Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:11. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

Ephesians 1:11

In him we are chosen, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will.

It is hard to know who the “him” and the “his” refer to in this verse. Right through the chapter the subject is God the Father.

In God we were chosen (“Predestined” in the NIV) according to God’s purpose.

We were chosen. At first glance this would suggest the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. According to this doctrine, only some are chosen out of the whole of humanity, and it was only for those chosen ones that Christ died. Those chosen ones were “predestined” – that is qualified for heaven- before time began.

But God is bigger and more gracious than that. Jesus died for the whole of the human race. “God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son.” (John 3:16) In that sense every person is “chosen”, but only those who receive Christ are in the Kingdom and share in eternal life.

We are chosen according to God’s purposes. He has a course for every person’s life, a path that He wants us to follow. That includes the saved and the unsaved alike.

We have all been created for the purpose of praising God and glorifying Him. The highest expression of that purpose is when we willingly and thankfully follow Christ, walking in the path of redemption and the process of becoming holy as God is holy.

Even those who are opposed to God’s purposes fulfil His purposes. Those who reject the way of Christ are still made in the image of God. Though reluctantly, they show the glory of God in the same way that the rocks and the stars sing praise to the Almighty.

At a deeper level, those of us who are saved and rejoice in Christ are a part of God’s purposes in redeeming creation. As we bear witness or testify to the power and glory of the gospel, more and more people are saved. The time will come when all people will be transformed by the Good News, and the mission work of the church will be completed.

It is hard to imagine what it would be like for the whole world to be under the Kingly reign of Christ, but that is God’s purpose for us.

God accomplishes all things in conformity to His will. God has purpose and will achieve it. He accomplishes all things. Nothing slips past Him as if it takes Him by surprise. “I never saw that coming” is not in His vocabulary.

He accomplishes all things. He always gets everything done that He intended. In that sense the broken world in which we live, with all its violence and sinfulness, is designed to achieve His purposes. Not that God is responsible for sin, but that He uses it.

We have to conclude that His purposes include raising a Kingdom of people who, though born in sin, raised in an environment of sin and constantly surrounded by sin, nevertheless still choose to follow Him and prefer righteousness.

Only humans, a breed of creatures who are both physical and spiritual, could achieve this. Only men and women can apprehend the glory of a God able to redeem them from sin. We are the chosen ones.

God accomplishes all things in conformity to His will. He has plan and purpose, and His deeds are directed by His purpose. This is Good News. It means that nothing is random or meaningless. God’s purpose is always present.

Evolutionists and cosmologists talk of random events- galaxies, mutations, big bangs and so on. Ascribing phenomena to randomness only indicates that we cannot see the whole picture. Our minds are too small to contain God’s purpose. This is especially true in science which consciously excludes God and is forced to insert randomness instead.

This is true of our lives. We see the idea of a random event and a random person as a way to explain this event and that person. Even the deepest tragedy is not random. It is not sent by God but it may be used by God in His purpose.

Key points in this verse:

• We are chosen by God
• We have a purpose- God’s purpose
• Nothing is random

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:10. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

Ephesians 1:10

… as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

The fulfilment of God’s plan is a unity of heaven and earth. In the previous verse we read of God’s will and God’s purpose. Now we read of God’s plan.

This world is not blindly evolving by chance and random mutation. The events of history are not meaningless. Our lives are not driven by fortune and misfortune.

God is behind all of these things. It does not matter whether you believe the world was made 6 thousand years ago or 6 billion years ago. It is God who made it and continues to shape it all for His purposes.

Political leaders may manipulate nations for their own aggrandisement, but they are on a leash that is held by the hand of the Lord.

If we feel that our personal life is out of control, we should remember that God is in control of all things.

He is working on a plan that began before time and involves a Kingdom of people who will worship God and serve Him to His glory.

It is not that we are like pawns pushed around on a chessboard. No, we have agency and will. We are accountable for what we do, but God weaves the will of countless millions of people into His plan.

This plan is a plan for the fullness of time. The word for time is kairos which means the appointed time. There is a time for planting and a time for reaping. These are appointed times.

Jesus was born at a kairos time and died at a kairos time

There is a time appointed by God for things to happen. The kairos times are the critical times, the moments of destiny.

And God has a time for the most appointed of all times, the fullness of kairos, the time of the end of this present age.

At that time the fulfilment, the climax, the end point of all of God’s plans will occur. This is the end point or destiny of everything, the whole purpose of the created order.

On that day (or time), all things will be united in Christ. The whole of creation will find its purpose in Christ.

This is a reversal of the Fall. When Adam and Eve sinned, one result was that creation became opposed, or at least resistant to people’s attempts to harmonise it. Until then Adam and Eve had a garden to tend, but after their sin everything was held back by thorns and thistles.

