Friday: Further Thought ~ God’s Grand Christ-centered Plan
Further Thought:
Does Ephesians 1:3-14 teach that God predetermines the futures of human beings, predestining some to everlasting life and others to everlasting death?
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Many people, unfortunately, believe this. Consider, however, these ideas:
- In the passage, the role of Christ is determinative, since the divine choice to adopt us occurs “through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5, ESV) or “in him” (Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 1:11). This suggests that God’s election and predetermination are exercised toward all who choose faith in Christ rather than selecting who will be saved or lost on a case-by-case basis even before people were born. God’s decision is the studied, predetermined, divine response to those who exercise faith in Christ.
- Ephesians 1:3-14 also contains vivid relational language about God’s work of salvation. God is “Father,” and we are His “adopted” children (Ephesians 1:3-5), who receive His blessings in bountiful measure (Ephesians 1:8). We must understand the language about God’s choice and predetermination in the light of this rich, relational language. God is not a distant, unfeeling judge who makes decrees from afar but the caring Father of all His children (see Ephesians 3:15).
- That God honors human choice is reflected in Ephesians 1:3-14 (especially Ephesians 1:13, where “hearing” and “believing” are judged to be important), elsewhere in the letter (Ephesians 2:8, Ephesians 3:17, Ephesians 4:1-6:20, all of which emphasize or presume the exercise of choice and the response of faith), and in other passages in the New Testament (e.g., 1 Timothy 2:4, Acts 17:22-31). Or, as Ellen G. White expressed it: “In the matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.” — Steps to Christ, p. 68.
Discussion Questions:
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Last Sabbath I did not go to church. (It would take too long to explain why and it is not the point of my illustration) I was just about to turn on the TV and watch the service on YouTube when the doorbell rang. Standing at the door were too well-dressed young women who immediately asked whether I was concerned about current events. Of course, they were Jehovah's Witnesses and what on earth possessed them to doorknock at 11 am on a Saturday morning in what could probably be described as a Seventh-day Adventist suburb is anyone's guess.
I quickly summed the situation up and said that I was indeed concerned and that I thought the answer lay in sharing the love of Jesus to those around us. They responded by saying, "You are a Seventh-day Adventist aren't you?" And so we stood their smiling at one another until I said, "Look we know one another's arguments, probably quite thoroughly so we are not going to make any progress there. But we both love Jehovah (careful wording on my part) and we can share that." And so for a few moments, we shared in God's love and our common belief until they heard the sound of our Church singers starting up on Youtube. (I would have asked them to come and share that too but Carmel has the idea that I should not invite beautiful women into the house when she is watching the service in her dressing gown.)
There is so much to rejoice in and share with other Christians and I think that is the message I have been getting from Ephesians this week. Get to the good stuff first. Affirm one another with God's grace.
Well, Maurice - Paul and all the Apostles went out to do just that - explain/teach to expose the errors contained in the 'other' 'religions' of their days; to cause awareness to come to their hearts and minds that one's life starts with accepting the Son of God and His Word by faith.
Some believe and are converted to follow the new faith, others rejected the Son of God and His Word and remaine in their error. Good times can be had by believers and unbelievers, though it depends by which spirit the good times are being generated.
It’s where you begin that’s important.
Maurice - 'Where', would you say did Jesus begin? What does 'where' mean in the context of sharing 'good' times?
If I may answer, though I am not Maurice ...
Jesus began by mingling with people and getting to know them. Then he ministered to their needs - both physical and spiritual. Only then did He ask them to follow Him. He was courteous and gentle even with the scribes and Pharisees until just days before His death. That's when He uttered His scathing rebuked ... with tears in His voice. He needed to do that so that His followers would not be misled by the apparent piety of the leaders, and He did it so that those among the leaders who were intimidated by their peers would gain the courage to take a stand for Him. (They did that after Pentecost when many of them joined the believers.)
The Apostles followed the example of Christ. Paul continuously uplifted Christ and did not focus on "other religions." They were "exposed" by their contrast to the truth in Christ.
From my personal experience: 'Sometimes Jesus just ministers to the physical needs and by doing 'just that' (what the recipient needs most), the spirit of Christ is transferred to the heart and consciousness of witnesses and recipients alike; even to those who simply hear about the goodness and graciousness of Christ. Jesus begins (meets us) right where we (and our needs) are. I am so blessed that Jesus always addresses the 'rumbling of my stomach, the pains of brokenness and my other physical maladies', and when I am satiated or my pain relieved, the time and patience he took to address my needs covers me with unimaginable love and reflects his mercy - and I'm ever so grateful he modeled the way, teaching me to begin right where the immediate need is.
