BLESSED BE GOD (Eph 1:3-14)
Dr. Paul Manuel—2004
When a young girl lost her dog, she decided to distribute flyers around town, hoping that someone would spot the wayward pooch and return him. The notice she prepared read...
A few years ago, another pastor was studying what the Bible says about the will of God, and he asked me to look at Eph 1, where Paul mentions God's will. When I turned to the passage, which I had not read in quite some time, I could hardly make sense of it. Eph 1:3-14 is one long sentence in Greek, as if once Paul got started he did not know where to stop.1 The English translations help us by breaking it into smaller units, but my first reading made me agree with Peter, that Paul's "letters contain some things that are hard to understand" (2 Pet 3:16b).
As I reread the text, I began to notice the phrases Paul repeats.
After opening the book in vv. 1-2 with his usual salutation...
I. Paul blesses God for the scope of His blessing to us.
The biblical writers use three main words to describe the ways you should declare your devotion.
In Jewish tradition it is customary to take every opportunity to bless God, affirming His role in our lives as the source of the many benefits we enjoy:3
The difference, however, between what we gather and what God gives is profound because, as Paul states in v. 3...
How do we receive this blessing? ...It is "in Christ." As I mentioned before, Paul repeats this phrase several times in the passage to emphasize that God bestows His goodness on us not because we earned it but because Jesus died for it. Paul does this not to make us feel worthless but to make us realize that receiving this blessing does not depend on us; it is secure in Christ, who is now seated "at [God's] right hand in the heavenly realms" (v. 20b).10
In the next few verses (Eph 1:4-10), the apostle continues to extol the Lord's goodness but moves away from generalities. Here...
II. Paul blesses God for the specifics of His blessing to us.
....citing four ways we have benefited in Christ. Our first benefit from God is that...
When we elect people to public office, we base our decision on what the candidates said during the campaign and, if they held office before, on how well they performed. We cannot be certain that the candidates we choose will actually meet our expectations, because we do not know what the future holds. God does not have that limitation. He exists outside of time. It is all the same to Him.13
The Bible calls this aspect of God's omniscience His foreknowledge, a term whose definition theologians have argued over for centuries.14 Although some invest the word with special significance,15 it simply means "to know something ahead of time."16 God knew "before the creation of the world" who would accept His gracious offer of salvation in Jesus, and it is they who constitute the elect.17
More specifically, He knew that we would embrace His salvation in Jesus and become part of the elect.18 To what, then, does God elect us?
Returning to the analogy of politics, most elected positions come with advantages (perks) in addition to their responsibilities. The office of president of the United States, for example, has considerable prestige and gives the holder access to other leaders in governments around the world.
Likewise, when God elects us, it comes with advantages in addition to responsibilities. Paul cites one such advantage here in v. 419 One day we will "be holy and blameless in his sight."20 In other words...
God has chosen us for a complete remodeling.22 That is what we can look forward to as part of the elect, and it is a good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has elected us. ...Our second benefit from God...will have to wait until next time. Meanwhile, think about this benefit this week—that God, long before you were born, selected you and determined that you would one day be perfect.
There is something to be said about the peace of mind that comes from knowing our future is secure, that we have prepared for the uncertainties that lie ahead.
Last time, we noted that...
I. Paul blesses God for the scope of His blessing to us.
II. Paul blesses God for the specifics of His blessing to us.
...citing four ways we have benefited in Christ. Our first benefit from God is...
God has chosen us for a complete remodeling. That is what we can look forward to as part of the elect, and it is a good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has elected us. ...Our second benefit from God, which is where we pick up the description this week, is that...
God created us all, but we are not all by nature His children.26 The only way we can have that kind of relationship is if He initiates it, if He takes us into His family by adopting us.27 How do we qualify for adoption? The procedure is similar to the practice of adoption in society today.
So what are the advantages of adoption? There are at least two we might mention.
When God brings you "in[to] the kingdom of light....from the dominion of darkness" (Col 1:12-13), He could stop at that point, because you are out of danger. You no longer face the penalty of your former way of life. Like entering the Witness Relocation Program, you have a new life as a citizen of heaven. God, however, cares for more than your protection; He also provides for your adoption.