So on that day, all thing will again be united in Christ. The world will no longer threaten human beings.

As I write this the world is enthralled by a drama of 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a cave. The oncoming monsoon rains threaten to make their rescue more difficult. In Japan at the same time there are floods which have killed many people and destroyed whole towns. In Australia we are enduring a long drought.

In each of these situations, the natural order Is opposed to human well being. Even as we pray for relief, nature resists.

But in the fullness of time, this will no longer happen. People and the whole of the created order will be under the reign of Christ,

This raises the issue of judgement. It is Christ who will rule the re-created order. We will be united “in Christ.” Jesus assured us that even the rocks and stones will praise Him.

What of those who refuse to be “in Christ”? What of those who, because of their broken desires, have no wish to be united with “all things” in Christ?

They will not and cannot be a part of the unity of all things in Christ. There will be a Judgement where the sheep are separated from the goats and the weeds from the wheat. Those who exclude themselves from Christ in this age will be excluded from Him in the age to come.

Paul mentions two realms in particular that will once again be united- the heavens and the earth. The implications of this are hard to imagine

The heavenly realm is the place where God and His angels dwell. People are created to dwell in both the physical or earthly realm and the heavenly realm. We are body and spirit.

Sin blinds us to the reality of heaven. We know that God is there, even that He is in us after our conversion. We can conceive of the reality of heaven, but we can only see it through a very dark and distorted lens.

On the other hand, we see, feel, smell, hear and taste very clearly the physical environment- so much so that it often feels that it is the only part that matters.

At the moment, we perceive the spiritual reality by faith which is the confident trust in God. At the fulfilment of God’s plan, in the fullness of kairos time, all things in heaven and earth will be reunited. At last we will see God face to face and we will see all the spiritual realities as clearly as we now see the physical reality.

What a day that will be!

Key points in this verse:

• God has a plan and a purpose
• All things will be united n Christ
• This will happen in the fullness of God’s appointed time

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:9. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

Ephesians 1:9

“For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will , according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ.”

God has given us knowledge of His will and purpose in Christ.

Knowledge was important to the Greeks and to many in that culture. People still say to this day, “Knowledge is power.”

This applies not just to the human realm but also to the spiritual realm.

The early church faced multiple threats to its theology from groups collectively called Gnostics to whom knowledge was eternal life. There were many Gnostic sects which blended elements of various religious systems, but they had a common thread. The basic belief was that the physical world is evil and the heavens are pure, and we can only be redeemed by secret knowledge (gnosis) which allows us to ascend by a series of intermediaries of which Christ is just one. This knowledge is hidden from ordinary people (mystery), but this teacher or this group will lead you to knowledge and enlightenment.

Paul cuts down that line of thinking by saying God has made known to us these hidden mysteries and His plan and purpose in the person of Christ. We don’t need any more knowledge, wisdom or insight because Christ Himself is the revelation.

The mystery of God’s will is something that Paul writes about quite often. The word mystery means there is something that was in the past secret and unknowable about salvation, but this has now been revealed. The Jewish people had some understanding, but the revelation they had was not complete.

Now in Christ we have the full revelation, the unveiling of the mystery, the explanation of God’s purpose that was hidden for so long.

In Christ we have knowledge; the explanation and description of who God is and how we can be put right with Him.

There is no need for other knowledge, the Gnostic “knowledge”, because we have Christ to show us. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Whoever sees Him sees the Father. Whoever follows Jesus as Lord is granted entry into God’s Kingdom.

In Christ we have full wisdom. The Greeks pursued philosophy which is literally the love of wisdom. Wisdom would give them mastery of themselves and their destiny.

The problem with philosophy is that every team comes up with different answers. One team would say that you must deny the fleshly desires and live a frugal life. Another team would say that the best life is one in which we enjoy every good thing. Yet another team would say that wisdom comes when we learn to patiently endure all things in life whether good or bad.

Jesus’ message is all wisdom. “The Kingdom of God is here. Turn away from your sins and follow me.” This wisdom not only orders our earthly life, but guarantees eternal life to all who will follow Him.

In Christ we have true insight- the word here actually means a frame of reference. Christ sets all of our thinking right. He is the centre of our world-view. Since this is actually God’s perspective, that means that all of our thoughts about ourselves, about God, and about other people now line up with those of the Creator. We have a true world-view, a correct frame of reference, a clear lens through which to view the world around us.

In the past everything was “mystery”, hidden from us and unable to be discerned except through a lens that was distorted and out of focus. Now, in Christ, we see all things clearly.

All of this is according to God’s purpose set forth in Christ. There is a Kingdom that is world-wide in scope, bringing every person under its reign. Jews and Gentiles are to be united in their worship of the Lord and in their work for Him. One race swearing allegiance to Christ.