In providing for people's physical needs - healing the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the mourning - Jesus displayed God's love in tangible, practical ways. This compassion was a powerful demonstration of the kingdom of God breaking into the world, and it stirred hearts and minds to recognize His divine love and power. It also bore testament to the holistic nature of His saving mission, encompassing not just spiritual salvation, but also restoration and well-being in all aspects of human life.
Moreover, His ability to begin with our immediate needs underscores the intimate, personal nature of His love and care for us. He meets us right where we are, fully aware of our unique struggles and pains, and His loving response to those needs often brings us into a deeper relationship with Him. When we experience His love and mercy in our own lives, it naturally compels us to extend that same love and care to others, beginning with their immediate needs, just as He did.
The experience of God's love, expressed through the meeting of our immediate needs, not only gives us comfort and relief but also deepens our understanding of God's character and our relationship with Him. It enhances our gratitude, builds our faith, and strengthens our commitment to reflect His love in our own lives and to those around us. We are indeed blessed to serve a Savior who sees, knows, and meets our deepest needs.
May today be a blessing to you and those around you.
Thank you, Mary! You said it so well! And we will see results in our ministry to family, friends and acquaintances if we follow His example. May we all learn to do so!
One of the first recorded events in Jesus' ministry was when he went to a wedding party! And if I read between the lines, it wasn't a preaching event.
Does that say something about where to start?
Could it be that He went reluctantly as not to upset the sensitivities of the groom and bride? Someone must have known about His latend powers and asked Him to change water into wine - how sad to use Him in this way!
That is quite a perverse interpretation Brigitte. Maybe Jesus went to the wedding because he was invited as a friend (relative even) of the couple and wanted to enjoy the occasion. Perhaps he performed the miracle to ensure the success of the celebration. And in that social context he set the scene for further developing the ideas of the "Kingdom of Heaven".
Faith. Faith is all we need! Because the only predestination we have is for eternal life. A matter of choice, our choice to either accept God's promise of an abundant life or our concepts of living. God longs to give us true happiness, completeness, fulfillment of purposes, and absolute freedom!
“What arguments would you add to those given above supporting the idea that God does not pick and choose before we have been created who will be saved and who will be lost?“
I would add that predestination (in this sense) eliminates the possibility of free will. Free will cannot exist without having access to the ultimate choice for eternity.
I would also ask, how could a loving God create someone with the singular purpose of destroying them? The idea of predestination runs counter to everything I know about God’s character and His love for His creation. In other words, it just doesn’t make any sense.
I take Ephesians 1:4 "That is, in Christ, He chose us before the world was made so that we would be holy people - people without blame before him."
This was His intention even before He made Adam. It is also his intention for all of Adam's descendants.
Without freedom of choice, love is absent. God is love. He didn't create us for robotic worship. He isn't puffed up and doesn't need any praise from us to feel that He is the Great I AM. Love develops through choices. What is chosen is what we love.
Our all knowing God predicted that free choice may have some choose their own way over the one who created them and the One who loves them. Since God is just, sin requires death. The Bible tells us that Jesus created everything and everyone by the loving will of His Father. But before creation, free choice was necessary for someone to act out of love. Even the angels were given free choice, or Satan wouldn't have able to go against God, nor would He have been able to convince others to turn away from God and follow him.
Therefore, Through Jesus' own love, He purposed to become man so that He can die in the place of sinners not only for justice to be executed in Him for our forgiveness, but also for us to be free from the bonds of sin that our flesh carries, and our spirits to be clean so that the Holy Spirit can occupy it and reveal the love of God and His will to us through our spirits. That is how we are born again. This is salvation through Jesus; but one must choose to believe in Jesus and that through His death and resurrection He can save them. This choice is made in our love for the fullness of God because He first loved us.
This explains the the word of Ephesians 1:4 in my eyes.
Over the years I have decided that Paul knowing his natural sinful nature saw his salvation as an act by his loving Redeemer so great that to him it meant that God overlooked Paul’s sinfulness and saved him. To Paul God picked him for salvation . Isn’t that how each of us feels when we accept God’s unspeakable gift? Language fails us when try to express our thanks and praise for salvation.!!!
How quickly the conversation about "in Christ" turns to what we should do! I'd rather bask in the sunshine of God's love for a while. There s always someone else eager to tell us what we should be doing.