Blessed be God! Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Review
Review
In our first lesson on this passage we looked at Paul’s greeting in verses 1 and 2, and then we looked at an overview of verses 3-14. These verses form an introductory exclamation of praise that also provide a preview and outline of what is to come throughout the letter. The structure of this passage is helpful, and we noted the following:
Verse 3: Summary Statement of Praise
Verses 4-6: God Chose and Predestined Us
Verses 7-10: Salvation
Verses 11-12: God Chose and Predestined Us
Verses 13-14: Salvation
To help us get the big picture of this passage, we looked at the central themes that permeate these verses. Understanding these key ideas that connect the larger passage should help us as we go through it in smaller pieces. The primary themes are:
God’s Plan
In Christ
Christian Blessings
God’s Praise & Glory
Exegesis of the Passage
Exegesis of the Passage
Verses 4-6
Verses 4-6
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.
Chosen & Predestined
Chosen & Predestined
The first blessings Paul discuss are that we have been chosen and predestined. This choosing and predestining occurred before the foundation of the world. Before creation itself, God determined to offer salvation to mankind. In His divine knowledge, God either knew man would sin or that man could sin, and thus He planned a way for man to be reconciled and saved. Redemption is not an accident or even an afterthought of God. Jesus did not have to come because man’s sin caught God unawares. The scheme of redemption has been God’s plan since before time existed. This is mentioned in other Scriptures as well:
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
Paul explains what it is God chose and predestined us for. First, He chose us to be holy and blameless.
In the Greek, “holy” in verse 4 is the same word as “saints” in verse 1. To be holy is to be set apart from carnal use for spiritual use. Christians are saints—they are set apart for holy service to God. From before the world began, God chose that His people would be holy people; people meant to serve Him and be like Him.
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
God’s plan for us is to be holy. Are you living a holy life? Is your life more focused on the sacred and spiritual, or on the carnal and earthly?
To be blameless is to be without moral defect; to be without fault. God is perfectly holy. If we are to serve and honor Him, then we must be holy. To be holy, we must be blameless. That may cause worry and concern. We have all sinned, and thus we can’t say that we are faultless and blameless, can we? And yet, God has chosen us to be blameless. How can this be? Paul will answer that question shortly.
Further, God predestined us “for adoption to himself as sons.” What a marvelous truth! God’s desire and plan is for us to be a part of His family. People often talk about a relationship with God, but there are many kinds of relationships. There are business partnerships, acquaintances, friendships, and perhaps others. But the closest relationships are family relationships. Is there a friendship that you value more than the relationship with your child? God doesn’t just want any relationship with us, He wants the greatest and closest type. He wants us to be part of His family. In a sense we are all God’s children because He created us, but only those who are holy and blameless can be His spiritual children. Thus, when we sin, we are like the prodigal son who willingly rejects the blessing of sonship and departs to be on our own—estranged from our heavenly Father. But God predestined to adopt us back as His children to enjoy all the benefits and love of being His children. Again, how can God do this after we’ve sinned? Paul will answer shortly. For now, I will note that these blessings God has planned are wonderful! We see that from before time began, God purposed and planned a way to overcome our deficiency and sinfulness in order to make us holy and blameless so that we might be His children.
How Does He Choose?
How Does He Choose?
An important question that comes from these verses is “how does God choose and predestine us?” Many in the religious world build the doctrine of predestination around these verses, and that doctrine teaches that God specifically and individually chose who would be saved. If you happen to be one of the people God chose, this passage is certainly encouraging. If not, however, this passage is really a depressing message of hopelessness. After all, if God didn’t choose you for salvation, then logically He chose you for damnation. And according to this doctrine many teach, there’s nothing we can actually do about that choice. But is that what this passage teaches? No.
