Chosen, Adopted, and Secure in Christ (Ephesians 1:3–6)

Introduction

We're continuing our series in the book of Ephesians. Today, we will be in Ephesians 1:3-6. These verses will cover some big topics, including our election, our adoption, and the security of our salvation. Before the foundation of the world, God chose to bless, adopt, and secure us in Christ.

Did you know that our culture is suffering from an identity crisis? People today are constantly seeking ways to define themselves. There is a need to belong to a like-minded group.

The groups keep growing. If you go on TikTok, there is a whole subculture of people who call themselves "Plant Parents." While researching for this, I found videos featuring the confessions of a plant mom and a comprehensive beginner's guide for plant parents.

If you don't identify as a plant parent, you can join the coffee snobs group. You can watch videos such as "How to be a coffee snob 101" or other videos of coffee snobs complaining about the quality of their coffee.

Many psychologists have seen the growing identity crisis in our culture, which includes over one-third of teenagers reporting they have difficulty figuring out who they are. We have an inner need to belong, but many in our culture don't feel like they belong and are constantly trying to figure out who they are and where they belong.

The problem is that belonging is not a cultural crisis, but a spiritual one. The Bible describes it in one of two ways: you can belong to the world, or you can belong to Christ. What if your true identity was something God chose for you before time began? That's what we'll see today in Ephesians 1:3-6.

Scripture Reading

Ephesians 1:3–6 CSB

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

Pray

Overview of the Passage

This text is one of the most beautiful and clear messages about the blessings we have in Christ, and it gives us key teachings on the doctrines of election and predestination.

What’s interesting is that, if you’re looking at this text in the Greek within Ephesians 1:3-14, the verses are one long sentence. There are over 200 words in this one Greek sentence that covers Ephesians 1:3-14.

In these verses, Paul is continually praising God. It’s as if he is so overwhelmed with the blessings that we have in Christ that he is caught up in worship as he writes this text. He starts with, “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...” and then pours out into our election, adoption, redemption, sealing, and inheritance. As he reflects on what God has done for us in Christ, he can’t help but worship God.

Ephesians 1:3-14 is an example of a doxology. A doxology is a portion of Scripture written to express praise to God. It can convey profound, theological truths, as seen in Ephesians 1:3-6, but its ultimate purpose is not just to teach us something about God. It’s written to stir our hearts to praise and glorify God for his amazing grace.

Ephesians 1:3-14 is a Trinitarian set of verses.

Ephesians 1:3-6 speaks of the work of the Father in our salvation, and that’s what we’ll look at today.

Ephesians 1:7-12 speaks of the work of the Son.

Ephesians 1:13-14 speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit.

We will focus on the work of the Father in our salvation, who is a person within the triune God. Remember that the Trinity is the Christian belief that there is one true God who exists in perfect unity as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Scripture reveals that each person within the Trinity has a distinct role in our salvation. We will examine today the role of the Father in bringing us to salvation.

The first thing we learn about the Father is,

I. The Father Has Blessed Us in Christ with Every Spiritual Blessing

It tells us this in Ephesians 1:3,

Ephesians 1:3 CSB

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.

Within this verse, we learn three key things about our spiritual blessings as Christians. We learn about the source of our blessings, the sphere of our blessings, and the center of our blessings. First,

A. The Source of our Blessings is from God the Father

You are a spiritually blessed person in Jesus Christ because God the Father willed it to be so. Your salvation began in the heart of God.

Sometimes people struggle with the God of the Old Testament. They think he is angry and constantly upset. They like the God of the New Testament, who they see as loving and merciful. Scripture tells us that there is only one God from Genesis to Revelation, and God the Father purposed within his heart your salvation from the beginning.

God the Father as the source of our spiritual blessings is what James talks about when he says in James 1:17 that,

James 1:17 CSB

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Every spiritual blessing that we experience in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is a result of the overflow of the heart of God the Father. The good news is that God the Father never changes, and his desire for his people never changes. God the Father still desires for you to experience every good and perfect gift, or every spiritual blessing in his Son.

The source of our spiritual blessings is God the Father, whose nature is generous in giving us spiritual blessings, gracious in his blessings, and good in his blessings. We learn about the source of our blessings and the sphere within which they operate.

B. The Sphere of our Blessings is Spiritual and Heavenly

For the Christian, the sphere of our blessings is not necessarily here on earth. The blessings on a Christian is not material prosperity. The Bible does not promise that God will give you riches on earth.

Instead of having physical blessings located on earth, Christians have “every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” What’s the difference?

Earthly blessings are temporary, limited, and fragile. Physical things wear out, break, get stolen, and they fade away. Spiritual blessings are eternal, unlimited, and secure. They come from heaven, are stored in heaven, and they can never be taken from you.

Earthly blessings fill your hands, but spiritual blessings fill your heart.

Earthly blessings run out, but spiritual blessings never expire.

Earthly blessings may bring comfort, but spiritual blessings always bring Christ.

Every spiritual blessing includes our justification in Christ, our peace in Christ, the work of the Spirit of God in our lives through Christ, our adoption, our forgiveness, and our future inheritance in Christ. Christians have every spiritual blessing in Christ.