Christ’s purpose was not just to save some individuals, important as that is, but to bring all things in unity under Him, and then at the end to present it all to the Father.

Key points in this verse:

• God has given us all revelation in Christ.
• There is no need for secret knowledge to gain salvation
• Christ is all we need.
• There is a huge plan that is coming to fruition in Christ,

Ephesians 1:8

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:8. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

“that he lavished on us in all wisdom and understanding”

God has “lavished” His grace upon us. The word “lavish” always makes me think of a child pouring outrageous amounts of topping on her ice cream. It is generous, abundant, and over-indulgent.

God does not give us just enough grace to live this life and then scrape into heaven by the skin of our teeth. His grace is lavished upon us – abundantly, pressed down and running over.

God pours out His grace, which is His love, mercy and provision of supernatural ability. With God there is always more than enough.

The feast in heaven is a wedding feast, a celebration with an abundance of food, drink and dancing. There is joy in God’s Kingdom because God lavishes His grace.

No holding back! It is all full on with God’s grace.

The awesome power of the world’s great waterfalls illustrate this. The water at Niagara Falls in America or Victoria Falls in Africa goes on for ever. It is limitless in its volume, and it falls with power over the edge of a mountain.

My local equivalent is called “Dripping Rock” where water flows after rain, and even in drought there is still a drip of water.

We often think of God’s grace as like Dripping Rock- a scarce quantity doled out to those who are good. But God’s grace is Niagara, where you get a good soaking even if you don’t deserve it because that is the nature of grace.

This grace is lavished in all wisdom and understanding. It is not a foolish act, although it may seem so.

God loves all people, even those who are set against Him. He wants them to be reconciled to Him so He pours Himself- His grace, love and mercy- into them. He knows that if we can only see His heart of love, some will turn to Him. That is not an expense it is an investment.

We were once alienated from God by our guilt and fear of judgement. He sent Jesus to pay the price of our sins and to declare an amnesty. Our sins are forgiven. Now we can come to Him not as Judge but as Father.

Who would have thought of such a plan but God who is Wisdom? He gave us a way back to Him, a plan for salvation, a way of reconciliation.

Wisdom is the ability to find the best way in life’s decisions. Whenever we make choices, we choose between options which either build us and others up or else pull others and ourselves down. Wisdom allows us to see consequences of choices, and to prefer the best for others as well as ourselves.

Understanding is the ability to take hold of information and see why. There is a difference between a child who memorises a series of movements and one who dances. There is a difference between a person who memorises a mathematical proof and one who sees why it is important.

The Lord lavishes grace upon us with wisdom and understanding. He sees the thirst in our souls for Him, and He gives Himself to us.

Key points from this verse:

• There is no limit to God’s grace
• God holds nothing back from us
• God lavishes His grace with wisdom and understanding

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:7. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

Ephesians 1:7

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

In Christ we have redemption. Paul could have written “through Christ”, but he uses the word “in”. We have to be “in Christ,” that is taken into His being, His person. We cannot stand back and let Christ do it at a distance, an agent, so to speak, of redemption. No, it is in Christ that we have redemption, in relationship with Him, close up and personal, sharing in His suffering and glory.

In Him we have redemption. The New Testament uses many words or analogies to illustrate or describe the atonement.

The word “redemption” in Greek means to be set free after payment. It was used to describe the setting free of slaves and the release of captives.

We were slaves to sin, but Christ redeemed us. We are no longer slaves to sin or to the devil. As Paul writes elsewhere, “you are no longer under obligation to sin.”

Before we came to Christ our entire existence was bound up in our sinful nature. We were born in sin, we lived in sin, and we would die in sin. People talk about free will as if doing good is an option. We were slaves to sin with no free will at all. Our programming always defaults to sin.

Because of our slavery to sin we were also slaves to satan. We could not please God through our own abilities, so were always serving satan. The brilliance of satan’s plan for humanity is that he has to do nothing, and we still do his bidding. He wins by default, or at least that was his plan.

But Jesus came and paid the ransom to set us free. We should not think that Jesus paid anything to satan or anyone else. This is only an analogy and it breaks down when we push the details too far.

So now those who are in Christ have been liberated, set free, released from captivity. Like the inmates of a concentration camp, the liberation army has come and set us free from a harsh regime whose only aim is to multiply suffering and death.

We were redeemed through Christ’s blood. That is the “ransom” or the slave price. The perfect blood of the sinless Son of God was poured out to redeem all who will receive His freedom.

In the Old Testament one blood sacrifice redeemed one sin for one sinner. Every sin had a price- a sheep, a calf, a dove. The price for sin was the blood of an animal.

