Ephesians 1:4
Notes to guide our discussion on May 18, 2016.
Remember the big picture of Ephesians:
Paul tells them what God has done for them in Christ to reconcile them to mankind and to God. Paul then wants to strengthen them in their understanding of the unsearchable love of God for them, in Christ, so that the church will proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with their lives (Practice) and with their words (Doctrine) to a dying world that needs the wisdom of God.
God’s Work Becomes Our Joy (Eph 1-3)
We will discuss the context of what Paul wants to see happen in us by these first three chapters he writes and also God’s grand purpose in his whole plan of redemption.
An Impossible Future Hope From God’s Eternal Purpose (Eph 1:3-1:12)Remember that the subheading for this first section of the body of the letter (Ephesians 1:3-1:12), according to our discussion last week, is “An Impossible Future Hope From God’s Eternal Purpose”. This comes from the many “in Christ” statements in the first three chapters that show what impossible thing God sought to accomplish and what action of God’s power it took to accomplish it “in Christ”. This first section is all about what God has purposed and done in eternity past to ensure an impossible future hope. The next section (Ephesians 1:13-14) talks about God’s action in the present to secure (or provide) this unbreakable future hope for us.
The Impossible Mission (Eph 1:4)
Paul seems to layout a crazy mission that God sets out on before he ever created the world.
“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.” (Ephesians 1:3–6, ESV)
The Impossible Mission
Starting with the mission itself we will consider the planning and the first step...
Questions-
- What is the mission?
- What is holy and blameless?
- Significance of “before him”?
- Consider Titus 2:11-14, Rev 19:6-8, 21:1-4
- So why this mission and why for a chosen people?
- What is the context within the history of redemption and the covenantal setting?
- Pattern of election- Consider Gen 12:1, Deuteronomy 7:6-11, Rom 9:1-13
- On the mission itself- Consider Leviticus 11:45. Reflect on this verse and what God is saying and why. Consider Gen 6:1:26-28
- Then consider Jer 7:21-29
- Romans 8:3-4
- Heb 7:15-25
- So why do I call it an impossible mission?
- Consider the covenantal setting and the audience especially
- Consider Rom 3:9-23, Eph 2:1-3, 11-12
- Consider Jer 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:22-37:28. Difference in the covenants?
- What needs to happen then? Consider John 3:1-9
- Remember “spiritual blessings” from verse 3?
- John 3:6, 6:63, Rom 8:9, Gal 6:1
- When was the plan set?
- Consider Matthew 25:34, 2 Tim 1:8-10, 1 Pet 1:13-21
- Does the failure of the first covenant make the New Covenant plan B?
- Consider Rev 13:8
- Why “in Christ”?
- See Colossians 1:15-23 (c.f. Eph 1:9-10), Psalm 2, John 17:24
- Why “election” as God’s unconditional choice?
- Context tells us each action of God is by his power as opposed to an impossible scenario for us. The success rests on it being God’s action and not ours.
- When God chooses freely it expresses the glory of his mercy (Rom 9:1-13, Ex 33:17-23) not as the benevolent king that is bound by duty to forgive a people that would otherwise judge him if he "repaid to their face” (Deut 7:10) as he promised he would do, but as the righteous and just king who is bound by holy love (Psalm 89:14, Ex 34:6) who freely chooses to bear the high price of justice himself only for his chosen bride (Eph 1:7, 5:25-27) and purely by grace (Rom 11:5-8, Eph 2:5, 8).
