Ephesians 1:4-5 Chosen

… just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us … Ephesians 1:4-5

Before the world was, before there was earth and sky and sea, before there was anything but the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, the eternal counsel of the Trinity determined to choose and predetermine a people who would bear His name and walk in the beauty of holiness. We are told God did this according to the good pleasure of His will.

“Chosen” means “to select” or “pick out” for oneself – it is used of Christ’s choice of the apostles (Lk 6:13), the church’s choice of deacons (Acts 6:5) and the action of the selection of men from the Jerusalem counsel who would join Paul (Acts 15:22). In Ephesians it speaks of God’s selection of specific sinners to be saved. “Having predestined” means to “mark off in advance” – it is always used of God’s determination and foreordination of events (Acts 4:28, Rom 8:29, 30, 1 Cor 2:7, Eph 1:11).

The doctrine of election is a matter of concern in several of Paul’s epistles. In addition to the flagship verses here in Ephesians 1 and Romans 8:28-11:36, election is also key in 1 Thess 1:4-5, Col 3:12, 2 Thess 2:13-14, 2 Tim 1:9-10, Titus 3:4-6 – look up these verses and find the similarities in them. Scripture uniformly teaches that all of the actions of saving grace which are revealed in time, flow from God’s election in eternity (see John 6:44, 65, Acts 13:48, 1 Pet 1:1-2).

For the clearest illustration of God’s sovereign election read Romans 9:10-13. In these verses we find that though Rebekah’s children had the same father, yet before the twins were born – in order that God’s purpose in election might stand – she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger. Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved–but Esau I hated.’

A. W. Pink has observed that this text: gives the most emphatic refutation to the theory that God’s choice is dependent upon something in the creature – something either actual or foreseen – and shows that the eternal election of certain individuals unto salvation is due to no worthiness in the subjects, but results solely from God’s sovereign grace. The case of Jacob proves conclusively, that God’s choice is entirely sovereign, wholly gratuitous, and based upon nothing but His own good pleasure.

Ephesians 1 also reveals to us that God’s sovereign choice in predestination is made in love. It is not a harsh or arbitrary act, as the enemies of this doctrine have painted it to be. In fact, the matter of election is often brought up within doxologies and is intended to elicit the gratitude of God’s people, yet man in his wickedness has made it a matter of contention and strife. In Scripture, election is never thought of as a blind, impersonal or mechanical thing, but as a merciful and gracious decree made in infinite wisdom, goodness and love. It is tied to His saving us, and so should bring us great joy.

Pink writes: Election is not as some have supposed – harsh and unjust – but is a most merciful provision on the part of God. Had He not from the beginning, chosen some to salvation, all would have perished! Had he not before the foundation of the world, chosen certain ones to be conformed to the image of His Son, the death of Christ would have been in vain, so far as the human race is concerned!

Reduced to its simplest terms, election means that God chose me before I chose Him. … We love Him, because He first loved us. … Election means that we believed because He made us willing in the day of His power. Election then … ascribes all the glory to God!

Prejudice against the doctrine of election for some, may stem from misunderstanding it as a harsh, arbitrary decree. Others know no better, having been taught that it is a false doctrine first described by John Calvin. But above all, the spiritual reason that the doctrine of predestination and election are so maligned by men, and the doctrine of free-will so exalted, is plain and simply, pride and conceit. Without a doubt, this doctrine deals a crushing blow to man’s pride, as it strips away all trust in human flesh, leaving one to only hope in the magnificent grace of an Almighty and Sovereign Lord. If you have hated or even ignored this doctrine in the past, it is time that you repent, and make it a matter of immediate attention and meditation. Read all of the verses contained herein and determine what is the plain meaning of each text in context; set aside all of the presuppositions of your past teaching and let the Scripture speak as to the meaning of, He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.

Ephesians 1:3 Every Spiritual Blessing

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Eph 1:3

Having reminded the church that they are ‘saints’ and ‘faithful in Christ,’ and wishing them the grace and peace that accompany salvation, Paul then explodes with joy into a majestic hymn of praise to God that spans verses 3-14 of Ephesians chapter 1. The content of these verses are one Greek sentence of over 200 words! Paul could not help but praise – as a true understanding of grace and peace brings forth praise and thanksgiving out of the depths of his heart.

