Sunday School Lesson
December 2, 2012
Lesson: Ephesians 1:3-14
Golden Text: “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace” (Ephesians 1:5-6a).
INTRODUCTION. Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus was one of his prison epistles written while under house arrest in Rome (see Acts 28:16, 30). He first visited Ephesus on his second missionary journey (see Acts 18:19-21), and during his third missionary journey, he stayed there for almost three years (see Acts 19). Paul began this letter in his usual fashion, introducing himself and naming his readers. In this week’s lesson, the apostle wrote about what God has said about our spiritual security in Christ. If we listen to anything other than God’s Word, we will be uncertain and insecure about our eternal destiny and our present life. We will be left to our own resources. This lesson points out what God did before Creation and before we were born that guarantees our salvation and His hand being upon us.
II. GOD’S PAST ACTION (Ephesians 1:3-6)
A. God chose us (Ephesians 1:3-4).
1. (vs. 3). After the Apostle Paul introduced himself to the believers at Ephesus, he referred back to the time of our conversion, when we who received Christ received the title to our spiritual blessings. He said “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Paul began by describing God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the source of all spiritual blessings. He stated that God “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings.” The verb translated “hath blessed” is in the past tense indicating that “all spiritual blessings” bestowed on the believer is already a completed fact. Although we don’t enjoy all of God’s spiritual blessings right now, in God’s sight we do have them. These blessings are “spiritual” and not temporal or earthly. They are in the realm of the spirit, the part of us related to eternity. These spiritual blessings provide everything we need to enrich and sustain spiritual life. Paul goes on to say that these spiritual blessings that we have are “in heavenly places in Christ.” Since they are “in Christ” we received the blessings when we received Christ. The spiritual blessings originate “in heavenly places” which refers to the celestial or heavenly realms that are separate from the temporal, mortal and corruptible realm of earth. Therefore, the spiritual blessings that God gives believers are not subject to change or decay. Their value goes beyond our earthly existence.
2. (vs. 4). Paul continued to explain that those spiritual blessings are bestowed on believers “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” The basis for God’s bestowal of spiritual blessings is His sovereign choice for He has “chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.” The “in him” refers to Christ in the previous verse. God chose us to be in His Son and to enjoy His blessings. He laid out a perfect plan (see I Peter 1:18-20) for human redemption “before the foundation of the world,” or before the world and man were created. God didn’t do this just to save us from hell, but to make us like Himself, “holy and without blame before him.” When we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour we also receive His righteousness immediately; and God sees us in the perfections of His Son (see Romans 3:21-22; I Corinthians 1:30; II Corinthians 5:21). As far as experiencing perfect holiness, we won’t achieve that until we are in God’s presence, but we should still pursue holiness nevertheless. B.God adopted us (Ephesians 1:5-6).
1. (vs. 5). In addition to God’s choice of believers, Paul also said “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” The words “in love” in the previous verse probably should go with this verse to read “in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself.” The word “predestined” means to mark out or determine beforehand. For it was “in love” that God marked out beforehand our destiny as sons and daughters in His family. “Adoption” in the New Testament is the act by which God places the believing sinner into His family with all the privileges and responsibilities of an adult son (see Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:4-7).God adopts every person who receives Jesus Christ as personal Saviour into His family and gives them all the privileges of being His children. We don’t have to earn those privileges; they are ours from the moment we are saved. We become heirs and joint heirs with Christ when we receive Him by faith (see Romans 8:17). However, our adoption won’t be complete until we claim our full inheritance in our transformed bodies (see Romans 8:23). This is the destiny that God has predestined or marked out for all believers. The wonderful thing about all of this is that God does it “according to the good pleasure of his will.” In other words, it makes God happy to give us the joy of being His children.
