Studies in the New Testament

Chosen in Christ to Be Holy in Love (Ephesians 1:3-4)

2010-08-18T00:08:00.001-05:00

Both texts use similar terms for regarding the saints being holy and unblameable.
Both texts speak about this condition existing "before God."

In the 1 Thessalonians text, Paul says that he desired for the Lord to make the Thessalonians abound in love with the result bing that their hearts would be established "unblameable in holiness." The connection between love and holiness in this text is undeniable. I believe it is exactly this same connection that Paul has in mind in Ephesians 1:4. God chose us for a life of love - a life of love for the saints and for the Savior. As we abound in that love, the end result is the establishing of our hearts in holiness.

The other text I want to point out to you is from the apostle Peter. In 1 Peter 1:22, the apostle writes, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." The main idea of the sentence is this: "See that you love one another." How? Love one another "with a pure heart fervently." Here is the same idea as we found in the writings of Paul. Loving the family of God with a pure heart is commanded of God's people. But look at the verse again. Peter says to his readers that they had "purified their souls through obeying the truth unto unfeigned (or unhypocritical) love of the brethren." Do you see it? Peter tells them, "Love one another with a pure heart, do it with all fervency, and the reason you should do it is because it was the goal God had in mind when you obeyed the truth through the Spirit." For the people of God, loving one another is not an option. It is central to the purpose of why we were called upon to believe the gospel. And, if my exegesis of Ephesians 1:4 is correct, it is central to why the purpose of our election.

Next post, we'll begin Ephesians 1:5. Meanwhile, love the saints with a holy and fervent love! You were chosen by God to do so!

Chosen Before the Foundation of the World (Ephesians 1:3-4)

2010-08-13T08:59:00.000-05:00

In John 17:24, Jesus declares that the Father loved Him "before the foundation of the world." Obviously, Jesus means that before creation and the inception of time, the Father and Son were in a love relationship.
In 1 Peter 1:19-20, the apostle tells his readers that they were redeemed by the blood of Christ, who was foreordained to be their Redeemer "before the foundation of the world." Again, we understand this to mean that before God did any creative work He determined that Christ would be the sacrifice for sinners. In Revelation 13:8 we read a very similar statement. There Jesus Christ is identified as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (I might note that this concept also requires that sin was not a "surprise" to God as some would have us believe. If Christ was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, then we are correct to say that God determined how He would deal with sin before it became an historical reality.)
In Revelation 17:8, we read of those "whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world." These are people who "wonder" at what happens to the beast when he is destroyed by God. The text indicates this is a "wonder" of disappointment. Consider that the only other time in Revelation the writer mentions those whose names are not written in the book of life, it is a reference to those who worship the beast (cf. Revelation 13:8). So, those who are deceived and worship the beast are those whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. This text implies that there is a group of individuals whose names are written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. Who is this group of individuals? It must be those who love the Lord God and worship Him and are not deceived by the wicked one. And when was their name written down? This text implies that it was not written down when they believed upon the Lord; rather, it was written down before God laid the foundations of this world.

Now, it is especially important to note that Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world and that there is a people whose names were written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. I argue that this serves to prove that our understanding of "chosen in Christ" in Ephesians 1:4 is the correct understanding. God chose us - or, as in Revelation, God wrote our names in the book of life - before the foundation of the world. But also, before the foundation of the world, He foreordained that Christ would be the Lamb slain for us. You see, dear reader, God did not choose us irrespective of Christ! Our names were written down and our Redeemer was foreordained before the foundation of the world!

So, God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world and this choice has resulted in great blessing! Our names were written down in God's book of life before the world was created and our Redeemer was foreordained as well. Nothing about our salvation is by chance - it is according to the good pleasure of His will (Ephesians 1:5).

Next post I'll write about the purpose of election.

God Bless!

Chosen in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-4)

2010-08-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love . . ." (Ephesians 1:3-4).

Paul says in verse 4 that believers are chosen "in Him." There is no reason I can see in this text not to understand that the pronoun "Him" refers to Christ. It certainly fits the flow of the passage to understand it this way. "God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ according as He has chosen us in Him (i.e., in Christ)."

