14

With Ephesians 1:13-14, we engage the last division of Paul’s sweeping doxology that centers primarily on the amazing work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit seems to be one of the most misunderstood and “mysterious” subjects in all of Scripture. While some derive their entire theology from the book of Acts due to the miraculous works of the Holy Spirit, some seem settled upon the Holy Spirit simply residing in every believer, being content with nothing more.

In the Gospel of John we see that Jesus reveals much about the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13-15 reads:

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

In these three verses, we learn a great deal. First, the Holy Spirit is the “spirit of truth,” meaning that there is nothing false or contradictory in Him. Second, we see that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, meaning that the Holy Spirit leads us in our understanding of the truth. Third, we find that the Holy Spirit is in perfect alignment with the Father. The things that “He hears” are the things that are coming from the Father; namely truth. Fourth, the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus Christ, which means that the Spirit will honor the Son because “He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” Again, we see the idea of perfect alignment in perfect truth. This is the nature of the Trinity, to be unified in essence, cooperating and complimenting, while also remaining three in Persons, being distinct in Name and role.

Truth is always a deeply personal matter where God is concerned. It would only follow that the Lord would put forth One who would teach every believer personally regarding His divine revelation. Torrey reminds us that, “the Holy Spirit is set forth as a teacher of the truth, not merely an illumination that enables our mind to see the truth, but One who personally comes to us and teaches us the truth. It is the privilege of the humblest believer to have a divine person as his daily teacher of the truth of God.”

With this in mind, we move into Ephesians 1:13-14. Paul (as is his custom with this doxological section) begins with the phrase “in Him,” meaning “in Christ.” Even though this is a repetitious phrase within this passage, let us not lose sight of the significance of the all that Paul is saying here. It is because of the work of Christ that these “already blessings” have been made available to the saints. When one has believed in Jesus Christ, they have been instantaneously catapulted into the realm of complete and immense blessing, imputed with the very righteousness of God, given an exalted position alongside Christ in the heavenlies (Eph 2:6), and forever occupies a place of positional spotlessness before the Father. Charles Ryrie puts it this way: “To be in Christ is the redeemed man’s new environment in the sphere of resurrection life.” There is nothing of comparison that the world could possibly offer that would even come close to the complete riches that are found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When reading through verse 13, we immediately notice the contrast in the phrase “you also,” seeming to be out of sorts with what we are accustomed to in noting that Paul has been including himself up until this point in every mention of the “already blessings” that every believer has in Christ (Eph 1:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11). The issue stems from the use of “we” in 1:12 as standing in contrast to the “you also” in 1:13. While this matter was briefly addressed in the last section, it is important to note why Paul may have addressed his audience in this way on this particular point. We know from reasons cited earlier that Paul is not making a distinction between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. However, it would not be out of the ordinary for Paul to make his point more poignant by singling them out as they read this letter. The main thrust of this passage is that the Holy Spirit has sealed those who believe in Christ. Paul is not excluding himself from this blessing of the Spirit’s sealing, nor is he stating with the use of “we” in 1:12 that the Ephesians saints (or other believers who are receiving this cyclical letter) are excluded from the apportioned lot in the coming administration of Christ from 1:11. There is no exclusivity of one blessing being allotted for only one group in this epistle.

In this differentiation, Paul is simply driving home the significance of the indwelling that has already happened to these believers. His wording is emphasizing the personal nature of this blessing of the Spirit. The same thing can be seen in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (which will have greater implications below). He writes:

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Should we think that the Corinthians were “established” before Paul and his companions (2 Cor 1:1, 19b)? Certainly not. This establishing is God’s work, which initially came through Paul in introducing the gospel to those in Corinth (Acts 18:1-8). Is it that the use of “us” in the remainder of this passage is speaking only to Paul and his companions as being anointed and sealed with the Spirit while the Corinthian believers were not. This seems implausible as well. But what is Paul’s point? He is emphasizing the significance of the like standing that both author and audience share equally in Christ, with blessings being complete and full for both parties involved. Both are one in Him.

Up until this point, Paul has been expounding upon the blessings that every believer has in their completeness in Christ. Every spiritual blessing is perfectly possessed by every Christian at the moment of faith. But it is at this juncture that Paul first refers back to the moment of justification for his audience, doing so only to continue the theme of present possession and future glorification of these blessings. This step backwards demonstrates the channel by which the believer came into this standing. This is the only time in this entire passage that a reference to justification has been made. Paul brings up two major components regarding justification that especially potent.

In Ephesians 1:13, the Spirit has seen fit to give us a precious gem of theological understanding that is commonly known as the ordo salutis. This Latin term means the “way of salvation” and is used throughout theological teachings to expound upon the work of God in Christ in relation to the salvation of the believer. While no one passage of Scripture demonstrates a completed order of all that takes place in salvation (though Romans 1:18-5:8 would be sufficient in teaching such a structure) there are glimpses of order like Ephesians 1:13 that unfold a basic sequence that must not be dispelled by theological baggage.

The first component regarding justification comes with Paul stating that his audience had listened “to the message of truth,” which he designates as “the gospel of your salvation” (1:13). Many gospel presentations would do well to heed the apostle’s words here, for they would remove the chaff that is often presented, settling instead upon the simplicity of what occurs spiritually in order to bring about the moment of justification. The fact that hearing the truth is mentioned first is in complete alignment with what is understood elsewhere regarding one coming to faith in Christ. Romans 10:17 states that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Paul elaborates on the necessity of hearing the gospel when he states in Romans 10:14-15:

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

Paul’s logic is clear. For one to be justified they must first hear the gospel message. We also see this concept promoted in the Epistle of James, where he writes:

In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures (Jas 1:18, emphasis added).

God’s method for “bringing us forth” is by the Word of truth. It is the dispensing of the Word, and the subsequent hearing of that Word that sets the stage for one’s conversion to Christ. This is also reaffirmed in 1 Peter 1:22-23. In encouraging his audience’s obedience, Peter reflects on how they were translated into the state that they are in when he writes:

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God (emphasis added).

Again, the truth stands from each text above, demonstrating that one is born from above only after first hearing the Word of God.

The second component in play with Paul’s brief reference to justification is the fact that one must believe in Christ. The Scriptures are plenteous with this fact. Evangelicalism has largely ignored the simplicity of this truth, adding personal performance and/or additional requirements to the work of Christ on the cross. It is the fear of this author that the full ramifications of viewing justification and neglecting the Biblical call to faith alone in Christ alone have not been properly thought through.

The very essence of justification by faith alone is that the believer in Christ is declared righteous by God the Father, to which the believer has been positionally sanctified (“set apart”). The channel by which this takes place is when one believes (pisteuo in the Greek, meaning to be persuaded or convinced that something is true) in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is the only condition for a person to be justified. This is replete in the Scriptures. But if anything has to be added to faith for one’s justification (whether that is in order to be converted or as evidence after the fact that one is converted), it can be concluded that justification is not wholly due to the work of Christ, but requires something on the part of the believing individual who is being justified. If this were the case, justification would not be by faith alone, but by faith and cooperation, making the one needing justification a co-savior with Jesus. For instance, Sproul writes, “There are many people who have heard the gospel in the sense that the sound of it has struck their auditory nerves. They have been exposed to it, but they have never submitted to it. But in the case of the Ephesians, it was combined with faith in Christ.” Note that submission is equated with “faith in Christ.” Is this the gospel that justifies? Or is justification by faith alone apart from works (Rom 3:28)? This melding of terms is all too frequent in the Body of Christ, and as such it has corrupted the purity of the gospel message. Submission speaks of what one does, while faith is the response that one has to the work that has been done for them. These distinctions must remain clear.

Some have assumed that the means of salvation in the Old Testament was either by one keeping the Law (refuted by Rom 3:19-20), or that one was believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (something not seen in Gen 15:6). These are beliefs not found in Scripture. Ryrie expounds upon this when he writes:

The basis of salvation in every age is the death of Christ; the requirement for salvation in every age is faith; the object of faith in every age is God; the content of faith changes in the various dispensations. It is this last point, of course, that distinguishes dispensationalism from covenant theology, but it is not a point to which the charge of teaching two ways of salvation can be attached. It simply recognizes the obvious fact of progressive revelation. When Adam looked upon the coats of skins with which God had clothed him and his wife, he did not see what the believer today sees looking back on the cross of Calvary. And neither did other Old Testament saints see what we can see today.

When one hears the “word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” today, they are then called upon to believe the gospel that they have heard. This is exactly what Jesus states in John 5:24.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

There is Life found in no one else but Christ Jesus (Acts 4:12). He alone has conquered death, Hell, and the grave through His propitious death on the cross (Rom 6:9). He is the sole object of our salvation in the Church Dispensation.

Lenski provides a segue by stating that “hearing and believing belong together as correlatives; together they lead to the sealing.” With this end, the parenthetical section closes. So, the verse would look as follows:

“In Him you also (when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him) were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”

Paul’s statement regarding the saints’ justification in Ephesians 1:13 is for the purpose of pointing them (and us) to the “already blessing” of the sealing of the promised Holy Spirit. The word “sealing” used here is the Greek word sphragizō, which means “to provide with a seal as a security measure,” “to close something up tight,” “to mark with a seal as a means of identification,” “to certify that something is so, attest, certify, acknowledge,” and “to seal something for delivery.” BDAG has chosen the third definition (“to mark with a seal as a means of identification”) as Paul’s meaning for “sealed” in this verse, but it seems that all of these definitions would apply to what the Holy Spirit does at the moment one believes in Jesus Christ.

Hoehner cites that “sealed” in the Old and New Testaments has the meaning of security, authentication, genuineness, and identification, and notes that “in this context sealing refers to ownership,” but makes this determination based on his understanding of the use of klēroō in 1:11, which he translates as meaning “believers are God’s heritage.” While disagreeing with Hoehner’s understanding of klēroō, this sealing is definitely concerned with both identification (that the believer is owned by God) and security, with the eternal destiny of the believer in Christ being locked up tight.

Radmacher addresses the first century method of sealing:

In ancient times a seal was a sign of ownership and security. To make a seal, cylinders or signet rings were pressed into wet clay or soft wax. Some were in simple design and others were ornate, but they all had the same purposes. To those who belong to God, the Holy Spirit is like a seal, guaranteeing that we are owned by God and are secure in Him.

Semantically speaking, Simpson notes that this word for “sealed” is “emphasizing the point at which the state of the believer has changed,” giving further credence to Paul’s referral back to the moment that one was justified, and also agreeing fully with the necessity of first hearing the gospel of our salvation and then responding in belief to the message of truth as the order that leads to that justification.

The sealing of the Holy Spirit is something that occurs three other times in Paul’s writings, once in Ephesians 4:30 and also in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 and 5:5. While it is always important to see how a certain concept is expressed and developed throughout the Old and New Testaments, it is especially helpful to see that the same author uses this concept, and even more so in the same book. Ephesians 4:30 reads:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

While no one would argue that the Holy Spirit clearly demonstrates that the one in which He seals belongs to God (especially because the Holy Spirit is God), it seems that Paul’s use in 4:30 points to the security of the believer as its prominent meaning. The “day of redemption” is what stands as the culmination of this thought (much like we will see in “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” [Eph. 1:14a]). With this concept of “sealing,” Paul still has the future administration/dispensation of Christ’s reign in mind (Eph 1:11). The doctrine of eternal security has center stage once again.

With 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, the sealing of the Holy Spirit comes out again, coupled with the fact that He is a pledge, with both words being the same as used by Paul in Ephesians 1:13-14. It reads:

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

And 2 Corinthians 5:5 reads:

Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

What is most evident in each one of these occurrences is the fact that Paul considers this doctrine of the Spirit’s sealing to be a major source of encouragement to those in Christ. It is a factual guarantee that will be brought to a future fulfillment for everyone who is in Christ. When our redemption reaches fruition, we will be glorified, which will be when “this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:53) being the “adoption as sons, the redemption of our body (Rom 8:23b). This will happen in one of two ways. The Christian will either pass away from this Earth, or will be Raptured (1 Thess 4:14-17). Either way, we will be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air (John 14:3; 1 Thess 4:17b). Clearly, believers are securely kept unto eternity.

When one believes in Jesus Christ, they receive the free gift of eternal life (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47), which by its very definition can never be lost. Once one believes in Christ, they are saved forever, regardless of performance or lack thereof. Badger writes, “If one wants to talk about God’s power to preserve a person who has believed in Christ for eternal life, then the term preservation should be used.” He goes on to explain that:

The doctrine of preservation... looks to the promises of God and his faithfulness to perform those promises. It does not regard the compliance of the believer, as a basis for eternal security. It simply takes God at His Word about receiving everlasting life and rests upon His promise to give (the) same upon the single condition of faith in His Son.”

By simply reading the Scriptures and understanding what Jesus offers to those who believe in Him, we can come to a sound understanding that the salvation which He provides can never be lost because its basis is not upon the one believing, but upon the perfect and sufficient work of the One being believed upon.

At the moment of faith in Christ, the sealing of the believer occurs. What is concerning about those who espouse that one can lose their salvation due to their backsliding, repeated failure in living the Christ life, habitual sin, or simply coming to a point of unbelief is that God would have to unseal the believer and remove the deposit of the Holy Spirit. While the free gift of eternal life, the forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), and the sealing of the Holy Spirit all take place at the moment that one believes the gospel, these are only three of a myriad of things that God does to the believer at the moment of faith. Revoking the free gift, unforgiving the sins of a person and evicting the Holy Spirit from their residence within the believer would be three things that would have to take place for the loss of salvation to have occurred. Would God undo what He has divinely done? Would this not state that ultimately the sin of the person is greater than the Savior of that person? What does this say about the power of God to protect us “for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:5b)?

The notion that one can lose their salvation becomes absolutely absurd when pondering the power of God in saving the depraved. Human beings can do nothing to earn their salvation and they equally cannot do anything to keep their salvation. Their salvation must be all of God in order to be effectual and enduring. This is true for the biblical fact that believers are capable of committing such heinous sins that even revile the pagans, like when “someone has his father’s wife.”

You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus

(1 Cor 5:1-5, emphasis added).

This man is most certainly a believer, which makes the sin that much more repulsive. Gromacki observes, “Note the distinction between the flesh (the body) and the spirit. In spite of the sin of fornication, Paul still regarded the person as a saved man.” However, this discipline (for why would the church discipline someone who is not a Christian?) is meant to bring about repentance, but his spirit will still be saved on the Lord’s Day. Sin is horrible. Terrible. Repulsive, evil, and vile. But it is not stronger than God.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim 2:13).

Despite the shortcomings of a believer at any given point in their life, the Lord’s grace is greater than the unbelief of His very own child. Some would consider such a conclusion to be blasphemous, concluding that the one preaching such things is a heretic. But the Scripture stands. There is nothing greater than the saving power of God in Jesus Christ. “God’s promise for the present,” writes Paxson, “is also His pledge for the future.”

The final phrase in Ephesians 1:13 is that the Holy Spirit is referred to as “the Holy Spirit of promise.” What does this mean? This word for “promise” means “declaration to do something with implication of obligation to carry out what is stated, promise, pledge, offer.” We see this meaning come to life when we consider what Jesus has said about the Holy Spirit. Jesus says:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you

(John 14:16-17).

When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me (John 15:26).

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged (John 16:7-11).

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you (John 16:13-14).

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49).

Each passage quoted reveals that the coming of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the promise that Jesus made to His disciples, and as we can see in Luke 24:49, the Holy Spirit is also a promise from the Father. Having a familiarity with Acts 2:1-4, we see that the Holy Spirit makes a dramatic entrance which fulfills this promise literally. With the Holy Spirit having come, what is the purpose of this Promise in sealing the believer in Christ?

With Ephesians 1:14 comes the answer of a “pledge of our inheritance.” One initial observation to be made is that the temporary separation of “we” and “you also” has expired, returning back to the expression of “our,” in regards to the Holy Spirit being the “pledge of our inheritance.” This realignment of the personal pronoun gives further clout to the argument regarding the temporary separation in showing that it has nothing to do with Jew and Gentile, but of emphasis and impact.

What is most prevalent is that we have been given a greater understanding of one of the Holy Spirit’s purposes in the life of a believer. The NIV uses the term “deposit” while the NASB95 and the ESV offer the alternate translation of “down payment” in their footnotes. The word for “pledge” is arrabōn. Skevington explains: “The word is borrowed from the commercial world and means a deposit or first installment in hire purchase. It is a token payment assuring the vendor that the full amount will eventually follow. It can also be applied to an engagement ring.” The Holy Spirit is placed within the one who is “in Christ” as a guarantee, a matter of trust between God and man. The Holy Spirit stands as God’s good-faith investment which is meant to reassure the saints. In this blessing, God is giving His word with evidence that He will surely do as He has said.

The question naturally follows, “What is the inheritance that Paul is writing about?” The word “inheritance” is kleronomia which is usually understood as either an inheritance or a possession. This word is used twice more in Ephesians, being found in 1:18 referring to God having an inheritance which can be concluded as those who are “in Christ,” and in 5:5 speaking of those believers who may choose to live according to the flesh as having no inheritance in the coming Kingdom of Christ. As shown previously, this is not the same word that is used in 1:11 which should be better understood as a “lot” or “portion” in the coming dispensation of Christ’s Millennial Reign (Eph 1:10-11). A question that must also be entertained, and is closely connected, is if this “inheritance” is speaking of that which the believer receives at the moment of conversion (compare Galatians 3:16-18 with 3:25-29, see also Acts 20:32; 26:18; Col 1:12) or if it is speaking of that which is earned through good deeds done by faith, or forfeited by cultivating a carnal lifestyle (1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:20-21; Col 3:23-24; 1 Pet 1:4; Rev 21:7). One is received at the moment of faith in Christ, while the other is a reward to be earned by “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6b). The first is an automatic gift, while the second is a prize to be earned. Context is the only means by which we can answer such a question.

By remaining consistent with the context of the entire passage (1:3-14), one finds that “every spiritual blessing” has been already received due to one being “in Christ” and not because they have earned in any sense. These are the “already blessings” that God pours forth through Christ. These blessings are a completed possession of the Christian due to their position, not their daily practice or lack thereof. All believers are assured of eternal life and all believers will be glorified after their time on Earth is done.

This leads us to a better understanding of the timing involved. The phrase “with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession” (Eph 11:4c) uses the word apolutrōsis just as was seen previously in 1:7, but the context is clearly pointing to a future redemption. “Redemption” means “to release or set free, with the implied analogy to the process of freeing a slave—‘to set free, to liberate, to deliver, liberation, deliverance,” and with the “pledge” of the Holy Spirit being a first installment of things to come, those who are “in Christ” are guaranteed to the future hope of the Lord receiving us to Himself. Notice that it is “God’s own possession.” The word “possession” is peripoiēsis which is “that which is acquired, possessing, possession, property.” “The word originally means a making to remain over and above; hence preservation; preservation for one’s self; acquisition; the thing acquired, or a possession.” Again, the context points to the time of glorification when those in Christ will finally be in perfect righteousness both positionally and practically and when the Creator will be physically and spiritually inseparable from His children.

The blessing of the Spirit now is a down payment for the culmination of such a union in the age to come. He serves as a “seal,” which identifies us as belonging to God and secures us until we have reached Heaven. When we see a promise like “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5), we find this to be a truism in that the indwelling Holy Spirit is with us unto death or Rapture. Bruce provides a succinct summary: “On the day of resurrection God will ‘redeem’ his own possession, and the evidence of his commitment to do so is given in his ‘sealing’ that possession with the Spirit.” God has both secured and reassured the believer by the Holy Spirit.

Finally, we find a familiar phrase that we have seen in Ephesians 1:6 and 1:9, where Paul has stated that these things are to the ultimate end of praising God’s glory. God, in putting Himself in a position of trust with the saints, should be glorified because what He has said will surely happen. This radiates the trustworthiness of the character of God. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” Our future redemption is based upon the character of God. Our security is wrapped up in His track record. Our hope is found in the certainty of the One who cannot lie and who always fulfills His promises. All that God is serves to announce His faithfulness to the world, and encourages the saints towards the goal of dwelling in glory with Him!

Having examined the doxological masterpiece that is Ephesians 1:3-14, we have learned a great deal about all that has been made available to the Church through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. These “already blessings” are the Father’s, Son’s, and Holy Spirit’s grace towards the Body of Christ in that we are now in an “astounding station” that is fully and freely given to those in Christ. We must remember that the epistle to the Ephesians was not written to an individual, but to an assembly of believers in Christ. Due to the magnitude of these glorious privileges that have been lavished upon us (Eph 1:8), Paul now moves into a personal response to such beautiful truths.

The Blessing of Being Given A Portion- Eph 1:10b-12

Ephesians 1:11-12

While all that the saint has is due to being “in Christ,” the emphasis on Christ in these six verses (1:7-12) shines forth due to the “redemption” and “forgiveness” (v.7) that are found in His bodily sacrifice. All things will be united under the headship of Christ (v.10) in the administration/dispensation that the Father has set forth in Christ, which was a mystery that had not been previously revealed before (v.9) but has now been made known in the Dispensation of the Church.

It is in keeping the understanding of an “administration” in which Jesus Christ (as the Divine Administrator) will bring all things under His headship that we move forward in looking at this often trivialized section in Ephesians 1:11. We will look at the various discrepancies regarding this verse, only because of the sheer nature of disagreement between the translators of the major translations as opposed to the views and translations that are often advocated by scholars who are specializing in the interpretation of the book of Ephesians. My goal is not to be laborious for the sake of taking up time or room in print, but to reinforce the need to study and pray through the Scriptures, considering the educated views of scholars, but also looking to the importance of context with the goal of coming to the original author’s meaning when they wrote it (which is the goal of all interpretation of Scripture, for without it, application will be misapplied).

In reading through 1:11-12, there are some key words that will be considered, but more importantly is an interesting phrase which we would not consider to be an issue on the surface. This phrase “obtained an inheritance” is fraught with issues regarding the original meaning of the Greek words. What makes this issue difficult is that this occurrence is the only time that this word appears in Scripture. In his commentary, Hoehner has translated this passage as “in whom also we were made a heritage.” Hoehner explains his reason for this understanding: “This context demonstrates that God not only purposed to unite all things in the one head, Christ, in the future ‘fullness of the time,’ but that the believers of this present age would ‘also’ be God’s inheritance.” Lenski believes this to be a bad translation and translates this concept as “we were assigned a lot.” So the question that must be answered here is: “Was Paul writing in reference to an inheritance that believers have obtained by being in Christ,” as some translations have rendered the text, or “Are believers in Christ designated as God’s inheritance or ‘heritage,’” as some have stated, or could Paul’s meaning in the text be something else?