When God offers us salvation, the only requirements are "repentance [and] faith" (Acts 20:21; Heb 6:1). That is all He expects, and that is all He accepts. We must come to God empty-handed, recognizing that we cannot earn His pardon. Indeed, we need nothing more because, as Paul says in chapter 2, salvation "is the gift of God" (v. 8).31 Again, God could stop at that point, leaving us penniless yet free, but He adopts us as well.32
When Linda and I left New York to attend college in South Carolina, we were young and naïve, and we did not realize the difficulties we would face. We went from being surrounded by our family to being separated from our family, from good jobs and financial solvency to poor jobs and financial difficulty. God met our needs, yet He also impressed upon us the value of our adoption, that whatever difficulties we face on earth, God has prepared for us in heaven a great association and a great compensation.
What was true for us is true for you. No matter how distant your earthly relatives or how deficient your earthly resources, God has blessed you with being His relative and with having His resources. That is the value of your adoption.
Adoption is what God has predestined for us through Jesus. We have become God's children as well as His heirs. It is another good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has predestined us. ...Our third benefit from God is that...
Notice also that He did not simply meet the minimum requirement; "he lavished on us" His grace—"grace that is greater than all our sin" (Julia Johnston, Grace Greater Than Our Sin, refrain). "God knows that He cannot exhaust the wealth of His grace, and therefore He [bestows]37 it with unstinted generosity upon us"38 (Eadie 1979:44).
What is the result of God's goodness? What does this great expenditure purchase for us?
If you sold all you have—your house, your cars...your children—if you combined that with your savings and your retirement fund, if you added to it everything you have ever earned...before taxes, the amount would probably amaze you. If you then quantified all the good you have ever done—from kind words to great deeds—if you converted that into cash, the amount of your righteousness would probably impress you. If you then placed it all on the scales of justice, opposite your sins...the result would surely disappoint you, because the balance would not even budge. Thankfully, God has tipped the scales of justice in your favor and has anchored them in place with the abundance of His grace.
However familiar the event of Jesus' death becomes, we should never cease to appreciate what God has done "through his blood." It is another good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has redeemed us.
Our fourth benefit from God is that...
...We cannot say with any certainty, only that...
So what is the mystery? Paul tells us two things, one here and another in chapter 3. Both concern the nature of God's kingdom when Jesus returns.
When your life seems to be in disarray, or your carefully laid plans go awry, you may lose perspective. You may focus so closely on your particular situation that you forget: God's work in your life is part of a larger task He is accomplishing. You may find it difficult to believe or to understand how your problems can possibly advance God's program, but that is the wonder of His sovereignty. As Paul notes elsewhere...
If, however, you are sure that you love God, that He has called you, and that He does have a purpose for you, then God is involved in whatever may be happening in your life, and He is including it in the larger scope of His plan, working it to your advantage, often in more ways than you know.
God is working on a tremendous scale, including all creation and all people. What should excite us, as it excited Paul, is that now we know how all-encompassing it is and how great a part we (gentiles) have in it. This is a good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has enlightened us.
In these few verses, we have seen some of the ways God blesses us and the reasons Paul blesses God. These things constitute God's purpose for us.
Lost Dog: He has brown hair with several bald spots. His right front leg was once broken in an auto accident. He limps because he hurt his left hip. His right eye is missing, and he had his left ear bitten off in a dog fight. Please help me find him. He answers to the name...Lucky. (Adapted from Hodgin 1994:216)However lucky or unlucky we may be, we are glad for whatever help people can give us as we travel life's path. When the one who helps us is God, the benefits we derive are without equal, and we should respond as Paul does in our message this morning, by exclaiming: Blessed Be God.
A few years ago, another pastor was studying what the Bible says about the will of God, and he asked me to look at Eph 1, where Paul mentions God's will. When I turned to the passage, which I had not read in quite some time, I could hardly make sense of it. Eph 1:3-14 is one long sentence in Greek, as if once Paul got started he did not know where to stop.1 The English translations help us by breaking it into smaller units, but my first reading made me agree with Peter, that Paul's "letters contain some things that are hard to understand" (2 Pet 3:16b).