This passage does not teach individual and specific predestination. This passage teaches group or class predestination. In other words, God did not choose specific people to be saved; He chose a specific type or class of people to be saved. What is that class of people? It is those who are “in Christ.” Remember, the “in Christ” theme is central to this whole passage. God chose us “in Christ.” He didn’t choose us individually and then force us to be in Christ—He chose that all who would believe and obey Him would be put “in Christ” and thus be recipients of all spiritual blessings, including holiness, blamelessness, and adoption. Beyond the “in Christ” theme, we see this to be the case from other factors in the passage:
First, the passage uses corporate or group language, not individual language. Paul says God “chose us” and “predestined us.” This is plural, group language. Who is the us? It’s Christians! It’s the church! If Paul wanted to emphasize that God chose us individually, he could have, but he didn’t.
Second, verse 5 states that it is “in love” that God predestined us. If God predestines specific individuals for salvation, then those that are chosen may certainly feel loved by God. But what about those God doesn’t choose? If God chooses specific individuals to be saved, and if we can’t be saved unless God chooses us specifically, then that necessarily means God also chose individuals to be lost and condemned. We may rightly ask, “is that love?” Is that really in the loving and gracious nature of God to choose that some people will be created for no other purpose than to be lost and suffer eternally? Now, if God chose a group of people to be saved (the church) and offers salvation to everyone, then it is true that He loves everyone, for He has made a way for all to be saved. If someone rejects God’s offer of salvation and thus is lost, that doesn’t mean God didn’t love them. It means they chose to spurn God’s love. But if God chooses specific people to suffer as eternally lost, what kind of love is that? While we should be careful questioning the sovereignty of God, the type of love displayed in the doctrine of personal predestination is at odds with the Biblical picture and description of God’s love.
Verses 7-10
Verses 7-10
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In this section Paul moves from God’s choosing us in Christ to further benefits of being “in Him,”—particularly our salvation. This also explains how it is that we sinners can be holy and blameless and thus be adopted as God’s children. It is because in Him (Jesus) “we have redemption through his blood.”
Redemption refers to purchasing a slave or war-prisoner, and thus releasing and rescuing them from their fate of bondage, torture, and death. When we sin, we choose bondage and become slaves of sin and its consequences, which ultimately is spiritual death and eternal separation from God. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, however, God has made a way for us to be redeemed from that awful fate. God paid a price through the sacrifice of His Son in order to purchase us back and free us from our terrible fate. We should not lose sight of the high price God had to pay. To redeem us, Jesus had to shed His blood on the cross. Always remember, you have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Don’t continue to live like an enslaved sinner—live like a redeemed saint.
Redemption is further explained as “forgiveness of our trespasses.” Jesus’ death wasn’t just a payment; it was a sacrifice. Jesus paid the price for our sins. He bore the penalty (death) of our trespasses. Sin brings death, but instead of us dying spiritually, Jesus, although perfect and sinless, willingly tasted death for us. This sacrifice offers forgiveness of our sins. Forgiveness means to “release from an obligation; to pardon; or to dismiss.” Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we can be pardoned and forgiven. This is how we can become holy and blameless. We are not holy and blameless because of our perfection, but because Christ has offered a way through which our sin and its guilt can be forgiven and wiped away.
If our sins have been wiped away by Jesus, then we ought not to return to those sins. To have sins forgiven and to return to a sinful life is likened in the Bible to a hog returning to the mud or a dog eating its own vomit. Praise God for forgiveness, and then commit yourself to living a sin-free life. When we do stumble and sin, then be quick to confess that sin and repent of it and strive to do better, for we are children of the holy God.
The blessings we have been given by God in Christ are truly magnificient and many. God’s love and grace is not stingy. Paul says God lavished the riches of His grace on us. Some people would love to give to others and help them, but they don’t have the riches to do so. Others have more than enough riches to help others, but are stingy and refuse to do so. Neither is the case with God. He is rich in grace—His grace is abundant and overflowing. And He has not withheld those riches. He has lavished them upon us. That is, He has provided an abundance, even over and above what might be expected, and certainly more than we deserve.
Sometimes we act as though we are spiritually impoverished. Certainly we face trials, tribulations, temptations, and difficulty. But if we are faithful, then we are never poor. We are rich in Christ! Perhaps we don’t feel that way because we don’t reflect often enough on what God has done and is doing for us. If we will discipline ourselves to think more of God’s blessings, and if we will more frequently praise God for those blessings, then surely we will understand better the luxurious wealth of spiritual blessings He has provided. Knowing that, we can find strength to endure and overcome whatever trials we face.