The blessing of eternal life is spiritual and heavenly. That’s why Christians are reminded in Colossians 3:1-2,

Colossians 3:1–2 CSB

1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

When your mind is focused on earthly things, your attention becomes set on what is temporary and fleeting. You can be tempted to measure God’s love for you by your circumstances, which can change at any moment.

However, if you can set your mind on things above, focused on your heavenly blessings, it is the eternal, spiritual blessings you have in Christ that will give you the perspective and ability to get through temporary, earthly things. We can get through whatever we face because we are justified, adopted, forgiven, filled with the Holy Spirit, and have eternal life.

That’s why, after you consider the source of our blessings and the sphere of our blessings, you must focus your mind on the center of our blessings.

C. The Center of our Blessings is In Christ

When you read Ephesians 1:3-14 (remember, it is a single, continuous sentence), the concept of being in Christ is the dominant theme. Just in Ephesians 1:3-6,

Every spiritual blessing comes in Christ (Eph. 1:3)

We are chosen in Christ (Eph. 1:4)

We are adopted through Christ (Eph. 1:5)

We have grace lavished on us in Christ (Eph. 1:6)

In Ephesians 1:3-14, we are reminded at least 10 times that every aspect of our salvation and blessing stems from our union with Christ. Jesus Christ is the only location; he is the only person where every spiritual blessing is found. Apart from Jesus, there is no other hope. Every spiritual blessing is found in him.

There’s a story of a man who died in poverty. His neighbors knew him as a quiet man. But if you went to his house, he barely had enough to eat, wore the same old clothing, and it was clear that he didn’t have much.

That’s why it was shocking when, after he died, they searched his house and found an old box in the back of his closet. In that box were many stock certificates worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, possibly more. He died with access to plenty of riches, but he never enjoyed the experience of his riches.

Sometimes Christians are like that man. We have every spiritual blessing in Christ, yet we live in our everyday as if we don’t have everything we need in Jesus. The Father has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.

Not only has the Father blessed us, but also,

II. The Father Has Chosen Us Before the Foundation of the World

Ephesians 1:4 will get us into a conversation on the doctrine of election.

What do we mean when we say “election”? Election refers to God’s gracious choice to save or set apart specific individuals or a people group for his purpose. God doesn’t choose people based on what they’ve done, but only because he chose to elect them according to his sovereign will.

The doctrine of election raises numerous questions, but before delving into these questions, it is essential to establish a foundational basis. We believe in the authority of Scripture because God, who is the perfect communicator, communicated to man what we need to know through his inspired Word. We submit our understanding to the authority of God’s Word. Let God’s Word be true and every man a liar (Rom. 3:4).

Therefore, under the authority of God’s Word, does the Bible teach that God chooses people? It says this in Ephesians 1:4,

Ephesians 1:4 CSB

4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.

Paul argues that not only did God choose a people group, namely those in Christ, but God also chose individuals. Paul is writing to a specific group of people, the church in Ephesus, saying that God chose them.

He tells us a couple of things about this choosing, or election. He tells us,

A. The Timing of Election: Before the Foundation of the World

According to God’s Word, this means that before you were born, before you could do anything good or bad, before Adam took his first breath, and before the earth was formed, God had already set His love on you in Jesus Christ.

God’s love is not reactionary. God is not sitting on a roof watching a parade go by and picking out people in the parade that he likes better. He’s not saying, “I like the way this one plays the snare drum, or how this one is dressed,” or whatever else. God is not reacting to your performance. Before you were a thought on anyone’s mind, you were already loved by God’s heart before the foundation of the world.

God’s love for you came before your faith, before your sin, and before your birth. Your salvation didn’t surprise God. He planned it.

The Bible also says this in 2 Timothy 1:9,

2 Timothy 1:9 CSB

9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

Our salvation was not an afterthought. God saved us, not because of anything we had done, but according to his purpose and grace. He gave us that grace before He created time and placed us into that timeline. You were part of God’s eternal plan from the very beginning.

Why did God choose us? What was the purpose of our election?

B. The Purpose of Election is Holiness and Blamelessness

God didn’t choose you, according to his grace, only for salvation. God chose you for transformation. Ephesians 1:4 says you were chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.”

In other words, God chose you with an end goal in mind. God’s election is not just to rescue you from hell. God chose you so that you would bear a greater resemblance to Christ. Romans 8:29 discusses those whom God foreknew. It says,

Romans 8:29 CSB

29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

To be conformed to the image of the Son of God is to be elected before the foundations of the earth for holiness and blamelessness. Your past doesn’t make your future. Regardless of your past, God has a purpose to transform you into his likeness.

None of this means that you are already perfect in every area of your life, and that you will never make a mistake. What it means is that God is committed to making you look more like his Son. Election is a call on your life to reflect the character and perfection of Christ to the world.

Election is a call to love, because love is core to the character of the Lord. A life in Jesus is a life of godly character and holy love. God wants to transform your life.

How do we experience this transformation to a life that reflects the character of the Lord? It will always be a life lived in Jesus Christ. There is no other way to receive the eternal blessings from the Father except through faith in Jesus Christ.