The phrase “we have obtained an inheritance” is actually one word in the Greek: eklērōthēmen with its root word being the verb klēroō which means “appoint by lot” or “cast lots, determine by lots.” This word is one of the many hapaxes that one finds when studying this epistle. The nature of its contents in connection with the believer’s “already blessings” in Christ make the understanding of this word an important endeavor. Referring to BDAG, one finds “appoint by lot” as the first definition, and “obtain by lot” as the second with “in whom we have obtained an inheritance Eph 1:11 appears to be the most probable rendering for this pass., the point being that the nations are also included” added. What is odd about this latter note is that all of the secular citations within this heading for klēroō are shown to define the word as “lot.” It is never referred to as “inheritance” despite being so closely related to those words that communicate such concepts. Eichler also sees klēroō as “cast lots, determine by lot,” which he later uses to translate Ephesians 1:11 as “in who our lot is cast.”

The Greek noun, klēros means “inheritance, lot.” This word is used in the Gospels in reference to lots being cast for Jesus’ garments (Matt 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:24) and can also be seen twice in the choosing of Matthias in Acts 1:26. In Acts 1:17 we see that the word is translated as “share,” speaking of Judas’ part in the ministry of the apostles. In Acts 26:18 and Colossians 1:12, we see that Paul is speaking (Acts 26:18) or writing (Col. 1:12) and uses the word “inheritance” in both instances. Of this word, A.T. Robertson writes, “an old word, to assign by lot (κληρος [klēros]), to make a κληρος [klēros] or heritage. So in LXX and papyri. Only time in N. T., though προσκληροω [prosklēroō] once also (Acts 17:4).” Baugh notes, “The term normally refers to appointing someone to some office or function by drawing lots (κλῆρος, klēros). The only lxx use of the term is in 1 Sam 14:41, where Jonathan and Saul are “taken by lot” through Urim and Thummim.”

In the LXX κλῆρος was employed in the context of the division of the land by lot for inheritance (e.g., Num 26:55, 56) and also for the individual Israelite’s lot or portion in general (cf. Prov 1:14; Wis 2:9, 5:5). This latter notion is a frequent one in Qumran literature (e.g., 1QS 4.26; 11.7; 1QH 3.22). Also in the LXX Israel can be referred to as God’s lot or portion (e.g., Deut 9:29 with κλῆρος; also Deut 32:8, 9 with μερίς). Because of such associations of the cognate noun, it has been suggested that the verb here in Eph 1:11 should be rendered “we have been chosen as God’s portion,” i.e., assigned by God himself as his own lot (cf. J. A. Robinson, 34).

This is a difficult passage to sort through considering how translators have handled this verse. We must keep in mind that we are not studying the Bible to reinforce a previously held theological system, nor are we studying the Bible in hopes of reading a meaning into the text, but we are looking to read the text in its context, looking for the original intention of the Biblical author to his audience. Only then will we be able to interpret the Bible properly. Hoehner notes, “The verb should retain some idea of a ‘lot’ or ‘portion’ because the point does not deal with the acquisition of the portion but the portion itself.” The significance of this statement will be evident later, but due to the very definition of the word, one cannot help but to agree with Hoehner’s sentiments here. Yet, this is not what the major translations have done. Notice how some translations have rendered this verse:

NASB- “also we have obtained an inheritance…”

ESV- “In him we have obtained an inheritance…”

KJV- “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance…”

NKJV- “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance…”

NIV/NIV84- “In him we were also chosen…”

NRSV- “In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance…”

HCSB- “We have also received an inheritance in Him…”

NET- “In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession…”

Young’s- “in whom also we did obtain an inheritance…”

Darby- “in whom we have also obtained an inheritance…”

Williams NT- “in union with whom we were made God’s portion…”

The Twentieth Century NT- “for by our union with Him, we became God’s Heritage…”

Grammatical Analysis of the Greek NT- possible translation, “in whom we were chosen,” “in whom we were allotted (sc. an inheritance)”; or “in whom we have been made his heritage, i.e. claimed as God’s own.” This is interesting due to the given definition being “appoint by lot” or “choose by lot.”

We can see that the phrase “obtained an inheritance” or something of that sort can be found as the decided meaning in most of these translations. What we do not find is the direct idea of there being a “lot” or “portion” except in when the definition is given in the Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament. Even at this, the three suggested translations that are offered provide suggestions that are not involving “appoint or choose by lot.”

One of the pressing issues with Ephesians 1:11 is whether this verb should be taken in the active sense (“appointed a lot”) or in the passive sense (“in whom our lot is cast”). If we look through the verbs used in 1:3-10, we find that they are active, meaning that God is doing something that benefits those in Christ and gives them the privilege of these “already blessings.” When we come to 1:11, we see that the subject is now the saints (identified as “we”) and the verb is changed to a passive tense, meaning that this is something that is not being done directly to the saints to whom Paul is writing. This issue of the verb tense is difficult, seeing that Vincent writes, “The A. V. here makes the verb active where it should be passive.”

Hoehner, Beal & Radmacher, Vincentand, Robertson, and Alford all understand this passive verb to be translated as “we were made a heritage,” meaning that God has apportioned the saints in Christ as an inheritance for Himself. This understanding may be a contextual argument derived from what Paul will later state in his prayer in Ephesians 1:18 when he writes “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” A well-respected Greek grammarian, Wuest seeks to convince his readers that “The best Greek texts have, not, ‘we have obtained an inheritance,’ but ‘we were made an inheritance,’ or, ‘we were designated as a heritage.’ Thus, the saints are God’s heritage, His possession through the work of Christ on the Cross.”

With the exception of Wuest (it seems), most commentators who hold this passive translation of the word klēroō give repeated comments from the Old Testament regarding Israel as being a “heritage” or “portion” unto YHWH Elohim. McCalley agrees with this understanding, stating that the translation of being made a “heritage” unto God “brings out the meaning of the passive voice of the verb showing the subject is acted upon.” He then cites Deuteronomy 32:9, “But the Lord’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage,” as a text that bolsters this understanding. But does the fact this verb is passive necessitate that we understand or translate klēroō as “heritage” which clearly does not reflect the idea of “lot” or “portion” as seen in the definitions above? Also, can we afford to blur the distinction between the Church and Israel in the Scriptures when the Scriptures are plain in keeping these two entities separate? I believe that the answer to both of these is “no!”

In his notes on Ephesians, Ed DeZago writes that this word means “literally ‘to choose or assign a portion.’ The emphasis in the context is the portion given/inheritance. However, when this emphasis is apparent there is a direct object. In this passage there is no direct object thus another possibility may be that the redeemed are the inheritance.” DeZago’s brings forth a crucial key to the argument. There must be a direct object in view, but it seems that the common “default” for the interpretation, even in DeZago’s understanding, is that the redeemed are the direct object or that God is the direct object, though the Father is not mentioned in this part of the text. DeZago offers the citation of Ephesians 1:18 as supporting this conclusion, as well as numerous citations from the Old Testament, all of which speak of Israel. Considering the context, there is no reason to deny that the direct object of the “lot” is that of the future, Millennial administration/dispensation where Christ is overseeing all things that are united in Him (1:9-10).

This, I believe, is the best understanding of how we should see this concept. Lenski’s work here differs from the mainstream of Greek scholars, but for good reason. He writes:

The translations of our versions are so attractive because they embody such rich Biblical thoughts; for we certainly have obtained an inheritance, and, like Israel of old, we are also made God’s heritage although we note that these two thoughts differ materially. Yet the word here used has reference to neither of them.

The verb means neither, “we have obtained an inheritance” (A.V.) nor, “we were made a heritage.” While the Greek words for “inheritance,” “heir,” “to inherit,” are derived from κληρος or “lot”—a lot or allotment assigned by a testament—the present verb does not stress the idea of inheritance.

Lenski translates Ephesians 1:11 as follows:

“in connection with Him, in connection with whom also we were given a lot, as having been predestined according to his purpose who works all things according to the counsel of His will...”

He writes that “Paul shows what our place is in this administration of Christ, in which all these things are summed up in connection with Him.” The “lot” or “portion” that we have been “allotted” or “assigned” (because it is in the passive voice) in Christ’s administration has come about simply because we are “in Christ.” As quoted in Baugh, Foerster sees the same end-goal intention in Paul’s single use of this word:

It is an “appointment” or “determination” which affects men in their being. It is also the goal which is assigned to them in their calling. Materially, then, it is related to ἐκλήθημεν, but with the nuance, implicit in κλῆρος, that the call imparts something to the called, namely, a life’s goal.

In His administration, Christ will unite all things that are in Him under His authority, both things in heaven and things on earth (1:10). Our “lot” in this is the life goal of the Church. While we see a similarity with Eph. 1:5 due to the nature of “having been predestined” being used when speaking of the adoption of our son-placing, we find here that the subject of Paul’s doxology has progressed to the culmination of all that is in Him under the headship of Him. With 1:5 showing that we were preappointed to the “adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,” we see that Paul gives us the sphere in which our adoption exists, which is His administration, where He unites all things that are in Him. Thus, Paul’s words flow naturally in demonstrating that our assigned “lot, portion, or share” in Christ’s administration is that we will be to the praise of His glory (1:12). When considering the timing of this future dispensation, we see the continuance of a consistent pattern in Ephesians 1 that speaks to the eventual glorification of the Church to the praise of the glory of the God who bought them.

It should also be remembered that this is not speaking of a future blessing for the Church, but an “already blessing” that the Church has in its possession (1:3). This means that we are already possessing a lot or portion in the administration of King Jesus, and while we are waiting for the “fullness of times” to culminate with His physical return and the establishment of His literal kingdom on Earth, we are not waiting for the “lot” or “portion” to be assigned to us. We already have a share in the perfect dispensation of our Savior. All of this continues the theme of glorification, where our “son-placing” (1:5) and our “assigned lot” are pointing to the time when all things will culminate in the Christ of God, bringing all things under one head. Beal and Radmacher explain:

God is going to unify everything in the universe under one head. This will be for Himself, and this will be done in intimate connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything will have purpose and meaning, even the necessity of eternal judgment itself, when all of God’s purposes are seen “in Christ.”

Thus our “assigned lot” is in the future dispensation of the Millennial Reign of Christ, alongside King Jesus as He executes His perfect rule until a time when all of His enemies will be gathered under His feet (1 Cor 15:25, 27), thus summing up all things in the heavenlies and on Earth in Himself (Eph 1:10). While it is true that we will read in Ephesians 1:22 that “He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,” this is obviously to the exclusion of His enemies as see in 1 Corinthians 15:25. This concept may be best spelled out in 1 Corinthians 15:28 which reads, “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” Of this Taylor notes, “Paul’s immediate concern in this passage is not to establish precise time intervals but to show how Christ’s resurrection set in motion a sequence of events that will culminate with the complete overthrow of all hostile powers opposed to God, including death, which entails the subjection of all things to God the Father.” Only at a future time will His enemies be made His footstool (Heb 10:13), and it is unto this time that we look, for our assigned lot is with Him in this endeavor as we reign as partakers with Him, seeing that our seat is already in the heavenlies (Eph 2:6).

While Ephesians 1:18 is clear that we are “his glorious inheritance,” we do not have the liberty to translate a concept pertaining to Israel (as those scholars who translated this passage as “heritage” do) as having the same meaning with the Church. With Ephesians 1:18, no one will deny that the saints are an inheritance unto God (which is an amazing thought that will be dealt with later). However, as interpreters and students of the Bible, we cannot afford to blur distinctive lines for the sake of coming to a conclusion regarding a verse that seems correct. Again, the author’s original intent is the meaning of the text. This is what makes the connection between “lot” in 1:11 and the “plan for the fullness of times” (1:10) a cohesive interpretation with the immediate context, completing the flow of Paul’s thought in connection with the Son.

Some understand this as referring to a “general inheritance” that all believers in Christ receive at the moment of conversion. While I would disagree with the word “inheritance” (see Lenski’s notes on this above), I do agree with the following commentator’s insight into the text. J.B. Bond writes, “The inheritance in Eph 1:11 refers to what God freely gives to all believers because of their relationship in Christ. But being ‘joint heirs with Christ’ (Rom 8:17b) is different.” This concept is correct and this “lot,” although it has been wrongly translated as “inheritance,” is indeed different from the inheritance that believers will receive as payment for their faithfulness to Christ while on the Earth (2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12).

Now we must move to a brief examination of the key words “predestined” (which we have done previously in v.5), “purpose,” “counsel,” and “will” in verse 11.

With “predestined,” we must remember that we do not see one time in the six uses of the word any reference to a person being “predestined” to go to heaven when they die (or justification) in the Scriptures. In examining the passages that use this word, we see that the crucifixion of Christ was predestined (Acts 4:28), the believers’ sanctification in conforming to the image of Christ was predestined (Rom. 8:29-30), the secret and hidden wisdom of God for the understanding of mature believers has been predestined (1 Cor. 2:7), and the believers’ place in being adopted as a son and being assigned a lot in the administration of the Son has been predestined (Eph. 1:5, 11). All of these instances deal with a privilege that the believer has by being “in Christ,” or an aspect of sanctification that is involved that makes what has been predestined a reality. Laurence Vance writes, “Not only is there no mention of when this predestination took place, it had nothing to do with who should or should not become a Christian.”

It has been suggested by some that the word “predestined” would be better understood as being “preappointed.” This seems to be a better understanding of the word. In the present text, it is important to notice that we read “having been predestined,” meaning that the predestining is joined to the idea of the saints being “assigned a lot” in the administration of Christ, which is “what” we were preappointed to. This preappointment is according to the purpose of God, who works all things according to His will, which is the “how” and “why” of the preappointment. But the preappointment looks back at the subject of “assigned a lot,” whose subject is “the administration of Christ.” This is an important concept to ponder because it gives us the timing in which we were preappointed to Christ’s administration. We could not be preappointed before conversion because the very nature of inclusion in the “all things in heaven and on earth” that will be united in Christ must be “in Christ” in order to be included in this occasion. Therefore, believers must be “in Christ” for this preappointment to have them as part of the occasion. This should not surprise us, considering that Ephesians 1:4 is clear that God “chose us in Him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love.” While God may have decided that this would be how His blessing would be imparted before the world was formed, the choosing did not apply until after conversion, when the location of the saint was “in Christ,” not dismissing the continual corporate nature of the letter with the Apostle Paul often including himself in these truths.

The word “purpose” in 1:11 is the word prothesis and means “that which is planned in advance, plan, purpose, resolve, will.” In our English translation, we see that “purpose” in the NASB95 occurs in 1:5, 9, and 11. However (as has been previously noted), the use of “purpose” in 1:5 and 1:9 are better translated as “pleasure,” simply meaning that these instances are something that gives God satisfaction. However, prothesis deals with “the act of setting something before oneself to carry it into effect.” The NKJV Study Bible states that this word “denotes an intention or a plan; it literally means ‘a laying out beforehand’ like a blueprint.” Lenski states “God’s purpose, like His good pleasure (v.5), is entirely free, is determined by Himself.”

There is the comfort in knowing a personal and sovereign God. God has His purposes to fulfill and nothing will thwart them, for they all lead to His glory in the end. In considering the use of “purpose” in 1:11, Paul is stating that God is working all of history and existence according to the blueprint that He has laid forth. Tony Evans explains:

God rules absolutely over the affairs of men. He sits on the throne of the universe as Lord. Everything that happens comes about because He either directly causes it or consciously allows it. Nothing enters into history or could ever exist outside of history that does not come under the complete control of God.

We see this element of God’s character praised in the Scriptures repeatedly. In awe of God, Moses writes, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders” (Ex 15:11)? The psalmist echoes these praises when he writes:

Who is like the Lord our God,

Who is enthroned on high,

Who humbles Himself to behold

The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust

And lifts the needy from the ash heap,

To make them sit with princes,

With the princes of His people.

He makes the barren woman abide in the house

As a joyful mother of children.

Praise the Lord!

(Psa 113:5–9).

Of course, the answer to these praise-filled questions is “no one!” God’s purposes will all point to His glory and will be maximized in giving Him glory because there is no greater pursuit or reason for any endeavor than for its end to be to the glory of God. In fact, “The unifying principle of Scripture is the glory of God as revealed in the variegated purposes revealed and yet to be revealed.” All that is “yet to be revealed” can be understood to be “according to His purpose.”

“Counsel” in verse 11 is the word “boulē” which carries an understanding of “will, resolve, purpose.” Concerning this word’s use in the Old Testament, Verbrugge writes that “It denotes one’s consideration that precedes a decision (e.g. Deut 32:28). It can even be found in the sense of wisdom (Prov 2:11; 8:12).” He goes on to state that “the word can also mean advice, whether good (Gen 49:6; 1 Ki. 12:8) or foolish (Ps 1:1; Isa 19:11).” In the New Testament, we see that this word means “the free decision of the will, which is prepared to carry it out.” So we have understood that prothesis sees a plan being laid out in order to be carried out, while boulē concerns itself with the decision of God for this plan to be so. While we cannot pinpoint exactly when this decision was made, we do know that God is the One Who made it and that it will come to pass as He has desired.

The final word that we will emphasize in Ephesians 1:11 is “will,” which is the word “thelēma” meaning “that which is purposed, intended, or willed—‘will, intent, purpose, plan.’” This would deal with the desire of God in any given situation. We have seen this word used by Paul in this chapter in verse 1, speaking of God’s will in making Paul an apostle, and in verse 9, speaking of the “mystery of His will,” which Paul reveals in verse 10 as being that all things will be united in Christ at the “fullness of times.” Regarding the word “thelēma,” Verbrugge notes that it “only rarely has a general sense.” This means that God’s desire or intent has a specific point, such as we see in God’s desire for Paul to be an apostle (1:1) and God’s intent being a mystery that was previously unknown, but is now made known in uniting all things in Christ (1:9-10).

So let’s summarize this concept so that we have a better understanding about what is taking place in Ephesians 1:11. Remember, Paul is not talking about justification salvation in this passage but blessings that are graciously bestowed at the moment of justification with their full realization coming at glorification salvation. Those in Christ have been assigned a portion in the administration of Christ. This portion was assigned when they came to be “in Christ.” The preappointment of the saints being assigned a portion in Christ’s administration was done by God, and the timing in which God did this preappointing is most probably considered as being when the saint believed and was placed “in Christ (this entire passage never says that this predestination took place before the foundation of the world). God preappointed this portion to the saints according to the plan that He has laid out (purpose), which will be accomplished in accordance with His desires and intent (will) as He has decided that they should reach their fulfillment (counsel).

To make this more digestible, the saints have been undeservingly given a gracious lot/portion in the plan of God to participate in His administration when all things are united in Christ. All of this will be done as God has desired, planned, and decided. God is in control and believers in Christ are undeserving beneficiaries of His wonderful plan!

Now we move into Ephesians 1:12.

The first issue that pops up in this verse is its contrast with verse 13 in the designations of “we” and “you also” that occurs. Many have supposed that this is a distinguishing point that Paul is making between Jewish Christians (of which Paul would be) and Gentile Christians (which would be assumed to be the primary makeup of the saints in Ephesus). This may be a possibility but is seem highly unlikely, especially in light of what Paul will later reveal in this letter regarding the mystery “that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph 3:6). Paul’s point in Ephesians is that the glorious sacrifice of Jesus has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles in Himself and has created something new, which is the Church. He writes:

For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

(Eph 2:14-16)

We see that the notion that Paul is making distinctions in 1:12-13, when his whole point is the abolishment of those distinctions in the cross of Christ makes this understanding implausible. In the New Bible Commentary, we find a solid understanding-

Most translations (notably NJB) and commentators see v 12 as distinguishing we Jews or Jewish Christians, first to hope in Christ, from you (13) Gentile Christians who came to faith later. But the ‘we’ throughout vs 3–10 refers to all believers (not just Jewish ones), and it does here too (see Lincoln). We should rather translate v 12, ‘in order that we who have first [i.e. now] hoped in Christ, may then [i.e. at the final tribunal] be to the praise of his glory’.

In finishing up our examination of this passage, we see that all of this moves towards the glorified end of the saints being to the praise of His glory. The Church is not just to praise the glory of God, but to be unto the praise of the glory of God. It is one thing to sing praises and pronounce glory upon the Almighty Creator, but it is another thing entirely for the riches of His glorious grace to be pouring over in the hearts and lives of the Church collective, giving notice to those things seen and unseen that YHWH Elohim in a God of grace beyond measure and compassion beyond understanding. It is one thing to adore the Savior, it is another thing to live in the light of His glory so that the Spirit conducts our walk and words. The Church exists on Earth to give glory to His Name and to point the world system to give Him glory as well. This is not by word only, but by deed, thoughts, and choices.

How are we doing as a whole in this matter? Do those around the Church give glory to God because of what they see in the Church? These thoughts may seem absurd to you as you read these questions, but don’t consider them lightly. This is a concept that we see occurring in Scripture (Rom 13:1; 1 Cor 14:23; Titus 3:1). For instance, in Acts 2, we read:

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

(Acts 2:46-47, emphasis added).

We also see in 1 Timothy 3 that after listing the qualifications of an overseer, Paul finishes the list in stating: “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Tim 3:7, emphasis added). The overseers of the church were to be the ones who set the tone for those that they were shepherding. They were to be of an upstanding moral character and above reproach even unto those outside of the church. Paul notes that the temptation at hand would be that the overseer would fall into disgrace, meaning publicly. From the barrage of horrid news stories from the past few decades, we can see that moral failure from the overseers of the Church have done nothing to draw this dying world closer to Christ. If anything, it has given the world a perfect excuse for not coming to know the Lord Jesus. This is a serious matter that the Church will answer for before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10).

One thing is for certain about Ephesians 1:11-12: These are wonderful and marvelous Truths, and for us to think that we understand them all is to kid ourselves. I am thankful for the words of J. Vernon McGee in commenting on this passage. He writes:

I really don’t grasp at all this tremendous statement God makes to us, but it causes me to be lifted from the seat in which I’m sitting and carries me right into the sky. Everything is mine! Christ belongs to me. Paul belongs to me. Even death may belong to me. All is mine. It is mine because He has given it to me. Christ is mine. God is mine. What an experience for us!