As I reread the text, I began to notice the phrases Paul repeats.
- Three times he refers to the "will" of God (vv. 5, 9, 11), indicating that history—our history—is not without purpose. God intends some particular things for us.
- Three times he uses the phrase "to the praise of his glory" (vv. 6, 12, 14), because understanding what God has done and will do for us should make us break forth in worship.
- Ten times he says "in Christ" or "in him" (vv. 3, 4, 6, 7, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 132) to emphasize that everything God does for us—our very relationship with God—comes as a result of what Jesus did and because of our relationship with him.
After opening the book in vv. 1-2 with his usual salutation...
I. Paul blesses God for the scope of His blessing to us.
Eph 1:3a [Blessed] be...the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ....One congregant mentioned to me that she had never made a distinction between praising God and thanking Him, that she had simply assumed they were synonyms for the way we express our devotion. When she realized the terms were different, she asked me to define them. Because others may have the same question, here is the distinction.
The biblical writers use three main words to describe the ways you should declare your devotion.
- Praise God to express your admiration for His wonderful character and great deeds. Think of praise as bragging about God.
- Thank God to express your appreciation for who He is to you and what He does for you.
- Bless God to express your affirmation that He is the source of all (power for) success, prosperity, longevity, etc.—everything that is good.2
In Jewish tradition it is customary to take every opportunity to bless God, affirming His role in our lives as the source of the many benefits we enjoy:3
- When you see someone who has a deep understanding of scripture, you bless God because He imparts wisdom to those who revere Him.
- When you see a rainbow, you bless God because He remembers the covenant with Noah and keeps His promise.
- When you see trees blossoming, you bless God because He created beautiful things for our enjoyment!4
Eph 1:3 [Blessed] be...the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [—Why?—because He] has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.8If you have ever collected anything—stamps, coins...hubcaps—you know what it is like to hunt for those elusive items necessary to complete your collection.... At the heart of the martial arts style I first studied is a series of twelve forms or choreographed routines that embody the major elements of the system. After twenty years, I had learned most of them, but the most advanced one, number twelve, eluded me. Even my instructors did not know it. When I finally found someone who could teach it to me, I was elated. At last, my collection was complete.
The difference, however, between what we gather and what God gives is profound because, as Paul states in v. 3...
A. He has blessed us completely, not just partially (v. 3).and...
B. He has blessed us spiritually, not just physically (v. 3).Unlike the martial arts forms I learned over the course of several years and which benefit me only in this life,9 God presents you with a whole package that will benefit you forever. He has given you "every spiritual blessing," providing all you need to enjoy the fullness of a relationship with Him.
How do we receive this blessing? ...It is "in Christ." As I mentioned before, Paul repeats this phrase several times in the passage to emphasize that God bestows His goodness on us not because we earned it but because Jesus died for it. Paul does this not to make us feel worthless but to make us realize that receiving this blessing does not depend on us; it is secure in Christ, who is now seated "at [God's] right hand in the heavenly realms" (v. 20b).10
In the next few verses (Eph 1:4-10), the apostle continues to extol the Lord's goodness but moves away from generalities. Here...
II. Paul blesses God for the specifics of His blessing to us.
....citing four ways we have benefited in Christ. Our first benefit from God is that...
A. He has elected us (Eph 1:4).
Out of all the people on the earth, God selected a portion of them to receive His blessing, and He did it before any of them were even on the scene, "before the creation of the world." The theological term for this is election.11 So, how did God elect us? According to Peter...Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
In his first epistle, Peter says that we "have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Pet 1:2).121. The determinant in election is God's prescience (or foreknowledge).