Christian’s are especially blessed because to us God has made known the mystery of His will. In the Bible, mystery usually refers to the unrevealed plan of God. For thousands of years men and women did not know God’s full plan because it had not been fully revealed. They saw a shadow of God’s plan in things like the temple and sacrifices and prophecy. But it wasn’t until Jesus came that God’s will was fully revealed and made known. How blessed we are to not be looking forward to further revelation, but we live in a time when God’s will has been fully revealed. Now it is up to us to hear it, believe it, and obey it!
Lastly in these verses, God’s plan serves to unite all things to Himself. God created man, but man severed himself from God when we chose sin. Our sin had further consequences, for the creation itself was cursed. But all is going to be made right. All is going to be united to God once again. In a similar passage Paul says,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
All things will be right again, because of God’s plan and Christ’s sacrifice. The question is, how will we be reconciled to God? We will either be reconciled to Him because we’ve been redeemed by Jesus, or else we will face the wrath of God for all eternity. God’s enemies will either be destroyed or redeemed. The choice of which is up to us.
Verses 11-12
Verses 11-12
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Verses 11 and 12 form another section in Paul’s opening praise. This section closely mirrors verses 4-6 in that it again addresses the topic of predestination as well as sonship to God. Likewise, it highlights God’s purposeful plan to accomplish this; the fact that it is accomplished in Christ, and the end result of God’s praise and glory.
These verses are not just repetition though. They build on what Paul has already said and progress the thought a little further. While Paul returns to the idea of adoption, he does so in verses 11 and 12 with the conclusion of verse 10 in mind. Remember, God’s plan culminates in uniting all things in heaven and on earth to Him in Christ. What Paul has subtly done is moved from eternity past to eternity future. He began the section with what God did for us before time even existed. He is transitioning to discuss what God’s plan means for the future when time is no more. In majestic style, Paul discusses our present condition and blessings by looking at what God has done and what God has promised and plan to still do.
Also, these verses expand on what Paul has already mentioned. In verse 5 Paul said God “predestined us for adoption.” Here, he builds on that and says in Christ “we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined.” So Paul moves from adoption to inheritance. He makes it clear that our adoption makes us full members of God’s household. As adoptees we are not second-class children; we enjoy all the benefits and blessings of natural born children. Even though we have been adopted, we are still given an inheritance. The fact that we are “heirs” is found in other New Testament passages:
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
God’s purpose and plan has been to make a way for us to be redeemed so that we might be adopted as His children, so that we might receive an inheritance from Him. That inheritance, of course, is eternal life with Him in a perfect creation and experience. Knowing what God has planned and done already give us a confident hope of what remains for our future.
The word translated as “first to hope” is a difficult word. The way it is often translated, some believe Paul is now drawing a distinction between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, with Jewish Christians the “we” of verse 12 and gentile Christians the “you” of verse 13. Perhaps a better translation than “first hoped” however is “hoped beforehand.” Here’s one such translation:
11 in whom also we were chosen, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 that we who hoped beforehand in Christ should be for the praise of his glory,
The word can also mean “to anticipate” or “expect.” Thus, it seems Paul is speaking of the Christian’s hope of final salvation. Our hope precedes something. What does it precede? It precedes the time when God will unite all things in heaven and on earth. While we have tasted the first-fruits of salvation, there is more to come. Our hope is not just in this life, our hope is in eternity yet to come! Again, Paul is masterfully teaching on the entire time spectrum of our salvation from eternity past to eternity future!
Verses 13-14
Verses 13-14
13 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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
As in verses 7-10, Paul shifts back to our own condition and salvation. Once more he furthers the idea and shifts the focus to our future hope. In verses 7-10 the focus was on our redemption, forgiveness, and the uniting of all things to God. In these concluding two verses, the focus is on the Holy Spirit. Thus, in this passage Paul praises God for His plan, which is enacted in and through Christ, and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Paul says we are sealed with the Holy Spirit which is a guarantee or down payment. Remember the parallelism of this whole passage. In verse seven redemption and forgiveness are not separate activities, but two description of the same gift - forgiveness. Likely, the concept of “sealing” and “guaranteeing” are intended as similar if not synonomous concepts.
Seals were used in a variety of ways. Seals marked ownership; they proved authenticity; and they provided security. Perhaps all of these ideas are a part of being sealed by the Holy Spirit, but most likely, the seal of the Holy Spirit is a mark of God’s ownership. When we are redeemed (purchased from slavery) we become God’s. We may not understand the details of how this works, but when we obey the gospel we are forgiven by the blood of Christ (v. 7) and we are proven to now belong to God by the Holy Spirit (v. 13). It is only when we belong to God in Christ as proven by the Spirit that we can be assured of salvation. Salvation refers to deliverance from danger and death. The plan of God through Christ is to deliver us from His eternal wrath we would otherwise suffer because of sin.
Still, many ask what the Spirit does for us. Many take this passage to mean that the Spirit indwells us and then somehow works mysteriously in us to help us, keep us safe, and ensure we don’t sin and lose our inheritance. While the Bible does teach the Spirit indwells us, it does not teach that the Spirit works in us directly and miraculously. The Spirit’s presence is not something that can be tangibly felt, and thus give us assurance that we have been saved.
Many people think that, and yet they practice very different things. It’s not uncommon to find two people who are positive they possess the Spirit and the Spirit guides them, and yet they teach different doctrines, worship in different ways, believe different things, and practice different ethics. Is that to be expected from God’s Holy Spirit? No!
It may help to see how else Paul refers to the Spirit in Ephesians:
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
Paul prays that God will give the Ephesians “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.” In the early years of the church, some miraculous gifts allowed people to receive direct revelation of God’s will, and that was done by the Holy Spirit. It was also the Holy Spirit that guided the apostles and prophets to write the New Testament. It is still good for us to pray for a spirit of wisdom and knowledge, but where do we get wisdom and knowledge? Does it come miraculously? No. It comes through God’s Word. The Word is the result of the Spirit’s work. When we live according to God’s Word, then we are being guided by the Spirit. The Spirit has given us everything we need to know in order to be faithful until death.
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Paul says that in Jesus and in the Spirit we have access to the Father. In Romans 8:26 Paul says
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
So we are assured that the Spirit helps our prayers to God.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Here again we see Paul mentioning the sealing action of the Spirit. Obviously being sealed by the Spirit doesn’t mean that the Spirit takes over our lives and actions, because Paul indicates it’s possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. In that passage, the way we would grieve the Spirit is through sinful speech, attitudes, and actions. Clearly, the Spirit doesn’t take over our bodies or miraculously empower us or keep us from sinning directly. Through Scripture which is the revealed Word and will of God, however, the Spirit has shown us what is right and pleasing. But it is in our power to choose obedience or disobedience to the revealed Word. Even after we have obeyed the gospel, been redeemed, and sealed by the Spirit (shown to belong to God) it is possible to reject the further revealed Word of God and return to a life of sin and rebellion.
The Spirit guided the apostles into all truth so that the full revelation of God’s will could be written and preserved for all generations. The promises of God are revealed in the Scriptures, and thus through revealing God’s will, the Spirit has shown us (and shows us) whether we have been saved and whether or not we are faithful. When we trust in the Word of God and obey it, we can also trust in the promises God’s Word contains that one day we will enjoy our eternal reward with Him.
Lastly, note that Paul ends on the same note that he began: “…to the praise of His glory.” The passage begins and ends with God’s praise. Likewise, our days, and our full Spiritual life should begin and end with praise to God. We cannot praise Him enough or too much. We ought to often think about all He has done for us, and respond by giving Him thanks and praise.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This passage is a beautiful refrain of praise, but it is also a preview of what is to come in Ephesians. Paul will develop themes of salvation, God’s plan, the Spiritual realm, Christ’s work, the Spirit, and more throughout the next several chapters. Hopefully a study of this introductory benediction and praise whets our appetite to learn more of God’s glorious grace and plan in Ephesians!