The text

In Ephesians 1:5 Paul writes:

“With love
He predestined us for Himself to become sons through Christ Jesus,
according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, which is our
graced in the beloved.”

The verse contains a reversal of the themes. At the beginning it says that we are “predestined in love”, which is reflected in the fact that we are “graced in the Beloved”. Love embraces this verse. Better still, it all has to do with the Son, beloved of God, in whom we are gifted. In this Son we receive the promise of sonship.

There are other parallels in the text: God has predestined us to be for the praise of the glory of His grace. God is the doer. However, we are included. God does something to us and for us, and He does it for Himself. The focus is not on us, but on Him. The central phrase is that this is “according to the good pleasure of His will”.

Building the community

Paul writes here to the churches in a circular letter. His words were intended to express encouragement. Paul builds up the churches. He says and writes what is necessary and leads on. The apostle emphasizes the effect of God. It is not man who is central, but God himself. God has a Beloved, that is Christ Jesus. In Him we are blessed. We are graced in the Beloved. The aim is not to make us feel warm and cozy, but to make us see ourselves as part of God’s actions. Perhaps we enjoy it and it warms our hearts, but that is a side effect, not the main concern.

Today we could perhaps put it this way: it is worth believing because our God has good plans for us. Good comes to us through and in His Son. His goal is not our well-being, but we are included in his work. We are one of them.

God has predestined us

Paul speaks of himself and of his listeners. God has predestined “us”. There is a promise in this. Predestination makes no sense if it has already been achieved. It is therefore a view of something that lies ahead. Paul points to the future so that he can give direction to the church today.

What lies ahead? This is sonship through Christ Jesus. He summarizes this in another way by saying that this is “to the praise of the glory of His grace”. This is also before us, as an effect of God’s actions, so to speak.

Sonship

The term “son” says more than “child”. Children are still minors (Gal 4:1). Through an adult son, however, the father builds his house. See also the following article:

The term “sonship” refers to a future, to a position through which God will reach His goal. Just as Paul describes a little further on in Ephesians:

“He (God) subordinates everything at His (Christ’s) feet; and He gives Him as head over everything to the called-out church, which is His body, the completion of Him who completes the universe in everything.”
Eph 1:22-23

In his letter to the Romans, Paul had already pointed out that we “have the firstfruits of the Spirit” and “await the adoption as sons”. The apostle then describes the last thing with the words “the redemption of our body” (Rom 8:23).

God’s predestination

Paul speaks of us, but only in the light of God’s actions. He has predestined us, but “through Christ Jesus”. Likewise, we have received grace, but this is “in the Beloved”. Whatever is achieved now has to do with Christ Jesus. Sonship is also connected to His Son, because sonship is not something we achieve through effort, but something that is given in Christ.

Whoever is a son becomes a performer. He is included in the work of God. This is what predestination aims to achieve. Predestination and election are not goals in themselves and have nothing to do with “salvation”. Whoever is chosen, whoever is predestined, is given a task. The task concerns us, as Paul writes. It is about the whole church, about “His body” (Eph 1:22-23).

The impact

The results of God’s actions are not listed in detail here. This is a general description. He writes: “to the praise of the glory of His grace”. This is the summary of the goal. The municipality is used for this purpose. We are graced in the Beloved and will serve to praise the glory of His grace. Grace is the unifying factor. Love is the motivation. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. This is what applies today and will shape the future.