When we elect people to public office, we base our decision on what the candidates said during the campaign and, if they held office before, on how well they performed. We cannot be certain that the candidates we choose will actually meet our expectations, because we do not know what the future holds. God does not have that limitation. He exists outside of time. It is all the same to Him.13
The Bible calls this aspect of God's omniscience His foreknowledge, a term whose definition theologians have argued over for centuries.14 Although some invest the word with special significance,15 it simply means "to know something ahead of time."16 God knew "before the creation of the world" who would accept His gracious offer of salvation in Jesus, and it is they who constitute the elect.17
More specifically, He knew that we would embrace His salvation in Jesus and become part of the elect.18 To what, then, does God elect us?
Returning to the analogy of politics, most elected positions come with advantages (perks) in addition to their responsibilities. The office of president of the United States, for example, has considerable prestige and gives the holder access to other leaders in governments around the world.
Likewise, when God elects us, it comes with advantages in addition to responsibilities. Paul cites one such advantage here in v. 419 One day we will "be holy and blameless in his sight."20 In other words...
If you recall Paul's confession in Rom 7, you will understand why this is on his list of reasons to bless God. There, Paul says,2. The goal of election is our perfection.
Rom 7:21 ...I find this [principle] at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.Paul was not perfect; he sought to obey God but struggled with sin. Do you ever struggle with sin? Are there times when you do not live up to what you know is right? Some people may struggle more than others, but all struggle to some extent. No one is perfect. The good news is that, one day God will fashion you in the perfect image of His son and will finish your struggle with sin, because the goal of your election is your perfection.21
God has chosen us for a complete remodeling.22 That is what we can look forward to as part of the elect, and it is a good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has elected us. ...Our second benefit from God...will have to wait until next time. Meanwhile, think about this benefit this week—that God, long before you were born, selected you and determined that you would one day be perfect.
***********************
There is something to be said about the peace of mind that comes from knowing our future is secure, that we have prepared for the uncertainties that lie ahead.
A life insurance agent visited a prospective client and spent quite some time explaining the various policies his company offered, including differences in coverage and rates. At the end of his presentation, he could see that the customer was still uncertain whether or not he should purchase a policy. Realizing that too much pressure could blow the sale, he said, "Don't let me frighten you into making a hasty decision. Sleep on it tonight.... If you wake up in the morning, then let me know."Much about the future is uncertain, but God has prepared for us something that is "safe and secure from all alarms." As Paul describes this future in his letter to the Ephesian Church, he expresses his confidence by blessing God.
Last time, we noted that...
I. Paul blesses God for the scope of His blessing to us.
Eph 1:3 [Blessed] be...the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [—Why?—because He] has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.Unlike the meager things we gather in this life, what God gives us is far more valuable, because...
A. He has blessed us completely, not just partially (v. 3).and...
B. He has blessed us spiritually, not just physically (v. 3).In the next few verses (4-10), the apostle continues to extol the Lord's goodness but moves away from generalities. Here...
II. Paul blesses God for the specifics of His blessing to us.
...citing four ways we have benefited in Christ. Our first benefit from God is...
A. He has elected us (v. 4).
We noted that, according to Peter...Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
...that we "have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Pet 1:2). God knew "before the creation of the world" who would accept His gracious offer of salvation in Jesus, and it is they who constitute the elect.... To what end does God choose us? Paul says...1. The determinant in election is God's prescience.
We are not there yet, for we all struggle with sin. No one is perfect. The good news is that, one day God will fashion you in the perfect image of His son and will finish your struggle with sin.2. The goal of election is our perfection.
God has chosen us for a complete remodeling. That is what we can look forward to as part of the elect, and it is a good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has elected us. ...Our second benefit from God, which is where we pick up the description this week, is that...
B. He has predestined us (Eph 1:5-6).
Foreknowledge is the way God elects people; it is His awareness of what will happen. Predestination is God's decision to make something happen (including arranging the means He will use to accomplish it).23 For this second benefit, Paul explains that...Eph 1:4b In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
What He does is not out of admiration for our noble character or appreciation for our benevolent acts. There is nothing in us to admire and nothing we do to appreciate. As Isaiah remarks...1. The determinant in predestination is God's affection.
Isa 64:6a All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags...24What, then, is God's motivation to ensure for us a good end? Paul says that He does so "in love," not the sentimental emotion that makes people feel all mushy inside but a volitional determination to act for someone else's benefit. What does God determine to do for us "in love"?