The price for all sins is the blood, not of an animal, but of the Son of God Himself. God incarnate, in the flesh, is sacrificed as the perfect Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

There is no limit to the effectiveness of this blood, because it is of ultimate worth. This blood is worth the ransom of every sinner who has ever lived.

This redemption is the forgiveness of our sins. Our names have been taken from the Book of Death and transferred to the Book of Life. We have been reclassified as “not guilty” by God the Father. He sees that we are “in Christ”, that our sins have been covered over by the blood of Jesus, and He sees us as untainted by sin.

Forgiveness has two dimensions to it.

The first is a legal status. We have been found guilty of breaking the law. We are criminals in God’s eyes. But, on the basis of Christ’s death, the shedding of blood, we receive a full pardon. This is a declaration that we are not guilty. It is not that we have served our time and paid a price, and therefore earned our freedom. It is because the King sees fit to declare that we are not guilty and our sin is overlooked.

The second dimension of forgiveness is the relational side. God loves us so much that when we turn back to Him and receive His grace, He forgives us out of His love. The whole project of salvation is not a legal manoeuvre to get people out of trouble. Salvation is God’s love on display.

It pained God to see us so alienated, separated and distant from Him. He was determined to bridge the gap and bring us back into friendship with Him.

Forgiveness is about restoring a broken relationship. When we forgive someone, we choose to let go of the offence that we have suffered for the sake of a person we love. We might feel justified in feeling hurt, but we choose to release the offence and relieve the person of the burden of guilt.

Forgiveness is always an act of grace. It originates in the heart of the forgiver and demands no reparation or penalty.

We cannot force the person we have offended to forgive us. No plea, no payment, no promise is by itself sufficient. If the person we have offended is not willing to forgive then forgiveness will not happen.

Forgiveness is the price we are willing to pay to those who have hurt us. It is a reverse ransom in a way.

So God’s grace is shown by the fact that He is willing to forgive and has demonstrated that in giving up His own Son fir us.

Key points from this verse:

• We have been redeemed in Christ
• We were slaves to sin, but have been set free
• Forgiveness is both a legal and a relational term
• God’s longing for relationship with His people is so huge that He gave His one and only Son for our sake.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:6. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

Ephesians 1:6

“.. to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

God’s grace is praiseworthy.

We can praise God’s grace because it is part of His personality or nature. This grace has redeemed us and set us free from sin and death. This grace grants us eternal life, vanquishing the power of sin and raising a whole race of humanity to be sons and daughter of God.

We were once far off but God’s grace has overcome the chasm that separated us from Him. It is grace that adopts us into the divine family granting us an inheritance fay beyond our wildest dreams.

God’s grace is glorious.

Glory is one of those terms that is hard to pin down.

Sports teams and individuals are said to win glory when they achieve a great victory. The sporting prowess or athleticism causes spectators to stand in awe of their ability.

Glory can be won on a battle field when the extreme stresses of being under fire or in other imminent danger bring out super-human courage or gallantry. If the favoured side wins the victory then that helps, but it isn’t necessary to be the victor. We can be awed at the ability of people to sacrifice themselves to save others or to be seemingly oblivious of bombs and bullets.

The glory of a monarch may be seen in ceremonial occasions where wealth, grand institutions and traditions captivate the dreams and aspirations of a culture.

In all of these cases, glory is seen in the awe that human endeavours inspire in the hearts of other people.

God’s glory is of a different magnitude. The glorious grace of God is glorious regardless of our response. God’s grace is glorious even if nobody accepts it. His glory flows from His nature.

We are right to be awed by God’s grace. Our awe is not necessary for it to be considered to be glorious.

God’s grace is freely bestowed.

He pours it out on us freely. Grace would not be grace if it came at a price. God’s grace is free of cost, but He bestows it liberally, overwhelmingly, pressed down and running over.

God’s grace is like a mighty waterfall such as Niagara or Victoria Falls. Enormous quantities of water flow over these falls every second. You can’t see where the water comes from. You can’t imagine how much water is contained there.

God’s grace is like that. It is as liberal as the greatest waterfall. It is bestowed whether we receive it or not. God is not moved by our reaction; He will overflow us with grace regardless.

So the sun shines on the just and the unjust alike, and the rain waters the fields of the godly farmer as much as the ungodly farmer. To the atheist raging against Him or the artist who mocks Him, God gives air to breathe, food to eat and water to drink.

This unstoppable river of praiseworthy and glorious grace is poured out in us “in the Beloved.”

It is Christ who releases and bestows this grace into us. The sacrifice on the cross releases grace to the world. Because Christ is beloved by the Father, God is pleased to pour this liberal overflowing stream of grace to the planet.

