“3 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, 4 even
as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:3-4 – ESV).
My nephew Lucas and his wife Jamie are missionaries to
Siberia. Yes . . . that Siberia! So on
those days when I am tempted to gripe about the New Jersey winter I am reminded
that an average winter day here is a warm spring day Sibera! Then again, I have another nephew Stephen and
his wife Beka who are missionaries to an unreached people group on a remote island
off the coast of Madagascar…. Can’t go there!
Lucas and Jamie’s son Samuel started first grade this
year in a Russian school. This was total
immersion for Samuel as English is not spoken in the school. When they registered him one of the teachers noticed
his name on the list, as Orner is clearly not a common Russian name, and went
out of her way to get him in her class.
Lucas and Jamie later found out that she is a Believer who had assumed
that because Samuel was American, his parents were also Believers. As a result Samuel is thriving. As I
watched the video update I was struck by the genuine joy that radiated from
Jamie as she told the story. Out of all
the students this teacher chose Samuel. It
was incredible answer to prayer!
Her words and enthusiasm give me glimpse into how the
apostle Paul might have felt as he wrote Ephesians 1:3-14. Take a moment and
read those words which are one long sentence in Greek.
"3 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, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory" (ESV).
Notice the passion and energy. In many ways it reminds me of young child
that is so excited about something they run all their words together. Commentator William Hendriksen compares these
verses to a “snowball tumbling down a hill, picking up volume as it descends”. Or as John Stott wrote, “The whole paragraph
is a paean of praise, a doxology, or indeed a ‘eulogy’” Paul’s enthusiasm is a
result of understanding that God has blessed His people beyond what we could
ever ask or imagine. Our whole being
wants to praise Him!
As Paul moves down through these verses he gushes a plethora
of spiritual blessings that God has poured out on his people in Christ. Over the coming weeks we will take a closer look
at these. Today I want to you to notice
that God chose His children in Christ in eternity past. Now I know that the words “chose,” “predestined,”
and “election” are fighting words for many and boastful words for others. Nevertheless, I encourage you push all that
aside and focus on what Paul is saying.
This is REALLY good news because those whom God choses, He blesses! Throughout Scripture we see clearly that God
chose Abraham, Moses, David and countless others. In fact the Israelites were God’s chosen
people.
Peter includes all believers in this group when he
writes, “But you are a chosen race, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may
proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light. Once
you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received
mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). That is good news . . . very good news!
The whole concept of election is tough and scholars
have debated if for years. William Hendriksen correctly notes that “Our
response should be adoration, not explanation”. With that in mind, if you take an honest look
at who you really are, not what you present to others, you will be forced to admit
that if you had been in Adam’s place in the garden you would have done the same
thing. Whether we like it or not Adam
was a representative for all humanity.
When Adam sinned every person on the earth sinned “in him” and have been
contaminated by that sin. Yet, Adam’s
sin is not the end of the story, as “from
the foundations of world” God had a far better plan where Christ would come
and do what Adam could not do living a perfect righteous life on behalf of His
children.[i] Jesus
perfectly obeyed the Father in thought, word and deed – He was blameless! So while we were “in Adam” we “were dead in trespasses
and sin” (Eph. 2:1), alienated from God and condemned. However “in Christ” we are declared holy and
blameless because of what he did for us.
That is great news!
Words cannot express the impact these truths have on
my heart. There is not a day of my life
that I don’t fight against God – All I do is struggle against Him! And I am one of His children! If it weren’t for God loving me before
eternity past, I would be dead in my sin.
I am keenly aware that even if I could have, I would not have chosen Him.
When I make that sober analysis of myself, I am simply astounded He loves me,
and am grateful because He will never ever let me go! “Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”!
The words of Robert Robinson well know hymn “Come,
Thou Fount” ring so true. From the 4th
stanza of his hymn read these words:
O to grace how great a debter
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heat to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord I feet it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Because we have been chose by God, we are secure in His love. Aren't these words simply amazing?
"35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35-39 - ESV).
I don't about you, but this makes want to go tell people about Jesus!!
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