In Him: Chosen PT II
Notes
Transcript
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Generally speaking Ephesians 1:5 is underlining the same spiritual blessing that Ephesians 1:4 is
God chose us before the foundation of the world (4)
God predestined us (5)
God chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless (4)
God predestined us to be adopted as sons (5)
Chosen=Predestined
To be holy and blameless=adopted as sons through Jesus Christ
I. In love…According to the (good pleasure) purpose of his will
II. He predestined us
III. For adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ
IV. To the praise of his glorious grace which he has blessed us in the beloved
I. In love…According to the (good pleasure) purpose of his will
The blessing of verse 5 is sandwiched with these two statements that mean similar things
God was driven by his love to do what he did
It was according to his purpose or good pleasure εὐδοκία
God is not driven by sheer determinism but rather supreme delight
We have all grown up in a world that teaches materialism
All that exists today including us is a result of impersonal forces
That life began as a random occurrence and continues to exist today with a determination to do so that is unexplained
But the Bible has a much different teaching
The predetermined plan of God has its motivation in his love and good pleasure
That means everything that has taken place has God’s love and good pleasure written all over the DNA