So, believers were "chosen in Christ." What does that mean? The phrase "in Him" is simply en auto. The Greek preposition en is used liberally throughout this text. In verse 3 Paul said God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings "in (en) the heavenlies in (en) Christ." Not always, but often, en is meant to show location. In verse one, Paul says he is writing to those who are "the saints in (en) Ephesus and the faithful in (en) Christ Jesus." Later Paul will say that believers are "made accepted in (en) the Beloved."

The use of this phrase by Paul is not limited to this text in Ephesians. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we are told that if any man is "in (en) Christ, he is a new creation." In Romans 8:1, Paul says there is no condemnation for those who are "in (en) Christ." In 1 Corinthians 1:30, Paul says it is of God's doing that we are "in (en) Christ," who is made to be our wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. In 1 Corinthians 15:22, we read that "in (en) Adam all die" and "in (en) Christ all are made alive." Anthony Hoekema says the phrases "in Christ" and "in Him" (refering to Christ) appear 164 times in Paul's letters! So it's obvious this is a key phrase for the apostle.

I agree with those students of Scripture who view "in Christ" as a phrase which signifies our union with Him. Believers are united to Christ in a union similar to that of marriage. In fact, Paul says in Ephesians 5 that the marriage of a man and woman is symbolic of the relationship of Christ and the church, whom he calls "the bride of Christ." We are united to Christ in such a way that all He has accomplished is ours. We were quickened with Him and raised with Him and seated in the heavenlies with Him (Ephesians 2:5-6). We are joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17). We will be eternally glorified with Him, appearing "with Him" in glory Colossians 3:4). Our life is Christ (Colossians 3:4)!

One other text to consider before we apply this information to Ephesians 1:4. In Ephesians 3:11, Paul mentions God's "eternal purpose which he purposed in (en) Christ Jesus." God's determined that His eternal purpose would be carried out in and through Christ. The Son is at the center of all God is doing. I find John Gill's comments on Ephesians 3:11 instructive: "God's eye was upon Christ, His thoughts centerd in Him and in Him are all His promises and blessings of grace designed and provided for His people; the execution of this purpose is by Him." I believe Gill has expressed the heart of what it means for God to purpose His plan "in Christ." I also believe this helps us understand what it means to be chosen "in Christ." As God chose us, His eye was upon Christ and His thoughts centered in Christ as the means by which all of His promises to His people would be executed!

To be chosen in Christ, then, means that God did not choose us irrespective of His Son. God did not choose to save us and then determine how He would save us. No, at the same time He chose to save us, He chose His Son to be our Savior. He did not choose to redeem us without at the same time choosing His Son to be our Redeemer. He did not choose to reconcile us unto Himself without at the same time choosing the Son to be the means of that reconciliation. He did not choose us to be a body without choosing Christ to be the Head, nor did He choose us to be a bride without also choosing Christ to be our Husband. God chose us to be His people, but not without choosing to give us to the Son (a theme found repeatedly in John's gospel).

We are nothing without Christ and have nothing without Him. God has determined it to be so. But if we are in Christ, we are recipients of all spiritual blessings, new creations, and without condemnation!

In the next post I will discuss the time of this election - "before the foundation of the world."

All Spiritual Blessings Flow out of Our Election in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-4)

2010-08-10T17:20:00.000-05:00

Blessed be the God Who Blessed Us with Blessings! (Ephesians 1:3)

2010-08-10T01:04:00.000-05:00

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ . . ." (Ephesians 1:3, KJV)

In A Reader's Greek New Testament (2nd Edition), Ephesians 1:3-14 forms one paragraph. It is one of the most doctrinal paragraphs in all of the New Testament. In this paragraph, Paul mentions such topics as election, predestination, adoption, redemption, forgiveness, the believer's inheritance, and the sealing of the believer by the Holy Spirit. Throughout the next several posts, we are going to work our way through this passage. May God bless the study to my readers.

A quick glance at verse 3 reveals a repetition of words that come from the same family. "Blessed (eulogetos) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed (eulogeo) us with all spiritual blessings (eulogia) in heavenly places in Christ." The first form is an adjective, the second a verb, and the third a noun.

