Ephesians 1:1–14

August 4th, 2020| Topic: aBeLOG, Ephesians | 0

God who blesses his people, redeeming them for his grand plan to consummate all things in Christ, is worthy of being blessed.

This opening section of the book of Ephesians, at first blush, seems to be rambling. But one notices that God’s grand design is clearly stated in 1:10—“the consummation of all things in Christ.” Right now, everything is broken, undone, chaotic. But one day, in God’s grand design, everything is going to be integrated, harmonized, and aligned with Christ. He becomes the unifying end of the cosmos. This is the purpose of God, and God’s grand design has already begun, here and now.

This all clearly to do with divine intentionality: Notice the emphasis here on God’s “pleasure,” and God’s “will,” and God’s “purpose” and God’s “counsel,” and God’s “predestination” (i.e., his divine appointing) (1:5, 9, 11). This consummation in Christ that God is undertaking is deliberate.

Though the consummation of all things in Christ involves the cosmos—“things in the heavens and things on the earth”—the many first- and second-person plural pronouns and verbs (see 1:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14) demonstrate that this grand design of God involves us! Wonder of wonders—God is co-opting his people into his grand design to consummate all things in Christ. God’s choice of believers, we are told, was made “before” (pro) the foundation of the world (1:4), and they are said to be “predestined/destined-before” (proorizō, 1:5), a sovereign choice on the part of God. That they are chosen to be “holy and blameless,” and this “before him” (1:4), referring to the eschatological presentation of the church on the day of the Lord Jesus Christ (see 5:27), makes the span of God’s choice of his people extend from eternity past to the last things—a grand plan, indeed! (The rest of the letter will spell out this responsibility of humans to be “holy and blameless.”)

And so, to include us in his purpose, God graciously saves us through Christ (1:6–8). Thus, God was not only gracious in his predestination (1:6), he was lavishly so in his redemption—commensurate with the wealth of his grace (1:7–8a). Not incidental, grace is integral to God’s mission to include his people in his grand design.

All this is evidence of God’s love for his people. Having chosen believers “in love” (1:4), God graced them “in the Beloved” (1:6). An underlying theme of God’s overwhelming love is discernible. So not only was this a carefully planned program way back when, but it was also a loving plan to include us in his purpose. And, accomplished in love, this is a relationship that brings God delight (“good pleasure,” 1:5).

In case we were wondering, the co-optation of humans into God’s purpose is a blessing. It is a blessing to be involved in God’s grand design (1:3). He blessed us by involving us in his purpose, and the only way we can ever be fulfilled is by taking our place in that purpose—the consummation of all things in Christ. If that wasn’t enough, the privilege of being God’s children (“predestined,” 1:5) will, one day, become the honor of being God’s inheritance (also “predestined,” 1:11). “All things”—in heaven and on earth—may be consummated in Christ (1:10), but believers remain at the core of the plan of God who works “all things” according to his will. And, this glorious privilege of believers to become God’s possession is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit (1:13–14).

This privilege is so awe-inspiring that the apostle breaks out into a blessing of God in 1:3–14, the longest sentence in the NT, composed of 202 words: “Blessed be God ….”

[For more details, see my Ephesians commentary.]