The Book of Ephesians Pt. 5 Chosen before Creation by God to be Holy before Him in Love!

No man is able to adequately describe all that God the Father has done for each believer in Christ, because of our repentant faith in the Son of God. We are studying the beautiful, priceless and precious truths of God that impacts all who are born again and mere words are limited in their ability to convey heavenly truths. 

We previously learned that every believer has been given all spiritual blessings in heavenly places for those who are "in Christ." Trying to think about them is like looking at the most beautifully crafted diamond and being dazzled by brilliant light reflecting from each of it's carefully cut facets. 

God chose us before He made the world!

Ephesians 1:3-4  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4) 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 put verse 3 together with verse 4 to remind us that salvation for sinners was initiated by God the Father. He is the One who blesses us with all spiritual blessings that we will ever need because we are "in Christ." 

The word "according" connects the blessings in verse 4 with "all spiritual blessings" we receive in verse 3. It means that Paul is going to provide many more details about all the spiritual blessings we have in heavenly places in Christ. 

What did the Father do? He chose us "in Him" before the foundation of the world. The word "chosen" means that God chose us out of the world for Himself. I am very humbled by this truth and cannot imagine why God would ever choose any vile sinner for Himself. 

God chose to rescue us before He made the world. 

Galatians 1:3-5  Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5)  To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

Consider what Paul wrote to Christians in the province of Galatia. Jesus Christ came to the earth and gave Himself for our sins. The word "gave" means to freely give someone something that is of great advantage to him.  

Jesus died on the cross and took our place so He could pay off in full our sin debt. Salvation by grace through repentant faith in Christ brings great advantages to all who believe, just as Paul stated in Ephesians 1:3 

Why did Jesus choose to do this for us? So that He could deliver us from this present evil world. The word "deliver" means to pluck out and choose for Himself one person out of many. 

The idea connects to what Jesus told us about a narrow way that leads to eternal life but few enter through the straight gate. However, there is also the broad way of the world but it leads to destruction. God's gracious offer of salvation is made to all people but not all people choose to respond. 

The word "present" means that the evil world is pressing in on us from all sides with unrelenting pressure to commit sin against God. 

The word "evil" means experiencing hardship, toil, pain, suffering and trouble because the world is corrupt and wicked.

How did Jesus choose us? According to the Father's will, again, just as we saw the Father do in Ephesians 1:4.  

The following texts are taken from the priestly prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17, right before Jesus was betrayed and arrested. Notice that the choosing process of God resulted in the Father giving all those who were chosen as a gift to His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Chosen for eternal life.

John 17:2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 

Why did God choose all believers in Christ before He made the world? Because He intended to grant eternal life to each person that He gave to Christ. We need to remember God gave us eternal life with all it's blessings and privileges and thank Him for it. 

Chosen to keep God's Word. 

John 17:6  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 

Why did God choose all believers in Christ before He made the world? So that the chosen would respond to the name of God and come to Christ in repentant faith. Having come to Christ, they kept His Word. We need to remember that God gave us His word to keep and obey. It is light from heaven to guide us safely through a world darkened by sin and we too, need to "keep" it's moral imperatives. It leads to living a life that is holy and pure before God.

Chosen to be united with God through Christ. 

John 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 

We were chosen in Christ before God made the world so that we could be united with the Father. We are born again and brought into a close relationship like Jesus being one with His Father. We need to remember that the Spirit of God placed us into the body of Christ and that He indwells us, uniting us with God. Therefore, we are to glorify God with our body and spirit because we now belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). 

Chosen for safety and security "in Christ." 

John 17:12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 

We were chosen in Christ before God made the world so that God would keep us eternally safe . We do not have to worry that God will save us one moment and then reject us in the next one. God will keep all His promises and He will not allow anything or anyone to pluck us out of His omnipotent hand (John 10:28-30; Romans 8:31-39).

Isaiah 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 

How vast is God? He knows the beginning of all things and the end of all things. He is the God who inhabits eternity yet who dwells with those who repent of their sins with humble hearts and contrite spirits (Isaiah 57:15).

The fact that God chose us to be "in Him" before He made the world, means that He put His plan to save mankind from sin into motion before creation! God determined what He would do to save us before Adam and Eve existed, and before anyone sinned!  

This was God's plan that He established during eternity past, before He created the time, space and matter continuum. (See Revelation 13:8; Acts 2:22-24; 2 Timothy 1:9-10 and 1 Peter 1:20). 

We should all be feeling very small and humble as we think about these truths. There is certainly no room for boasting about our salvation because it is a complete work of God from beginning to end. 

Why did God choose us?

Ephesians 1:4 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: 

God had a specific purpose in choosing each believer for Himself before He created anything. He chose us for Himself so that we would be holy. He chose us for Himself so that we can be without blame when we stand before His throne. He chose us for Himself that we might stand in His love.

Chosen to be holy.

Deuteronomy 14:2  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. 

What does it mean to be holy? The word "holy" generally means to be separated from worldly things, in order to be set apart to love and serve God before all others. 

God chose the Hebrew people to be holy which automatically made them a peculiar nation distinct from the pagan nations. God gave Moses His pure, holy, moral law and today He still expects His people to know it, put it in to practice and to obey it's moral commands (1 Peter 1 :15-16). 

God is holy and so is His law. Obeying it leads us to make very different moral decisions than what the world accepts as "moral." 

Chosen to be without blame before Him.

1 Thessalonians 3:13  To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. 

The words "without blame" mean to be made spotless, pure, faultless or unblameable. Paul used the same Greek word in writing to the Thessalonians where it is translated "unblameable" and is connected with the command to "Be ye holy, for I am holy". 

God is the One who makes us unblameable when we are born again and are "in Christ."  Being made "without blame" is a permanent spiritual condition that God gives us the moment we put our trust in Christ. This is an eternal, positional blessing from God. 

Yet, there is the daily practical need for confessing sins and receiving fresh cleansing from the Father so that we remain without blame during our earthly pilgrimage. This is a practical daily blessing we seek from God each day. 

Chosen to stand before Him in love.

1 Thessalonians 3:12  And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 

Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would increase and abound in love for each other and toward all people that they came in contact with. This fulfills the command of Jesus Christ to "love one another" (John 13:34; 15:12; 17).

The love of God motivated Him to determine that His Son, Jesus Christ would die as the perfect Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world, before there was any sin! 

The love of God is always most fully on display when Jesus Christ hung on the cross and endured bearing our sins, being separated from His Father after being rejected by all men. 

The same love of God is manifest in each believer when the Holy Spirit of God sheds that Divine Love abroad in our heart (Romans 5:5). 

Thoughts to Ponder...

The Father chose each believer to be "in Him" before he created anything. We were chosen to receive eternal life, to be faithful people by keeping His Word, and to be united with God through faith in Christ. 

Are we expressing our thanks and gratitude to the Father for doing all this for each one who is born again?

In Ephesians 1:4 we learn that God had three specific reasons for choosing us. First, that we might be holy before Him. Second that we might stand without fear of condemnation before Him because He made us "without blame" in Christ. Last, we are to stand before Him basking in His divine love, poured out upon us through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Are we expressing our thanks and gratitude to our heavenly Father for all that He has done, is doing and has promised to do for us?

May these truths impact how we think, speak and act, and may we do all for the glory of God. May we be diligent to let our gratitude and thanksgiving be known to our Father for granting us all spiritual blessings in Christ. 

Bob