Ephesians 1:9-14
February 12, 2006
1:9 He did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 1:10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ–the things in heaven and the things on earth. 1:11 In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will 1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, may be to the praise of his glory. 1:13 And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)–when you believed in Christ–you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, 1:14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession to the praise of his glory.
The this that Paul refers to is that God “lavished on us all wisdom and insight.” The only sense in which we receive wisdom and insight is through trusting our lives to Jesus Christ. It’s all about Jesus.
This is one of the passages that teaches predestination, meaning that God picked all those who will believe in him long before they were born and before they could try to do anything to earn a right to fellowship with God. For many, this is a sticking point and a barrier to belief. Another sticking point is the work of God through the Holy Spirit to mark believers with enough faith to get them from this life to the next.
Yogi Berra supposedly said that when you come to a fork in the road, take it. Choosing one path at life’s fork in the road leads to growth in understanding and faith. The other path may or may not lead to another fork on down the road and another opportunity to believe. -sdg-
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