in the understanding of predestination we have some key texts which deal with the subject in an in depth manner ... and ephesians 1 is one such example
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,
the beauty and the depth of this passage is of a standard that can not be dismissed by claiming it is all a spiritual blessings ... as this is eisegetical in nature it is not dealing with the passage at hand .. but merely kicking the passages to cerb by assuming something that is not seen in the passage in any manner
this passage is describing predestination in a very deep way .. which needs to be seen ....
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
granted there are many spiritual blessings to which the saints are garanteed .. yet the term "saints" refers to specific people .. and not every person who ever lived (ie) the unbelievers, believers of different faith, those who are not chosen for these blessings
we also have a second contextual clue that opens this vers to it true meaning ... it is by christ, in christ through christ that every believer is to come into such blessings ... the blessings are not predestined, but are the result of "us" (the subject) having Gods blessings (the object) to which are only found in christ
to which we find that a people are predestined in christ for a specific out come
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
here paul introduces another element of this predestined action to which "we" are the subject .. meaning that we are the only thing in the picture that has any direct application to this personal action on Gods part "even as he chose us in him" we are the one predestined in christ for adoption and blessings .. the blessings are not predestined to an unknown faceless crowd .. we are chosen in christ before the foundation of the world
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
in these verses we have a greater implication as to the true meaning of the passage .. we start with this little part "In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ" before we get to this i believe paul here is making a second mention of predestination in manner of romans 8 : 28 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose" .... at this point i feel that the terms in love and foreknow carry the same biblical understand when it is shown with this context it is
again we have a pereonal application and a fulfilment in this verse ... "us for adoption as sons" the us reveal a personal application to this blessing or position to which the blessings come through .. we have been bestowed blessings as the adopted son in christ --- "according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace" ... this refers to the glory of God being demonstrated in the union of sinners to him through christ
again the blessing are only to be given to us due the faithfulness of the Lord .. he is the one who makes these blessings come to us
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
here we set forth the very course of the blessing being bestowed, and the persoan nature of the atonement ... "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" if there is nothing personal in this event to which a specific people are to be called saints and accpted by christ then why does this .... meaning the following thing .. the redemption in his blood, the forgiveness of trespass .. this is inaccord to his grace ... it is also important to see pauls uses of isa 53 at this point in the terminology
the blessing , the riches of grace we lavished upon a people .. this the unlimited forgiveness we recieve due to the mercy God show to us by the atonement
and all thse thiing are revealed and established in christs work of redemption to which a people are the recipients of this gracious offering
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
here is the next important part to the verses .... the purpose, mystery ... is set out as a plan in the fullness of time .. this represents the very intimate dealing and detailsd of Gods eternal purpose is seen in the reality of the even upon the cross
this even become the very setting of all the history of the eath .. everything God has done till this point the revealing of the law .. the cerbing of the jewish people, set up different offices and ranks in the people like priests, kings and prophets, all the prophecies and all the different things that had happened to this point we leading to him as the great fulfilment of the divine promises ... and everything since the event has been reveal to refect the greatness of what this even means to the chosen
even the outer universe .. the thing we call space points to this fact .. everything reflect Jesus glory having been its creator
now we come to another key verse " 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"
in and through jesus we his chosen, the elect have obtained an inheritance .. this is something which is left to us due to a promise it is a gift .... which Jesus has garantees us in his work as the messiah
and all things are given in accordence to the counsel of his will
but we are the subject to which have been predestined for this object of greatness
conclusion
this is one of several passages which speak more directly on the topic of predestination .. and the depth of this amazing passage cannot be ignore or tossed aside as irrelivent thought .. when it is the very foundation of Gods work ... not only are acts predestined but so to are the results ... and one which is is the atonement of christ and its purpose / the second of the 5 doctrines of grace .. unconditional election finds its rout in this teaching
the teaching is that God has from eternity had a group of people to which he had predestined for a doption unto himself by means of the atonement of christ ... "the common argument come from an emotional point of view and are always based on a false ideal .. that if God chose some for this glory... then to he chose others to go to hell"
the truth is that predestination works only in an eternal prospect, to which God has chosen to saved those who are the elect .. granted we are all the work of his mighty hands but the point is God is soveriegn .. and his wrath sill exists .. the death of his son is only for the elect .. those God created for a special and specific purpose
since God is God and we are his creation and God has chosen a way for his elect to be in him, which does not include every single person ... we can not and should not argue with Gods rules in his work