May God bless to our minds this glorious thought!

The Blessing of Knowing the Mystery- Eph 1:8b-10

Ephesians 1:8b-10

Though Ephesians 1:3-14 is one continuous sentence, the placement of a period in the middle of verse 8 by the NASB translators is appropriate for our understanding. “All wisdom and insight” (1:8b) is best partnered with the mystery of God’s will being made known to the church (1:9a). We could connect “all wisdom and insight” with the forgiveness that is granted according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us (1:8b), but the book of Ephesians uses the word “mystery” six different times referring to four separate “mysteries” (1:9; 3:3, 4, 9; 5:32; 6:19- more times than any other of Paul’s letters), all of which are now made known to the Church during the Church dispensation. With the larger context being considered, the believer has been blessed by God to now understand that which was previously unthinkable. Seeing that this wonderful “mystery” has now been made known, it is best to understand “all wisdom and insight” to be referring to the contents of v.9-10, understanding that it is those who are in Christ who have been given such a gracious privilege, now being able to look into the plans of God’s future stewardship of all things in Christ.

When Paul speaks of “wisdom,” he uses the Greek word sophia which means “the capacity to understand and function accordingly.” Don’t miss this, saint! The grace of God overflows to you and I in the capacity to understand things about Him, which is something that the world cannot do. In addition to this new understanding, believers now have the ability to function in accordance with this knowledge of the supernatural. God’s grace gives us heavenly comprehension, which comes by means of the Spirit (John 14:26; 16:13). We also find Paul employing the word “insight” (φρόνιμος- phronēsis) which BDAG understands this in two ways. First, “the faculty of thoughtful planning, way of thinking, (frame of) mind.” The second definition provided states, “the ability to understand, understanding, insight, intelligence.” Unpacking these definitions yields three areas of grace on the mental capacity of the believer.

First, we have been given the ability, by His grace, to understand Him. Of course, this does not mean that we can understand everything about God, but God has granted us an understanding of Him that this world has been willingly blind toward (Rom 1:18-21). This “understanding” that He has graced us with is a sign of the intimacy that He desires to share with us. He invites us to get to know Him on a deeper level, providing the keys so that we can let ourselves as far into His house as we are willing to go. When we read, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16), we cannot help but to rejoice at such a divine invitation. As seen in the preceding verses (4:14-15), it is the great High Priest who sympathizes with us in our weaknesses and frailty. He understands us and He invites us to find relief through a greater understanding of Him at the foot of the throne of grace! This is an understanding that the world does not have, and often despises.

Second, we have the fact that His grace has allowed us to think differently. This is where the word of God becomes crucial to our lives. This is the true essence of the word “repentance.” God has allowed us to have our minds’ changed according to His truth so that our minds can think along the lines of absolute, objective Truth! Being that this world spends its time rationalizing the sin that it so freely participates in (Rom 1:18-32), God has called us to “fresh air” in our thinking and to see things according to a divine mandate; that being His Truth. The very process of our mind has been blessed with the possibility of renewal according to His Word (Rom 12:2). Our meditation upon the Scriptures creates new neuropathways that bring God’s truth to the forefront of our thinking and decision-making. We have been graced to think the thoughts of God according to His ways and will!

Finally, we have been graced to function according to truth. When our thinking is changed, our being, existence, motivations, and desires change as well. Our daily practice in life begins to reflect our position in Christ. Mind-renewal finds our direction in life changing. God’s desires become our desires. We begin looking for ways to please Him and glorify Him because our value system has been rewired according to a great plane of reality than we were previously privy to. Jesus expresses this when He tells His disciples, ““If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15) and “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him” (John 14:21). We have a knowledge of His commandments that allows for our value system to readjust to the truth of His Word. We can now show our love for the Savior by obeying Him. His grace has rescued us from futile thinking and trivial endeavors, sending us on to great heights of obedience that were previously unknown. Again, we must remember that God is preparing us for His presence (Eph 1:4)!

This new realm of “all wisdom and insight” has a definitive direction. Before elaborating on this, it may be helpful to show the distinctions between the Father and the Son in the pronouns that are used from Ephesians 1:8b-10a. They are as follows:

In all wisdom and insight He (the Father) made known to us the mystery of His (the Father’s) will, according to His (the Father’s) kind intention which He (the Father) purposed in Him (the Son) with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

The Father has made known to us the mystery of His will. As seen before in 1:5b, it is God’s “kind intention” (“good pleasure”-HCSB) to reveal such things to those “in Christ,” but it is also His purpose “in Him” to do so. To put it plainly, it pleases God to make His will known to His children and it is only possible for them to know such a thing because they are “in Christ.”

The thing that has been “made known” to those in Christ is the “mystery” of God’s will in a particular matter (Eph 1:9a). What does this mean? The word for mystery is more of a transliteration, coming from the word mystērion meaning, “the content of that which has not been known before but which has been revealed to an in-group or restricted constituency.” Strauss and Longman note that this word is used 28 times in the New Testament.

The noun mystērion refers to God’s intentions heretofore unrevealed. Contrary to a connotation of the similarly spelled English word “mystery,” a mystērion cannot be solved by human reasoning. Curiosity must wait for divine revelation. “Secret” is a preferable translation.

Peterman writes, “Mystery refers to some aspect of God’s plan that was previously hidden but that has now been made known.” This concept is not uncommon in the New Testament (Rom 11:25, 16:25; 1 Cor 4:1, 15:51; Eph 3:3, 4, 9, 5:32, 6:19; Col 1:26-27, 2:2, 4:3; 2 Thess 2:7; 1 Tim. 3:9, 16; Rev 1:20, 10:7, 17:5, 7). Hoehner notes that in the LXX (the Septuagint), the Greek phrase “making known” is used “of God making known His will,… and making known that which is secret.” J. Armitage Robinson gives his thoughts on Paul’s use of this word:

It is tempting to regard St Paul’s employment of the word ‘mystery’ as one of the instances in which he has borrowed a term from popular Greek phraseology and has lifted it into the highest region of thought. The word was everywhere current in the Greek religious world. When the old national spirit died out in Greece, the national religious life died with it, and the ancient national cults lost their hold on the people. About the same time there came into prominence all over the Greek world another form of religious worship, not so much public and national as private and individualistic. It had many shapes, and borrowed much from Eastern sources. Its aim was the purification of individual lives; and its methods were (1) the promise of a future life, and (2) the institution of rites of purification followed by initiation into a secret religious lore. With some of the mysteries much that was abominable was connected: but the ideals which some at least of them proclaimed were lofty. The true secret of divine things could only be revealed to those who passed through long stages of purification, and who pledged themselves never to disclose ‘the mysteries’ which they had been taught.

He then states,

As a matter of fact the word has come to St Paul from a wholly different source. We now know that it was used of secrets which belong to God and are revealed by Him to men, not only in the Book of Daniel, but also in a book which presents many parallels to the Book of Daniel, and which just failed, when that book just succeeded, in obtaining a place within the Jewish canon. Portions of the long lost Greek of the Book of Enoch have recently been restored to us, and we find that the word ‘mystery’ is used in it again and again of divine secrets which have rightly or wrongly come to the knowledge of men. And even apart from this particular book, we have ample evidence for this usage in the Greek-speaking circles of Judaism. The word, with its correlative ‘revelation’, was at hand in the region of the Apostle’s own Jewish training, and we need not seek a heathen origin for his use of it

In short, Paul’s use of this word is not to be misunderstood as having been associated with the “mystery religions” of the day. This word is perfectly at home in relation to the lofty and unknown things of YHWH Elohim. Whether it be found outside of the canon of Scripture, but in relation to the Creator of all things, we still find its mark in the early Judaistic tradition and training that Paul would have received in his youth.

God’s grace has been lavished on the saints in wisdom and insight in that God has made known to them the mystery of His will. Note again that Paul includes himself in this “already blessing,” using the personal pronoun “we.” The Father’s will, being His desire of what He would see come to pass, is something that has been made known to every believer in Christ equally. Being stated as a mystery, this was previously unknown, having been brought forth at a particular time of the Father’s choosing, being measured according to His good pleasure. This particular time is known as the Dispensation of the Church, which means that the mystery therein has a particular bearing on that dispensation.

This brings us to the beginning of verse 10. The key word under consideration is “administration” in the NASB95 (also Darby, HCSB, LSB, NET, LEB). This is the Greek word “oikonomia” and is translated as “dispensation” (KJV, NKJV, Young’s). There is much controversy surrounding the word “oikonomia” and its use, seen most notably in the rendering of “plan” in the more recent translations (NASB2020, MEV, ESV, CSB, NRSV, NLT). Oikonomia simply means “responsibility of management, management of a household, direction, office,” or a “state of being arranged, arrangement, order, plan.” For a detailed understanding of “oikonomia,” we look to Charles Ryrie:

The Greek word oikonomia comes from the verb that means to manage, regulate, administer, and plan. The word itself is a compound whose parts mean literally “to divide, apportion, administer or manage the affairs of an inhabited house.” In the papyri the officer (pikonomos) who administered a dispensation was referred to as a steward or manager of an estate, or as a treasurer. Thus, the central idea in the word dispensation is that of managing or administering the affairs of a household.

Ryrie goes on to write,

The English word dispensation is an Anglicized form of the Latin dispensatio, which the Vulgate uses to translate the Greek word. The Latin verb is a compound, meaning “to weigh out or dispense.” Three principal ideas are connected to the meaning of the English word: (1) “The action of dealing out or distributing”; (2) “the action of administering, ordering, or managing; the system by which things are administered”; and (3) “the action of dispensing with some requirement.” In further defining the use of the word theologically, the same dictionary says that a dispensation is “a stage in a progressive revelation, expressly adapted to the needs of a particular nation or period of time.… Also, the age or period during which a system has prevailed.”

When we look to Ephesians 1:9-10, we see that the purpose of uniting all things under the Headship of Christ was set forth in Christ as a dispensation (or administration) that would be in full effect when time reaches its fulfillment. The phrase “an administration suitable to the fullness of times” gives the reader a greater understanding as to when this concept of “uniting all things in Christ” will occur. The word “fullness” means “that which is brought to fullness or completion,” meaning that with the culmination of time will also come the reconciliation of all things. This understanding is also reinforced by the fact that in the phrase “the fullness of time,” the word for “time” (kairos) is plural in the Greek as accurately reflected in the NASB95 translation. Beal and Radmacher state, “God’s plan for the fullness of the times look to a point when the various epochs of history will be consummated. The times, that is the point when the realization that His purposes are completed, will be when the Messiah comes to rule on earth. Is not this the end-point for which biblically-minded believers are longing?” To this we say,

Amen!” Paul is pointing to a future time when all will be summed up in Jesus as He rules with a rod of iron upon the throne of David (Psa 2:9; 2 Sam 7:13, 16; Matt 19:28-29).

As good Bible students, we must guard against the thinking that sees everything through a “justification salvation” lens when reading this passage. William MacDonald writes, “Verse 10 is sometimes used to support the false doctrine of universal salvation. It is twisted to suggest that eventually everything and everyone will be restored and reconciled in Christ. But that is quite foreign to the passage. Paul is speaking about universal dominion, not universal salvation!” We must also warn against the understanding that the cross of Jesus Christ is what unites all things, with reference specifically to His salvific work. Holding this view, Merkle writes, “God’s perfect plan was “to unite all things” through his Son. This phrase describes the content of the mystery hidden in the past but now revealed in the gospel.” It is certainly “good news” that all things will be summed up in Christ our Lord, but the dispensation is not in reference to Calvary, but the reign of Messiah on the throne of David from Jerusalem for 1,000 years. The exaltation of Christ as King will occur regardless of the response of each individual to the free offer of forgiveness of sins by faith in Jesus. His rule is prophesied to occur and is firmly rooted in the Scriptures (Psa 2:6; 89:20-37; Jer 23:5-8; 23:17).

If this view of God’s great purposes for the exaltation of Jesus Christ above all things, along with the “summing up” of all things in Heaven and all things on Earth are understood in light of the eschaton (things concerning the End Times), we can confidently pinpoint this culmination as taking place at the return of Christ, when He establishes His physical, literal Kingdom on the Earth, reigning from David’s throne in Jerusalem (Luke 1:32-33; Rev 19:11-20:6; Psa 110). All opposition will be laid waste and all who adore Him will be received with gladness by the Master who has bought them with His blood. It will be an occasion for joy; one which has been set forth in Christ, fulfilling the “mystery” that was made known to the saints.

If a mystery is in reference to that which was previously unknown, but has now been revealed, what is the big revelation that God has set forth for a future dispensation? Vlach explains:

Everything God is doing has a forward-looking goal. There is a coming “administration” or dispensation, “a fullness of times” where God will head up or sum up all things in Christ… When this kingdom occurs “all things” are summed up or headed up “in Christ.” This involves all things in the universe, whether in heaven or on earth. Whether it is angels or humans, spiritual things or material matters, all things will come under the headship of Christ.

In Old Testament times, the revelation of a Messiah who would rule over the people was certainly put forth and often linked to King David (2 Sam 7:10-16; Psa 2; 89:20-37; Isa 11:1-9; Jer 23:5-8; 23:17). But it is the fact that Jesus Christ is the One who is both Messiah and King with Whom all things will culminate is the previously unknown facet of this mystery. Those in the Church Dispensation know His Name! Abraham did not know the name Jesus, nor did David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, or anyone else before the time of Matthew 1:1. The privilege of the Church is to know the Name of the Savior of God and soon-coming King, Jesus- “YHWH is salvation.”

God’s goal is to bring all things will be brought to a full culmination in the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa 11:10 makes a profound statement in this regard). This will end in glorification, being the outplaying of the Father’s purpose as set forward in Christ. It would serve us well to consider a few passages for a better understanding of the role of Christ in the summing up the totality of all history. We start with the earliest recorded marker in all of existence.

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

Jesus Christ was an active and essential figure within the Godhead when creation took place. He has always been in a constant, integral relationship with God, for He IS God. We see in the next passage that Christ’s humble faithfulness to God’s purposes in Him have resulted in His exaltation.

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

–Philippians 2:8-11 (emphasis added)

The next passage provides a greater scope as to the magnitude of roles in Jesus’ relationship to the creation.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

–Colossians 1:15-20 (emphasis added)

Jesus makes this peace possible by His death, but the time of this full reconciliation pertains to a future dispensation, the Dispensation of the Millennial Reign of Christ. The emphasis on all things being reconciled in Christ is synonymous with Paul’s concept in Ephesians 1:9-10.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

-2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (emphasis added)

This universal reconciliation is only possible through the cross of Christ. This is what makes the cross so pivotal to all human thinking, regardless if one believes in Jesus as the Christ or not. It is the cross that makes reconciliation to God a possibility because the multiple offenses of all people (sins) have been paid in full by the blood of the Lamb (John 1:29; Rom 5:12-21; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2). As discussed before, the only barrier that prevents one from experiencing the divine blessings of the reconciling work of the cross of Christ is one’s refusal to believe the message that Jesus has died in their place for their sins and has risen from the grave (1 Cor 15:3-4). Apart from faith, the full joy and blessing of this reconciliation cannot be enjoyed; only those who are “in Christ” can partake of this blessing, which becomes an “already blessing” for the saint in Christ. With the sins of the world being vanquished by the bloodwork of Jesus, an eligibility is created for anyone in the world at any time to become a saint “in Christ,” once they hear the Word and believe it (Rom 10:17; Jas 1:18; 1 Pet 1:22-23).

When we speak of this purpose of God’s mystery, we are speaking of the out-flowing implications of all that the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ is, and His triumphant work on the cross in relation to the entire created universe; that being reconciliation. This is why there is an urgency in sharing the Gospel due to the fact that the ministry of reconciliation has been given to the saints (2 Cor 5:17-21). It is only through this initial reconciliation that the future reconciliation of all things will be favorable since those who have believed are now in Christ. Again, we see the importance of understanding the three tenses of spiritual salvation.

While this “mystery” mentioned in Ephesians 1:9 is not the Gospel, it is plain to the reader that the Gospel is essential in bringing about the fruition of the mystery; that being “to unite all things in Him, things in the heavens and things on the earth” (Eph. 1:10). Hoehner writes, “According to His good pleasure God purposed to unite, under one head, all things in Christ.” This is seen in the “summing up of all things” in the NASB95 (1:10b). Beal and Radmacher note that,

The word for “unite” (anakephalaiosasthai) is an interesting word used only one other place in the New Testament, Romans 13:9. It is a word used for what a Roman or Greek orator did when he summarized his points at the end of a speech. The summary brought all his points together coherently under one head. This is Paul’s announcement here. God is going to unify everything in the universe under one head. This will be for Himself, and this will be done in intimate connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything will have purpose and meaning, even the necessity of eternal judgment itself, when all of God’s purposes are seen “in Christ.”

This is the mystery. God will bring all things, whether on earth or in the heavens, whether seen or unseen, to a glorious conclusion and unification in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As stated before, the Church Dispensation is most privileged to understand this.

God is extremely patient (we know this from how He deals with us). But even something like the “summing up” of all things in Christ, which will bring Him immense satisfaction, is something that has an appointed time, of which God can patiently wait. It is profitable to understand that God does not run on man’s timetable and that God is transcendent, being outside of time. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God’s does not need instant gratification. His patience is seen in the light of a greater good being demonstrated. Therefore, He is holding off on the uniting of all things above and below, the natural and the supernatural, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is an act of grace. The Father desires that the world “should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Acts 14:15). Praise YHWH Elohim that He has told of the coming Millennial administration, and has named the coming King!

The Blessing of the Blood- Eph 1:7-8a

Our Already-Blessings by the Son (1:7-12)

Paul moves the emphasis of his doxological outpouring to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. This connection is evident from the end of v.6, recognizing Jesus as the “Beloved” with the use of “in” at the end of v.6 and the beginning of v.7 remaining steadfast on the identity of the believers’ glorious location. While we see the phrases “in Christ,” “in Him,” or “in the Beloved” scattered throughout these 11 verses, the glorious blessings of being “holy and blameless before Him in love” (1:4) and the “adoption as sons” (1:5) has progressed forward to the redemption that is found in Christ Jesus alone. This third point of blessing may be the reason for Paul’s rare used of designating Christ as the “Beloved,” signifying His sacrifice. Everything that we have as “already blessings” are things that were not given to us until we were “in Christ.” Only “in Him” do we have “every spiritual blessing” (1:3b). In like manner, this redemption is also found in Christ Jesus, for apart from Him there is no forgiveness of sin (Heb 7:27; 9:12, 22; 10:10-12).

What is bound up in the great package that is “redemption?” The word for “redemption” here has two definitions, with both hammering home the same point. First, we have “the act of freeing and liberating from something that confines, release.” Second is “the act of freeing from an obligation, guilt, or punishment, pardon, cancellation.” Baugh writes, “The heart of Christ’s mediation is expressed in v. 7 with ‘redemption’ (ἀπολύτρωσις, apolytrōsis), which was most commonly used in the Ephesians’ world either for redemption of kidnapped people or of slaves into the status of freedmen through payment of a λύτρον (lytron) (or pl. λύτρα, lytra), ‘ransom.’”

When reading that “redemption” has the idea of “ransom” attached to it, it is important to guard against thinking “that Jesus’ death on the cross was a payment to Satan to release people from Satan’s bondage.” This is the view that is portrayed in the C.S. Lewis classic The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe.

Then, just before she gave the final blow, she stooped down and said in a quivering voice, “And now, who has won? Fool, did you think that by all this you would save the human traitor? Now I will kill you instead of him as our pact was and so the Deep Magic will be appeased. But when you are dead what will prevent me from killing him as well?

While masterfully capturing the deceitful ways of Satan, and even noting that such a sacrifice is substitutionary in nature, the “pact” made is off-putting, being heinous theology. To whom does God Almighty owe anything? Does the Creator of all things negotiate with His enemies as a means of accomplishing victory? Absolutely not. The Lord has bought the sinner out of the bondage and condemnation that comes with being in sin (1 Cor 6:20) and the means of that purchase was certainly that of His own blood (Mark 10:45; Acts 20:28). But Satan is not the one in need of appeasement in regard to sin; God is. It is because of sin that wrath comes upon mankind (Rom 1:18). Being wholly just, God cannot be static. Being merciful, He will not leave man without hope. Geisler provides a healthy view here:

Without Christ, the God-man, paying the price for our sins, God could not be just and yet also be the Justifier of the unjust, as Paul declared Him to be (Rom 3:21–25). Without the Just dying for the unjust, God’s justice would not be satisfied, and without justice being appeased, God’s mercy could not be released to declare the otherwise unjust sinners to be justified in His eyes and, hence, qualified for heaven.

The nature of redemption must fall in line with the character and attributes of YHWH Elohim, the Creator of all things. He alone sets the standards for what is good and evil, right and wrong, just and unjust. He alone has the final say and seeing that He requires blood for the forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22) and that He has modeled such means in His first interaction with man’s sin (Gen 3:21), we should maintain the pattern revealed in Scripture seeing that it points to God’s final answer in the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 9:11-14).

Paul writes of redemption, while including the same elements in Romans 3:24-25a.

“…and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.”

Do you see the power that is wrapped up in a word like “redemption?” In Christ, we are set free by His blood from the solitary confinement of guilt and condemnation from our multiple offenses against God. Without the redemption of Christ, we are slaves to sin in the domain of darkness (Col 1:13). We were helplessly drowning in sin, serving our flesh, thinking according to the philosophies of Satan’s fantasyland that he has fashioned this present world system to be, and passing through Hell at break-neck speed on our way to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

Such a condition is why we see the subject of redemption constantly shrouded in grace. Our undeserving lot is of the worst kind. So, we praise the Lord for His life given for sinners, but this is not the end as some would suppose.

Reading 1:7, Beal and Radmacher have noted that “have” is “the only main verb in the present tense in the whole sentence. It has the sense of ‘continue having.’” This should not surprise us since we have been kept aware of the fact that Paul is expounding upon the saints’ “already blessings” in Christ, meaning that such blessings are post-justification. “To continue having redemption means that the benefits of God’s grace continue to apply, even if God’s child should fall into sin—as at times any of us may do!” Wuest notes this as well:

The verb is present in tense, and durative in action, thus, “in whom we are having redemption.” The redemption is an abiding fact from the past, through the present, and into the future. The fact of redemption is always a present reality with the believing reader of this passage whether he reads it today or ten years from now.

