Ephesians 1:3-23Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[c] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen,[d] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Thanksgiving and Prayer 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[e] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
IntroductionChosen (Eklegomi)—In the way that God chose the Israelites as God’s people, God then chose whomever would be a disciple of Jesus (and in Him) to make up the church and those who are saved—His people. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Predestined (proorizo)—To determine or appoint beforehand. (God-planned). God planned for His chosen people, those that are in Him, those He predestined, who would choose righteousness, those that are in Him
The Biblical Doctrine of PredestinationA. As we have already seen, the Bible does teach predestination B. However, nowhere does the Bible teach that God chooses certain individuals to be saved before hand C. The key to understanding predestination is straightforward 1. " For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight " - Ephesians 1:4 2. The key to understanding predestination are the words "in Him" 3. God has chosen beforehand that those who are "in Him" are going to be saved D. God does not choose certain individuals to be saved 1. He chose a certain group who would be saved 2. That group is those who are "In Christ" 3. Those in Christ are those who have obeyed the gospel - "for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." - Galatians 3:27
Other Scriptures to Consider A. Remember, the Bible does not contradict itself B. These scriptures refute the false doctrine that God predestines certain INDIVIDUALS to be saved 1. Consider - 1 Timothy 2:3-4 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 2. Consider - Romans 2:11 11 For God does not show favoritism. a) If God chose only certain individuals, He would be showing partiality b) Even the apostle Paul had to make the decision to obey - Acts 22:16 3. " Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." - Romans 16:7 a) Notice that Andronicus and Junia are said to have been "in Christ" BEFORE Paul b) If the false doctrine of predestination were true, then this statement would be impossible c) This implies that there was a time when Paul was outside of Christ d) Therefore, He had not been in Christ since before the foundation of the world 4. " Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" - Hebrews 5:8-9 a) Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to ALL who OBEY Him b) Those who choose to obey will be saved
1. Predestination is a Biblical doctrine 2. It simply means that God chose before creation that it would be only those who are in Christ who will be saved 3. We all have the freedom to choose whether or not that is where we want to be 4. Have you chosen to accept His Salvation His way?
Ephesians 1:3-23 1. Adoption: His Choice, Our Choice3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. · God has blessed all who will choose to be in Him with every spiritual blessing—we have God’s spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms, not things of this world, but spiritual things. · He chose those who would be in Him (like He chose Israel, now Christians are his chosen people) · In love, God planned the adoption of Christians to sonship (in Christ) · The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture. · This means that Christians would be as a important to God as Israel, that he would not show favoritism. We receive all the benefits of his love (we are not red-headed stepsons) · We do have to decide to choose God (by choosing to be in Christ)
2. Redemption Brings Glory7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[c] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.11 In him we were also chosen,[d] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. · Again we see “In Him”—and only in Him do we have redemption, through his blood (we come in contact with the blood of Jesus at baptism and receive forgiveness of sin). · Redemption—meaning that we have been purchased or ransomed. We had redemption value to God as a plastic bottle has a redemption value of 5 cents, to God we are worth so much that he gave His son to redeem us, to ransom us from damnation. · Not only so, but He lavished His grace on us, which keeps cleansing us. · God’s plan from the beginning, revealed by His word, though a mystery to the Jews and Gentiles, was to unite the two through Christ and bring salvation to all sinners who would choose to be in Him. · Many see God as an unfair God, but He has given mankind more than a fair chance to come to Him. · We, You, and Ours---We—Jews (first to put hope in Christ), You—Gentiles, were also included in Christ –not left out--(and sealed with the Holy Spirit, a deposit guaranteeing redemption—just like the recycling symbol on a bottle guarantees a refund—we will be redeemed if we remain in Him, Ours—Both (showing unity). Both people’s purpose is to bring praise to God. · Adoptions were established by a formal seal certifying the legality of the adoption. As one would file in a county courthouse a wedding certificate or a deed, so God recorded the adoption of Gentiles, not by noting the date of their circumcision, but by receiving the Holy Spirit at baptism. · Bringing praise to God because we are redeemed makes the church glorious. Not only are God’s people saved, but God has lavished all grace on us and continues to do so. The church is a glorious thing and God deserves our praise. · Redemption brings glory to God in that a people once divided are now unified in Christ. As Jew and Gentile were united in Christ, Christ also unites us from different walks of life, nationalities and customs. Wherever we go we have family in Christ—that is glorious and brings praise to God.
3. Prayer and The Power of The Spirit15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[e] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
· Paul mentions his appreciation for the unity that exists in the church between Jew and Gentile—a sign of true faith in Jesus and true brotherly love (love for all of God’s people) · Paul is truly excited about the Ephesian church marked by his unceasing expression of gratitude and remembering them in his prayers (kids praying for Wendell and Cassie) · Paul is praying for their growth spiritually, primarily the gentiles as they can easily miss the full meaning of the adoption into the incredible family they are now a part of(we should pray for each other to grow—many of us need to mature)—when people don’t realize just how awesome it is to be part of the church, the family of God, there is a great immaturity there and it needs to be treated with prayer. · The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work and available to us, the church (His body) |
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