II. CHOSEN OF THE FATHER TO BE BLESSED IN THE SON
Ephesians 1:4-7
A. The Father Has Chosen Us According To His Good Pleasure
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: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will... v. 4, 5
Two of the most controversial words are dealt with this the text that we are now looking at – two words which have separated believers for centuries into separate schools of thought and theology: Chosen and Predestinated and it is with these two words that I want to focus. It will not be my aim to persuade you to one side or the other with how God chooses or with how God predestinates, however, this passage does present both concepts and so both will be handled.
The two schools of thought that are most predominate in Christian history is that of Calvinism and Arminianism. Briefly put (as my intention is not to focus on the different systems that surround God’s choosing and predestination), those who hold to Calvinism in part hold to the thought that God must first choose mankind before mankind will choose Him and that sin has so deeply permeated the heart of man that he will not choose God unless He first chooses man and authors the faith that is needed to believe. To the Calvinist, faith itself is a gift from God. Further teachings of irresistible grace, limited atonement, perseverance of the saints, and others distinguish Calvinists from other schools of theology.
The Arminian school of theology teach that one can be saved of his own free will, and at the same time one can choose to forsake God and lose his salvation; that Christ died for all mankind and not just the chosen (universal redemption as opposed to limited atonement), and that whosoever will can be saved and that man alone has to make the decision before God will save him, God does not choose him before man chooses to God.
There is an element of truth in both schools of theology, however, either one taken to its extreme will lead the student of the theology away from clear teachings in God’s word. We see in Ephesians 1:4, 5 that God definitely chooses and that God definitely predestinates – however, we see from other parts of Scripture that man is held responsible for choosing or rejecting Jesus (John 3:18; 36). The repeated example of the apostle Paul presenting the gospel to the lost even to the point of death indicates that whatever our view of God’s choosing and of His predestination (for Paul is one of the primary sources in Scripture from which we receive our instruction on these matters), whatever our view, if it prevents us from sharing the gospel and imploring the lost to salvation, we have a flawed view.
There is a balance between the two schools of theology, where that balance lies… is for another time.
So, as impartially as possible (I am not going to tell you where I land on the issue of God’s election [another term for God’s choosing] or predestination), I hope to share with you the beautiful truths that are found in these two verses – there is comfort and amazing grace to be found in Ephesians 1:4, 5 that we ought not to miss regardless which side of the aisle we stand.
First, a look at the Greek…
1. Chosen
He hath chosen is one Greek word, exelexato, which comes from two Greek words Ek which means “From” and Lego which is “call” – to call or to pick out for oneself an object. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, this type of choosing is more than just a choice of indifference towards what is chosen, as what might be done at a grocery store when you choose a loaf of bread off the shelf from five other identical loafs – if someone were to take the one that you had chosen, it would be little pain to take another loaf and forget the one that you had had originally chosen. Exelexato is a little more intimate in nature:
To pick out, select, means, in the Middle Voice, to choose for oneself, not necessarily implying the rejection of what is not chosen, but choosing with the [motivation] of kindness or favor or love (Mk 13:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 6:70; Jms 2:5) Vines
God’s choosing here, according to Vines, is not one of indifference, as though he would be ok with the loss of what He had chosen as long as He had a replacement available – no, His choice is one motivated by love and affection for the object that was chosen, namely, us who believe.
When I was married I decided to take a trip to Minnesota for my honeymoon and had the choice of taking only one person with me. I could have chosen my best friend who was my best man at my wedding (whom I have known much longer than I’ve known my wife), and we would have had a great time! There were a number of friends that I could have taken with me – but out of all of them I chose my wife to go with me. I chose her because out of all of those who were there, I loved her most and wanted most for her to be with me on our honeymoon.
This is not to say that I despised those whom I did not choose – it had nothing to do with how I felt towards them but everything to do with how much I loved my wife. This word is also used in Luke 6:13 where it says, And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles… Did he not choose the others to be his disciples who had followed him because He despised or hated them? No! It has nothing to do with hatred towards those whom He did not choose, but it was an affectionate choosing of those whom He did.
So when we read in Ephesians 1:4 that God has chosen us, understand it not as a choosing that was done indifferently, nor does it necessarily imply that God does not love the rest of the world which was not chosen (His love is seen in John 3:16) – however, those who are chosen are chosen in love.
2. Predestination
The next word that we see here is the word Predestinated which in the Greek is proorisas, which comes from the two Greek words Pro, which means “before” and Horizo which is translated as “Determined” – determined beforehand. Vines states:
This verb is to be distinguished from proginosko, to foreknow; the latter has special reference to the persons foreknown by God; proorizo has special reference to that to which the subjects of His foreknowledge are predestinated. See Determined (Horizo) (Lk 22:22 [horizo, root form of proorisas); Acts 4:28) Vines
One of the most significant places that this word is used in the New Testament is found in Acts 4: 27, 28, For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. God had an active part in the gathering together of Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel against Jesus Christ to do what God Himself had determined before hand to be done. This is the same Greek word used in Ephesians 1:5.
