Ephesians 1:5
"Having predestined us" - see Romans 8:29.
Redemption in Christ
3 aBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as aHe chose us in Him bbefore the foundation of the world, that we should cbe holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 ahaving predestined us to badoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, caccording to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, aby which He made us accepted in bthe Beloved.
7 aIn Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to bthe riches of His grace
8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and1 prudence,
9 ahaving made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure bwhich He purposed in Himself,
10 that in the dispensation of athe fullness of the times bHe might gather together in one call things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
11 aIn Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to bthe purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
12 athat we bwho first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard athe word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, byou were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 awho1 is the guarantee of our inheritance buntil the redemption of cthe purchased possession, dto the praise of His glory.
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Commentaries:
| << Ephesians 1:4 | Ephesians 1:6 >> |
What Does Ephesians 1:5 Mean?
Ephesians 1:3-5
God has predestined us from the beginning! What deep meaning is contained within this! Did God have us planned even before He created Adam and Eve? He might have! It can mean that. Predestination may not be general at all but very specific - that the great Mind that created everything had us in mind so long ago.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Unity (Part 3): Ephesians 4 (A)
Related Topics: Before the Foundation of the World
| Called According to God's Purpose
| Called Out Ones
| Calling
| Calling Out
| Calling, Uniqueness of
| Chosen People
| Elect , The
| Predestination
Ephesians 1:5
He could have invited billions of other people, yet He did not—He invited us. This "adoption as sons" is another thing that He has invited us to.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Unity (Part 6): Ephesians 4 (C)
Related Topics: Adopted Children of God
| Adoption
| Adoption, Spiritual
| Called According to God's Purpose
| Called Out Ones
| Calling
| Calling Out
| Calling, Uniqueness of
| Elect , The
| From the Foundation of the World
| God's Calling
| God's Election
| God's Master Plan
| God's Plan
| God's Purpose
| God's Sovereignty
| God's Will
| Predestination
Ephesians 1:5
What the Father is doing has nothing to do with the way we are or were. It has everything to do with His initiating and choosing us because He wants us, not because of anything that we may have done.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Awesome Cost of Salvation
Related Topics: Before the Foundation of the World
| Called According to God's Purpose
| Called Out Ones
| Calling
| Calling Out
| Calling, Uniqueness of
| Elect , The
| From the Foundation of the World
| God's Calling
| God's Election
| God's Plan
| God's Purpose
| God's Sovereignty
| God's Will
| Predestination
Ephesians 1:3-6
His Word declares that in His love He predestined us "according to the good pleasure of His will." It does not say that He predestined us according to what He foresaw we would become, that He chose us because we were from a particular ethnic group, or that He picked us because of some mark of intelligence, character, looks, ability, or any other quality. Just as in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, His calling of us occurred out of the good pleasure of His will. He gave to us the same privileges and opportunities as He did to Jacob rather than Esau, and they were extended on the same basis - by God's election following the counsel of His own will and not by our works.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Sovereignty of God: Part Three
Related Topics: Before the Foundation of the World
| Called According to God's Purpose
| Called Out Ones
| Calling
| Calling Out
| Calling, Uniqueness of
| Elect , The
| God's Purpose
| God's Will
| Predestination
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Ephesians 1:5:
Acts 13:48
Acts 15:14-18
Romans 8:28-29
Romans 9:16
Hebrews 10:11-14
1 John 5:19-20
| << Ephesians 1:4 | Ephesians 1:6 >> |
God the Father predestined His chosen ones to adoption as sons solely because He wants them, not because of their works, foreseen character, ethnicity, intelligence, looks, or ability. As in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, and as with Jacob rather than Esau, His election follows "the good pleasure of His will." Out of billions, He invited a tiny few. God may have planned them specifically before creating Adam and Eve, for verse 4 says they were "chosen" (picking some, excluding others for this age) "before the foundation of the world." Cautious commentators who limit predestination to the church in general sidestep that verse. Yet the predestination may also apply generally: God planned from the beginning that there would be a church bearing characteristics similar to His Son.