Ephesians 1:3-6 ESV
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
1. Who are the “us” mentioned in verses three to six?
2. What kinds of spiritual blessings?
3. What does it mean to be holy and blameless?
4. What does it mean that we are predestined by God?
5. What is the purpose of his will?
One of the primary rules of correct biblical interpretation and understanding is to look to see who these words are being addressed to so that we don’t erroneously apply them where they do not apply. So, if we go back to verse 1 we learn that these words were written to the saints who are the faithful in Christ Jesus. And a saint is holy, and to be holy is to live separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are becoming like Jesus in character. And to be faithful is to be loyal to our Lord in service to him to do his will.
Now this is not claiming absolute sinless perfection, but it is teaching that we, as followers of Christ, are to be the people of God who are living different from the world because we are being made to be like Jesus. We are to be those who are faithful in service to our Lord, who are walking in his ways and in his truth and no longer in sin. It doesn’t mean we will never fail but that sin is no longer to be what we practice, but righteousness, holiness, godly living, and obedience to our Lord should be what we practice.
We are the “us” in all four of these verses. We are the ones who are blessed of God with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. So, what kinds of blessings? Salvation from sin? Yes! But not just being saved from the punishment of sin, but salvation (deliverance) from our slavery to sin so that we can now live holy lives unto God. Forgiveness of sins? Yes! But not so that we can go on living in sin, but so we will live free from addiction to sin in obedience to God in holy living. Heaven when we die? Yes! But only for those who live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
[Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Galatians 6:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8]
For Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, but not in status only, but in daily practice. For to be holy is to live different from the world because we are being conformed in mind, heart, and character to the mind, heart and character of Jesus Christ. And to be blameless is a gift from God but it also means that we are not walking in sin, that we are people of integrity who are living above reproach.
Now, again, this is not saying that we will never fail, but it does teach that this should be our walk. This is the life which Jesus Christ chose for us. He did not choose for us to just make a profession of faith in him and then for us to keep living in sin while we ignore the very reason that Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross which was to free us from our slavery to sin so that we will now walk in righteousness and holiness in the power of God, and so that we will no longer walk in sin in obedience to sin and not to God.
And to be predestined has to do with God establishing boundaries and limits for our lives. And I just learned that on biblehub.com at their interlinear when I looked up the word “predestined.” So this isn’t just about our Lord marking out beforehand what his will is for our lives, but it includes him setting limits and boundaries for us, which we can read about all throughout the New Testament. He pre-established his boundaries for our lives even before he created the world. Awesome!
And we became his children by genuine God-ordained and God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him in which we are crucified with him in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness (Romans 6:1-23). And all of this is according to God’s divine will and purpose for our lives, as his children, which is expressed for us all throughout the New Testament, that we should die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness.
And all of this is for the glory and praise of God and not for our own praise. And all of this is according to the divine will and purpose God has for our lives, and not according to our own purpose and will. For his grace, which is bringing us salvation, instructs (trains) us to renounce (say “No” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return (see Titus 2:11-14).
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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