Ephesians 1: 3-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ,
God the Father sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, who is our Lord, our Boss; so that He could bless us abundantly with everything He could do for us, as we are "in Christ," attached to Him as His "body parts."
Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the World, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.
In Love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
Before God created the Universe, He planned it all out (predestined us). He decided to make Mankind to be His own children, to be His kings and queens to govern and rule all the Universes He had in mind to make (adoption as sons).
But He knew we would not all choose to love Him back, that we would need to be Redeemed, so He could fit us to be suitable to dwell in His presence, where He is, (holy and blameless).
Now we are "in Christ," attached to Him as His body parts. This is all according to the kind intention of His will, the good pleasure of His will.
To the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Made us accepted in the Beloved.
God's grace, so gracious, giving us the good we don't deserve and can never earn; He is so generous and lavish in showering on us all the benefits and advantages and prestige of the Son Himself, who is Beloved! So, in Him we also are Beloved, as His body.
In Him we have Redemption through His Blood,
If God let any shadow of a stain of sin
to dwell with Him, then Heaven would eventually get as chaotic and
difficult as this World has become. That's why Jesus came to be
our Sacrificial Lamb of God.
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
To fulfill the sacrificial Laws that would
wash us clean, as though we'd never sinned (He took our place, as our
personal Sacrifice, Leviticus 1). That is what makes us fit to live with
God in Heaven (holy and blameless). Now that His justice is satisfied, God can forgive us unconditionally.
according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.
That's how much He Loves you! And me! Each one of us!
In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will,
He told us what He is doing and the whole story of how He is taking care of us.
according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
He intended for Jesus to take our place, God laying on Him the wrath we deserve, as though
we died; and as Jesus rose from the dead, we also receive that same Holy
Spirit that raised Him, to live in us, with Resurrection Life.
with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the Heavens and things on the Earth.
His Family Business right now is running our Universe. He has Angels to help Him as His servants, but He wants us to be His kings and queens to rule and govern it with Him, in an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, the finishing of this World.
He likes us, He wants to spend time with us, He wants us to live with Him and participate with Him in what He likes to do. And He likes to create Universes and plan out how they will run, and the courses they will take, like He did with this Earth in this Universe.
Or maybe when He's finished with this one, He will think up some other scheme of stuff--who knows but God alone! He's God, He does whatever He wants to do. And He wants us to enjoy it all, too, with him.
This is what I find so incredible. I think I know me. But God knows me better than I do, and I just have to believe what He says about me, not what I think.
And He says I'm accepted as a Beloved person, in Christ; I am Redeemed and sin has no power over me any more; His Blood washed me clean, as white as snow; and His power in me in His Holy Spirit enables me to do what He wants me to do. And what this is, is what makes me joyful and healthy and prosperous, with purpose and value to benefit others.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance,
This is the inheritance we now have, in Christ.
having been predestined
God decided ahead of Time what He would do with us.
according to His purpose
According to His reasons.
who works all things after the counsel of His will,
God does what He wants to do.
to the end
Here's the conclusion of the matter.
that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
Paul and the Apostles and the founding members of God's Church.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation; having also believed,
And us, also, after we heard the Gospel, we believed, too.
you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of Promise,
God made sure we would never slip away, so He gave us His Holy Spirit, just as He promised.
Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
This Holy Spirit is our down-payment that guarantees the full purchase, the Redemption of our physical bodies into the spiritual bodies we will have; our "adoption," when we will be declared Adult children in God's family, prepared to assume our responsibilities as His kings and queens to assist Him in running His Family Business.
To the Praise of His Glory! He receives all the credit. All the fame. All the attention. All the praise and accolades and applause.
Because it's all His idea in the first place. It's all His power and strength to do it all. It's His intelligence and genius and cleverness to get it all right. And His patience and persistence and stick-to-it-ive-ness that got it all finished.
And when He's done with all of this, only He knows what He will do next, and after that, and after that too, forever and ever!
Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end! (Isaiah 9:7).
O my Father, You are great, You are wise, You are good, You are Light, You are Life, You are Love; You are our Source and our Finish. You are our Everything!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