This redemption is something that we have, not just in the past as a one-time event, but it is something that carries on with the believer both presently and in permanence. Though Wuest understands Paul to speaking solely of our redemption from condemnation and guilt (justification), he also notes that “the redeemed are set free from the guilt and power of sin now, to be finally set free from the presence of sin at the Rapture.” This may also be what Wescott is seeing when he refers to the present tense verb as “to have and enjoy.”

The glorious truth of redemption deserves a front seat in our minds and in the verbiage of the church, which should be preached in the regular observance of the Lord’s Table. Without the redemption that Christ provides, we would have no grounds for holding our heads up. All other ground truly is sinking sand! Without His precious blood, there is nothing in this life; no impartation of eternal life (justification), no abundant life (sanctification), and no life to come (glorification), all of which stand within the singular event of Christ at Calvary.

This greater sense of redemption in is explained by Chafer:

Redemption, then, may also be considered in these two aspects: that which has been already accomplished through the blood of the cross, and that which may yet be done for the one who believes, through the immediate power of God. The ransom price has been paid for all; yet for the one who believes there is a further work of redemption which is manifested in the transforming and sanctifying power of the Spirit. Happy is the individual who believes what God has written, and rests in the redeeming work of Christ as his only deliverance from the hopeless estate of the lost.

We can see from Chafer’s assessment that the circle of influence in regard to our redemption stretches past the initial moment of our conversion into the very life of the believer. Its effects are lasting and are purposed to reassure us and change us!

When considering a verse like 1 John 1:9, we catch a glimpse of this present tense, abiding power of redemption.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we have already been forgiven our sins at the moment of salvation, why would the believer be cleansed after confessing their sins? Our situation at the moment of salvation is judicial in nature, of which the word “justification” is used in declaring us righteous in the eyes of the Father. But when we speak of those who are already in a relationship with the Father through the Son, we are speaking of personal, family matters that disrupt the fellowship between the parties who are already in a relationship with one another. Confession of sin calls upon the blood to do its abiding work, removing the disruption and restoring the harmony of all involved. This is the both the need and the power of the blood.

Because of the great scope of the doctrine of redemption, the natures of propitiation and expiation must be considered.

In the Bible both expiation and propitiation are part of God’s atoning work. Christ’s sacrifice both propitiates (turns away) the wrath of God and expiates (covers) human sin. God’s redemptive work is both personal, or relational, and objective. When a biblical context concentrates on God’s wrath, propitiation is involved; when human sin is the focus, then redemption provides expiation.

Propitiation is “that which… appeases (or satisfies) the divine justice and conciliates (or wins over) the divine favor.” The debt of sins is paid by the blood of Jesus and with the demands upon man having now been met in His perfect Son, God is now satisfied in this respect. Knowing that His justice must remain uncompromised (Rom 3:19-20), and yearning with love for the people of this world (1 Tim 2:4-6; 1 John 4:10), God gave of Himself, from His own, in order to secure our salvation and to satisfy His righteous demands (Rom 3:26).

It must be stated that propitiation is universal in nature. Reading 1 John 2:2 in reference to Jesus Christ, we read “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” The issue of sins has been paid by Jesus for every person who has ever lived at any time. This is why we see no “payment for sins” mentioned at the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:11-15. We find that the works of the unredeemed are considered and weighed, and we find that the Book of Life is consulted which renders the final verdict for the Lake of Fire. But we never read that sins are under consideration, nor are those who are without eternal life sent to the Lake of Fire to “pay for their own sins” as some have taught. Jesus is the satisfaction needed to turn away the wrath of God. Someone will quickly reply, “Well, isn’t this universalism and therefore everyone is going to Heaven?” Far from it. Just because a debt has been paid does not mean that the one in need of relief has appropriated it. One’s sins may have been forgiven of them but if they have never believed, they are still under condemnation (John 3:16-18). This is not because the overwhelming debt of their sin remains, but it is because they do not possess God’s life since they have not believed in the Son of God.

Dwelling upon propitiation should give great joy to the believer in Christ. If God is satisfied with the blood of Christ on our behalf, should we not be satisfied also? The requirement has been met in full, and for this we rejoice in God’s profound grace.

When we speak of our sins being expiated, we are stating that even the guilt and shame that accompany one’s offenses are removed from the individual and they need not be remembered again. God certainly doesn’t! The blood does not only appease, but it also covers and cleanses completely.

Guilt is said to be expiated when it is visited with punishment falling on a substitute. Expiation is made for our sins when they are punished not in ourselves but in another who consents to stand in our room. It is that by which reconciliation is effected. Sin is thus said to be ‘covered’ by vicarious satisfaction.

Being covered completely, the evidence against us has been expelled from the discussion. As the author of Hebrews puts it, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb 10:14). Again, the believer must ask: If this is God’s means of dealing with the issue of our sins, and He is pleased with the results offered by the Great High Priest Jesus Christ, should we not also rest in His approval and glory in the riches of His grace?

These words may be new to you, but they are worth knowing, understanding, and using, if for no other reason than to remind ourselves, and our brothers and sisters, of the great depths and lengths of the sacrificial work of Christ on the cross. All that He has done, He has done on our behalf, seeing as how we are all inadequate to pay for our own sins. The blessings that pour forth from the death of Christ are poured upon a bankrupt civilization through personal faith in the Christ, the Son of God (Matt. 16:16; John 20:31). Redemption stands as the third of the “already blessings” that every saint in Christ has.

This great redemption that the believer has in Christ Jesus comes about in only one way, through His blood. Rather than singling out “Jesus Christ” as he did in verse 5, Paul narrows the focus even more to emphasize the blood. There is not enough room in all of the books of the world to write about the value and magnitude of the blood of Christ. When we speak of the blood of Christ, we are speaking of the outpouring of His life for the world.

Through His blood the Son of God has taken us out of the condition in which we are. He paid the price and has set us free. The redemption we have in Him is a settled thing. We know it belongs to us. But it means more than the forgiveness of our sins. The riches of His Grace revealed in redemption through His blood includes all our needs as sinners. The blood has redeemed us, set us free, from all things in which we are by nature. All we have, all we are, all we shall have and shall be are the blessed results of redemption by blood.

With the blood of Jesus, we are addressing a commodity that is far more valuable than gold, silver, platinum, rubies, or diamonds. We are looking to a precious means that is wholly apart from ourselves. We are pardoned, acquitted, set free, but also exalted (Eph 2:6), blessed (1:3-14), united (2:13-16), and endowed with the Spirit of God (4:4; 5:18).

The need for blood in relation to one’s sins did not begin with the New Testament. The animals that were sacrificed in the Old Testament were a type (a physical, historical reality used in foreshadowing a spiritual truth which would later come into play) of the One who was to come and redeem the world. We see that Genesis 9 draws great attention to the significance of blood. When Noah comes out of the ark, he sacrifices to the Lord and worships. The Lord God ushers in the Dispensation of Human Governance at this time seeing that the Dispensation of Conscience had ended in the judgment of His creation because “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). The Dispensation of Human Governance called upon mankind, who are completely aware and discerning between right and wrong (Gen. 3:7; 4:2-7; 6:5, 12), to govern themselves. This responsibility carried the penalty of capital punishment into history, demonstrating the seriousness of murder due to man being made in the image and likeness of YHWH Elohim (Imago Dei- Gen 1:27; 5:1; 9:6). But before the institution of capital punishment, God gives a lesson on the nature of blood.

In Genesis 9:3-4, God says, “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” God establishes the blood of a creature (man or animal) as being the very essence of their life. Before the flood, both humans and animals were herbivores. With this new dispensation in which the eating flesh for the purpose of sustenance was now promoted, the blood was to be removed and not consumed. This would necessitate a process in which the preparation of the animal would take some time and while preparing it, the consumer would become acutely aware of the blood involved. An animal had lost its very life to sustain the one who would consume it. Even today, this is a sobering thought.

We also find a reiteration of this concept in Leviticus 17:10-11. It says,

If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

God takes the blood seriously. He understands that it is precious because He is the One who created it. He knows the design, depths, and intricacies of the circulatory system. And He fully understands what it can accomplish when brought forth. In this passage, we see that blood was given to make atonement for people. Sin requires blood. This is not a small issue that can be played down as many have over the centuries. Our “little white lies” are deserving of death. Every one of our wrong doings must be brought to justice because we are all under the authority of a Creator. He is holy, meaning that He is completely set apart from the things of this world because all of the things in this world have been tainted and retrained by sin. Apart from YHWH Elohim, there is nothing good, righteous, holy, or worthy, nor is there the ability to recognize these things as such, for He alone declares what is “good” (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). All things are defined by Him because all things belong to Him (Num 3:13; Psa 89:11; Ezek 18:4; John 16:15; 17:10).

All things being tainted by sin certainly includes the human race. Blood is necessary to reconcile us to our original, God-intended place. Through sin we have wandered when Home was at the Father’s side. Blood brings us Home. M.R. DeHaan writes,

Every drop of blood which flowed in Jesus’ body is still in existence, and is just as fresh as it was when it flowed from His wounded brow and hands and feet and side. The blood that flowed from His unbroken skin in Gethsemane, the blood that was smeared about His back when the cruel, weighted thongs cut through His flesh as the flagellator scourged Him, the blood that oozed out under the thorny crown and flowed from His hands, His head, His feet was never destroyed for it was incorruptible blood.

Blood runs throughout the pages of Scripture, and for this we say “Amen.” We will not apologize for the blood. We will not shy away from the blood. We must never compromise the blood. For it is by His blood, and only by His blood, that we are justified in the presence of God Almighty. Jesus’ blood is the most valuable commodity to ever touch the earth. It is in His blood that we stand.

What does this precious blood accomplish? It brings about the “forgiveness of our trespasses.” Our redemption has been paid for by Jesus’ blood. We have been bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20). We are a paid-for people. This understanding of the “forgiveness of our trespasses” contains more than what we readily understand in the English language. The word translated “forgiveness” here is aphesis, to which Lenski understands it as “remission.” He notes that “redemption” and “remission” are not to be confused as being one act and are never stated as such in the Scriptures. He writes, “The remission rests on the ransoming.” He goes on to state that “forgiveness” is not an accurate translation of aphesis because the word means “to send away.” The sending away of our sin brings to mind the concept of the “scapegoat” in Leviticus 16. In dealing with an atonement for sin, there were two goats that were brought forth, one to die for the sin (propitiation- Lev. 16:9), and one to symbolize the removal of sin (expiation- Lev. 16:10). Tony Evans writes,

The high priest laid his hands on the head of the goat and confessed the nation’s sins over the goat, and then it was released in the wilderness. This ritual signified the removal of sin, thus averting the judgment of God against sin for the next year. Now the only problem was that this goat sometimes wandered back into the Israelites’ camp, which nobody wanted to see because it was like having their sins come back on them. So according to some sources, the person who led the goat into the wilderness often took the goat to a cliff and pushed it off. That’s a picture of complete redemption- the removal of sin in such a way that it will never show up again.

This is what took place on the Day of Atonement, and the Day of Atonement occurred every year. This stands in stark contrast to the all-sufficient payment of Jesus Christ in redeeming the saints in Christ, because His sacrifice is an everlasting sacrifice that is eternal in nature. Hebrews 9:22-28 states this contrast between the requirements of the Law and the perfect sacrifice of Christ in this way:

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (emphasis added).

Christ’s death accomplishes all that the Levitical Code commanded, yet He does it completely, sufficiently, without need of aid, nor without anything additional. His death is a totality that acquits the believer and frees the believer.

The Greek word for “trespasses” used here is paraptoma and means “in imagery of one making a false step so as to lose footing.” Lenski adds insight:

the result of falling to a side. The idea in our English equivalent “transgression” is that of crossing the line of right. The difference is formal; the one language conceives the sinner as having fatally fallen by plunging off the road of right, the other as having run counter to the line of right. To divide the sin and the guilt is abstraction, the guilt hugs the sin like its shadow, and it is impossible to send the one away without sending away also the other.

The word is sometimes translated as “transgressions.” In either case, the point of this great purchase is that a high price was paid (Jesus’ blood) for the release, pardon, and cancellation of any and all debt that was owed by the sinner due to their internal constitution and constant tendency to walk in the wrong direction. This release has issued absolute freedom to the saint and has established them before God so as to be seen in perfection! All of this encapsulates the power of the blood and is only possible by God’s glorious grace!

When we speak of something being “according to the riches of his grace,” we are walking into a world of incredible privileges and astronomical heights! Trying to measure something of God leaves us in awe with answers that we cannot verbalize. The word for “riches” here carries a world of overwhelming grace by itself. Louw and Nida defines the word “riches” as “a high point on any scale and having the implication of value as well as abundance—‘great, abundant, abundantly, greatly, extremely.’ The grace of God towards the saints in the redeeming act of Christ, in which He pays the debt of the world with His precious blood, is the high point of the scale. You cannot get any higher than this great precipice of grace! Mackintosh rejoices:

Oh! the blessedness; transgression forgiven; sin covered." This truly is blessedness, and without this, blessedness must be unknown. To have the full assurance that my sins are all forgiven, is the only foundation of true happiness. To be happy without this, is to be happy on the brink of a yawning gulf into which I may, at any moment, be dashed for ever. It is utterly impossible that any one can enjoy solid happiness until he is possessed of the divine assurance that all his guilt has been cancelled by the blood of the cross. Uncertainty as to this must be the fruitful source of mental anguish to any soul who has ever been led to feel the burden of sin. To be in doubt as to whether my guilt was all borne by Jesus or is yet on my conscience, is to be miserable.

The “forgiveness of our trespasses” is “according to” the riches of His grace. As seen in 1:5b, the phrase “according to” speaks of a measurement of sorts, but being of a sort that we are unable to manage or calculate. His grace has a “value and abundance” that is equal to the redemption that we have been blessed with in Christ. The forgiveness of our trespasses is not a partial or conditional occurrence. This is a total and unequivocal occasion that fully acquits the saints from their great debt of sin, absolving entirely the guilt that comes with it. What riches we find in Christ! We have been forgiven according to the riches of His grace, which are so abundant that they stand beyond any earthly measurement. This is an inexhaustible well that satisfies our spiritual thirst completely.

We will notice in verse 8 that Paul expands upon the riches of God’s grace in stating that He has “lavished” it upon us. The escalator just keeps going up! Even though this word is used in the New Testament by Paul twenty-six times (thirty-nine times total in the NT), this is the only time that this word is used in Ephesians. The word “lavish” is something that immediately catches the eye of the saint. Grace has been lavished upon us; it has been given to us in abundance with plenty left over. There is no shortage of grace in Christ! McCalley has summed it up in this way, “The Lord’s forgiveness is as rich as its procurement was costly. The infinite cost of salvation brought equally infinite results. God’s unspeakable gift responds to our bankrupt state with wealth that knows no limits.” If we ponder this Truth, we find that we actually have so much grace encompassing us that we might not be too sure what to do with it! Oh, how this shines beyond our attempts to assert self.

I approach God through His merit alone, and never on the basis of my attainment; never, for example, on the ground that I have been extra kind or patient today, or that I have done something for the Lord this morning. I have to come by way of the Blood every time. The temptation to so many of us when we try to approach God is to think that because God has been dealing with us—because He has been taking steps to bring us into something more of Himself and has been teaching us deeper lessons of the Cross—He has thereby set before us new standards, and that only by attaining to these can we have a clear conscience before Him. No! A clear conscience is never based upon our attainment; it can only be based on the work of the Lord Jesus in the shedding of His Blood.

It is all of grace!

The appropriate response would be to humble ourselves in praise to the power of God demonstrated through the death of Jesus Christ. This is why we never outgrow the cross. We never get past grace. We never move on from redemption. We never “get over” the blood. For some of us, the salvation message gets old over time. This is not a cause for rejection in favor of “better things” (as if there were better things for us than a full and free redemption), but a cause for revival in solemn appreciation of the greatest thing that has already been done: Jesus Christ, on the cross, for our sins effectually cleansing us until our catching up into Glory. Our whimsical wants and short attention spans will discredit the significance of the cross if we are not humbling ourselves before the Savior. Grace has been lavished upon us. This thought alone holds the glory of God before us!

The Motivations of God

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!

Our "Adoption as Sons"

The phrase “adopted as sons” is the Greek word huiothesia, which means “the ‘placing’ as a ‘son.’” Beal and Radmacher believe that “The verse should be translated, ‘he predestined us for sonship.’” Vincent also sees this as “placing one in the position of a son.” Wuest notes the compound nature of this word, writing, “from tithemi (τιθεμι), ‘to place,’ and huios (υἱος), ‘an adult son.’” Vincent puts forth a quote from Charles Merivale regarding the unified and personal nature of this term:

“The process of legal adoption by which the chosen heir became entitled not only to the reversion of the property but to the civil status, to the burdens as well as the rights of the adopter—became, as it were, his other self, one with him … this too is a Roman principle, peculiar at this time to the Romans, unknown, I believe, to the Greeks, unknown, to all appearance, to the Jews, as it certainly is not found in the legislation of Moses, nor mentioned anywhere as a usage among the children of the covenant. We have but a faint conception of the force with which such an illustration would speak to one familiar with the Roman practice; how it would serve to impress upon him the assurance that the adopted son of God becomes, in a peculiar and intimate sense, one with the heavenly Father”

Some have found it best to designate this as “son placing,” but one should note that Wuest has brought out the fact that the “sonship” in question is that of an adult nature. He elaborates, providing us with a chronological progression:

The apostle here uses as an illustration the Roman practice of legally adopting a child, and thus not only bequeathing to him the material possessions of the one adopting, but also giving him his civil status. Thus God takes a believing sinner, regenerates him, and by means of this makes him His child (teknon (τεκνον), a born one). Then He takes this child and places him in a legal position as an adult son (huios (υἱος)). We thus become joint-heirs with Christ, having been raised to a civil status as adult sons, in which we become heirs of God, inheriting jointly with Christ all that He possesses as an heir of God the Father by virtue of His Sonship and work on the Cross.

While further reading in Wuest would reveal that he understands “election/choosing” in Ephesians 1:4 as salvific, our disagreement in that area does not affect the progression unfolded in his quote above. Remember, “predestined” does not have the notion of time attached to it, though many have connected “before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4b) to it due to their salvific understanding of “election/choosing.” It is plausible that this is the time in which God decided that this would be the nature and privilege of those who are “in Christ,” but it does not warrant that one should automatically conclude that justification salvation is in view.

What is important to observe is that Wuest speaks of the sinner believing in Christ (faith coming through hearing- Rom 10:17), being regenerated by the Holy Spirit (“born again”), and automatically becoming a child of God, with all three of these being instantaneous. Romans 8:16-17 is helpful here. With v. 16 we see:

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,”

The Holy Spirit Who regenerates us now takes up residence in our spirits at the moment of our faith-response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our status as “children of God” is now firmly established and irrevocable. But we see a progression that takes place in Romans 8 that parallels Wuest’s remarks perfectly. Romans 8:17 states:

“… and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Being a child of God and an heir of God are two spiritual blessings that are automatic at the moment of conversion, but for one to be a “fellow heir” with Christ, suffering for His sake is a necessary element. It is not automatic like that of being a child and heir of God. Looking back at the Wuest quotation, he shows that God takes the one who has become His child by faith and “places him in a legal position as an adult son.” Again, being joint-heirs with Christ is contingent upon suffering for His Name’s sake, but it is clear that this “son placing,” or “sonship” is something that is future in nature, with all that is necessary for sonship freely bestowed at the moment of faith in accordance with the Father's kind will (Eph 1:6).

So, we see that God has determined beforehand that those “in Christ” would be considered His sons and daughters. Plainly put, we are His and He is ours completely! God has made us His own, complete with full rights and privileges, with such a status being without end and not finding it’s full completion until our bodies are redeemed (Rom 8:23). This is what He wants for Christians because it is the best possible outcome for their forever-lives.

All believers are now rightly-related to one another, as well as each one of us being rightly-related to our brother, Jesus Christ. We are united and related by blood, Christ’s blood. We are part of the same unifying entity, which is Christ’s Body. When we believed in Jesus, we became the children of the Father and were given the rights and authorities that come with being His children (John 1:12). All that the Father would ever ask of His sons and daughters can be obeyed completely by drawing from the depths of grace that He richly supplies. Of course, our obedience can be amiss in some areas due to the flesh seeking to make itself known, but all that is pure in our obedience to Him is due to the riches supplied by Him through His Son. Remember, God is preparing us to stand before His presence and He desires for us to have a good showing, which comes by utilizing all that He supplies by faith (Eph 1:4b; 5:27a)!

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Here, a word must be said about “blessings” and their possibilities. The blessings of God for the believer are complete in every way, being fully ours without reservation (Eph 1:3). But these blessings are not complete in their ability unless they are first believed and then exercised by the Christian. While God has graciously done all of His part in the matter, and has done so perfectly as He Himself is perfect, such blessings being brought to perfection in us take time and submission with no other route to their end being possible. Eternal security and the assurance of salvation may stand as a case in point. At the moment of faith, every believer in Christ is automatically and instantaneously secure in Christ (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; Rom 8:38-39). But not believing, or losing sight of what the Scriptures have factually declared on this matter will find us with a lack of assurance even though our security has not fluctuated one inch. Our eternal security is a reality regardless, while our assurance may come and go depending on our focus and life’s situation.

But this is true: a believer will find him or herself lacking in power, confidence, and good works when assurance is absent. Equally as true is that such power, confidence, and good works can be instantly reenacted at the moment the saint comes back to the factual reality of their eternal security (John 10:27-30). When one is enjoying his or her security in Christ, works abound, but when one is doubtful, works will suffer (2 Tim 2:15-26; Heb 10:36). This is the same truth regarding the believer’s “every spiritual blessing” in Christ. They are factual and complete, no doubt. But if they are not believed, and therefore not applied to the heart and mind, the believer will not soar into the skies of their full potential as God desired in gracing them with such blessings in the first place. Growth always takes time, but it is in growing in these matchless blessings that we will find incredible benefits as the truths that are already in place are enjoyed and drawn from in living our daily lives. This is true of every blessing that God has given His children, even the “adoption as sons.”