THE ADJECTIVE

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." This first form of "bless" is used in the sense of "adoring" or "praising." Some commentators have noted that the Greek term behind "blessed" (eulogetos) is the term behind our English word, "eulogy" (lit., "good words"). A eulogy is a formal expression of praise. We normally use the term in conjunction with praising someone who has recently died. Of course, Paul is not eulogizing God because He has died! Nevertheless, is is eulogizing God because He is good and is worthy of our most intense praise.

Paul praises the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father, the first person of the Trinity, at one and the same time, sustains both of these relationships to Jesus. A central teaching about Jesus is that He is the God-man: fully God and fully man. I believe the purpose of this expression in Ephesians 1:3 is to show that he possessed both of these natures fully. As the man Christ Jesus, the first person of the Trinity was His God. Yet, He also held a unique relationship to the Father as the Son. Paul finds a way to express both of these truths in the phrase "God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ."

So now we have established the object of Paul's praise: it is the first person of the Trinity, who is the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, take note reader, that He is the subject of the rest of the verbs in verses 3-6. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ blessed us (v.3), chose us (v.4), predestinated us (v.5), and made us accepted in the Beloved (v.6).

THE VERB

The God and Father of Jesus Christ has blessed us. As we shall note in the next section, God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. But for the moment, consider that Paul uses the past tense in this text as he describes God's actions toward us. Paul could have truthfully said that God is blessing us (present tense), but he chose to describe a decisive act of God: He has blessed us. Believers, because of this decisive act of God, are in present possession of these blessings. The apostle does not view Christians as still awaiting the bestowal of spiritual blessings; God has already bestowed them and, therefore, they already possess them.

THE NOUN

The God and Father of Jesus Christ has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. Although the list is not exhaustive, what follows in verses 4-14 is a discussion of some of those spiritual blessings.

Why does Paul call them "spiritual blessings"? At least two reasons can be suggested. First, the blessings Paul has in mind pertain to the spiritual man. All good and perfect gifts come from God (James 1:17) and certainly that includes what we often call "temporal blessings" (i.e., family, provisions, health, etc.). But in Ephesians 1:3-14, the emphasis is upon those blessings of God which belong to the eternal realm (i.e., election, redemption, inheritance, etc.). Second, the blessings are spiritual blessings because they are conveyed through and understood by the Holy Spirit. His work in this present time is to enlighten us to understand what God has done to redeem us through Christ and to make application to us of the work of God through Christ.

These spiritual blessings are said to be "in heavenly places" (literally, "in the heavenlies"). These words appear four more times in this epistle (cf. 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12). The meaning appears to be that the blessings God has bestowed upon believers pertain to the heavenly state (or kingdom) of which they have become citizens. After all, even though we continue to live upon this earth, we are "seated with Christ in the heavenlies" (cf. Eph. 2:6). Also, in another epistle, Paul reminds us that as Christians our citizenship is in heaven (cf. Phil. 3:20, where "conversation" literally means "citizenship"). So, these spiritual blessings are bestowed upon us as a people who belong to another kingdom, the kindgom of God.

Finally, Paul tells us that these spiritual blessings which belong to the heavenly realm come to us in Christ. All spiritual blessings are ours as Christians, and they are ours only because we have been united to Christ Jesus. Take the time to look at the rest of this wornderful paragraph and note the times Paul mentions that a particular blessing is ours through our relationship to Christ. We were chosen in Christ (v.4), predestinated by Christ unto adoption (v.5), accepted in Christ (v.6), redeemed and forgiven in Christ (v.7), made recipients of an inheritance in Christ (v.11), and sealed with the Holy Spirit in Christ (v.13). In Christ, every spiritual blessing has been bestowed upon us by the Father; outside of the Son, we would have none of them.

Herein we find a great and glorious ground for worship! God has graciously blessed us in and through His Son with every spiritual blessing. As citizens of the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13), we possess all the blessings that belong to the heavenly realm. Oh citizens of heaven, you lack nothing!