...The Lord predestined us "to be adopted as his sons" (v. 5).252. The goal of predestination is our adoption.
God created us all, but we are not all by nature His children.26 The only way we can have that kind of relationship is if He initiates it, if He takes us into His family by adopting us.27 How do we qualify for adoption? The procedure is similar to the practice of adoption in society today.
- Adoption is foremost an act of love, and so it is with God. The last two words of v.4 go best here:28 It is "in love" that God adopts us.
- Just as potential parents have to pay certain legal fees, so did God, in Jesus' sacrifice for us.29
- Moreover, potential parents bear the entire cost; the child pays nothing. Likewise, when God adopts us, He pays it all. Paul says here that God "has freely given us" (v. 6) adoption.
So what are the advantages of adoption? There are at least two we might mention.
When God brings you "in[to] the kingdom of light....from the dominion of darkness" (Col 1:12-13), He could stop at that point, because you are out of danger. You no longer face the penalty of your former way of life. Like entering the Witness Relocation Program, you have a new life as a citizen of heaven. God, however, cares for more than your protection; He also provides for your adoption.
- Adoption means that you are not merely a subject of God, a resident in His realm; you are a child of God, a member of the royal family.30 You, thus, have the privilege of calling Him "Father" (Rom 8:15), as Paul does in v. 2 when he says, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father."
When God offers us salvation, the only requirements are "repentance [and] faith" (Acts 20:21; Heb 6:1). That is all He expects, and that is all He accepts. We must come to God empty-handed, recognizing that we cannot earn His pardon. Indeed, we need nothing more because, as Paul says in chapter 2, salvation "is the gift of God" (v. 8).31 Again, God could stop at that point, leaving us penniless yet free, but He adopts us as well.32
- Adoption also means that you do not remain empty-handed; you become an "heir[] of God" (Rom 8:17a). You will enjoy the wealth of God's estate,33 for one day Jesus will return and say, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world" (Matt 25:34).34 ...If death is being "cut off" from life, as some biblical authors describe it,35 then the inheritance of adoption is, in business terms (if I may mix the metaphors), your severance package, your golden parachute.
When Linda and I left New York to attend college in South Carolina, we were young and naïve, and we did not realize the difficulties we would face. We went from being surrounded by our family to being separated from our family, from good jobs and financial solvency to poor jobs and financial difficulty. God met our needs, yet He also impressed upon us the value of our adoption, that whatever difficulties we face on earth, God has prepared for us in heaven a great association and a great compensation.
What was true for us is true for you. No matter how distant your earthly relatives or how deficient your earthly resources, God has blessed you with being His relative and with having His resources. That is the value of your adoption.
Adoption is what God has predestined for us through Jesus. We have become God's children as well as His heirs. It is another good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has predestined us. ...Our third benefit from God is that...
C. He has redeemed us (Eph 1:7-8).
What I find particularly striking is the way Paul describes redemption here. We can become so familiar with Jesus' atoning work on the cross that we forget how much it represents "the riches of God's grace" (also 2:7), that...Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,36 in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
...and not our righteousness. The psalmist says,1. The determinant in redemption is God's favor.
Ps 49:7 No man can redeem the fife of another or give to God a ransom for him—8 the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.Only God could afford to pay this price, and He has done it not just for one of us but for all of us.
Notice also that He did not simply meet the minimum requirement; "he lavished on us" His grace—"grace that is greater than all our sin" (Julia Johnston, Grace Greater Than Our Sin, refrain). "God knows that He cannot exhaust the wealth of His grace, and therefore He [bestows]37 it with unstinted generosity upon us"38 (Eadie 1979:44).
What is the result of God's goodness? What does this great expenditure purchase for us?
The Bible speaks about more than one kind of redemption.392. The goal of redemption is our forgiveness.