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This theological reality of “adoption as sons” also finds rich historical and textual support.

Historical Support

The span of time between the New Testament era and today’s era is around 2,000 years. Such a gap has found sweeping changes in culture, societal priorities, communal beliefs, and even in some cases geographical landscapes. The word “adoption” brings about many thoughts of modern-day adoption services and practices in our particular locale, but does today’s context on “adoption” serve as a correct interpretation of what was meant by the Apostle Paul in the first century? In order to interpret any text of Scripture correctly, we must take into account the time period in which the passage was written, and we must value this approach consistently if we are to successfully bring a proper understanding and application of the text to our present time. Duvall and Hays write,

Since God spoke his message in specific, historical situations (i.e., to people living in particular places, speaking particular languages, adopting a particular way of life), we should take the ancient historical-cultural situation seriously. The bottom line is that we cannot simply ignore “those people living back then” and jump directly to what God wants to say to us. Why not? Again, because the way we listen to God (our interpretive approach) must honor the way God chose to communicate.

So how should we begin to understand the concept of “adoption” during the time of the first-century church? Lincoln provides some insight that “adoption as sons”:

… is a term taken from Greco-Roman law where it referred to the adoption as sons of those who were not so by birth. The word can be found in second century B.C.E inscriptions and in the first century B.C.E writings of Diodorus Siculus and Nicolaus Damascenus. A well-to-do but childless adult who wanted an heir would adopt a male, usually at an age other than in infancy and frequently a slave, to be his son.

Barclay also contributes, writing:

The person who had been adopted had all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family and lost absolutely all rights in his old family. In the eyes of the law, he was a new person. So new was he that even all debts and obligations connected with his previous family were abolished as if they had never existed.

Does this historical custom find parallels in our understanding of what has happened to us spiritually? Absolutely! While God is not “childless” seeing that Jesus has always been His Son, all believers were once slaves to sin (Rom 6:17; Titus 3:3), but in His grace, God has made us sons through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:5b; Titus 3:4-6). In Him, our association with our former authorities has been removed, being born again unto a newness of life (John 3:3; Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 5:17).

But this wonderful concept stretches one step further. Vance writes, “Adoption concerns our legal status as sons. It has reference to privilege, not nature; position, not relationship.” It seems that Vance uses “position” to speak of “the legal status as sons and the right to our inheritance (Eph. 1:11, 13)” and not to one’s automatic standing of righteousness as declared by God at the moment of faith (justification). He goes on to state that “Although adoption is spoken of in the present (Gal 4:5), it awaits its ultimate realization in the future.” To clarify, Vance understands the biblical, New Testament nature of adoption to be something that is a present, promised reality (where before it was not even a possibility for the one who was unregenerate) which comes to fruition at a later time. This agrees with Harnack as quoted in BDAG: “The believers enter into full enjoyment of their υἱοθεσία only when the time of fulfillment releases them from the earthly body…”

Taking us back to the first-century custom, Tony Evans writes, “In the ancient world, adoption took place when a person was an adult, not an infant. Adoption conferred on the adoptee the full rights and privileges that came with being the child of the adoptive parent.” He continues: “Adoption also put the adopted child in line to be a full heir of the father.” The idea surrounding the believer’s adoption consists of not only being brought into the family of God but being brought in with the intention of transferring an inheritance to the one adopted when full maturity had been met.

Being “placed as sons” stands as another of the “every spiritual blessings” that we have “in Christ” (Eph 1:3b), so it is our duty to search out a proper biblical understanding of this, uncovering eternal truths of God’s mercy towards us in His Son. How has the idea of “adopted as sons” played out in the Scriptures? Simply giving this a cursory glance will reveal that every usage has been penned by the Apostle Paul. By determining the meanings in using the surrounding context of each usage, we will be able to better pinpoint the author’s intent and meaning here in Ephesians 1:5.

Textual Support

The phrase “adoption as sons” occurs four other times in Scripture.

Romans 9:4 shows this designation being used for the Jewish people. Paul talks about Israel being blessed with the “adoption as sons,” which stands as one of eight different privileges that God has given them as His people (Rom 9:4-5). While the Church is not the nation of Israel, God is free to give similar designations to different entities if He wishes. The Greek employed here is the same as in Ephesians 1:5, but the context shows the obvious difference in the subjects being addressed. There is no doubt that Israel was in a place of “sonship” before God in Exodus 4:22 where Israel is called God’s “firstborn son,” but this is “son” in the singular and yet it speaks of the nation of Israel as a corporate whole. Reid writes,

Old Testament saints were never in this relationship of sons with God, for they were not associated with Christ, nor had they the knowledge of the Father or the Holy Spirit indwelling them. They were children of God, as we are, yet they did not know that this relationship was theirs; it is only those who have received the Son, come in the flesh to reveal the Father, who can take this place (John 1:12). Under law, the saints of God were children, but now that faith has come in contrast with law sonship is the relationship of such as have faith.

This demonstrates the dispensational marks between Israel and the Church though the notion of being a “son” (Israel) or “sons” (Church) may be considered to be similar to some. The privileges of the Church are certainly different than those conveyed to Israel, but for this present dispensation, we cannot help but to see their greatness in establishing our position in Christ! We are truly enjoying a beautiful relationship with the Father through their Messiah (Rom 11:11).

In Romans 8, we see the use of the phrase “adoption as sons” in verse 15. Paul makes the statement in v. 14 that all who are led by the Spirit are “sons of God,” speaking of believers who are living obedient lives being those who are fulfilling their role that the Father has given them (this is opposed to those believers who are living in the flesh, being considered “carnal” -1 Cor 3:1-4). We can be certain that this is the apostle’s meaning because 8:13 gives the key to the believer in Christ for overcoming the flesh (Paul calls them “brethren” in 8:12).

If a Christian is putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the means of the Spirit, they are showing themselves to be God’s sons. This context helps us to see how the use of “adoption as sons” plays out in v. 15, where Paul makes a contrast. He states that believers did not receive a “spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,” but that believers have received “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” This adoption as sons is a privileged position that believers have been placed in for the purpose of calling out to God, which signifies intimacy with the Father. Zane Hodges writes, “The term rendered adoption (huiothesias) refers here (as it does also in Gal. 4:5) to the status of the adult son who is no longer under the tutorial control of the law. He lives, so to speak, a ‘grown-up’ life which, for Paul, means a life ‘lead by the Spirit of God’ (v 14).” Clearly, from v. 14, those who are walking in the Spirit (being obedient) in this world are those who are fulfilling that role as a son.

Moule’s thoughts here are too wonderful to exclude. He writes:

If you would live indeed, you must do sin to death by the Spirit. And this means, in another aspect, that you must yield yourselves to be led along by the Spirit, with that leading which is sure to conduct you always away from self and into the will of God. You must welcome the Indweller to have His holy way with your springs of thought and will. So, and only so, will you truly answer the idea, the description, ‘sons of God’—that glorious term, never to be satisfied by the relation of mere creaturehood, or by that of merely exterior sanctification, mere membership in a community of men, though it be the Visible Church itself. But if you so meet sin by the Spirit, if you are so led by the Spirit, you do shew yourselves nothing less than God’s own sons. He has called you to nothing lower than sonship; to vital connexion with a divine Father’s life, and to the eternal embraces of His love. For when He gave and you received the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of promise, who reveals Christ and joins you to Him, what did that Spirit do, in His heavenly operation? Did He lead you back to the old position, in which you shrunk from God, as from a Master who bound you against your will? No, He shewed you that in the Only Son you are nothing less than sons, welcomed into the inmost home of eternal life and love. You found yourselves indescribably near the Father’s heart, because accepted, and new-created, in His Own Beloved.

When pondered, such a glorious and undeserved position begs to be seen in the believer’s life. What a momentous gift of grace to be called a son of the Most High! Thus, this concept speaks to a special designation that has been given to believers, but it is only by utilizing the privileges of that position that one is showing themselves to be sons.

Following closely is Romans 8:23, where Paul writes,

“And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Here, the “adoption as sons” is equivalent to the “redemption of our bodies” which speaks about the believer’s glorification. This is also understood as the resurrection of the believer’s body when Christ will rapture the living and dead saints from the earth to meet them in the clouds (1 Cor 15:50-57; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 1 Thess 2:1). The surrounding context deals with suffering and the effects of sin in this present life, so much so that the creation (the earth) is crying out for redemption because of its fallen state. The creation is waiting for the “freedom of the glory of the children of God” (8:21). This “redemption of our bodies” is something that we wait for with eagerness and patience (8:25), knowing that it is out ahead and guaranteed to come. While Romans 8:12-15 spoke more to the present struggle of the believer, Reid shows the End Times nature of 8:23:

At present the saints of God are not manifested as His sons, for the world does not know that this is our relationship with God; but the day is surely coming when we shall be so manifested, and it is for this day the groaning creation waits (verses 19-22). We have the Holy Spirit as the firstfruits of the coming day, and then we shall enter into the full blessedness of our relationship with God as His sons, even as it is written, "awaiting adoption, (that is) the redemption of the body". In our glorified bodies we shall have our part with Christ in the glory of His kingdom, and in all that awaits us in the Father's House.

The “redemption of our bodies/adoption as sons” coming to its fruition is the relief that the creation has been waiting for. Dillow writes, “When that future reign dawns, it will include a physical transformation of the creation itself. The creation has endured a subjection to futility for many ages. This subjection creates within itself a sense of hope for something better. That ‘something better’ is a transformation similar to what will occur for all Christians, ‘the freedom of the glory of the children of God.’”

We must keep the context in mind. Paul is talking about the present suffering that these believers were enduring and how they were not even worth being compared to the glory that is to come (Rom. 8:18). Thus, the “adoption as sons” points to the fulfillment of the believer living up to the role that is given as a son and the glorification that awaits when this privileged position gives way to the Messianic Kingdom and its promised inheritance.

Galatians 4:5 (and its surrounding context) speaks of the fulfillment of time when Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem mankind from the Law. Keeping the Law could never earn us righteousness, but only condemned us due to our universal inability to keep it (Gal 3:10). Paul notes that Jesus redeemed “those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (4:5). He notes that God has given all believers the Holy Spirit, which cries out “Abba! Father!” (4:6). This shows a continuity with Romans 8:15, further reinforcing the “intimacy” aspect of this privileged position of sonship.

With the declaration that “because you are sons” in 4:6, we see that “sonship” is something that the believer has been predestined for (as we are looking at in Eph 1:5), but it is also something that finds its ultimate culmination in the future, as the redemption of our bodies, if we have been faithful (Rom. 8:23). “All Christians are adopted sons by virtue of our spiritual birth and the legal ransom paid, but not all adopted sons fulfill the requirements of adoption even though God has done His part. Adoption is of grace, and we are adopted regardless of whether we fulfill the requirements (Galatians 4:5), but only those who do so are worthy of the name ‘son’ and will finally obtain the inheritance rights.” This means that every believer in Christ has this blessing (Eph 1:3) and the benefits and opportunities that come with it. But just as stated above, the reality of these gracious blessings does not guarantee that they will be used by the believer in the daily lives. The full potential of our “sonship” is waiting to be realized, but only those who are faithful in obedience to God’s Word will realize it and hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

So to summarize, the believer in Christ is corporately brought into the family of God through Christ, being bought by His precious blood (Gal 4:4) and given access to intimacy with the Father (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6). While the adoption as sons is a present unconditional reality for the saint, it is not until they yield to the leading of the Spirit that they begin showing themselves publicly as the sons of God (Rom 8:13). Such action, or lack thereof, does not take away or fluctuate the permanent standing of the believer as God’s son. He or she is always accepted because they are in Christ. But, such grace can be enjoyed when it is employed. Our rights as sons are exercised when we call out to Him and when we obey Him. Also, this standing is not stationary, but with it comes the grand Hope to be revealed at the rapture of the Church (Rom 8:13) when our adoption will be brought to completion in glorification, and we will be face to face with our God and King forever.

Predestination, Biblically Speaking- Eph 1:5a

Ephesians 1:5-6

In verse 5 we see that God the Father has predestined the saints in Christ to an “adoption as sons.” This “adoption” comes “through Jesus Christ,” and is found to be “according to the purpose of His will,” and to “the praise of His glorious grace” (Eph 1:6) There is much that has gone into the concept of the saints being adopted as sons, but we will first need to address the subject of being “predestined.”

The salvific view of predestination that is held by those who subscribe to Reformed Theology has gained great popularity over the past fifty years. Be it Augustine, John Calvin, or Theodore Beza, the development of this doctrine has brought much division into the Church. R.C. Sproul gives a concise but informative definition from the Reformed viewpoint:

What predestination means, in its most elementary form, is that our final destination, heaven or hell, is decided by God not only before we get there, but before we are even born. It teaches that our ultimate destiny is in the hands of God. Another way of saying it is this: From all eternity, before we ever live, God decided to save some members of the human race and to let the rest of the human race perish. God made a choice—he chose some individuals to be saved unto everlasting blessedness in heaven and others he chose to pass over, to allow them to follow the consequences of their sins into eternal torment in hell.

Is this true? Does this faithfully represent the God of the Holy Scriptures? What does the Bible tell us when this word occurs in its pages?

When looking at the Scriptures, one finds the words “predestination” and “predestine” used only six times, two of which occur in Ephesians (1:5, 11). The other instances are found in Acts 4:28, Romans 8:29-30, and 1 Cor. 2:7. Shockingly, not one of the six instances of this word are used in reference to unregenerate people being determined beforehand to go to Heaven or the Lake of Fire. Seeing as how this word carries a great deal of theological baggage, it is important to unfold a word study on “predestination” in order to come to a Biblical conclusion.

In examining the word for “predestination,” we find in Strong’s #4309 that the Greek word is proorizein (proorizo) which is defined as “to limit in advance.” In Perschbacher’s Lexicon the word is defined as “to limit or mark out beforehand; to design definitely beforehand, ordain beforehand, predestine.” Some have even suggested that the word “pre-appointed” would stand as a good representation. This is a compound word that is derived from two Greek words: “Pro” (Strong’s # 4253) meaning “fore, in front of, prior” and “horizo” (Strong’s # 3724) meaning “to mark out or bound, to appoint, decree, or specify.” One scholar who has thoroughly examined this word is Gordon Olson. He notes that “this is a very rare word, and there is a serious question as to how it should actually be translated. It never occurred in the Septuagint Old Testament and is found only once in classical Greek literature before the New Testament (Demosthenes) and a few times in secular Greek from the 3rd to 5th centuries AD.” Such scarcity should cause the studying saint to consider each usage of the word as it occurs in Scripture, paying special attention to the surrounding context in each instance.

Researching each occurrence of the word “predestination” or “predestined” in the Bible, we find that the crucifixion of Christ was predestined (Acts 4:28), the believers’ sanctification in conforming to the image of Christ was predestined (Romans 8:29-30), the secret and hidden wisdom of God for the understanding of mature believers has been predestined (1 Corinthians 2:7), and the believers’ place in being adopted as a son (Ephesians 1:5) and being to the praise of God’s glory has been predestined (Ephesians 1:11). All of these instances, with the exception of Christ’s death on the cross, deal with a privilege that the believer has by being “in Christ,” or an aspect of sanctification that is involved that makes what has been predestined a reality. Laurence Vance writes, “Not only is there no mention of when this predestination took place, it had nothing to do with who should or should not become a Christian. Predestination concerns only our destiny as Christians.” It cannot be overstated that this is an important point, one which requires for its ramifications to be understood.

The death of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all people everywhere, at all times (John 1:29; Rom 5:12-18; 1 Tim 2:4-6; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2). This means that the sin barrier that existed due to the fall of Adam, which kept an unregenerate person from believing in Christ, has been destroyed by the all-sufficient work of Jesus on the cross. But it keeps getting better! For those who believe in Jesus Christ, their certain and assured glorification has been predestined by the Lord Himself, so that the great possibilities of bringing God maximum glory have been afforded to the saint (more on this in the commentary on Eph 1:5b-6).

Harwood has provided this helpful summary in his systematic work:

Acts 4:28

God predestined the cross of Christ.

Rom 8:29

Believers are predestined to be like Jesus.

Rom 8:30

Believers predestined to be like Jesus are called, justified, and glorified.

1 Cor 2:7

God predestined to include gentiles among God’s people.

Eph 1:5

Believers are predestined for adoption (a future event).

Eph 1:11

Believers are predestined to obtain an inheritance.

From examining the Scriptures, it become undoubtedly clear that predestination has nothing to do with conversion and everything to do with the converted. In each occurrence of “predestine” and “predestination” one does not find its emphasis on the concept of justification. Conversely, no one is disputing the clear fact that God is the One Who has predestined the saints, but the crux issue would be found as to “what” the saints have been predestined to. It is clear from the “already,” past tense nature of the blessings that God has bestowed upon the saints “in Christ” that this predestination is something that has occurred after one’s justification. Thus, God’s predestination is not for the lost to justification, but to the saints for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, which is a future event (see the argument below).

The word “predestined” in 1:5 is in the aorist tense in Greek. “The aorist verb tense is used by the writer to present the action of a verb as a ‘snapshot’ event. The verb’s action is portrayed simply and in summary fashion without respect to any process.” Beal and Radmacher comment,

The circle described by the aorist is large. As sons of God it extends until the time of the believer’s resurrection. In verse 6 the aorist verb “blessed” (or “graced”) tells us something was done at a point in time. Is it a point no larger than a pin prick, the point of conversion, or is it a circle embracing a great span? By itself the verb does not say. The implication is that it is a large circle, for it was something done for the purpose of bringing glory to God, and surely that glory was not for the brief moment of one’s conversion.

The idea here is for us to consider the scope of God’s predestination that is to the praise of His glorious grace (Eph 1:6). Is God’s predestination simply that one being “adopted as a son” is referring to justification only, or is it referring to something that has an even greater scope of one’s being? I believe that the latter designation is the best understanding due to all that is contained in the idea of being adopted as sons and daughters of God. It is also helpful to note that this predestination is communicated to the recipients with Paul using the personal inclusive pronoun (PIP), making himself an equal recipient of this grace.

Remember, God the Father “has blessed” the saints (believers) “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). Everything that the Apostle Paul is expounding upon in 1:4-14 is found to be within the sphere of “every spiritual blessing” that all saints have already been blessed with. As stated before, these are our “already blessings” in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hoehner writes, “when people are the objects of predestination, there are two accusatives. God has predestined us to something.” This is plainly concluded from the text, but those who would hold to choosing and election as pertaining to the salvation of the lost, would also (like Hoehner) hold that predestination is intimately linked to the concept of election, though remaining distinct. Hoehner concludes that “In the counsels of God, the reason he chose the saints out of (ἐκ) the mass of humanity is because he predetermined their destiny.” But this is not what Paul has stated in the text. The saints were not chosen out of the masses of humanity but were chosen as those being already “in Christ” for the mission of being holy and blameless at the Judgment Seat of Christ in regards to their agapē love for one another (1:4). By misunderstanding God’s election as being unto salvation (salvific) rather than to a task, calling, mission, etc., one’s reading of the apostle’s meaning when speaking of predestination also becomes distorted. While predestination is certainly unto something, it is not that only some were chosen out of the world to go to Heaven when they died.

If God’s predestination where understood as pertaining to one’s eternal standing before Him based on His choice or non-choice of those individuals, all of life and existence would be deterministic. Anderson gives insight into this, writing:

Pure determinism eliminates human choice. Everything from the beginning of time has been and will be determined by fate. A thoroughgoing dependence on fate is at the core of each of these pagan philosophies. An election before creation fit(s) right into a fatalistic understanding of the universe. And Augustine was the first church father to go against the Regula Fide (the Rule of Faith) of the fathers before him. All of the church fathers before Augustine, without exception, believed in free will, or human choice. Augustine was the first to remove it through his deterministic system. And with this introduction of Greek philosophy into Christianity, some Eastern Orthodox scholars believe the schism between eastern and western Christianity began. The east rejected Augustine, even as a church father. The west, in time, embraced him.

One must come to terms with the conclusions of holding such thoughts about God and His dealings with humanity. If only those who are chosen are saved, and therefore predetermined to come to Christ at a moment in time, having no other choice but to do what has already been set in place for them to do, then God is not only meticulously in control, but He is solely responsible, as well as morally and ethically contradictory.

Embracing God’s arbitrary selection of some for salvation opens the door for the conclusion that His love is Self-limited, meaning that He does not love His entire creation of humanity, and since He alone is the deciding factor for one’s eternal destiny and His decision to either choose or not choose one for a blessed eternity with Him, it has been stated that Jesus did not pay the penalty for the sins of those who were not chosen (a truth clearly refuted in Scripture- John 3:16, 2 Cor 5:15, 19; 1 Tim 2:4-6; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2). To think of God in this way is to negate the human response (for who can respond to the Gospel except for those whom God has chosen beforehand?), to deem evangelism as participation in God’s divine “hide-and-seek” game with humanity, and if one were to conclude that the proper punctuation in 1:4 should have “in love” included with the predestination of 1:5, that love is favoritism at best, seeing that He could have chosen all and did not, that He could have predestined all and did not, and that He knowingly (having created the Lake of Fire- Matt 25:41) committed many to an unswerving destiny of torment, anguish, and torture willingly. Such conclusions are the things of swindlers and monsters.

Such views on election and predestination corrupt the totality of the attributes of God, rather than enhancing them. Many level the argument that God’s sovereignty must be upheld. With this all saints should agree, but sovereignty is not the only attribute that God has, and it should not be exalted at the expense of the others. Upholding His sovereignty speaks to His divine authority as Master, Creator, and Redeemer. It is not because the free choices of His creatures should stand as a possible threat to the outworking of His plan for the ages. El Elyon is much greater than such thoughts and stands as much more personal than many may give Him credit. As John 3:16 begins, “For God so LOVED the world,” not that God was so SOVEREIGN over the world. Love was God’s motivation to give Jesus for our sins, not His sovereignty.

Just as was the case with the thought of believers being “chosen” to a calling, service, ministry, or mission, so with being “predestined” should the saints be asking the question, “Being predestined to what?” Without apologies, we desire to take the text for its word in understanding that God has determined beforehand believers in Christ to an unchangeable destination, and a glorious one, at that! This moves us into the matter of the “adoption as sons.”