2. (vs. 6). Here Paul tells us that the ultimate purpose of God’s choice and bestowal of spiritual blessings on believers is “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” God has chosen and accepted us so that “his grace” will be praised throughout eternity (see Ephesians 2:7). God’s grace is His favor shown to unworthy sinful people. Note: God’s plan of salvation allows no place whatsoever for human effort (see Ephesians 2:8-9; I Corinthians 1:26-29). He has done everything necessary so that He, not we, is glorified. The apostle also said that God’s grace is that which “hath made us accepted in the beloved.” The word “beloved” is better translated as “the beloved One.” The beloved One is Jesus Christ. He is called that because the Father loves Him (see Mark 1:11; Colossians 1:13). Only in Him is divine grace available to man. God may desire to be gracious; but when men reject Christ, the Messenger of God’s “grace and truth” (see John 1:17), He cannot help them.
III. OUR PRESENT REALITY (Ephesians 1:7-10)
A. The riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7-8).
1. (vs. 7). Still referring to the beloved One, Jesus Christ, here Paul says “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Jesus Christ provides “forgiveness of sins” and “redemption through his blood.” The word “redemption” refers to a ransom or buying something back for the purpose of setting it free. If an Old Testament Hebrew was sold into slavery and could not pay the price of his freedom, a relative could redeem him (see Leviticus 25:48). Note: For the believer this is illustrated in the fact that we all are slaves to sin before we were saved. Since God created us, we belong to Him, even though we walked away from Him into sinful living.But in His love and mercy He paid the price to buy us back in order to set us free from the slavery of sin.That means we are free from the eternal penalty for sin (the lake of fire and brimstone) and from the enslaving power of sin. And since we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we don’t have to live in sin. If we do, we show no fruits of redemption. Christ became a man, or relative, so that He could free us from sin’s bondage. The ransom price was “his blood.” Since the ransom has been paid, there is also “forgiveness of sins.” The word for “sins” is more accurately translated “trespasses” which speaks of any deviation from God’s standards. Forgiveness goes hand in hand with redemption. We can’t have one without the other. To forgive means to give up the right to punish someone for a transgression. Making forgiveness possible was a major accomplishment in God’s eyes because it required the sacrifice of blood and the death of His Son, Jesus. Paul went on to say that God provided “redemption” and the “forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.” In other words, the grace that God loves to display is more than sufficient for the redemption and forgiveness of the worst sinner. However, it is only available to those who trust Christ’s saving work.
2. (vs. 8). God’s grace is spiritual wealth and Paul says here “Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.” Along with His grace, God gave us “all wisdom and prudence.” God has “wisdom” and “prudence” or “discernment” and He has given them to believers.
B. The mystery of God’s will (Ephesians 1:9-10).
1. (vs. 9). In this verse, Paul said that the “wisdom” and “prudence” or discernment that God has imparted to us according to the previous verse, “made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.” In other words, the wisdom and discernment that God has given believers enable us to know “the mystery of his will.” A “mystery” in Scripture refers to a truth that was previously hidden in God’s mind but is now revealed to those who are spiritually mature enough to receive it (see Romans 16:25-26). The mystery here pertains to God’s “will” or plan which He is working out in human history. It is God’s “good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself” that guides His plan to completion.
2. (vs. 10). Here Paul reveals the mystery to us. It is “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” The content of this revealed mystery concerns “the dispensation of the fulness of times.” The word “dispensation” refers to a period of time of administration that Paul describes as “the fulness of times.” In this case it refers to God’s administration of a time when the history of man will come to an end. At that time God will “gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” A time is coming when man’s times will be complete and come to an end. At that time, Jesus Christ’s kingship over everything in the universe, including heaven and earth will finally come to pass. It’s clear that Paul was describing conditions of the future millennial reign of Christ (see Isaiah 11:1-9). However, complete fulfillment of this mystery will come at the end of time and the beginning of eternity (I Corinthians 15:25-27; Revelation 21:1-8). Since the moment that sin entered God’s creation, there has been nothing but evil, destruction and division. However, “in Christ” God will gather everything together in heaven and earth in the culmination or ending of the ages. Believers are blessed to be a part of this great plan.