Although the grace is bestowed to us “in the Beloved”, we don’t have to be in the Beloved to receive it. Jesus’ death is available to every person, but only some will receive the promise of eternity. He died for all so that some will receive life.

He doesn’t stop loving or bestowing grace on those who reject Him. He is determined to love even if we don’t recognise His love. His grace is greater than our rejection of it.

The grace that is bestowed on everyone will eventually stop for those who are not “in the Beloved.” Judgement awaits those who refuse His grace. The waterfall will turn off, the flow dry up, and those who reject Him will be asked “Why?”

Often we think of grace as pertaining to salvation. But it has a far wider application than that. It speaks of all blessings that God gives to people.

John Wimber used to speak of “gracelets,” the little blessings or signs of God’s presence and love which encourage us to keep on going, to persevere through trials, or just to give us joy in a surprising experience. It might be a dream or a vision, an unexpected gift, a rainbow, a rush of faith to trust Him.

Grace can also relate to supernatural ability to serve God’s purposes. This might be in the form of the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12. In fac the word of gift in Greek is derived from the word for grace. It might also be the ability to fulfil a spiritual commitment that would normally be impossible for us, yet we find though constant prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit that we find a grace for this task.

Key points from this verse:

• God’s grace is worthy of our praise
• God’s grace is glorious and inspires awe in our heart
• God’s grace is freely bestowed
• God’s grace brings limitless blessing

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:5. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

Ephesians 1:5

“He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.”

God’s adoption of us, His plan of salvation had nothing to do with chance. It was not in any sense a “Plan B” or a backup in case things went wrong. God knew from before creation that Adam and Eve, and all humanity with them, would sin and need salvation.

Paul says that God “destined us” “according to the purpose of his will”. This was all planned and accounted for- sin, suffering, death, sacrifices, Temple, Jesus, redemption, eternity.

When people, cultures and demons fight against God, raging with all their puny power, God already has that in hand. He has foreseen it and factored it all into His plan.

God has destined us. We are like pots in the hands of a potter. He determines the use that He has for us. Some of us are destined to what the world deems to be success, whole others are destined to a success seen only in eternity.

He has destined us to be sons, or into sonship. This is God’s great plan- to raise a family of sons and daughters tied to Him through the new birth. When we are born again, it is to a spiritual life. We come alive in ours spirits, and the spirit of sonship is born in us. This is the Holy Spirit who enables us to call God “Abba Father.”

Sonship is about three things:

– Relationship. We are called (or destined) to live in humble relationship with the Father. God does not want mere servants or slaves who obey Him from duty or fear. He wants sons who love Him.

– Family. Those who are in God’s family, the elect, all have one Father. Therefore we are related to one another and must love and respect one another.. Those who fail to love the brethren show they are nor truly sons of God.

– Inheritance. To be a son means that we have an inheritance. In Romans 8:17, Paul says that we are heirs of the Father and co-heirs with Christ. Everything that is the Father’s He willingly gives with us, if not in this life then in the life to come.

This sonship is our destiny. We were made for this! This is not our achievement, but the gift of the Father to us in Christ.

This is something we must always bear in mind. Everything we have, every blessing that we enjoy, every privilege that comes from being in God’s family, comes only as a gift from the Father. It comes to us through the death and resurrection of the Son, Jesus Christ,

We don’t deserve this favour. We aren’t clever enough to work this out for ourselves. It is all gift, purchased for us through the sacrifice of Christ.

God is not a remote being, playing us like pawns on some cosmic chessboard. He loves us. When He acts in our lives, it is love that motivates Him.

He loves us with a passionate intensity that holds nothing back. He has given us His Son; will He not give us all things?

In that sense the earlier analogy of a potter moulding his pots is inadequate. Nobody loves a pot. A father loves his children and wants the best for them. The moulding of our lives is done in love for us so that in Christ we may reach our highest destiny.

He loved us when He planned us. He loved us when we were conceived and then born. He loves us as we mature and grow in sonship to Him.

He grieves over sin and its destruction of life and distraction from destiny. Sin smashes the relationship between son and Father. It damages the image of God in those whom it hurts. It ensnare us and keeps us from our true calling as sons and daughters of the King.

For this reason, God will destroy sin and judge all who refuse to repent. He will cast out those who refuse His invitation to Sonship. This is all in love (agape)- love for us and love for His creation.

God does nothing in the absence of love. God is love. Even judgement is done in love. Those who love sin more than they love God will be judged to be beyond God’s love and therefore beyond God’s kingdom.

God is making a family “according to the purpose of His will.” He wants a family of sons and daughters who recognise His love and respond to it, even in the context of a sinful and broken world which both reflect and hides His love.

The purpose of our life is to discover the love of God. Why am I here? To love God and to enjoy His fellowship.