Holy & Blameless- Eph 1:4b

Ephesians 1:4b

The first blessing that Paul lists in this section is that God the Father has selected saints for the purpose of being holy and blameless before Him in love. God is the One who has done the selecting, and we know that He has done so intentionally for Himself because the word “chose” is “in the middle voice, as is in almost every instance, indicating a personal interest in the one chosen. Hence, God chose with great personal interest rather than a random impersonal choice.” How can we be confident that the “election unto a task, service, ministry, or calling” view is the intended meaning of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians, and not the Reformed View that would consider Ephesians 1:4 to be referring to individuals being chosen unto “justification?”

As we have seen above, these saints were already “in Christ” when they were chosen for the purpose of being “holy and blameless,” and not for the purpose of having eternal life or going to heaven when they died. This concept must be explained carefully. Read Ephesians 1:3-5 out loud.

When reading this text there are two words that immediately grab the attention of the reader are “chosen” and “predestined.” Both have long been defined by proponents of Calvinism and Reformed Theology to support the idea that God determines, before the event of creation, those people who will go to Heaven and those who will go to the Lake of Fire, apart from any consideration of the individuals themselves. But is this what Paul meant? According to the grammatical diagram above, the answer is clearly “no.”

Badger writes:

This verse is often, and very suspiciously, used for proof texting unconditional, pre-creation election unto eternal salvation. It really just indicates that God designated in eternity past that those who are known to be in Christ would be able to attain holiness and blamelessness. It promises no guarantee of same. If one would confine himself to what the text actually says, no teaching of unconditional election for eternal life would even be supposed.

Badger continues:

When thus displayed it is easily seen that the text of verse 4 does not say, “He chose us before the foundation of the world to be in Him” as most read and interpret it. Rather it says, “Before the foundation of the world, He chose [those of] us [who are] in Christ to be holy and without blame in His presence . . .” (My paraphrase. Words in brackets are supplied for smoother reading). The phrases, “in Christ” and “before the foundation of the world” indicate the attendant circumstance in which God so identified or recognized those who would believe.

Klein resonates these observations, stating:

God’s election of the church occurred before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4). Paul, as well as all believers, constitute God’s chosen people—corporate election.A Many Calvinists, while agreeing that the reference here is corporate, insist that individual election is implied in what Paul said here. The argument runs as follows: if the entire body is chosen, then the individuals within it must be chosen.B But there exists no warrant for this, especially within a letter that focuses on the corporate church. Here Paul said that God chose “us”—that is, the church—“in Christ,” not that God chose individuals to be in Christ (emphasis original).

The fact that the saints were chosen “in Him” (in Christ) should be an indicator to the readers that justification has already taken place. Therefore, those who have been “elected/chosen” are a born again and regenerated collective. Those selected by God for Himself were selected after their belief in Christ, and it is only by being “in Christ” that they (we) are suitable and qualified for the purpose at hand. Badger concludes his thoughts on this verse when he writes, “One is not a believer because he is the result of God’s choosing. Rather, as a believer one is intended and destined to be analogous to God’s nature, i.e., holy and blameless.”

The idea of “before the foundation of the world” simply gives the reader the point of reference in which God set forth this designation of holiness and blamelessness as something that would be afforded to the believer in Christ. In other words, it indicates the time in which the Father made the decision that this privilege would be afforded to those who would become believers in Christ. This is a comfortable theme in the Scriptures, seeing that the Father and the Son exercised love before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), Jesus Christ was considered the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8), and that Considering that this verse says nothing about individual election unto eternal salvation, we should not allow this concept to infiltrate the text. However, we should also refrain from callous affirmation of such facts. Doing so would steal our wonderment of God Almighty and His mysterious ways. Tozer declares such sobering facts that all saints should ponder with captivated hearts:

Can I explain how God could have chosen us before the creation of the world? Can I explain the eternal nature of God, the uncreated Being? Can I explain a time when there was only God—no matter, no law, no motion, no relation and no space, no time and no beings, only God?

God was there, and God is not a void! He is the triune God and He is all there is. Before the Creation, He was already busy with eternal mercies and a redemptive plan for a mankind not yet created!

Blessed, indeed, be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

One may object to this conclusion about the meaning of “chose” in Ephesians 1:4 by stating that since justification is the act where God declares the sinner as righteous in His sight at the moment of belief in Jesus, could this choosing of the church “in order that we should be holy and blameless before Him” be the act of justification? Or to put this reasoning more plainly, “why can’t this ‘choosing’ be a choosing concerning the saints’ justification? The answer is actually quite simple.

First, we have noted above that the choice of God in this verse occurs when the saint is “in Christ,” meaning that the saint being chosen is already regenerate; i.e. justification has already happened. We must remember that the location of the saints being chosen is that of being already “in Christ.”

Second, God would not need to choose saints for justification, that they “should be holy and blameless before Him,” because one BECOMES holy and blameless before God at the moment of one’s justification. This is the believer’s position in Christ before the Father. So the idea that saints “should be” holy and blameless, in a practical sense, is a possible future that has been made attainable by God’s choosing; meaning that the church has been chosen to exercise this level of maturity in their love (agapē). It is a sanctifying election. This concept may seem far-fetched, especially for those who are accustomed to the Calvinist interpretations of this verse, but if we look at four passages in Paul’s writings, I believe that they will help to make this concept clearer, and will incite a deep-seated desire within the believers who understand it.

In Colossians 1:21-23 (which is the “sister letter” to Ephesians) we see that Paul writes:

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister (emphasis mine)

In v. 21, Paul describes the former state of the Colossian believers. In v. 22a, Paul speaks of their reconciliation (justification) that has been made possible by the death of Jesus Christ. Paul then states that this was done “in order to present you” (1:22). Again, we see that location is an important factor. Paul moves past the fact of justification and speaks to the importance of their presentation before the Lord of glory (“before Him”); that they might be found “holy and blameless and above reproach.” Both “holy and blameless” and being “above reproach” are contingent upon the believer continuing in the faith, being both “stable and steadfast” (1:23). Each of these words (holy and blameless) are the exact same Greek words that are used in Ephesians 1:4, which Paul uses to explain the same concept: That being holy and blameless in conduct before God is now possible due to His selection of them (and us) in Christ unto this end. In Christ, this possibility is available. The Lord our God has supplied everything needed for our success. Now, Scripture is clear that one’s justification is not contingent upon “continuing in the faith,” but by simply believing in Christ (John 3:16; 5:24; 11:25-27). Therefore, this cannot possibly be speaking to the concept of justification.

We also see that the emphasis has been placed on a presentation “before Him” meaning that the saints will come before the Lord for an evaluation that will determine their being “holy and blameless” and “above reproach.” The exact same Greek words are employed in “before Him” in this passage that are also used by Paul in the use of “before Him” in Ephesians 1:4. Concerning the use of the phrase “before Him,” Hoehner asks, “Does this refer to the earthly life of the believer or to the future when the believer stands in his presence? The latter is preferred.” Hoehner goes on to list a series of convincing reasons for this view, but makes special note in saying that “there is a necessary correlation between what God is going to do in the future for the believers and what he is presently doing for them. Since he is preparing believers to go into his presence holy and without blame, certainly that is what he desires for them now, as seen in Philippians 2:15 where Christians were to be blameless in a crooked and perverted generation.” This connection leads us to our second passage.

Next, look at Philippians 2:14-16 which reads,

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain (emphasis added).

This passage finds Paul issuing the imperatives that in all things, believers are not to grumble or dispute that they “may be blameless and innocent” and “without blemish.” Since we know that the Church in Philippi was made up of believers in Christ, Paul is not speaking to them in regards to justification. If he were, the fact that they “may be blameless and innocent” would make their justification contingent upon their works. We also read that Paul uses the present participle in “holding fast to the word of life” for the purpose of the believer standing approved in the “Day of Christ,” which is the Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul himself desires to stand approved and he knows that his work amongst the Philippian Church (and the other churches that he has planted) must be practiced so that they are maturing in their walks with Christ. Seeking to walk in a “blameless” manner now will surely merit a “holy and blameless” commendation before God at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Third, in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Paul issues a prayer regarding this very subject.

Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints (emphasis added).

Paul desires for the believers in Thessalonica to “increase and abound in love.” The fact that this prayer and desire is offered up for the purpose “that He might establish your hearts blameless in holiness” (3:12) shows us that the direction in which Paul is thinking is that of sanctification and not justification. Again, Paul does not pray in regards to what has already been finished in the believer, but for the believer to take full advantage of the opportunity for a worthy showing at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is clear because the location involved is “before our God and Father” and is designated for the time of “the coming of our Lord Jesus” (3:13). The idea of a future time is in place because the location is a divine one and the timing is specific.

The fourth passage in consideration that reinforces Paul’s theology regarding this purpose of God in sanctifying election is Ephesians 5:25-27. Paul writes,

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (emphasis added).

Here it can be seen that there is an emphasis on the idea of the church being “holy and blameless” before the Son when she (the Church) is presented to Jesus Christ. This comes about by the washing of water with the Word. Again, we see that there is a contingent factor that must be in play in order to meet this highly desired end that has been secured as a possibility for the saints. The idea here is that the Church is sanctified by the Word for the purpose of a future presentation. This passage speaks of the Church being presented to Christ. Again, we have the idea of a time in which this will occur, namely at the Judgment Seat of Christ. We see the use of the word “might” three times in this passage, all speaking to the idea of possible lofty ends that have been laid before the Church. For instance, “that He might sanctify her” (the Church), “so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor,” and “that she might be holy and without blemish.” These uses, depending on the context, should be understood as something that is a possibility and not an undeniable and inevitable certainty.

While the opportunity for the Church to be “holy and blameless” is now possible because these are justified people, the actual attainment of such a high calling is contingent on the believers living out the life of Christ in the world. Snodgrass notes:

Election does indeed bring privilege, but not so that people can bask in privilege or disdain others. Election always brings responsibility; God has chosen us to do something—namely, to live holy and blameless lives before him (1:4; cf. 5:27). Other biblical texts on election have the same understanding, whether they refer to Israel, the remnant, or an individual like Paul or Jeremiah. God’s choosing enlists people in his work and gives them responsibility.

The Body of Christ has the ability to be holy and blameless before the Lord, which is a sphere of possibility that was never attainable apart from being “in Christ.” The unregenerate have their carnal definition of “love” circulating in the realm of feelings and happy thoughts, but none exceeds the casing of this world system, being limited by the deadness of their being. They are “judged already” because they have not “believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). The pleasures of Earth are all that they have. Glory to God that the joys of the regenerate heart are found in the heavenlies!

The Judgment Seat of Christ stands as the place where the believers works will be considered before the Lord Jesus Himself (Rom 14:12; 1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 Cor 5:10). Such a presentation “before Him” (Eph 1:4b; 5:27a) is not a judgment regarding issues of Heaven and Hell and the eternal destiny of man. Theodore Epp captures this event well, writing:

The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ which Christ indwells, so that there is no more condemnation to each individual who is a member of that true church. These cannot be condemned for that for which Christ died; and remember, He death and the penalty He paid covered our sins past, present, and future. Nevertheless, inasmuch as Christ indwells each believe there must be an examination to determine to what degree each one has yielded his life to Christ. There must be an evaluation of the deeds done in the body whether they were good or bad.

Epp then asks some key questions:

In light of these things we might ask ourselves how much Christ is living in us. How much of our so-called Christian testimony is self, self-life, and self-pursuits? How will our present attitude toward Christ and efforts on His behalf stand the test in that day in view of the standard just presented?

This points to the fact that there will be an evaluation of the Church as a whole based on this concept of their “sanctifying election” taking place after their conversion to Christ. The universal (all Church Age believers) Church will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to give an account of their collective conduct. This conduct will be found to be pleasing unto the Lord only if they have continued “in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Col 1:23), and if the Church is allowing for the “washing of water with the Word” (Eph 5:26), and “holding fast to the word of life” (Phil 2:16). Those who are redeemed have a potential that is only limited by their lack of trust in the Creator of all things.

This is an important factor to emphasize. Many have thought about the Judgment Seat of Christ as a matter of good works, but such good works can never be considered “good” if they are not a result of faith in God’s Word. It is not a matter of trying, but of trusting! If total trust in every area of life were possible, the saint would reap the maximum of reward and commendation by the Lord Jesus. What a glorious future awaits the people of God! This concept of sanctifying election also finds a greater credibility when verses like 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 and 2 Peter 3:11-13 are considered.

Finally, this choosing of the saints that they should be holy and blameless before Him must have a goal in mind. It is simply not being chosen to be holy for holiness’ sake, or being chosen to be blameless for blamelessness’ sake. This glorious blessing must have an equally as glorious an end. For when one has been selected by God for a ministry or service, this ministry and service should be done well, to the best of the ability of the saint in relying on the power of the Spirit and walking in obedience with the Word. This is where the issues concerning the translator’s choice in punctuation of this verse comes into play.

Greek scholar R.C.H. Lenski writes,

Those who find only justification in the infinitive clause “to be holy and blemishless” construe the phrase “in love” with v. 5: “having predestined us in love,” etc. If justification alone were referred to we should expect the phrase “in faith” and not “in love” to round out the idea. When this phrase is drawn into v. 5, it would, of course, be God’s love that predestinated us. A few leave the phrase in v. 4 but construe “he elected us- in (this) love,” a construction which, however, no reader would suspect, for verb and phrase are too widely separated. Still others have it modify the whole infinitive clause: “to be holy and blemishless,” to be thus justified “in (God’s) love,” which is again unexpected and rather peculiar. Of course, the thought that God elected, or that he predestinated, or even that he justified us “in (his great) love” (for us), is in itself quite true.

Robinson also notes the translator’s conundrum, writing, “The phrase ‘in love’ must be joined with the preceding words, not with those that follow; although the latter collocation has some ancient interpreters in its favour.” He then states, “the same phrase occurs five times more in the epistle (3:17, 4:2, 15, 16; 5:2), and always in the sense of the Christian virtue of love—not of the Divine love towards man…” Internal evidence for the author’s usage is a most consistent argument, demonstrating the ways in which Paul thought and phrased his thoughts regarding how he used “in love.”

The phrase “in love” must fit in a way that is natural to the flow of the thought. This is what brings us to the conclusion of “love” being that which the saints are to be “holy and blameless” in. If the saints were chosen to be “holy and blameless” in the sense of justification (which is the point labored against above), the conclusion of v. 4 would say “in faith” and not “in love.” Since agapē is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) we can easily understand that this is something that can be a reality for the believer due to their position in Christ, seeing that they are submissive to the Spirit and that the Spirit is producing His fruit through them. This resonates with Jesus’ command to the Eleven (John 13:34-35), as well as His High-Priestly prayer to the Father for such ends (John 17:26). Paul’s masterful summary statement of what Christ being revealed in the believer looks like reflects the same when he states that “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love (Gal 5:6). Peter gives the warp and woof of this concept, writing:

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God (1 Pet 1:22-23).

Peter does not stop at the sincere love that his recipients have displayed, but encourages them to fervently love one another from the heart! Why? He speaks of their being born by the imperishable seed, the living and enduring word of God! In other words, he knows that their ability to love in such a way is possible because their reality is one of the supernatural. God has made such a beautiful thing possible in their lives for the exercising of such agapē with one another.

It is with this understanding that we can consider the “sanctifying election” view as Paul’s meaning here, and we can also see that the thing of which the saints “should be holy and blameless before Him” in is their love for one another.

Agape is usually one of those Greek words that Christians become easily familiar with at some point in their lives. This word means “the quality of warm regard for and interest in another, esteem, affection, regard, love.” This word is used “seventy-five times by Paul out of which he uses it ten times in this small Book of Ephesians.” Hoehner draws an interesting contrast between agapao, which is understood to be a selfless love that is motivated by a free choice to love, and erao, which signifies an impulsive and erotic love that is driven to seek out fulfillment. Thus, the saints are to be found as “holy and blameless” before God in their agapē, which is a possibility for those in Christ because of what Christ has done in opening the floodgates of God’s blessings unto the Church through His death on the cross. This was most certainly not a possibility before the saint had come to Christ. This is a plausible conclusion, especially since such selfless love is not an automatic characteristic immediately present in the saints, but rather something that had to be taught, understood, accepted, enjoyed, and freely distributed. This can be understood by the fact that the Lord Jesus had to command love in John 13:34-35, and 14:21, 23.

So, in concluding our section on v. 4, God has chosen the saints in Christ that they should be holy and blameless before Him in their love for one another. This is a spiritual blessing that has been made possible by God’s abounding grace to those who make up the Church. This is a realm of obedience that was previously not attainable apart from the work of Christ, personal faith, and God’s blessing, with which He makes the attainment of this practice possible. Being “holy and blameless” is contingent upon such factors as holding fast (Col 1:21-23, Phil 2:16) and being sanctified by the Word of God (Eph 5:25-27). God has blown the roof off of the heights of obedience that are possible for the saints to achieve, seeing that He has graciously supplied every part that we would ever need to serve and love in this supernatural capacity. We truly have “every spiritual blessing” (1:3). While it is uncertain whether this presentation will be manifested before God at the Judgment Seat of Christ in a grouping of each local church or the collective Church, it is a certain fact that every saint in the Body has their personal responsibility to stay faithful in their walks with the Lord for the purpose of being found “holy and blameless” in their love for one another. Such a grand commendation is possible for every saint because of the grace of God the Father.

Every Spiritual Blessing- Eph 1:3-4a

B. The Believer’s Glorious Privilege in Christ (1:3-14)

“The Believer’s Astounding Station in Christ, to the Praise of His Glory.”

Beginning the doctrinal section of this letter, Paul bursts forward in an eleven verse sentence that finds no punctuation in the Greek. Due to its rich explanations of the believer’s unmerited, Already Blessings made available by Christ Jesus, the Christian should consider bathing in Ephesians 1:3-14 regularly, using its contents to wash the mind and encourage the soul (Rom 12:2). Many have likened this passage to that of a doxology or even a first-century hymn. Without a doubt, meditation on these truths will cause the heart of the saint to soar!

Unfortunately, this section has suffered much at the hands of many expositors by being credited with many ideas and concepts that are absent from Paul’s intended meaning. It is necessary to entertain such interpretations only for the purpose of allowing Paul’s original meaning to burn brighter. In doing so, the believer’s cup will overflow in seeing that all that Paul writes thrusts us into deeper realms of honoring the Lord our God and praising Him for His glorious grace.

Ephesians 1:3

Ephesians 1:3 stands as an amazing truth that summarizes the content to follow. I consider it to be an “umbrella statement” by which the listing of the blessings that follow are all included in this initial mention. Focusing on this one truth provides the believer with a gracious foundation to which he or she can return over and over again. This verse begins with the word eulogetos (“blessed”) which is an “act of speaking in favorable terms, praise.” The English word “eulogy” is derived from this, giving us a better sense of the meaning. However, this section is not to be associated with a funeral, dirge, or any form of sorrowful proceedings. These are blessings of great joy! While it can mean “to be blessed,” this word issues praise to God for the great blessings that Paul will soon expound upon (v. 4-14). When we speak of blessing God, we speak of ascribing glory and honor to Him. It is praise of the highest form. It is worship in the purest form. Hoehner writes that eulogetos is found “eighty-seven times in the LXX and is translated forty-three times…” as “’blessed’ which has the idea of someone deserving appreciation, honor, and praise.” Hoehner goes on to note that this term is used predominately to bless God for such things as His deliverance, provision, His answers to prayers, and also just for the simple fact of Who He is and what He has done, with both being the necessary focus for a proper attitude of worship. As Boice has recorded, “doctrine, if it is rightly understood, leads to doxology. If we discover who God is and what he has done for us, we will praise him.” Paul’s first call is to the fact that we should worship the Almighty who has blessed us richly!

The one whom Paul attributes this praise and worship is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul starts at the beginning, calling attention to the Creator of all things, specifically illuminating the relationships between the Father and the Christ, His Son. Regarding this phrase, Ed DeZago writes,

The grammatical construction identifies God and “Father” as the same Person. Not only does this distinguish Father from Son (and later in this chapter, from Holy Spirit), but implies important realities about the relationship that Jesus has with God, His Father. Rather than discrediting the deity of Christ, this phrase emphasizes the unique relationship and role the Messiah has to the Father. In His humanity, Jesus, who is also God blessed forever (Rom 9:5), is, in essence, a servant, (Phil 2:7). The Eternal Word humbled Himself through the incarnation, and as a man, served His God (note Hebrews 10:7; Phil 2:5-8; and Peter’s assumed relationship of divinity and humanity in Acts 2:22-36). While Jesus’ service was to God, His life was lived as a Son to His Father (John 5:17; 6:38-40).

It is not unusual to understand that the Father blesses the believer in Christ, but questions may arise regarding the believer blessing God. The believer is found to behold an incredible privilege. Epp writes, “We bless God by praising Him, whereas He blesses us by showering His benefits upon us.” Hoehner writes, “when God is the object of a person’s blessing, it has the idea of ‘praise’ and when a person is the object of God’s blessings, it has the idea of ‘happiness, success, an increase of earthly possessions.’” In blessing God, we are not showering our benefits upon Him, for we have nothing to offer Him that would be of any benefit to Him (Acts 17:24-25). Our praise must be acceptably offered to Him because He has lavished His great love upon us, seeing all that has been accomplished for us in Christ.

This understanding leads us to a phrase of particular interest: “who has blessed us in Christ,” noting the past tense. This is a significant truth that begs for the reader’s attention. This verse does not tell us that we “will be blessed,” or even that we “are being blessed,” but that the Father “has blessed” us in a particular location, and that location is “in Christ.” While present and future blessings are truths that the Bible would affirm (Rom 8:23-25; Jas 1:25; 1 Pet 3:14), Paul’s point in praising God is that He is the One who has already blessed us in the location of being “in Christ.” Seeing that our position in Christ is permanent and complete, our blessings in Christ are likewise permanent and complete, for it is only through Him that these blessings are possible.