As Vines states, though predestination may involve the foreknowledge of God, it is to be distinguished from the foreknowledge of God. Foreknowledge (proginosko in the Greek) is the truth that God knows all things before they happen – when it comes to predestination, God determining beforehand what should be done – and what God predetermines, He accomplishes.
Brothers and sisters, take great encouragement in that God has chosen you! In love before the foundation of the world, before the world was ever created, God the Father chose you specifically and individually for Himself! God will accept no replacement for those whom He has chosen and no one will take us out of His hands (John 10:28)! His seal is set upon us through the Holy Spirit and it shall not be removed. You were not chosen randomly like one might choose a lottery ticket – He specifically and affectionately chose you for Himself. What manner of love this is!
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.1 John 3:1
3. Chosen to the end of Holiness as Children of God
We are chosen to be Holy before God and without blame! Through God’s love we are chosen to stand before Him in holiness and without blame. Paul writes: According as He hath chosen us in Him – a phrase that we have seen over and over again and one that we will continue to see throughout Ephesians, we are chosen in Christ. As we will see as we continue on, it is because of the work of Christ that we are able to be chosen – God could never choose us based upon our own merits and remain a Holy and Just God, His Holiness requires that all sin be judged and separated from Him forever. It is by means of the righteousness of Christ that we experience any of the blessings before mentioned in Ephesians and hereafter.
More than this, we are predestinated by God to be the children of God. Allow me to safely write it this way, whether you believe that it is that we choose to believe in God and because of that choice we are made His children, or if you believe that God has chosen and predestinated us to be His children and because of this we believe in Him – suffice it to say that those who believe in God the Son, Jesus, as their savior from the penalty of sin, are those who are chosen by God to be His children. The angels who worship God in heaven are holy and blameless, along with all the other host of heaven (seraphim, cherubim, arch-angels, etc.), but to which of them has God bestowed the right to become the sons of God (John 1:12)?
Consider what Spurgeon wrote:
Sonship with God is a dignity unspeakable, and yet it is reserved for such poor dust and ashes as we are: what shall we say concerning this? Are we not swallowed up with adoring gratitude? Unto which of the angels hath he said at any time, "Thou art my son"? but this hath been said to us; and we are thus favored above all creatures that the Lord God has made. Boundless blessings are included in sonship: it is no light thing to be a child of the Lord of Hosts, the Prince of the kings of the earth. "If a son, then an heir of God through Christ." This opens up before us far-reaching views of present covenant provision, and of future infinite bliss. To be, indeed, born into the family of God is a dignity to which the descent of an imperial prince bears no more comparison than a spark in the tinder to the sun in the heavens.Heaven’s Nurse Children, C.H. Spurgeon, Sermon 1021, At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington
Brothers and sisters – let us not miss the blessed truth of the Word of God found in this passage as we debate away about which side of the argument is most biblical. Consider it a wonder that God has chosen us, who were sinners, enemies of God, separated from Him and on our way to an eternity apart from Him, and God through His Son chose us to be made holy and blameless before Him, to be made the children of God!
Have you ever considered why God chose us? What motivated God to love us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us – to suffer the unimaginable agony of the cross at Calvary? I believe that the answer is found at the end of verse 5 – namely that there is no explanation except to say that it is according to the good pleasure of His will, it pleased the Father to love us and to exercise such amazing grace towards through Jesus Christ His Son.
B. The Father Has Made Us Accepted Through Christ
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace… v. 5-7
There is nothing that we could have done to merit so great a salvation that we should be saved from the penalty of our sins, which is death (eternal separation from God in the lake of fire [Rev. 20:13-15]). Indeed, God’s choosing and predestination of us to being holy and blameless children of God is all to the glory of God’s grace alone – nothing that we have done could warrant an escape from God’s wrath, for as the scriptures say, even our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
Every society has a standard of what is acceptable to them. What is acceptable in the jungles of Africa as far as dress and conduct is hardly acceptable in American society and vice versa. The same is with God, only His standard of what is acceptable to Him extends far beyond dress and conduct – His standard for what is acceptable to Him is perfect righteousness in every aspect of our lives and who we are.
Without holiness we cannot see God (Hebrews 12:14) and yet we have no holiness of our own! How is it that we could ever hope to be acceptable to God? It is through the Beloved, Jesus Christ. Christ who knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is accomplished through the blood of Christ by which we have forgiveness of sin – according to the riches of His grace. The holiness by which we are made acceptable through Christ is not a process by which we must attain it before we are finally acceptable to God – if this were so, those who die before they attain the holiness required by God (perfect righteousness) are lost forever in their sins! We are now, past tense and ongoing accepted in the beloved Son of God, Jesus Christ so that we know with absolute certainty that we will stand before Him holy and without blame in Christ.
When we should be judged, we are loved; when we were enemies of God, He chose us to be His children through Christ – indeed, how rich is the grace of God that we should be made the children of God, holy and blameless in Christ!
A final word of application – Are we living like it?
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