His will is that we should love Him. To make sure that our love is genuine and not forced or coerced, He gave us the freedom to will and to do what we like. Human will is the precondition for human love. To love like God loves, we must have the capacity to not love. God’s love for us gives us the capability of rejection of His love, that is, sin.

The purpose of God’s will is to bring into being a family of sons and daughters who freely love Him in the same way that He has first loved us.

Key points from this verse:

• God destined us to be His sons and daughters.
• Sonship is about relationship, family and inheritance
• sonship is destiny but not compulsory We can choose to reject His plan for us
• it is all about God’s love

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:4. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

Ephesians 1:4

“… even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

This runs on from the previous sentence: God has blessed us with very spiritual blessing in heavenly places even as he chose us …”

Again there is this verbal linking of the blessings of heaven with the world. It is vital that we do not put too much emphasis in our thinking on the separation of earth from heaven. Both are a part of God’s good creation.

There is a tendency in some religious circles to follow the error of the Gnostics, a religious cult that goes back to the time of Jesus. The Gnostics were a broad group of people who basically believed that there is a huge gap between heaven and earth and people are kept in bondage on the earth until they have the knowledge (Greek, gnosis) to allow their spirits to conquer the flesh. In their thinking everything that belonged to the spiritual was good while everything related to physical things was evil.

God made the world and declared that it was good. God made people and declared them to be “very good.” It is sin that separate us from God and disfigures the creation.

So God chose us before the foundation of the world to be a part of the redeemed, liberated kingdom.

“God chose us.”

There is a paradox at work and we must tread carefully lest we fall into error.

What does this mean? In what way did God choose us before the foundation of the world? Why did He choose some but not others? What part does my choice play in this?

So many questions in three words!

Some people from the Reformed, Presbyterian or Calvinist churches say that God’s choice is absolute. They stress the sovereignty of God. They would say God chose us and He did not choose others. They argue that Jesus only died for those He had chosen to save. Some go as far as to say that he predestined some to salvation and others he predestined to hell – this is an extreme Calvinist view.

This does not do justice to our freedom to act as choosing people. God created us with a capacity for love and that must give us the ability to choose not to love.

Our salvation requires two choices- God’s choosing of me and my choosing to respond to His love.

John 3:16 reminds us that God so loved the world- all people. His choice, His desire is that all people should be saved. Not everyone chooses to accept salvation; they reject His choice of them.

God chose us, but not in an exclusive way that says He didn’t choose others.

God knew before He created the world- before the foundation of the world, before the first day of creation- He knew us already and He chose us for His own.

Everything that has happened in my life worked to bring me to the place where I said “Yes” to Him.

God chose us “in Him.” The “him” is Christ (otherwise it would be “in himself”). The NLT helpfully adds this.

We are chosen in Christ. It was the will of the Father and the Son that we are chosen to eternal life. There is a determination of purpose and identity in that phrase. I am “in Christ”. My destiny is assured from the beginning “in Christ.” My assurance is that God chose me in Christ.

Before He created the world, God chose us. His plan was always to have a kingdom of people who would freely choose to love and serve Him. The devil has tried to thwart this kingdom, but God’s purposes prevail. Even temptation and testing provide opportunities for God’s grace to bring us closer to Him and for His choice of us to be vindicated.

We were chosen, a part of God’s master plan, His redeeming work. People may ask “Why did God let this thing happen?”, but His answer is always “I chose you for my own. Even this thing is a part of my eternal purpose for you.”

Before the so-called “Big Bang”, God was at work in my past. Geologists think they are clever to think in millions of years, but with God it is eternity to eternity- eternity before time and eternity beyond time.

We are chosen to be holy and blameless before Him.

Holy- I am set apart for God’s purpose. Before the world began Jesus chose me to be holy. This purpose of being called to serve God is more than a life-long journey. It started in eternity past and will be completed in eternity future. I am called to be a saint. A servant of God and that calling is an eternal calling.

Blameless- (in Greek amomos). We were chosen in order to be blameless- without charge or stain. We don’t force ourselves to be holy and blameless in order to be chosen. God has chosen us in order to make us that way.

It is not that God has in Christ chosen just to forgive us. He is making us blameless. There is an investigation going on. Satan is a prosecutor digging up our past, trying to trap us into sinning more. A case will be presented but God has already determined that we will be blameless. The evidence against us will be destroyed or ruled as inadmissible and the charges will be withdrawn. No case to answer.

Why? We are “in Christ” and therefore all accusations and judgements against us are nullified by His blood.

We shall be (and already are) holy and blameless before Him.

We dwell in the presence of God the Father. We stand before Him already. Having received life in Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and we are “before the Father.”

