Who God Says You Are

Ephesians 1:1-14

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Because the Father chose us, the Son redeemed us, and the Spirit sealed us, we can rest in His grace, rejoice in His rescue, and rely on His promise.

Introduction

Who are you?

Most of us answer that question by telling people our name, where we are from, what grade we are in, where we work, or what we enjoy doing.

But there is another version of that question that goes much deeper: 

What determines your identity?

Many people build their identity around what others say about them. If people like us, we feel valuable. If they reject us, we feel worthless. If we succeed, we feel important. If we fail, we feel like failures.

We allow our appearance, achievements, relationships, mistakes, and even our sins to tell us who we are.

But what if the most important thing about you is not what other people say about you? What if it is not even what you say about yourself?

What if the most important thing about you is who God says you are?

Today we are beginning a journey through the book of Ephesians. Our series is called In Christ: Who We Are. How We Live.

That title captures the two major movements of Ephesians. In chapters 1–3, Paul explains who we are and what God has done for us in Christ. Then, in chapters 4–6, he explains how we should live because of what God has done.

Paul does not begin by telling Christians what they need to do. He begins by reminding them who they already are in Christ.

The Context of Ephesians

Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul around AD 60–62 while he was imprisoned, most likely in Rome. Paul was writing to believers in Ephesus and probably to other churches throughout the surrounding region.

Ephesus was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. It was wealthy, influential, and deeply religious. It was home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the great wonders of the ancient world.

Ephesus was also known for magic, idolatry, sexual immorality, and worship of the Roman emperor.

Acts 19 tells us what happened when Paul preached the gospel there. People turned away from magic and burned their books. The gospel began changing so many lives that businesses connected to idol worship felt threatened. Eventually, a riot broke out because the message of Jesus was challenging the spiritual and economic systems of Ephesus.

Paul spent about three years ministering there. He knew these believers, loved them, and understood the pressure they faced.

Ephesians does not appear to have been written in response to one particular crisis. Paul was writing to help these believers understand their identity in Christ, their unity as God’s people, and how their new identity should transform the way they lived.

After Paul’s opening greeting, he begins praising God. Ephesians 1:3–14 was originally written as one long sentence. It is as though Paul becomes so overwhelmed by the blessings of salvation that he does not stop to take a breath.

The passage also follows a beautiful Trinitarian structure:

The Father chooses and adopts us.

The Son redeems and forgives us.

The Holy Spirit seals and secures us.

Every member of the Trinity is involved in our salvation, and all of it happens in Christ.

Ephesians 1:1–14 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory. In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.”

Point 1: Rest in the Father’s Grace

We are chosen and adopted. — Ephesians 1:3–6

Paul begins in verse 3 by praising God because He has blessed believers with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Paul is not promising that Christians will always be healthy, wealthy, comfortable, or successful. Remember, Paul was writing these words from prison.

Yet even while he was in prison, Paul knew that he possessed blessings no prison could take away.

If you are in Christ, you may not possess everything you want, but God has given you everything you need spiritually. You are chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and sealed.

Paul then says in verse 4 that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.

This is where many people start getting nervous. We hear words like “chosen” and “predestined,” and we immediately assume we are about to enter a difficult theological argument.

But we should never be frightened by a word God placed in His Word.

Paul did not use the word “predestined” to frighten Christians. He used it to comfort them. Predestination means that God determined something beforehand. Before the world was created, God had already established His saving plan in Christ.

Notice that Paul does not say God chose us because we were impressive. He says God chose us in Christ.

Election is never separated from Jesus. God’s saving plan has always been centered upon His Son. We are not chosen because God looked through history and discovered something good within us. We are chosen because of His grace in Christ.

Tony Merida writes:

“God chose a people for Himself, and that people is made up of believing, redeemed, forgiven members.”

God chose a people for Himself, but that people is composed of individual men and women who have been rescued through faith in Christ.

This truth should never make us arrogant. We did nothing to earn it. Election should produce humility, gratitude, security, and praise.

