Ephesians 1:4 (KJV)
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:
I have a pastor friend I recently spoke with who asked me if I had any studies out of the book of Ephesians. He pointed out all the run-on sentences in chapter one. There are, as I count them, only five sentences in the whole chapter.
I’m not complaining or criticizing. (I am prone to run-on sentences myself and, as I understand it, so was George Washington.) What I am pointing out is that there is a subject that dominates the entire chapter. It has to do with God’s will for believers.
The word “election” is nowhere to be found here, but Calvinists are sure that the topic of the text is who is and isn’t chosen to be saved. I do not believe that is the case at all.
The point of the chapter finds itself in the last few verses.
Ephesians 1:22–23 (KJV)
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
This is a theme that carries throughout the epistle. It is the doctrine for which Paul claims he is in prison, and it is what he calls “the mystery of his will.”
It is that the saved—Jews, Gentiles, male, female, bond, and free—should be brought together into one body, which is a local congregation of baptized believers: a church. And that Christ is the only head of it.
Through this unity the believers:
• grow in holiness
• glorify God
• have our understanding enlightened
#ChosenInChrist #TheChurchUnderChrist #EphesiansTruth #MysteryOfHisWill #ChristHeadOfTheChurch
“Chosen Before the Foundation of the World”: God’s Plan for Believers
What do you believe Ephesians 1 is teaching about being “chosen in Him”? Do you see the focus on salvation alone, or on God bringing believers together under Christ in His churches?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and join the conversation.
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