The judgement is already made in eternity that we are blameless. So we stand before God forgiven and restored. We are in the same existential state as Adam and Eve before they sinned.

Yes we will continue to sin, but we have been declared blameless. Yes we will fall short of the glory intended for us, but we continue to dwell in the presence of God Almighty.

So our life consists of becoming what God says we already are.- holy and blameless. We have been chosen to become the holy and blameless people He has called into existence.

Key points from this verse:

• God chose me before time began
• God chose me, but I also chose Him.
• I have a destiny and a purpose- to become holy and blameless in the presence of God.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:3. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.

Ephesians 1:3

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

“Blessed” (literally “well said of”) could be thought of being similar to praise. “Praise be to God…” We bless God in praising Him, and He blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! He has blessed us with every blessing!

We have so much to praise God for. Every day is a blessing, but every day for eternity is like infinite blessing, bigger than we can count,in the presence of God. The blessings are infinite in number and infinite in size and intensity. This life is just the beginning and the blessings we enjoy now are just the shadow of the blessings in eternity.

Paul starts by blessing us with grace and peace but then turns his attention to blessing God.

To praise God, or to bless Him, does not impart anything to Him as such. But it does add to His glory. People from every tribe and nation are praising God, and every one of these people, every single act of praise, is a testimony to God’s love and mercy. Everyone of these is a light that adds to the unspeakably bright light that shines from His throne.

The testimony is a testimony to the world and to the cosmic system that is held in bondage by satan.

Every time we bless God or praise Him, we are saying to satan, “You are wrong! We will not side with you any more, for God has saved us through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

The world watches as we worship and it trembles- either in fear or conviction. So our praise or “blessing” of God is an impartation of glory to the Father. When we do it well, people are moved to join in praise and to repent of their sins.

God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the highest heaven.

We cannot add anything to God, we cannot impart anything to Him through words or actions because He is self-sufficient. He doesn’t need anything from us. We can only impart glory to Him through our blessing of Him.

God has imparted to us every blessing, that is every spiritual blessing. God has already given to us every blessing. Our response to bless Him is a response to what He has first done in us. God initiates the blessing and we respond by blessing Him.

When we think of blessings, our first thought often is of physical blessings. We see evidence of God’s blessing in our everyday life, and we think that we are blessed. This might be a financial blessing, a healing or a family reconciliation.

These things are important, but they are like an iceberg. We see the tip and praise God for the eruption of a spiritual blessing into the physical realm. Like the iceberg, there is so much beneath the surface that we cannot see with our physical senses or appreciate with our cognitive (thinking) abilities.

These are spiritual blessings and they must be apprehended by the spirit- not the flesh or the soul. Our spirit is the part of our nature that was activated, “born again”, when we were saved. It is the faculty that relates directly to the Holy Spirit.

He has given us every spiritual blessing. The thing about the Father that many people never seem to understand is that He is a generous Father. He is not miserly nor mean-spirited. He is the God of abundance. The name El-Shaddai often translated as “God of hosts” can also mean “God 0of breasts”- He has much food to give to those who draw close to Him.

God has held nothing back from His people.

What are the spiritual blessings He has given us?

They can by summarised in one word- Himself. Every spiritual blessing comes from the Father of Lights, James tells us. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit- one God in three “persons”- has poured Himself into us. The self-giving of God manifests as numerous spiritual blessings.

• Salvation- we are written into the Book of Life
• New birth- our spirit is activated or “born again” so that we can have fellowship with God.
• Baptism in the Holy Spirit- a prayer language in which we speak to God spirit to Spirit is given to us
• Supernatural grace including the gifts of the Holy Spirit
• A new name is given to us, known only to God. This speaks of the intimate relationship in which we call God “Abba, Father”
• Sanctification- the process where we shed off our sinful nature and are transformed “from glory to glory” by the Holy Spirit.
• Dominion over angels and all created things
• And many more

These spiritual blessings are primarily in the heavenlies, although they do some times manifest in the present physical world. We get a glimpse now, but one day we shall see them clearly.

To walk in these blessings we have to direct our attention to the heavenly realm. It is no good being totally focused on the earthly realm because only 1% of the blessing is here.

This is not about becoming “too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use”- which is a mocking, satanic curse designed to discourage believers from being disciples. We focus on heaven to be effective on earth. We want the blessing of the “highest heaven” (epouraniois) so that we can know the will and dominion of the Father and bring it to earth.

Prayer is the process of bringing the issues and situation we see on earth and laying them at the Father’s feet so that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

A word about heaven. In Jewish thought there were three heavens. The first heaven consists of the sky and the atmosphere, which is an extension of the earth, and still practically under the domain of satan, the prince of the air. The second heaven is the starry sky, the celestial realm, the physical universe which is beyond the earth but influences it. Then there is the third heaven or the highest heaven which Paul was taken up to (1 Corinthians 12:2). this is the realm of the presence of God.