Before you ever performed a good work, God had a gracious plan. Before you could impress Him, disappoint Him, or run from Him, God had already established His plan of salvation in Christ.

That means salvation does not begin with our performance. It begins with God’s grace.

Paul also tells us why God chose us: so that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

God did not choose us because we were already holy. He chose us so that, through Christ, we would become holy.

Election is never an excuse to live however we want. God’s grace does not leave us where it found us. The same grace that saves us also begins transforming us.

Then Paul says God predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ.

Do not miss the destination of predestination. In this passage, believers are predestined for adoption.

This is not a picture of a cold, distant God assigning numbers to people. This is the picture of a loving Father determining beforehand to bring sinners into His family through His Son.

God does more than forgive us. He adopts us.

Forgiveness means our guilt has been removed. Adoption means we have been brought home.

God does not simply open the prison door and tell us that we are free to leave. He brings us to His table, gives us His name, calls us His children, and promises us an inheritance.

Verse 6 says God has given His grace to us in “the Beloved One.” The Beloved One is Jesus.

This connects beautifully with Matthew 3:17. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father identified Jesus as His beloved Son and declared that He was pleased with Him.

Now Paul tells us that God has given His grace to us in the Beloved One.

Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father. When we are united with Jesus, the Beloved Son brings us into the Father’s family.

We are not accepted because we have made ourselves acceptable. We are accepted because we are in Christ.

At Jesus’ baptism, the Father declared, “This is my beloved Son.” Now Paul tells us that when we are united with the Beloved Son, we are graciously welcomed into the Father’s family.

Predestination, then, is not intended to make believers wonder whether God wants them. It is intended to assure believers that their salvation rests upon God’s gracious purpose.

This does not mean the invitation of the gospel is insincere.

Predestination does not mean that our response to the gospel is unimportant or unreal.

Scripture holds two truths together: God is sovereign in salvation, and every person is genuinely called to repent and believe.

We may not understand exactly how those truths fit together, but we should not weaken either one. God’s sovereignty does not turn human beings into robots, and human responsibility does not remove God from His throne.

In fact, Paul shows us the human response within this same passage. Ephesians 1:13 says these believers heard the word of truth—the gospel of their salvation—and believed. Then they were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

They truly heard the gospel. They truly believed in Jesus. God’s gracious plan did not remove their response; it brought them to the place where they could hear and respond.

No one is saved apart from personally responding to Jesus through repentance and faith. Your parents cannot believe for you. Jason and I cannot believe for you. Attending church cannot believe for you. You must personally turn from your sin and place your faith in Christ.

The Bible also teaches that God genuinely desires people to be saved.

First Timothy 2:4 says that God “wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Second Peter 3:9 says that God is patient, “not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”

God does not take pleasure in the destruction of sinners. In Ezekiel 18:23, God asks whether He takes pleasure in the death of the wicked. His desire is that the wicked person would turn from his ways and live.

We also see this in the heart of Jesus. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus looked at Jerusalem and grieved because He wanted to gather the people to Himself, but they were unwilling.

God’s invitation is real. His desire for sinners to repent is real. But people can still resist His grace, reject His invitation, and refuse to come.

Tony Merida summarizes it simply:

“All may come. That is the invitation.”

Election does not mean that we should look at people and try to determine who might be chosen. God never commanded us to guess who might respond. He commanded us to proclaim the gospel to everyone.

We can look every person in the eye and honestly say, “Jesus died for sinners. Turn from your sin, trust Him, and you will be saved.”

You do not have to discover whether you are chosen before coming to Jesus. The Bible never tells a lost person to search for their name in God’s hidden plan. It tells them to repent and believe the gospel.

Jesus said in John 6:37 that the one who comes to Him will never be cast out. No person who truly comes to Christ will be rejected.

If you come to Jesus, He will receive you.

If you are saved, you cannot boast as though you rescued yourself. You were saved entirely because of God’s grace.

If you reject Jesus, you cannot blame God as though He refused to save you. The gospel was genuinely offered, and you were genuinely called to respond.

Predestination tells the believer, “Your salvation rests securely in God’s grace.”