It was Paul’s desire that the Ephesian Christians and you would understand your privilege and heritage, so that you might enjoy the Christian life and live lives to the praise and glory of God. Praise is a mark of all saints who understand that they have every spiritual blessing in Christ. So Paul is about to embark on revealing one spiritual gem after another to show how God has blessed us, even before we existed, so that we might understand not only that we are saved, but how we were saved. Paul reveals God’s purposes and plan right off the bat as he affirms that all of the blessings of salvation come to us because He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (v. 4).

Some in the church try to excuse themselves from understanding the rich doctrines of Ephesians 1, by saying that they want to be ‘practical Christians,’ rather than ‘theologians.’ But truth be told, there is no praise in many Christian’s lives because many are willfully ignorant of what God has done in saving their soul. They do not wish to know of the doctrines of election, predestination and adoption because they perceive it as controversial or a violation of their own free will. But when you understand that He loved you with an everlasting love, a love from before the foundation of the world, and so planned and purposed to bring glory to His name specifically through you – how can you help but burst out in rejoicing! Theology is doxological – meaning that, true praise originates from the hearts of those who know something of how God planned their great salvation.

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Judges 3:1-11 Chastened

Getting into trouble is no fun at all, is it? This is exactly what we find happening to the children of Israel; they have been disobedient to the Lord and He is about to chasten them – to take them to the woodshed, if you will. Let’s take a look at Israel’s circumstances and mistakes so that we might learn from them.

First, an entire generation of the children of Israel had not been a first hand witness of God’s power in conquering and defeating their enemies. The impact of their ignorance resulted in a slackness in obeying God’s commands to drive out their enemies. In fact they went as far as to forsake the Lord and serve the other gods of the people in the land. In order to test, prove, and rebuke His people and give them an opportunity to exercise faith in the Lord and obey Him, God allowed Israel’s enemies to remain in the land. In so doing, He has taken them to His woodshed to chasten them.

Judges 3:2 says, so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war. The Lord also knew His people were getting soft, and they needed to learn how to fight. Also God used the Canaanites, Philistines, Sidonians, and other enemies to prove or test the obedience of God’s people (vs.3). God inflicted His disobedient nation with these enemies to see who would have the honor of resisting the Canaanite allurement to idolatry and immortality and to reveal that which was fake, false, and insincere.

The Lord may leave obstacles in your life for the purpose of developing faith and trust in Him, as well as to develop obedience and maturity in your life. These obstacles may involve hostile people, difficult situations at work, school, or in a marriage, baffling problems, heath or financial troubles. Paul challenged us in 2 Tim 2:3 “To endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” As a soldier you need to identify these obstacles and seek the Lord for guidance and wisdom as to how He would have you deal with each obstacle.

Ephesians 1:1-2 St. Paul to the Saints

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints …

Ephesians 1:1

As Paul takes up the pen and plunges it into his inkwell, he likewise plunges at once into the midst of a great and profound truth. Here right in his very preliminary salutation, the apostle cannot even address the Ephesians without an extraordinary description and definition of what it means to be a Christian. Beginning with his own calling by the will of God, Paul addresses the saints of God. What is a saint? We must shed once and for all the false dichotomy that Roman Catholicism has introduced on this matter. In addressing saints, this does not mean that Paul is addressing an exceptionally holy group within the church, but he addresses ordinary church members, calling them “saints.” We must not be afraid of this designation; we are no more and no less than “saints;” this term is the irreducible minimum of what constitutes a Christian. You cannot be a Christian without being a saint, and you cannot be a saint without being a Christian.

In this Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul expresses his longing that the recipients of this letter would grasp deeper and higher truths. So he prays, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance …” (Ephesians 1:17-18). In a word, Paul desires us to know that we are saints, in order that we might live as saints.

The first thing he means by the designation saint, is that we are set apart by God. We are taken out of the world and granted a uniqueness by God; we become His peculiar possession. He is cleansed from the pollution of his sin – that which pollutes his mind, heart and actions. The saint is man like any other man, yet he is very different. Are you truly separated, essentially different from the world? Are you a saint?