Ephesians 1:4-9
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 for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ
Let's unpack this. The Bible happened in real time, on the map, with real people. The apostle Paul wrote the letters to the church in Ephesus- this book of Ephesians- from a prison cell in Rome. Ephesians is one of my favorite books in the New Testament because it deals with issues that are at the very core of what it means to be a believer. Paul was a Hellenistic Jew and wrote this book in the Greek language.
In verse 5, it says we are predestined for sonship: the original Greek word means to “legally be made a son.” In Roman culture, it was completely acceptable to disown a natural born child due to undesirable behavior or disappointment. But, if a parent adopted a child, they were legally bound and could not disown or abandon them.
I want to take a second to encourage you to dig deeper into scripture. I pray that a passion inside of you would ignite. Doesn’t the understanding of “legally made a son” change the way that scripture reads?
God, in His infinite wisdom and love wants to “legally” make us a son , in our case, a daughter, through Christ. He intentionally enters into a relationship with us knowing that we will most likely disappoint and behave undesirably. He will never leave us, forsake us, or abandon us. This is beautiful.
This scripture also tells us that we are chosen. Why is it important that we understand that we are “chosen?” It’s important to understand that you are chosen because your salvation is personal. God chose you. In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ saw your face. In that moment, he knew that you were worth dying for. He knew that your life was worth the road to the cross. You are fiercely loved and pursued by the God of the Universe.
Understanding who you are in Christ will empower you to proclaim this truth to others. You cannot lead anyone to a place you've never been. If you haven’t sat at the foot of the cross, in awe of your own Salvation, you can’t inspire anyone else to join you there. Your ministry should be a response to the redemption that we have through Christ. As believers, we strive daily to make sure that we look more like Jesus. I want the person of Christ to be my standard. His life and his methods should be our guideline for living. The gospel should do something inside of us. It should spur us on to seek God, reach out, and serve others.
How does this truth help to reflect Christ's redemption in your life?
Prayer: Father God, thank you for the truth of your word. I ask that you would send the Holy Spirit to help me understand scripture. I pray the the walls around my heart would crumble and that your word would reveal itself to me. Thank you for your saving grace though Christ and for the abounding love you lavish upon me. Amen.