Welcome to Hank’s Place
Paul begins the epistle to the Ephesians with, “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.” Then he names a few, “For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.”
There is a TON of GRACE presented in these few verses. God favors us, His children, because He is GOD and it’s what HE has chosen to do. Consider — the “ with every spiritual blessing.
Those spiritual blessings are higher, better, and more secure than earthly blessings. We should receive them; why let them go unused?
Consider spiritual vs material blessings a moment. A new heart is better than a new car. To feed on Christ is better than the best earthly food. To be an heir of God is better than being the heir of an earthly king. To have God for our portion is infinitely more blessed, than say, owning the King ranch. Spurgeon said, “These are the rarest, the richest, the most enduring of all blessings; they are priceless in value.”
Consider Paul’s opening ‘for instance’ of spiritual blessings. He says, “Just as He chose us in Him.” Our possession of every spiritual blessing is as certain as our being chosen by Him, and chosen before the foundation of the world. As a believer you ARE blessed; receive the blessings!
Believers are chosen by God; we are chosen before we have done anything or have been anything for God. Don’t try to reconcile human responsibility with divine sovereignty based on this one verse. Rather take assurance of the permanence of His plan and His love towards us.
“Chosen in Him.” It means our heavenly Father has engrafted us, through the blessing of adoption, into the Body of Christ.
“Chosen in” Him that we should be holy and without blame before Him. See? There is both God’s sovereign choosing, yet still a responsibility for personal holiness and sanctification.
Predestined to adoption as sons. God’s plan for us not only includes salvation and personal transformation, but also a warm, confident relationship with the Father.
Barclay points out that in the Roman law of Paul’s day, “When the adoption was complete, it was complete indeed. The person who had been adopted had all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family and completely lost all rights in his old family. In the eyes of the law he was a new person. Even all the debts and obligations connected with his previous family were abolished as if they had never existed.” Through Jesus we’ve been BORN into God’s family. And our sin debts and obligations — severed! Gone! Forever!
Our status in the Kingdom: “accepted in the Beloved.” If you dig into this phrase you’ll find it means “highly favored” or “full of grace” as in Luke 1:28. God’s plan of salvation gives glory to His grace – it doesn’t leave any space for self-effort.
My friend, rejoice today as you consider the grace of God toward you, the grace that has caused you — to COME ALIVE!
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