It must also be observed that these “already blessings in Christ” serve as the present reality for Paul as well, seeing that he includes himself by using the personal pronoun “us.” This is what makes the tone of rejoicing so personal throughout this section, and the rest of the epistle. Paul considers himself equal with his audience in having already received every spiritual blessing because he is “in Christ.” When studying the New Testament books of Romans through Jude, it is helpful to mark the instances where the biblical author includes himself with his recipients. I usually do this by writing in “PIP,” which stands for “personal inclusive pronoun.” Our tendency may be to think of the biblical authors as “better Christians” than ourselves, but by including themselves as recipients of the same wonderful truths that are found in Christ, we see that the playing field is very high and exalted, but also level for every saint. If we have ever felt the discouragement of being a “lesser than,” we can come back to these personal inclusive pronouns and rejoice that we share in the same gracious Already Blessings together.

This truth is so powerful that it is constantly in the crosshairs of Satan. It is this point of being “already blessed in Christ” that the enemy tries to attack in order to keep us from living in the freedom and abundant life that Christ has supplied (John 10:10). The tactic of the enemy is to introduce doubt regarding the full acceptance of the believer’s standing or of the completeness of the believer’s forgiveness. Guilt and shame are used as a smokescreen to obscure the believer’s feet and the Solid Rock on which they rest. The Word of God establishes the never-ending truth that the believer’s standing is as secure as the work of Christ is sufficient. Therefore, it is this paramount truth that we must lay hold of, meditate upon, saturate upon, and embrace fully!

This moves our attention to the fact that every believe is “in Christ.” This phrase, and similar renderings of this concept (“in Him, in the Beloved,” “in whom”- KJV), are found to be constantly drawing the reader’s attention back to the crucial Cause of the blessings that God has put forth for the believer. Stott notes that:

In the first fourteen verses of the Ephesian letter Jesus Christ is mentioned either by name or title (‘Christ’, ‘Jesus Christ’, ‘Christ Jesus’, ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’, ‘the Beloved’) or by pronoun or possessive (‘he’, ‘him’, ‘his’) no fewer than fifteen times. And the phrase ‘in Christ’ or ‘in him’ occurs eleven times.

Oh, how Christ is exalted in this opening! This beautiful phrase “in Christ” eliminates the proud and boastful heart. It strips the believer of any sense of self-accomplishment that would entitle him or her to the reception of these eternal blessings and exalts the risen Lord, who has purchased these blessings on a Roman cross, on our behalf, and has “lavishly” (1:8) poured them upon those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. This tidal wave drowns us in unknown and far-fathomable riches of His pure grace! This truly is undeserved favor!

But what, exactly, does it mean to be “in Christ?” Beal and Radmacher write:

The expression “in Christ” does not arrest our attention as it would that of first century Greek readers. Our English word ‘in’ is used more loosely than was the Greek word en, which it translates. Normally en was used to refer to someone located within a city, within a house, or in a boat, but not ordinarily of someone’s person being within someone else’s person. Paul’s Ephesian readers would accept the phrase as good Greek, but they would stop for a second look at the surprising concept.

This provides some excellent pictures for the mind. Being “in Christ” means that God has brought you to a new location. If you have ever moved, you know that an abandoning of the former residence took place and a transference into a new location completed the process. God has moved the one who responds in faith to the gospel of Jesus Christ to a new, eternal location. Just as one is born from a woman into this world, so the one who believes in the gospel is spiritually born out of the world and into Christ Himself. The former life is gone (2 Cor 5:17-18). There is a new beginning. A new life. And this place of permanent residence is found “in Christ.” They continue on, stating:

When we follow Paul’s use of the expression, we discover that to be in Christ means that in a real sense the Christian has been placed, located, within Christ. In Christ signifies that whatever Jesus Christ is before God the Father, the believer shares his identity, because he or she is within the Savior. It is the Father giving the believer the same exalted status that Christ in all His glory now holds. It is the Christian’s full identification with Jesus Christ in the eyes of the Father.

The blessings that believers have been blessed with cannot be of an effectual nature unless they are “in Christ.” This is the location where the blessings reside and in which the blessings can be received. This superior location speaks to where Paul’s readers are currently residing. Though they may be in Ephesus, Rome, China, or Virginia, they are always and forever in Christ! There is no segway or progressive timeline of events that must transpire before the believer reaches this blessed destination. At the moment that one places their faith in Christ, they are immediately and without reservation translated into Jesus Himself, becoming a part of His Body on Earth (Eph 1:23; 4:4-6; 5:30; 1 Cor 12:27). The believer is now in a location of complete blessing, having a standing or righteousness before the Father as He has so declared to all who are in Christ (Gen 15:6; Rom 3:22; 10:17; Eph 1:13).

It cannot be stated enough, nor pondered enough: our standing with Christ is based upon His finished, all-sufficient work on the cross which secures the believer’s permanent position. This is what makes us completely accepted and fully acquitted before the eyes of the Father. “Christ is the golden string on which all the pearls of this doxology are strung. He is the central diamond around which all the lesser diamonds are set as rays.” He has made the impossible possible in obtaining for us an “astounding station” before God by His blood.

Many times we refuse to accept the truth our position in Christ is a non-negotiable fact. This usually stems from shame or self-condemnation due to sins that we have previously committed, rampant sinful thoughts that we are having little success in controlling, or just a poor self-assessment. Satan seeks to leverage these matters against us. The enemy’s constant attacks will always be focused on the position of the believer in Christ. Something that we see as a mindset of discouragement is actually an attack on our personal inability or our failed attempts at accomplishment. But we know from this one verse that all believers have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Every last one! Looking to ourselves guarantees sure defeat. We simply have no answers on our own: No standing, no merit, no redemption, no hope, no plan, and no answer. When looking unto Christ, “self” fades into the background, and Perfection Himself takes center stage, rightly captivating our time, attention, thoughts, and life. No longer are we worried about the failures in our daily lives because we are now consumed and attentive to the grand accomplishments of the Lord Jesus on our behalf! Let us remember that the sea that God has drowned our sins in is the precious blood of Jesus our Lord (Micah 7:19; 1 John 2:2). The hymn is true:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

look full in His wonderful face.

And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim,

in the light of His glory and grace.

The careful observer will note that there are two significant locations in this verse: the first being “in Christ” which has been considered, and the second is “in the heavenly places.” The word “places” is not found in the original Greek text but has been added by English translators for clarification. The “heavenlies” should not be considered as “places,” but as a location in which the believer in Christ’s spiritual blessings are found to be complete which is the heavens, being a dimension beyond the blue sky which will be reveal at the 2nd Coming of Christ (Joel 2:28-32; Isa 2:18-21; Matt 24:29-31; Rev 6:12-17). The NIV and NET use the word “realm” which may be more appropriate when compared with Paul’s use of it throughout Ephesians (1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12), while the ESV, MEV, NASB, and NKJV use the word “places.” Both Darby and the HCSB have chosen to translate this word literally, leaving it alone in its plural state. J. Vernon McGee writes:

It literally states, ‘in the heavenlies in Christ.’ Here we are, blessed with all spiritual blessings, and it is in the heavenlies. I don’t know exactly where the heavenlies are, but I do know where the Lord Jesus is. He is at God’s right hand, and we are told here that these blessings are in Christ. May I say to you that we need to be careful with this. It does not say here that these blessings are with Christ (there are those who read it like that). Right now you and I are seated in Christ. When somebody asks, ‘Are you going to heaven some day?’ the answer generally given is, ‘Well, I hope so.’ Let me say this to you: if you’re going to heaven, you’re already there in Christ. He has blessed you in the heavenlies in Christ, and you are there regardless of what your position is down here. Your practice down here may not be good, but if you are a child of God, you are already in Christ.

This magnanimous truth causes us to agree with Paul saying, “Praise God! He has already blessed every single believer in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies!” The verses that proceed from verse 3 serve in unfolding the “spiritual blessings” already given to us in Christ. This fact stands as an unconditional truth that is always true, regardless of our belief or unbelief of its reality. The enemy sees Ephesians 1:3 as a major threat to his endeavors to keep us ineffective and stagnant. Let us not be so foolish as to think that Satan does not exist and that his angels do not seek to destroy the lives of Christians every day, and that his avenue for such disruption is simple unbelief in the promises of God to us in Christ.

The Bible tells us that the devil roams around “like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). In every wavering instance, our lack of discernment and our bouts of misery, sin, and depression can be traced back to an inability to thwart the schemes of Satan because we are ignorant of the objective truths that we already possess in Christ our Lord. Neil Anderson writes, “Renewing our minds does not come naturally, there is no automatic ‘delete button’ that erases past programming. We have to consciously know the Word of God so that we can understand who we are from God’s perspective.” This is why we must lay claim to the glorious fact that God has given us every spiritual blessing due to Christ’s work on the cross, and not based upon anything within ourselves that would cause God to issue such blessings.

Satan is a master deceiver who seeks to drown out the reality of our astounding station in Christ. Our growth and maturity in these truths resembles one taking a mug of coffee and pouring great amounts of water into it so that the coffee rises to the surface, overflows the edges, and becomes almost nonexistent. Satan seeks for opportunities to take the gifted cup of pure righteousness and dilute it with anything that prevents us from seeing the contents of the cup. He is a liar (John 8:44) that renders the believer in Christ unaware of the blessed reality that is already theirs in Christ. Knowing that the enemy is going to attack the foundational truth of Ephesians 1:3 in our lives, we must consider three areas where the enemy seeks to dilute the focus in our lives.

1. Distraction-

The things of this world become important to us, or worse, precious. We get so overwhelmed with pressure and responsibility that the idea of having every spiritual blessing seems like a fairy tale (Matt 13:22). Today’s problems crowd the spotlight away from the certain blessings already secured for us in Christ and the abounding blessings that lay out ahead for every believer in Christ. Satan is the king of “busy,” and he has erected the god of “busy” within our schedules, using whatever it takes to blind the eyes that God has personally opened in Christ. This approach will often keep us occupied with the wrong things.

2. Discouragement-

This is the most well-worn tool in the enemy’s box. Being imperfect people, Satan has no problem making light of our inadequacies and shortcomings, having a focus that doesn’t even need other people to point them out. This unhealthy introspection is another substitute for Christ and His all-sufficient work. All the enemy has to do is point us back at ourselves. If he can get us to appraise ourselves, especially in light of those around us, he has disarmed us into a realm of self-defeating thoughts. This approach can leave us out of commission for long periods of time.

3. Distortion

Satan seeks to blind us from the truths of God’s Word (2 Cor 4:4). Every attack that he wages revolves around distorting the truth. This is exactly what happened in Genesis 3. In buying into his lies, we begin to rationalize sin, fall away from fellowship, miss church, leave our Bibles unopened, and drift into becoming friends with the world. All of these are considered enmity toward God (Heb 10:25; Jas 4:4). These are nothing short of spiritual adultery and slothfulness. Too often believers see how much they can flirt with the world and still be free of accountability by their brothers and sisters. This approach will find us drifting along on the wrong road until we are painfully corrected. If we love God, should we not seek to follow Him closely (John 14:21)?

Satan’s methods all have one thing in common: They keep us from the Word of God. His schemes seek to replace the Truth in our lives. Clinging to the rich blessings and truths that have been afforded us in Christ (like Ephesians 1:3) is the only offense that we have against the enemy’s lying ways. We must take every thought captive unto the truths found in Christ (2 Cor 10:5; Col 2:8), making every effort to cling to Christ (1 John 2:24)!

Ephesians 1:4a

When Paul speaks of the saints as being blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ,” he is not one to leave such a pregnant statement to the guesswork of the reader. These blessings are something that the believer in Christ already possesses. These blessings are already a reality, meaning that we are never trying to earn these blessings for Christ earned them on the cross. Neither are we waiting for them to be applied to us because we are in Christ at the moment of faith. Nor are we needing anything more to complete these blessings because Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He has truly given “every spiritual blessing” to us in the heavenlies, in Christ Jesus our Lord to the full.

Verses 3-6 are concerned with the grace of the Father as demonstrated in the free distribution of every spiritual blessing to the saints of God. These verses are designed to ascribed praise to the Father for what He has done for the saints in Christ. It is God the Father who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (1:3) and it is God the Father who has chosen us in Christ to be holy and blameless in our love (1:4). It is God the Father who has predestined us to the adoption as sons (1:5), and in every one of these blessings, Jesus Christ is the integral component that makes such things a settled reality for the believer. Apart from the Son of God and His work on the cross, His resurrection, and His ascension, there would be no effectual component in lavishing these realities upon the saints of God. The Father’s blessings are of such a nature that Jesus Christ is indispensable in our receiving them! This is why the apostle caps off this section emphasizing the Father’s work of blessing by stating, “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (v. 6). Pondering such blessings will lead to worship. Praise His glorious Name!

To say that the word “chose” in 1:4 has been a hotbed of controversy is to put it mildly. Within this verse, as well as other passages like John 6 and Romans 9, has withstood the Calvinist interpretations that see “Election… (as) an act of God before creation in which he chooses some people to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them but only because of his sovereign good pleasure.” This view understands “election” and being “chosen” in reference to one’s eternal destiny of Heaven or the Lake of Fire, being decided before time began by God alone, without any consideration of a person’s life, attitudes, or circumstances. In other words, everyone’s final resting place, either in glory or torment, has been pre-decided by God regardless of how many times one hears the gospel of Jesus Christ dying for sinners on the cross. If they have not been pre-selected by God, they will never be able to respond in faith, having never been given the possibility of being saved. This view is best expressed by Sam Storms, who states:

God’s choice is not dependent on human merit or temporal circumstances. God sovereignly elects us unto eternal life before we exist and without our consent. That isn’t to say that our voluntary consent isn’t important. We must still believe in Jesus, but our belief is itself the historical and experiential fruit or effect of God’s pre-temporal elective decree (emphasis original).

What is most concerning about this view, besides its conclusions of human only having worth as automatons with a fatalistic future, is that it is not biblical. The Bible does not teach that only certain people have been chosen by the Creator to be saved and go to Heaven when they die. It is simply not there, and it is especially not here in Ephesians 1:4 either. Allowing the verse to speak for itself, in the context in which it was written, will clearly show the intent of Paul’s words to his believing audience.

To think correctly about this subject, we must examine the word used by Paul and consider the context to arrive at his intended meaning. The word “chose” is the Greek word eklegomai which is defined as “to pick out, select,” and in the NASB has been translated as chose (7x), chosen (7x), picking (1x), made… choice (1x), choose (3x), select (1x). C. Gordon Olson writes that “the secular Greek usage of the verb had to do with electing or appointing people to an office or responsibility with an accompanying obligation to fulfill it responsibly. This is most important since democratic elections began in Greece and the word originated in that connection.” Knowing the common usage of a word from its inception gives greater insights into the surrounding conversational and cultural use of Jesus and the apostles.

Olson quotes Lothar Coenen in Colin Brown’s New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. I where it says, “Although these words originate in military vocabulary, by the time of Plato eklegomai and eklektos are already in use in a political sense (referring to elections). In every case it is a matter of electing people to perform a certain task, or administer a certain office… It is always, however, accompanied by some kind of obligation or task concerned with the well-being of all the other members of the community.” So the issue surrounding one being “chosen” is not found in an arbitrary selection by God that determines one’s eternal destiny but a personal choice that commissions them for a task, obligation, or responsibility of some kind that may have underlying factors in the person or people being chose that prove to be useful in the accomplishment of that task.

In the Septuagint, the word is derived from the Hebrew word bahar (162 times). The participle forms bahur and bahir are used to describe “specially chosen elite troops.” Coenen notes that “eklektos also appears a number of times for Hebrew roots connoting loveliness, preciousness, or excellent condition. Here the adjective does not express the fact of being chosen, but in a wider sense factors already present which make choice likely…”

What Coenen is getting at is that the Greek translation of the Hebrew words signify two things:

1. That people or groups were considered “chosen” to a task, obligation, or responsibility, and NOT to “go to heaven when you die.”

2. That this choosing to a task, obligation, or responsibility is based upon some factor that makes this choosing likely, meaning that the people are in some way qualified for the task.

This understanding finds perfect coherence with the New Testament.

For instance, Paul’s choosing is communicated to Ananias when God says “he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16). At no time does the Lord state that Paul was chosen to go to Heaven or Hell, but to go to the Gentiles, kings, Jews, in order to bear His Name. His choosing is unto ministry, not eternal destiny.

In Luke 9:35 we read that the Lord Jesus is declared to be “My Chosen One” by the Father. Surely, we would not conclude that Jesus is just one of many possible Saviors, nor would we conclude that He was chosen arbitrarily, nor would we state that He was chosen to go to Heaven when He dies. We would, with complete confidence, understand that He is the Messiah who would die for the sins of the world (John 1:29; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2) having the previous fact that He is God the Son as a factor that qualifies Him for this ministry (Matt 3:17; 17:5; Mark 9:7).

Another example of this verb in action would be in James 2:5 where we are told, “did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” Notice that James’ emphasis is not on their becoming Christians, but being “rich in faith” and “heirs of the Lord’s kingdom,” which Scripture shows is not something that is true of every believer in Christ (Rom 8:16-17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5). One qualifying factor that was true of them for such choosing is the fact that they were impoverished.

One could take a concordance and find other examples, but it is clear that choosing/election is never set forth in the New Testament as a matter of one’s eternal destiny concerning Heaven or the Lake of Fire. Even in the Old Testament, such a concept maintains its consistency.

Read 2 Samuel 21:1-6. This passage shows that King Saul was considered the “chosen of the Lord” (v. 6). How was Saul “chosen of the Lord?” We see in 1 Samuel 9:1-10:27 that Saul is chosen by the Lord to be the first human king over Israel. Of particular note is 1 Samuel 9:16 where the interchange between the Lord and Samuel the prophet takes place. We see here that Saul was chosen for the task of being king over Israel. Were there factors present that made God’s choice of Saul likely? G. Coleman Luck believes so, writing:

God made the choice which the people were manifestly unable to make for themselves. But it remains very clear that God did not choose this king for Himself, but rather for the people. In other words, though God actually appointed Saul, Saul did not in the final analysis represent God’s choice, but the people’s choice. David, not Saul, was the man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). The Israelites had already specified the kind of man they wanted—one who would go out before them and fight their battles, one who was grand in appearance and in whom they could rejoice with fleshly pride (1 Sam. 8:20). So God picked for them the man who in all Israel came nearest to fulfilling their idea of what a king should be.

How about Psalm 105:37-45. This is a recounting of Israel’s deliverance from their time of slavery in Egypt. They are referred to as God’s “chosen ones” in verse 43b. Israel was called to be God’s “megaphone” to the nations. We find this designation in Deuteronomy 4:6-9. However, the status of their eternal destiny is noticeably absent.

Looking at Isaiah 41:8-10, we read that twice Israel is mentioned as God’s “chosen” and they are referred (rightly) to as the offspring of Abraham (41:8b). Though Abraham was a pagan Gentile from Ur of the Chaldeans, he is later declared to be a “Hebrew” in Genesis 14:13 establishing him as the progenitor of the Jewish people. In verse 9 we read, “You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth.” This could be a reference to regathering a scattered people from the four corners of the Earth, or it could be a reference to the Jews being called our from among the nations. Smith captures the essence of God’s choosing of Israel.

By recalling early experiences in ancient history in 41:9, God reminds the audience that their forefathers at one time were living at the far ends of the earth (probably referring to Abram living in Ur), but this did not limit God’s ability to act on his behalf. At that time God “strengthened you,” or “firmly grasped you” (NIV “took”), an act of divine grace that coincided with the call of Abram (Gen 11:31; Neh 9:7). That strong “seizing, strengthening” of Abram was designed to make him God’s servant (Gen 26:24). God’s decision was to choose this one man so that through him God could raise up a mighty nation that would bring a blessing to all the nations of the earth (Gen 12:3) (emphasis added).

Again, this was not a matter of eternal destiny, but one of calling to a particular task, mission, obligation, or ministry.

One final example is found in Isaiah 42:1-4. This portion of Isaiah speaks of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Notice that Jesus is considered the “chosen” of God. We see this affirmed in the New Testament in Luke 23:35 by those who scoffed at Him when He was crucified, as well as the Apostle Peter’s designation of Jesus as “chosen” in 1 Peter 2:4, 6. Such a designation is one of privilege and responsibility, not of eternal destiny.

As with the New Testament, one could easily use a concordance and go from passage to passage observing that any choosing or electing that takes place is of such that obligations, ministry, tasks, and the faithful execution of a service are in mind. One thing that we can surely understand from the verses that we have observed so far is that God did NOT arbitrarily choose King Saul, Israel, or the Lord Jesus to go to Heaven when they died. He chose them with a purpose or task in mind because of the fact that they were well-suited to fulfill His purposes.

Returning to Ephesians 1:4, we must observe that the apostle is emphasizing the corporate nature of the truths involved. The personal inclusive pronoun (PIP) shows him to be on an equal playing field with his recipients. Klyne Snodgrass brings some helpful thoughts on how we should understand this “choosing” by writing:

Usually when people speak of divine election, they think of the election of individuals and the benefit to them. But biblical texts have a different emphasis, for election is primarily a corporate term. Nothing in Ephesians 1 focuses on individuals; rather, the text focuses collectively on those who are in Christ. This changes the theology. People become elect only in the Elect One—Christ. Whereas Israel was chosen to convey the blessings of God to the world, now Christ has taken on that task. He is the “seed of Abraham” par excellence, who fulfills Israel’s election (cf. Gal. 3:7–29). Election takes place in him (Eph. 1:4) and through him (1:5). Individuals are not elected and then put in Christ. They are in Christ and therefore elect.

Snodgrass goes on to note:

Election does indeed bring privilege, but not so that people can bask in privilege or disdain others. Election always brings responsibility; God has chosen us to do something—namely, to live holy and blameless lives before him (1:4; cf. 5:27). Other biblical texts on election have the same understanding, whether they refer to Israel, the remnant, or an individual like Paul or Jeremiah. God’s choosing enlists people in his work and gives them responsibility.

Snodgrass hits the nail squarely on the head. “Election/Choosing” is unto service, ministry, a task, a calling, etc. and not to salvation (going to Heaven when you die). Every instance recorded in Scripture of this concept shows this to be the case.

Opening Up Ephesians

*All citations are on file. The Church’s website software does not allow for the inclusion of footnotes.

The Word of God is meant to transform us, first in thought, then in deed. Its contents serve in stirring the heart for service because of all that has been accomplished in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ our Lord. I encourage you to take a moment and pray before studying this wonderful epistle, asking the Holy Spirit to be your teacher.

