Eph. 1:4, 5

A Meditation on Ephesians 1:4 and 5

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

For he chose us. Both Jews and Gentiles. This is the mystery that Paul happily shared with everyone – Jesus’ atoning work opens the door to God for everyone who comes through Christ. The Covenant in Christ’s blood has no reference whatsoever to Israel or any other nation or culture.

Before the creation of the world. Some may think that God planned that only through the people called Israel would people truly know God. Then when Israel failed to be on an instrument of God’s purposes, he had to abandon that, his first plan and substitute another, less good. No, Paul asserts, the work of Jesus Christ to give himself so that all people everywhere could enjoy the fullness of life with God is not plan B, but was already accomplished in the heavenlies before the first star was hurled into space. Jesus was always the answer.

In Him. That means, “In Jesus.” It was set that Jesus is God’s sacrificial Lamb who, by the willful shedding of his blood, will break the power of sin and pronounce full forgiveness. This determination preceeded the calling of Abraham or the Law of Moses.

He chose us. Both Jews and Gentiles. We are all adopted. God has no "natural children" on the earth.

The purpose of God’s calling is not primarily to work for him or even to serve him but the calling of God, the choosing of God, is that we might be “holy and blameless” in his sight. Our calling is the call of a lover to come, walk closely with Him. It is a call of love, prompted by love, made possible by love and fulfilled in love. It is not perfection of the character – holiness is a love relationship that is so strong and firm that all of life revolves around that central, core relationship, God and me.

Of course, it is impossible to be holy and blameless by our own strength and determination. We need Jesus in whom to hide. He becomes our holiness, our blamelessness. Jesus was holy and blameless – now it is up to us to exhibit that same character, flawed though we may be.

In love he predestinated us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. Again, it all flows from God’s love, unfathomable yet as real and as essential as anything can possibly be.

It is difficult to describe the love of God because all we have are human, earth-bound words and concepts. We will need to wait until we are lifted into a realm where the “divine vocabulary” is used to describe the virtues of our wonderful God. In the meanwhile we use weak terms – like father/son to tell of the wonders of God’s love.

He predestinated us. It all begins in his loving heart. We can not choose. We can only accept or reject God. He alone does the choosing.

The more I think about this the more I am convinced that Paul is describing the nature of Jesus’ Kingdom – the door is completely open to anyone. We enter because of and through the atoning work of Jesus.

This choosing does not imply a flip side to the coin, on one side choosing and on the other side, rejecting. Jesus made it very clear that all who believe in Jesus are received – by grace. In a way, God chooses every person to believe in Jesus but not all do. I think I must abandon the thought that Jesus – God in his love – rejects people simply because he wills it to be so. That is contrary to all Scripture. The choosing, I am convinced, that Paul is referring to here, has to do with God leveling the ground by the antoning work of Jesus so that both Jews and Gentiles enter in precisely the same way, through the finished work of Jesus. There is no other way possible.