The gospel invitation tells the unbeliever, “Come to Jesus, and you will be saved.”

Therefore, predestination should not cause us to become frightened, prideful, or passive. It should lead us to humility, evangelism, assurance, and worship.

God graciously planned salvation, Jesus accomplished salvation, the gospel announces salvation, and every person is called to respond through repentance and faith.

Point 2: Rejoice in the Son’s Rescue

We are redeemed and forgiven. — Ephesians 1:7–12

Paul now moves from the work of the Father to the work of the Son.

Verse 7 says that in Christ we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of our trespasses.

The word “redemption” describes freedom that comes because a price has been paid. It was often used when someone was released from slavery through the payment of a ransom.

The Bible says humanity is enslaved to sin. We could not rescue ourselves, pay our own debt, or break sin’s power.

Imagine pawning a valuable family watch and then realizing you cannot afford to get it back. It remains behind the glass until someone who loves you pays the full price and returns it to you.

That is redemption. We were enslaved to sin and unable to rescue ourselves, but Jesus paid the price with His blood. Redemption means Jesus purchased our freedom; forgiveness means our debt no longer remains.

The cross was not a tragic accident. Jesus willingly gave His life in the place of sinners. He took our guilt, received the judgment we deserved, and purchased our freedom.

Redemption tells us what Jesus rescued us from. Forgiveness tells us what happened to our sins.

Our trespasses have been forgiven.

God does not forgive us because our sins were insignificant. He forgives us because Jesus fully paid for them.

Paul says that this forgiveness comes according to the riches of God’s grace, which He richly poured out upon us.

God is not poor in grace.

We sometimes imagine God reluctantly measuring out the smallest amount of grace necessary to keep us out of hell. But Paul describes God’s grace as coming from His immeasurable riches.

There is more grace in Christ than there is sin in us.

Paul then says God has revealed the mystery of His will. In the Bible, a mystery is not something impossible to understand. It is something that was once hidden but has now been revealed by God.

What has God revealed?

His plan is to bring everything together in Christ.

The entire world has been broken by sin. Relationships are broken. Families are broken. Churches experience division. Creation itself suffers because of sin.

But God is moving history toward a day when everything will be placed under the rule of Jesus Christ. Sin will be defeated, evil will be judged, creation will be restored, and Christ will be recognized as Lord over all.

That message mattered in Ephesus. The people saw statues, temples, coins, and celebrations declaring the greatness of Artemis and Caesar.

But Paul reminded these believers that history would not end at the feet of Artemis or Caesar. Everything would ultimately be brought together under Jesus Christ.

Jesus is not merely one religious option among many. He is the center of God’s eternal plan.

Paul also says that in Christ we have received an inheritance. Because we have been adopted into God’s family, we now possess the inheritance of His children.

Everything Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection belongs to those who are in Him. We have forgiveness now, a relationship with God now, and the promise of eternal life with Christ.

The world will offer you many different forms of freedom. It will tell you that freedom means doing whatever you want, following every desire, and refusing to let anyone tell you what is right.

But sin always promises freedom and eventually produces slavery.

Jesus does the opposite. He gives His life to rescue slaves and make them children.

Maybe you have allowed your worst moment to define you. You look back at your past, your failure, or your sin and believe that is who you will always be.

But if you are in Christ, God does not call you condemned. He calls you redeemed.

He does not call you guilty. He calls you forgiven.

You do not have to remain trapped by your past, guilt, shame, or the identity other people have placed upon you.

Jesus paid the price for your freedom. Therefore, rejoice in the Son’s rescue.

Point 3: Rely on the Spirit’s Promise

We are sealed and secure. — Ephesians 1:13–14

Paul now moves from the work of the Father and the Son to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 13 is important for understanding everything Paul has already said about election and predestination.

These believers heard the word of truth—the gospel of their salvation—and they believed in Christ.

God’s sovereign plan does not make evangelism unnecessary. God carries out His saving plan through the proclamation of the gospel. People must hear the gospel, and they are called to respond by trusting Jesus.