When investigating any book of the Bible, it is vital that the Bible student have some understanding regarding the historical background, authorship, the approximate date of writing, along with any other areas that might serve us in gaining a greater understanding. We need to be informed in order to have a better understanding when interpreting the text. Hopefully, the following comments will aid in our study.

Authorship and Date of Writing

The epistle to the Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul (1:1; 3:1). There has been great debate in the past 250 years over whether Paul was truly the author of this letter. For many years throughout church history, there was no real dispute regarding Pauline authorship (the first claim against Pauline authorship seems to be found in 1792 by Edward Evanson). “Ephesians, then, was unhesitatingly assigned to Paul from the time when the NT corpus began to be recognized as such in the mid-second century. Since Clement of Rome reflected its language when he wrote to Corinth in AD 95, it is likely that this attestation runs back to the first century.” For the conservative Bible student, the evidence that has been provided concerning Paul’s second missionary journey and his heavy involvement with the people of Ephesus should serve to still any doubts concerning his claim to this epistle. Bruce’s comments are encouraging for this viewpoint:

If the Epistle to the Ephesians was not written directly by Paul, but by one of his disciples in the apostle’s name, then its author was the greatest Paulinist of all time—a disciple who assimilated his master’s thought more thoroughly than anyone else ever did. The man who could write Ephesians must have been the apostle’s equal, if not his superior, in mental stature and spiritual insight.

At this, some scholars have followed the “disciple of Paul” theory. But, along with Bruce, we would conclude that “Paul’s disciple” would have been better versed in Pauline theology than Paul himself, which is a ridiculous conclusion. Further, this viewpoint fails when the testimony of early church history is considered, as Mare demonstrates:

Strong support for Pauline authorship of Ephesians comes from external attestation given by the early church, exampled by the witness to its language given by Clement of Rome (ca. ad 95), Hermas, Barnabas, Ignatius and Polycarp early in the second century; and by clear references to the letter in Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen in the second and third centuries. The letter was included as Pauline in the canon of Marcion (ca. ad 140, although he listed it under the title ‘Laodiceans’) and it is also found in the Muratorian canon (ca. ad 180).

Some scholars have discredited the divine work of the Holy Spirit by not taking Him at His word. This has been the case since the 1800’s. While there is no harm in asking questions, and equally no fault in pursuing investigations, it may be proper for the Bible student to simply accept the Spirit’s intentional inclusion of Paul’s name in the letter (Eph 1:1; 3:1), accepting His testimony as true.

Ephesians stands as one of the four “Prison Epistles” (the others being Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon) which Paul wrote while on house arrest in Rome sometime between AD 61-63. However, some have reached as far as AD 64 for the authorship of this book. Wood provides a chronological determination, writing:

Although three of the captivity Epistles were penned about the same time, it seems clear that Colossians and Philemon preceded Ephesians. Epaphras had brought disturbing news from Colosse. Meanwhile, Paul was anxious to return Onesimus to his master without delay. It was the combination of these circumstances that prompted Paul to write Colossians and Philemon and dispatch them with Tychicus and Onesimus. He seized the opportunity also to write Ephesians, to be delivered along with the other two. A date in the middle period of Paul’s imprisonment is therefore to be preferred, and A.D. 63 is probable.

Reading through the epistle to the Colossians, immediately one would see the similarities that parallel the themes of Ephesians, more so than simply identifying the common staples of Pauline theology as found in the rest of his writings. Some have sought to date Ephesians somewhere around AD 80-AD 90 due to the linguistic differences and uses as compared to Paul’s other epistles. Such speculations fail to consider the obvious parallels between Ephesians and Colossians, and therefore Colossians and Philemon. The similarities between them serve to establish that the writing of each epistle points to a similar date.

Recipients

There has been some debate about the recipients of Ephesians and what type of letter Paul had intended it to be. Hoehner writes:

Some scholars view this epistle as encyclical, a circular letter to be distributed to several undesignated local churches in the province of Asia or some other area. This is supported by two observations: (1) the words ‘in Ephesus’ (1:1) do not appear in three early Alexandrian Greek manuscripts, and (2) it is strange for Paul not to mention by name any of the individuals in a church where he had lived and worked for three years (Acts 20:31).

Tom Constable writes:

Paul knew Ephesus and the church in that city well. He had ministered in Asia Minor, the Roman province of which Ephesus was the capitol, with Ephesus as his headquarters for about three years, 53–56 A.D. (Acts 19:1–20:1). It appears that he sent this epistle to the Ephesian church so the Christians there would subsequently circulate it among the other churches.

The Ephesian letter (or epistle) was delivered by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22), who also seems to be the one that delivered the epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:7). Being an encyclical letter, this is not a reason to believe that the letter did not have any intention of going to the Ephesian Church.

In the earlier Epistles they are dealt with in the context of the problems that have arisen in the life of the churches the apostle is writing to in the midst of his travels. In Ephesians, he displays a measure of detachment and seeks to relate the great evangelical doctrines he has previously handled to the concept of the church as the body of Christ through which the purpose of God is fulfilled.

The general nature of this letter’s contents allows for the encyclical understanding to remain plausible without discrediting its intention for the Ephesian Church. Due to the absence of any personal mentions and because of the lack of rebuke and general nature of the themes within its contents, it seems that Ephesians is indeed a cyclical letter and we’ll proceed accordingly. Griffiths gives this helpful summary that should be satisfactory for our understanding:

It is a general Letter with a minimum of personal information and an absence of local reference. The words “at Ephesus” (1:1, AV) are not present in all the oldest manuscripts and it would appear, therefore, to be a circular Letter which could be read and enjoyed in any local church situation in the first century, and equally, of course, today.

Meaning and Purpose

The book of Ephesians is rich! One could spend his entire life in this one epistle and never exhaust the depth of all that it affirms for the Christian. Times of despair and apathy can be resolved by pondering its truths. What has been revealed in this wonderful letter should be lauded within the assembly of believers regularly. Ephesians is about what the church should be about: namely praise, worship, prayer, love, and unity, all of which are encapsulated in six chapters of pure truth. The benevolence of God’s good grace, which has been secured for the believer in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, takes center stage. Beal and Radmacher write, “Ephesians is not polemic or confrontational as are some of his other epistles, for he is not facing a crisis of doctrine or behavior in a church but is reflecting on some of the deepest realities of the Christian life.” Paul focuses on the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies with which every believer has been graced (Eph 1:3) while concentrating on living out those graces by the Body of believers.

It has been said that Colossians exalts the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, while Ephesians exhorts the Body of Christ. Tom Constable writes:

His emphasis on the church as Christ’s body in which both Jewish and Gentile believers are one suggests that Paul wrote to promote unity in the Ephesian church and in the universal church. The emphasis on the importance of love is also strong. More than one-sixth of Paul’s references to love in his 13 epistles occur in Ephesians. This also shows that he wanted to promote Christian unity in the church.

As a general address meant to be copied for numerous congregations, this letter contains truth for all congregations. These beautiful truths that are meant to fuel the Body of Christ and instruct believers as they move forward doing the work of the ministry and maturing in its mutual pursuit in building one another up (Eph 4:12-16). Paul desired that believers walk according to their heavenly calling (4:1) by juxtaposing the wealth of their position in Christ (Eph 1—3) with their earthly responsibilities and privileges (Eph 4—6).

One would benefit by reading Ephesians at least once a week, while concurrently reading Colossians. The parallels between these two letters will help bring a greater understanding of both letters.

Structure

It is commonly noted that Ephesians consists of two major sections. The first section is doctrinal (1:1-3:21), while the second section is practical (4:1-6:24). When the word “doctrine” arises there are usually feelings of boredom, intimidation, and fear. Doctrine is simply a truth that is being taught. A simple statement like “God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth” is not a scary statement at all, but it is foundationally important so that we might understand our surroundings for what they really are: An intentionally and intricately designed place in which we dwell. So the doctrinal section of Ephesians is simply bringing truths into the mindset of the reader for the purpose of correcting wrong thinking, or inspiring worship and adoration for God and the Lord Jesus Christ. “Make no mistake about it,” writes Earl Radmacher, “truth leads to the experience of being free; any experience not based on truth results not in freedom but enslavement!” That being said, we must be in agreement with the Scriptures that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7; Psa 111:10), seeing that all that we will ever know must be handled in light of the truth of God’s Word, affirming His inspiration of it, and holding fast to its inerrant and infallible status regardless of the issue(s) that presents itself.

Concerning the first three chapters of Ephesians, Beal and Radmacher write:

The believer in the Lord Jesus receives from God an astounding station, one in which he or she has been fully forgiven and is indissolubly united with Christ. God provides this bounty through His great love. His love is unveiled in Christ’s death on the cross. It is expressed in His absolute grace, grace poured out in measure beyond comprehension. The truth of God’s love leads Paul to teach what love amounts to in the relationship each believer should have toward others, which is the major burden of the last three chapters. Practicing love toward fellow believers does not purchase salvation. Instead God’s grace, when truly understood and accepted, leads compellingly to a life of love.

The first three chapters of this book are a stalwart of positional truth, a concept which seems to be greatly lacking in the modern evangelical age. These chapters should serve the Church well in settling the issue of assurance, or the lack thereof. All that the believer has and is finds its roots in Christ and His atoning work on Calvary. Seeing that no merit secured such a position equally a lack of performance is not required to sustain such a position. The giving of such gifts should not be met with the stipulation to reform the flesh, or else. The position given to the believer is not upon a tightrope of obedience, but of a limitless landscape of acceptance; an acceptance which is based on the merits of Christ found in His sinless life, perfect death, and glorious resurrection. All modes of acceptance are answered “in Christ.” All development in one’s sanctification is answered “in Christ.” The culmination of one’s salvation, being glorification, has been predestined “through Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:5) and not with a view that it is conditioned upon the performance of the believer. The truth of the believer’s position throughout all three tenses of salvation should be rest to the heart and mind. Such beautiful truths show chapters 1—3 to be the wealth and riches of the Christian’s “already-blessings” in the heavenlies!

Chapters 1—3 of Ephesians are glorious truths that are meant to be instilled in our thinking, changing the mind and heart to gratefulness toward God for His immeasurable grace in Christ Jesus. These chapters are meant to change the mind and correct the thought-life of believers. Being settled on the “astounding station” that Christ has freely provided, we must conclude that right thinking leads to right living. This is not only a “spiritual truth,” but a truth for all of life. It is the reality of our existence. From something as simple as a hot burner on the stove we find that an understanding of the danger in touching it leads to an apprehensive demeanor regarding the burner for the rest of one’s life. Now that right thinking regarding the burner is in place, right living in relation to the burner will proceed. The Apostle Paul is keenly aware of this fact, which leads us to the second section: practical application to our daily living (Eph 4-6) resulting from a change of thinking brought on by chapters 1—3. Lawless summarizes this concept, stating:

The first three chapters of Ephesians lay the theological foundations for the remainder of the book. The practical exhortations of the second section of the book are extensive, but those ethical instructions are subordinated to the theological themes of the first section.

Ephesians 4:1—6:24 deals with the outworking of the Body of Christ as believers are living in the new life that they have been granted when they believed in Christ (Rom 6:4). The Church is always preaching a message. Too often this message can go astray when infighting and egos take the place of truth and charity within the Body. Legalism has become endemic in today’s churches because much of the “good works” done in the name of the Church are performed in the power of the flesh. “Rule-keeping” and “fruit inspecting” are means of gauging “holiness” or “true salvation.” Ephesians serves as the cure for this hard-hearted attitude. The Church is to shine forth the hope of the gospel to a sin-sick world system. This can only be done when the doctrinal section is embraced and “given feet” so that it can run. “What motivates and stimulates our behaviour in attempting to live worthy lives is the grace by which we have been saved.”

Watchman Nee provides a thoughtful summary:

Of all Paul’s Epistles, it is in Ephesians that we find the highest spiritual truths concerning the Christian life. The letter abounds with spiritual riches, and yet at the same time it is intensely practical. The first half of the letter reveals our life in Christ to be one of union with Him in the highest heavens. The second half shows us in very practical terms how such a heavenly life is to be lived by us down here on the earth.”

Embracing Ephesians combats the lethargy and slothfulness that has plagued Christians who have neglected to apply the Word to everyday life. The Scriptural truths within should serve to prompt the mind for changing and quicken the diligence of the Church of God to live in response to the matchless grace of God as found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed are those who are “in Him.”

This divine formula must be maintained in the thinking of the believer. Ephesians 1-3 explaining our position and chapters 4-6 expounding upon our condition sets the pattern for a life that will please the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work that is undertaken. It must never be reversed. To think that one’s performance must be the modus operandi by which one attains an accepted position before the Most High is to conclude that the cross is an unnecessary appendix in the life of the Christian. We must remember that God does not operate to the exclusion of grace, for it is the part and parcel of His divine dealings with mankind.

PART I: The Infinite Wealth of the Body of Christ (1:1-3:21)

A. Salutation

Ephesians 1:1-2

As with many of Paul’s letters, the book of Ephesians begins with the customary greeting of the day. It was common to introduce a letter of this sort with the author’s name and credentials followed by the name(s) of the recipients and a greeting. In beginning, we are readily familiar with Paul and the historical account of Acts that documents his conversion and commissioning (Acts 9:1-31). And Paul’s personal retelling of his conversion is found in Acts 26:2-29. Both accounts are worth reading and both shed great details on both God’s plans for Paul’s life and Paul’s motivation for following the Lord with the fervency that accompanies his missionary journeys and writings.

Out of all the designations or credentials that Paul could have offered, he first settles on the title of “apostle.” “’Apostle’ primarily means ‘one sent out.’ Derived meanings are ‘delegate,’ ‘envoy,’ and ‘messenger.’” The word “apostle” has a significant history in the first century and the fact that Paul has described himself as one holds a great deal of weight. In its secular usage, the word apostolos was employed in reference to the “sending out” of a fleet of ships for a mission or destination. Regarding its biblical use, “apostle” finds a distinct calling attached to it. Wood writes, “It is applied first to the original disciples and then to other Christian missionaries. Paul claimed that, like that of the Twelve, his commission came directly from Christ (Acts 26:16–18; 1 Cor 9:1). The title stresses the authority of the sender and the accountability of the one sent.”

The term “apostle” is used four times in this epistle (1:1; 2:20; 3:5; 4:11), but only the first instance is used in describing Paul. If we take a moment to look at the other instances, we gain an understanding of Paul’s mindset regarding the office of “apostle” and the role that an apostle would play in establishing the foundational workings of the early church. “Paul gives no suggestion that the apostle’s special position (e.g. as an example, 1 Cor. 4:16; Phil. 3:17, etc.), exalts him above the church and distinguishes him from the others with spiritual gifts.” This can be seen in the commonplace filing of the office of apostle alongside prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers in Ephesians 4:11. One thing is clear: “Paul met the risen Lord as last of the apostles (1 Cor. 15:8); if we are to take ‘last of all’ absolutely, then there was no possibility of continuing the apostolate by calling others to it.” This limitation in the calling of an apostle demonstrates the unique nature of this designation in that it held authority and was a calling to speak authoritatively as the Lord Jesus had commissioned each one. Due to the significance that comes with this office, Paul’s use of this title is not one of arrogance, but of fact. Paul clearly understands his calling and office as an apostle. Paul is not just an apostle of anyone, but of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Secondly, Paul writes that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ “by the will of God.” Paul’s apostleship was not the result of a commissioning service, nor was it ordered by a church council. Paul’s designation was by the will of God Himself. This is the divine authority which presides over Paul’s ministry and mission. Chester McCalley writes, “This made Paul the prisoner the freest man in the Roman Empire, for man’s true freedom lies in the cheerful acceptance of God’s will as his own.” Whereas many Christians today are in bewilderment of God’s will, or are refusing to claim the name of Christ and to be recognized as God’s child, Paul proudly recognizes and embraces the fact that the Creator has commissioned him for service. Paul was truly free!

The recipients of this letter have been explained above. The designation given is that of “saints” which is a term mentioned all throughout the book (1:15, 18; 2:19; 3:8, 18; 4:12; 5:3; 6:18). The word “saints” is hagios meaning, “being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God,” and “holy.” While much of Roman Catholic thought has placed stipulations and special “powers” and designations on certain individuals in declaring them saints, the word is used in the New Testament to refer to anyone who is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This furthers the verse in the understanding that these saints are “in Christ,” which is found to be thematic in various forms (“in Christ,” “in Him,” “in the Beloved”) in the first fourteen verses of this first chapter (1:1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). This phrase “in Christ” is in the locative case. “The locative case denoted place where, or rest at.” Therefore, “it would therefore be correct to say ‘in union with Christ.’” This point will be salient when addressing 1:4.

These saints are also designated as those who “are faithful.” This designation could be used in a general way in exhorting the readers, which would be understandable considering the encyclical nature of the epistle. While the ESV uses the word “faithful” here, Hoehner has translated the word pistos as “believers.” McCalley writes, “This word may have an active meaning, to be trusting, or a passive meaning, to be trustworthy and dependable. Both ideas are probably present here. One obtains a position in Christ by trusting Him (active idea), and one who is in Christ should be trustworthy and dependable (passive idea).” Fowl notes that, “Grammatically, this clause is unusual. The absence of a definite article before ‘faithful’ seems to indicate that ‘the saints’ or ‘the holy ones’ and ‘faithful’ are to be taken together as a common designation of a single group, as in the very similar usage in Col 1:2.” This is the most plain and logical reading of the text seeing that one being designated as “holy” and another being addressed as “faithful” would require some leading by the author in order to consider each party as a separate entity. The text does not allow for this. Furthermore, the notion of positional and practical truth has not presented itself in these opening verses and should not be implied. Even if one were to understand this verse in this way, to be a “saint” is the foundation of being faithful in Christ Jesus. But we would not conclude that one could be considered “faithful” without first being a saint.

With the second verse, the customary salutation of “grace” and “peace” from God and the Lord Jesus is also seen in similar forms in Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, and Philemon 1:3. In all of these instances we see that Paul writes “grace” first, then “peace.” There is an old adage in the church that you cannot experience the peace of God until you have first experienced the grace of God. This is simply how God operates. He distributes grace every day to the saved and the unsaved in something as simple as sunshine and rain (Matt 5:45), but His peace is only found in the midst of those who trust Him.

In noting grace and peace, it is important to understand that context determines the details of how the believer should understand these words and Paul’s intended usage. First, we are acutely aware that Paul is writing to believers in Christ, leading us to conclude that issues of needing eternal life and the forgiveness of sins is a done deal. They are “in Christ,” and in being so they are set for sanctification truths, not justification truths. The use of “grace” would be that which is needed for daily living in this sin-sick world. Chafer writes, “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.”

Oh, do we need grace! God’s unmerited favor on our lives is a daily necessity for us to live godly, well-pleasing lives unto the Lord Jesus as our Sovereign. The powers and world forces wage a serious warfare against us on all fronts. But it is the blessing that Paul issues forth upon his recipients that sustains the Christian above these dark waters. May we take our cues from the apostle to the Gentiles and pronounce God’s daily grace upon our brothers and sisters around them, for we all need such encouragement in our times of wealth and need.

Much should also be said about “peace.” This word is used in the greetings of all of Paul’s epistles without exception (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2; Titus 1:4; Phlm 3). In the same way that “grace” is seen to be concerning our justification and our sanctification (depending on the author’s usage and intent), “peace” can be understood in the same way. Bridges writes, describing the peace in justification as the base for sanctifying peace:

This is an objective peace. The war is over. The alienation and divine displeasure toward us because of our sin have been removed. We’re no longer objects of wrath. We have peace with God whether we realize it or not. However, to the extent that we understand and believe the truth regarding justification, we’ll experience a subjective peace within our souls. We’ll know that we’ve been brought from a state of condemnation and the prospect of eternal judgment into a state of forgiveness and favor with God.

This peace with God would be something that we see in Romans 5:1. We are now on His side and no longer battling against His love for us. Moving deeper into the waters of Christ living His divine life within and through us, we find the peace of God which rests upon us when we are trusting Him in life’s situations and choices. This would be seen in Phil 4:6-7, being understood as a peace that is incomprehensible. By first having peace with God, made possible by the removal of sins by the cross of Christ, we are now in a position to experience that peace of God, holding us in life’s trials and dispelling all fears in life’s unknowns. Such blessed peace is ours in Christ Jesus, if we want it.

We could easily make a serious mistake in not considering the implications of Paul’s calling and how this helps us in discerning our calling in this life. Hopefully, the Scriptures compel us to study more! Thinking through the concept of Paul’s calling and not allowing myself to take off into the depths of 1:3-14 was something that I found very helpful. This made me go back and look at Acts 9:1-31 and Acts 26:2-29; the first being Luke’s account of how things happened to Paul and the second being Paul’s retelling of what happened to him. These accounts coupled with Ephesians 1:1-2 reveal some helpful insights regarding the nature of the believer’s calling that are general enough to be applicable to every Christian, yet specific enough to satisfy the “yes, but” that we all suffer from. Here are my observations:

1. Paul is called to be a messenger for Jesus. This is a pure calling. Jesus will NEVER call us to something that involves sin to accomplish it.

2. Paul’s call is in perfect alignment with the “will of God.” Our calling will NEVER contradict who God is or what He has said in His Word.

3. Paul is called to people. “The saints” are his focus. This is no different for you or me. We are called to people.

4. Paul’s calling promotes truth with “grace” and “peace.” Our attitude plays a part in gaining an audience for the gospel. Quarreling never accomplishes conversion.

5. Paul mentions his general calling in Acts 26:15-18. This serves as a pattern for the call of every Christian. While Paul was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles specifically (Acts 26:17), this did not stop him from speaking to the Jews (Acts 17:1-2). We, too should project the truth of Christ and His cross-work in order “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me (Jesus).” – Acts 26:18

This general calling is no different for us today. We read in Second Corinthians 4:3-4 confirms this saying, “even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Simply put, we are called to speak forth the gospel of Jesus Christ to a world who has been blinded by Satan. We are to speak the truth to others, “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.”

Some may say, “why bother?” So that “they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith” in Christ alone. This is the nature of our calling. Maybe we are so unfulfilled in this life because we have sought out every calling but the one that God has designated for us. Let us use this time to repent from this grave mistake and make an about-face that verbally projects the grace of God to dying humanity. Let us be used for His will and His purposes.

God’s will: Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else!