Ephesians 1:1-6

Ephesians begins as do all of Paul’s letters.  We see that the one writing is an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.  This is powerful.  He speaks for Jesus.  We must listen, study and heed.  We also see who is to read this letter: the saints (holy ones) and faithful in Christ Jesus.  We are saints by calling even as v4 says He chose us to be holy.  We are faithful through our abiding relationship with Christ.  And as we abide in Christ we find that we are moved and empowered by God’s grace, all the while resting joyfully in His peace.  Would that our greetings to one another were as encouraging as this one from Paul.

          Paul first lays a firm foundation of doctrine.  Eph. 1:3-14 speaks of the spiritual blessings of the believer (v3 states this theme).  The source of our blessing is not the Father and the Son, as in v2.  Rather it is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This chapter is about the exaltation of Jesus Christ.  When we reach the end we will see that God has put all things under the feet of Christ and that He, Christ, fills all in all.  For this to happen God the Father must do some important and wonderful things for the believer so Christ is exalted through us.

          What God does for the believer is summed up in the phrase every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.  The blessings are secure in heaven where Christ sits at the right hand of God.  and are realized through the believer’s position in Christ.  At the point of salvation not only does Christ come to dwell in the believer, the believer is placed in Christ.  This mystical union is hard to imagine and yet you will see reference to it often in these verses.

          The first 2 spiritual blessings take us back before the foundation of the world.  They involve election and predestination, doctrines that stretch our minds.  But please pay attention to these wonderful blessings.  

          The first blessing is that God chose us to be holy and blameless before Him in love.  It does not simply say God chose us to be saved or to go to heaven.  His calling has to do with our character before Him.  Since this is His plan and purpose He will stop at nothing to make it reality.

          The second blessing is that God predestined us to adoption as sons.  This is so rich.  God, Who made us in His image, desires us to be like Him.  To accomplish this He did not make us to be robots or partners or friends or students.  Instead He determined to make us His sons by adoption.  Not only does this teach us His love; it teaches us His wisdom.  God the Father has a Son who is the essence of holy and blameless.  As Romans 8:29 says, He predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son.  

          Meditate on this today.  The saints and faithful in Christ have been chosen by God to be like Christ.  This is His plan for your life, and He has made you His son that His plan might be fulfilled.