Apart from Jesus Christ, there is no spiritual blessing, no adoption, no forgiveness, and no inheritance. In Jesus Christ, there is everything.

Imagine a basketball coach is assembling a team of players. However, as he picks players for the team, he does not choose the fastest, tallest, or most talented individuals. None of the people he is choosing belong on the court. The coach is selecting people because he has a plan to unify this team, train them, and make them greater than they had ever dreamed.

That’s what God does in our election. God chose you in Jesus Christ to make you greater than you ever hoped or dreamed.

The Bible says God didn’t just choose you to transform you. He brought you into his family.

III. The Father Has Adopted Us Through Christ to the Praise of His Glorious Grace

It says this in Ephesians 1:5-6,

Ephesians 1:5–6 CSB

5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

The Father has brought us into his family through adoption. There are several key aspects to consider when learning about adoption, as Paul would have understood it in the first century. First,

A. Adoption Is Personal, Legal, and Permanent

When Paul writes about us, as believers in Jesus Christ, being adopted by the Father, how would he understand adoption in the first century? Learning how Paul understood adoption helps us understand the theological truth behind what he is saying.

Adoption in ancient Rome was a legal process primarily used by the elite to ensure that there was an heir for the family line. There are essential elements within Roman adoption that makes Paul's words about our adoption particularly powerful.

Roman adoption gave the adopted person a new legal identity. The adopted person assumed the family name, identity, and legal status of the adoptive father.

They gained full inheritance rights. An adopted son was recognized as a sole heir, with all the legal rights and obligations of a biological son. Also, the adoptive father had full paternal authority over the adoptee.

Notably, the adoption was permanent. The bond was irreversible. Any biological ties to the former parent were overridden. You were entirely, completely, and permanently a child of your new father, just as if you were his biological son.

That is the picture of adoption that the Spirit of God wants to place in your heart. There is no going back. You have a new legal identity in Christ. You wholly and permanently belong to the Father, just as if you were his only Son.

This picture of adoption is the picture we're given in Scripture. Romans 8:15-17 describes us receiving the Spirit of adoption. It says,

Romans 8:15–17 CSB

15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

We who are in Christ have the intimate cry of a child who belongs to the Father. We are not orphans trying to earn our place in heaven. We are children who belong to the Father and have the full right of inheritance, just as a biological son. That’s why we are coheirs with Christ.

Our adoption is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God by his very nature. We are God’s children because the Father adopted us as his very own. God didn’t adopt you because he had to. God adopted you because it was his joy to do so.

Your adoption into God’s family is the grace of God on display. That’s why he tells us,

B. Adoption Magnifies the Lavish Grace of God We Have in Christ

Ephesians 1:6 tells us that our adoption was "to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One." The word "lavished" means to overflow in abundance. It means that God went far beyond what was expected or required. God didn't just give you grace in Jesus Christ. He poured it out on you like he was emptying the ocean of his love into your soul.

Without Christ, we are like spiritual orphans. We are separated from the one who created us because of our sin.

When you are an orphan, there is an ache in your soul. You feel abandoned and alone. Does anyone care? You feel like a mistake in the world.

When you are a spiritual orphan, you try to prove yourself in some way. You try to make sense of the world by being good enough, or successful, or simply trying to get noticed. But deep down, you know there is a spiritual hole, because you feel like you don't belong or you're not wanted.

But one day, a loving Father walks in who has been thinking about you for a long time. He thought about you before you were born. He points to you and says, "That child right there is mine." He signs the papers to adopt you with the blood of Jesus. He brings you into his family, and you are his. You are his child, forever.

That's what the Bible says that God does for you. You were lost in sin and spiritually dead. But while you were still a sinner, the Father loved you enough to send his Son in your place to die for you. Because of Jesus, God doesn't just rescue you. He adopts you into his family. You are a full heir to his promises in Jesus, and you are his forever.

Conclusion

So what should we do in response to all of this?

If you are not a Christian, you were not meant to live as a spiritual orphan. You were made for God. Today, as the Spirit is convicting you in your soul, the Father is welcoming you into his family.

God doesn’t wait for you to clean up your life. God calls you to himself because he wants to. He loved you before you were born, and he sent his Son for you. The Bible says that if you believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and if you put your faith in Jesus, you will be saved. Let go of your sin and believe the gospel.

If you are a Christian, let the truth of Ephesians 1:3-6 dwell in your soul.

You are chosen.

You are adopted.

You are lavished with God’s glorious grace.

You are loved.

Don’t live like you’re in spiritual poverty when you have been given every spiritual blessing in Christ. Don’t walk around with your head down as if you’re unwanted or unloved.

You are fully known by God, fully loved by him, and completely his. Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Worship God, and praise his name.

Prayer

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!

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Sermon Reflection Questions

What does Ephesians 1:3-6 teach us about the source of our spiritual blessings?

How does the doctrine of election relate to our personal identity?

Can you explain the significance of being chosen 'before the foundation of the world'?

What does it mean to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ?

How do the concepts of election and adoption affect our understanding of belonging in Christ?