In this verse, Paul uses ( epouraniois) the upper haven which is the third heaven where God’s presence is central.

Key points from this verse:

• We bless God in our praise and worship
• He blesses us, He has blessed us already, with every spiritual blessings
• Because these blessings are “spiritual blessings” and are in the heavenly places, we need to focus our attention there.

Ephesians 1:1-2

I start this journey with trepidation and anxiety. I find myself fluffing around for the right pen and the right Bible- even though the Lord sad very clearly to me that this does not matter. I need to get this right and I am afraid of falling short. “Forgive me Father for my lack of trust in you.”

1:1

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”

What an awesome title that is, a testimony of a life transformed by the grace of God. Paul used to be Saul; the persecutor is now an apostle.

An apostle is someone who has trans-local authority. Unlike a pastor, his authority extends over many regions, many congregations. In the Old Testament such a person would have been called a “Man of God.”

The authority of an apostle is not determined by the appointment of the church or a denomination. This is a charisma, a gift of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:11, Paul talks about the five-fold ministry gifts, that is people– apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers– who are themselves a gift to the church for the equipping of the saints.

Not all who are appointed to a position in the church are done so by God. Not every person called an apostle or pastor is there by the will of God.

Paul is an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. It is God who called him to faith. It is God who saved him. It is God who gave him the authority and the desire to be an apostle.

Paul is an apostle of Christ Jesus- an apostle of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. An apostle in the secular sense was a representative of Rome carrying military and governmental authority.

This apostle carried the authority of Christ. All true ministers of Christ carry this authority in their realm of ministry. Paul carried the governmental authority, not of Rome, but of the kingdom of God. This is a seemingly weak and puny kingdom, yet it carries all the power and might of God the Creator of all things, and of His Son our Redeemer.

“To the saints who are the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Some manuscripts have “To the saints in Ephesus”, but that may or may not have been added later. Paul was writing immediately to Ephesus, but he was also writing to all the saints everywhere,

A “saint” is a holy one, and Paul uses it to refer to all the believers. To be holy is to be set part for God’s purposes.

A christian is someone who has made Jesus the Lord, or Ruler, of his or her life. I am not my own any more for I have been set apart for God’s use.

Here is a mystery. God takes these broken, soiled, totally contaminated human beings and He sets them apart for His purposes.

We talk glibly about “giving your heart or your life to Jesus,” making it just a prayer and a hope for a better life. But from God’s side it is a change of use from common or earthly use to “holy, holy, holy” use.

We have our will and the capacity to sin, but God calls us holy.

We are the “faithful in Christ Jesus”. The “saints” are those who refuse to let go of Christ, despite set backs, suffering, persecution or disappointments. We are faithful to the end, because He is faithful to the end.

The apostle Paul who is an “apostle of Christ Jesus” speaks to those who are “faithful in Christ Jesus. To understand Paul, and indeed the whole of the Scriptures, we have to be “in Christ Jesus.” You can understand the words and gain knowledge without Jesus, but to get the full meaning, the great sense of Scriptures, we have to be “in Christ Jesus.”

What does It mean to be in Christ Jesus

• you must be born again first of all
• you must be faithful to Him, walking in His ways as far as possible
• you must pursue intimacy with Him, going deeper, deeper into His presence.

1:2

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul bestows grace and peace. This is a blessing or an impartation of grace and peace. He doesn’t pray for peace and grace, He imparts them. The speaking of the word of blessing conveys the blessing. In Biblical culture “sending love and prayers” is a reality. To speak a blessing or a curse carries the power of blessing or curing through the words that are spoken.

When we are “in Christ Jesus” we can bestow grace and peace upon our brethren.

The word for grace is charis in Greek, meaning the gift of the Holy Spirit. Grace brings us to salvation and grace equips us for the journey of faith. The power gifts or “charismata” are given to enable us to serve Christ in our daily walk. We need this grace to stand firm, to remain faithful to Christ. We learn to depend on Holy Spirit rather than human wisdom, and then grace multiplies in us and out to other people.

Peace is eirene in Greek or shalom in Hebrew. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It transforms the soul in the knowledge that God is with us (Emmanuel) and so we have nothing to fear. This peace enables us to sleep in the boat as it battles through the storm. We relax in the face of adversity knowing that we are in His hands, the place of perfect safety.

So Paul blesses us with this grace and peace, imparting both gift and fruit, power and character, to equip us for every good deed in Christ.

Key points from these verses

• We need to be in Christ Jesus
• We need to receive grace and peace daily
• We need to pursue intimacy with God