IV. OUR FUTURE EXISTENCE (Ephesians 1:11-14)
A. Christ’s provision of an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11-12).
1. (vs. 11). Referring back to Christ in verse 10, Paul here continued to say “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” When Paul used the word “we” he was referring to Jewish believers in contrast to the word “ye” in verse 13 to refer to Gentile believers. In Christ, Jewish believers also “obtained an inheritance.” They became heirs to all the blessings of salvation. Now Jews were saved in the same manner as Gentiles.That’s why Paul used the term “also” indicating that both believing Jews and Gentiles received an inheritance, or all the blessings of salvation.Paul continued to say that the Jewish believers (like Gentile believers) were “predestinated” or “determined beforehand” to receive this inheritance (see vs. 5) according to God’s sovereign working, which is the meaning of “according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” God works in all things to complete His plans. The “counsel” included the Godhead that is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. (vs. 12). Still referring to the Jews, Paul said that God’s intention for saving them was so “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” Every new convert, or those “who first trusted in Christ” is to bring praise and glory to God. No credit could go to those who believed or even to those who preached to them. God designed salvation so that it brought glory to only Him. This is the way it should be. To let sinful man tamper with His perfect plan would only ruin it (see Galatians 1:6-9; 5:1-4).
B. A guarantee (Ephesians 1:13-14).
1. (vs. 13). Again, referring to Christ, Paul said “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” The words “In whom” refer back to Jesus Christ in the previous verse. “Ye also” refers to the Gentiles just as the words “we also” referred to the Jews in verses 11-12. Paul lists three statements to describe what happened to cause both Gentiles and Jews to trust in Christ and experience salvation.
a. First, they “heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” They “heard” what was given to them, “the word of truth,” that is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is also called “the gospel.” The only way to be saved is by hearing and responding to the saving truth of God’s Word according to Romans 10:13-14, 17 which says “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This verse explains what the Ephesian believers had heard.
b. Second, the Ephesians “believed.” After hearing the gospel they “believed” it. It is not enough just to hear the gospel; there must be a response of belief in who Jesus is and what He has done to provide salvation.
c. Third, they were “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” The Holy Spirit is received at the very moment of conversion, not at a later time (see Romans 8:9). The word “sealed” refers to an ancient practice that was used to show ownership and ensure protection. This sealing is a guarantee of our salvation and is done by God with the Holy Spirit. Here the Holy Spirit is called the “holy Spirit of promise” for two reasons. First, He is the One whom Jesus promised while still on earth (see John 14:16-17; Acts 1:4). Second, the Holy Spirit’s presence in us promises that God will complete the work He has begun in us (see Ephesians 4:30).
2. (vs. 14). In our final verse, Paul continues to speak of the Holy Spirit and describes Him as that “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” The Holy Spirit is the “earnest of our inheritance.” The word “earnest” refers to a guarantee or down payment in a transaction, pledging full payment in the future. The Holy Spirit’s presence in us guarantees the full payment of the inheritance to which we are entitled through Christ (see II Corinthians 1:21-22). In other words, the presence of the Holy Spirit in us is God’s pledge that one day we will indeed be in heaven in His presence. Paul also said that the sealing of the Holy Spirit is permanent because it is “until the redemption of the purchased possession” or unto the day of redemption” (see Ephesians 4:30). All believers are God’s “purchased possession” redeemed or purchased by Jesus’ blood (see vs. 7). Our redemption, however, will not be complete until we stand before Jesus in our transformed bodies (see Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:20-21). At that time, we will possess our spiritual inheritance in full. But until then, the Holy Spirit remains the down payment and guarantee. Finally the Apostle Paul tells us that the completion of our salvation, just like every other stage of it, is “unto the praise of his (God’s) glory.” Simply put, everything that God has done, is doing and will do to complete His plan of salvation will result in praise to His glory when we are forever with Him.
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