- There is physical redemption, such as when Boaz redeemed the property of Naomi's deceased husband in the Book of Ruth.40
- There is moral redemption, which God accomplished when He redeemed man from sin.41
If you sold all you have—your house, your cars...your children—if you combined that with your savings and your retirement fund, if you added to it everything you have ever earned...before taxes, the amount would probably amaze you. If you then quantified all the good you have ever done—from kind words to great deeds—if you converted that into cash, the amount of your righteousness would probably impress you. If you then placed it all on the scales of justice, opposite your sins...the result would surely disappoint you, because the balance would not even budge. Thankfully, God has tipped the scales of justice in your favor and has anchored them in place with the abundance of His grace.
However familiar the event of Jesus' death becomes, we should never cease to appreciate what God has done "through his blood." It is another good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has redeemed us.
Our fourth benefit from God is that...
D. He has enlightened us (Eph 1:9-10).
Paul speaks here about "the mystery of his will."44 He explains in chapter 3 that God's will was a mystery, because it "was not made known to men in other generations" (v. 5)—not to the patriarchs, not to the prophets, not to the ancient people of Israel. Why does God choose to reveal it at this point in human history?Eph 1:9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
...We cannot say with any certainty, only that...
He decides when the time is right, and He is under no obligation to explain that to us. Nevertheless, while we may not be privy to God's schedule, we can profit from the fact that "he has made known to us [this] mystery,"46 because...1. The determinant in (any) revelation is God's (good) pleasure.45
...our recognition of God's hand at work in history. God wants us to know what He is doing, because it encourages us and energizes us to persevere in our service to Him.472. The goal of revelation is our perception.
So what is the mystery? Paul tells us two things, one here and another in chapter 3. Both concern the nature of God's kingdom when Jesus returns.
- The first revelation concerns the size of the kingdom. Several Old Testament prophecies state that the messiah will govern the restored nation of Israel.48 Some passages indicate that his dominion will cover the whole earth.49 In chapter 1, v. 10, Paul explains that the kingdom will be more extensive than what God showed in the Old Testament, because His will is "to bring all things in heaven [as well as] on earth together under one head, even Christ."50
- The second revelation concerns the citizens of the kingdom. When the Bible describes the Messianic Age, it focuses on the restoration of Israel51 and says relatively little about gentile believers.52 This has led some Christians to reinterpret God's promises to Israel as if they were promises to the Church instead. Not only is that bad hermeneutics, it is entirely unnecessary. In chapter 3, v. 6, Paul explains that the kingdom will be more inclusive than what God (generally) showed in the Old Testament, because He will make gentile believers "heirs together with Israel, members...of one body...in Christ."53
When your life seems to be in disarray, or your carefully laid plans go awry, you may lose perspective. You may focus so closely on your particular situation that you forget: God's work in your life is part of a larger task He is accomplishing. You may find it difficult to believe or to understand how your problems can possibly advance God's program, but that is the wonder of His sovereignty. As Paul notes elsewhere...
Rom 8:28 [NAS] ...God causes all things to work together for good to those who love [Him], to those who are called according to [His] purpose.Do you love God? Has He called you according to His purpose?
Don't let me frighten you into making a hasty decision. Sleep on it tonight.... If you wake up in the morning, then let me know....On the contrary, if you are not sure, please speak to me after the service.
If, however, you are sure that you love God, that He has called you, and that He does have a purpose for you, then God is involved in whatever may be happening in your life, and He is including it in the larger scope of His plan, working it to your advantage, often in more ways than you know.
- It may be to position you for an opportunity you do not yet see.
- It may be to work out some character flaw that would prevent you from experiencing the fullness of His blessing.
- It may be to prepare you to help someone else.
- It may be all of the above.
God is working on a tremendous scale, including all creation and all people. What should excite us, as it excited Paul, is that now we know how all-encompassing it is and how great a part we (gentiles) have in it. This is a good reason for Paul and for us to bless the Lord: Blessed be God because He has enlightened us.
In these few verses, we have seen some of the ways God blesses us and the reasons Paul blesses God. These things constitute God's purpose for us.
- God has elected us to make us perfect.
- God has predestined us for adoption as His children.
- God has redeemed us from the penalty of our sin.
- God has enlightened us about His kingdom and our part in it.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs