Eph 1:11-14 (2)

The Assurance of Salvation

Plural Noun Proposition: In Eph 1:11-14, Paul lists for you FOUR divine reasons you can have full assurance of your salvation.

I. Your Inheritance is Predestined in Him (vv 11-12)

Ephesians 1:11–12 “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, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

In Him

This figure of speech of being “in Him” weighs heavily on Paul. He wants the Ephesian church and also all who will read this epistle to understand and know what it means to be “in Him” or “in Christ”

“In Him or in Christ” this phrase is mentioned in the book of Ephesians 22 times. In Chapter 1 alone in Ephesians this phrase is mentioned 11 times.

The force of this figure of speech should cause you to pause and meditate on why Paul is repeating this phrase so much and what it means to be “in Him”

When I think about being “in Christ” the only thing that I can compare it to is Marine Corps Bootcamp. Some of you will have a different thought to compare it with, but when I think about being “in Christ” I think about swim qualification in bootcamp. Now like many of you I was born and raised in Kansas. I don’t swim. I mean I splash around a little bit but I try not to get my beard wet. But in bootcamp swim qual we had to do something called the deadman’s float. It’s a float where you get into the water, your face is down, your arms are stretched out in front of you, you hold your breath and close your eyes, facing the bottom of the pool, and your body is supposed to float on the top of the surface of the water and your back is exposed to the air. But for Marines, we have our pants on, shirts on, and so the goal is to find the center of balance for your body. I remember how peaceful it was in the water, it was quiet, the water completely surrounded me and held me, I was “in the pool.” And in the same way, when you are in Christ, he completely surrounds you, and contains you and being “in him” is where you find peace.

So what’s it mean to be “in him”?

It means that apart from him you can do nothing (John 15:5)

It means that “in him” you can persevere in all things (Phil 4:13)

One Commentator says: It indicates by means of our union with Christ, God chose us. It is through being in this cosmic Christ in whom all things are summed up that God’s choice has fallen on them [WBC].

There are many other descriptions of what it means to be “in him” but in our text this morning, it means that “in him” we have obtained and inheritance

Obtained and inheritance

“have obtained an inheritance” the way this phrase is used here by Paul is only used here this one time in the Bible. It is in the passive, so it’s done to us or for us.

It means to “be determined, to choose, or appointed by lot, or allotted.” The picture Paul may be drawing on is from Joshua 13 and 14.

In Joshua 13, and 14, Moses is dividing up the land east of the Jordan and west of the Jordan and God calls it the inheritance

In Joshua 14:2 “Their inheritance was by lot, just as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine and one-half tribes.”

By lot…this was not a man-made decision, if it was the tribes could argue and fight over which tribe got which land inheritance out of jealousy or accusing Moses of a false interpretation of what God had commanded. But by lot shows that it is God who providentially decided who and where each tribe would receive their inheritance, thus strengthening Israel’s faith in the Lord and their trust in Moses. Does that make sense? This inheritance is obtained by you by the providence of God.

Now if we look at the word structure of this sentence, the LSB translation translates this to say, “In him we also have been made an inheritance.”

Or we have been allotted by God for his inheritance or we were claimed by God as his portion. With this interpretation, believers are not receiving an inheritance but are the inheritance that God receives. John MacArthur agrees with this interpretation stating, “This is remarkable language. It doesn’t discount the fact that we have an inheritance—and this can be translated that way, as it is in the NAS. But it also can be translated, “We have obtained” or “we have been made and inheritance” So it’s got two sides to it.”

Deuteronomy 4:20 “But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.”

Deuteronomy 9:29 “For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’”

Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!”

I don’t know…some of you would make a horrible inheritance for someone, me included. But because you are in Christ, by his blood, you have been made a precious inheritance, Jesus’ bride and reward for his suffering.

But if this phrase can be taken that we obtained an inheritance though, what is this inheritance?

As I was studying this passage, it is clear that this is not something to be spiritualized. Our faulty minds go to earthly inheritances or maybe spiritual streets of gold, jewels, and clouds in the sky. That may be on the horizon, but Paul is talking about a tangible inheritance.

In scripture, there is only one meaning for inheritance, and that is promised to Abraham.

In Steven’s speech in Acts, he says in Acts 7:4–5 “Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child.”

See God made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15, and this promise extends to New Testament believers.

In Hebrews 6:13–18 “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

And the hope that is set before you today…is your inheritance that is found in Christ

II. Your Inheritance is Proclaimed in Him (vv 13a)

III. Your Inheritance is Protected in Him (vv 13b-14a)

IV. Your Inheritance is to the Praise of His Glory (vv 14b)