The gospel is the good news that Jesus lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserved, and rose victoriously from the grave. Everyone who repents and believes in Him will be saved.

Paul says that when these believers heard and believed the gospel, they were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

In the ancient world, a seal communicated ownership, authenticity, and protection. A king could place his seal upon something to declare that it belonged to him and carried his authority.

The Holy Spirit is God’s seal upon every believer.

His presence declares:

You belong to God.

Your salvation is genuine.

God has not abandoned you.

God will complete what He has begun.

The Holy Spirit is not merely a feeling, an emotion, or an impersonal force. He is God dwelling within His people.

The Spirit convicts us, teaches us, strengthens us, transforms us, and continually directs our attention toward Jesus.

Paul also calls the Holy Spirit the down payment of our inheritance.

A down payment is the first portion of something greater that has been promised. It guarantees that the rest is coming.

When someone buys a house, they often put down earnest money before the final closing. That deposit is not the entire payment, but it demonstrates that the buyer is committed to completing what was started.

Paul says the Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance. We have not yet experienced everything God has promised, but He has given us His own Spirit as the guarantee that the rest is coming. Human promises can fail, but God’s cannot. The Spirit’s presence assures us that God will finish the work He began.

God does not guarantee our future inheritance by giving us a piece of paper. He gives us His Spirit.

The Spirit’s presence within us is a foretaste of what life will be like when our redemption is complete.

We have already been saved from sin’s penalty, but we are still waiting for the day when we will be completely delivered from sin’s presence. Until then, the Holy Spirit assures us that God will finish His work.

Our security does not rest on the strength of our grip upon God. It rests on the strength of God’s grip upon us.

There will be days when you do not feel saved. There will be days when you struggle, doubt, fail, or feel distant from God.

Your confidence cannot be built upon the strength of your emotions. Your feelings will change from one day to the next.

Your confidence must be built upon God’s promise.

God says that everyone who is in Christ has been sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is God’s promise that those who belong to Jesus will receive their eternal inheritance.

That does not mean believers can live carelessly. The Spirit who seals us is also the Spirit who changes us. His presence creates a growing desire for holiness, obedience, worship, and love for Jesus.

But when you struggle, you do not have to wonder whether God has forgotten you.

In Christ, God says you are sealed and secure.

Therefore, rely on the Spirit’s promise.

Conclusion

Who are you?

The world will try to answer that question for you.

Your friends may try to answer it. Your accomplishments may try to answer it. Your failures may try to answer it. Your appearance, relationships, temptations, and past may all try to define you.

But none of those voices has the final word.

If you are in Christ, God says:

You are chosen.

You are adopted.

You are redeemed.

You are forgiven.

You are sealed.

You are secure.

The Father chose you and brought you into His family.

The Son shed His blood to redeem and forgive you.

The Holy Spirit sealed you and guarantees your inheritance.

Our salvation was planned by the Father, purchased by the Son, and guaranteed by the Spirit.

That is who God says you are.

Notice the response repeated throughout this passage: the praise of God’s glory.

Election should lead us to praise.

Redemption should lead us to praise.

The presence of the Holy Spirit should lead us to praise.

Christianity is not primarily about what we must accomplish for God. It begins with what God has already accomplished for us in Christ.

So stop building your identity upon the changing opinions of other people.

Rest in the Father’s grace.

Rejoice in the Son’s rescue.

Rely on the Spirit’s promise.

But we also need to recognize that every blessing in this passage is found in Christ.

These promises do not automatically belong to everyone. They belong to those who have been united with Jesus through faith.

If you have never trusted Jesus, today you have heard the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation.

Jesus died for sinners. He rose from the grave. He offers forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who will repent and believe.

The Father welcomes sinners through His Beloved Son. The Son has paid the price for our redemption. The Spirit is given to everyone who belongs to Christ.

Turn from your sin and place your faith in Jesus.

Then your identity will no longer be determined by your past, your performance, or the opinions of others.

Your identity will be found in Christ.

And you can live confidently in who God says you are.

Have them read Ephesians 1:3-14. Have them put their name in their. Is that who you are? Have you been adopted?