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The riches of God's grace in Christ
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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should 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, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 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. Ephesians 1:3-14 NASB77
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Comments
Re: The riches of God's grace in Christ
Dear Jim,
Thank you for your newsletters and articles which have been a constant blessing of encouragement to
my wife and I over the past couple of years. [We enjoy little real " in Christ" fellowship here in Greyton, South Africa.]
Ephesians 1: 3-14
This beautiful poetic passage is mostly one long sentence which ends at verse 12.
After struggling in prayer and study for years with the obvious Calvinist error [or rater heresy] of "double predestination", I was trying to understand what group of people Paul was referring to when he used the pronouns "we" and "us" in verses 3-12. All of a sudden the lights went on and this mystery was solved!
In verses 3 to 12, Paul is speaking about "we" and "us" as the remnant of believing Jews who realised that Jesus is the Promised Messiah of the Tanach [1K 19:18;Is 1:9;10: 22,23; Joel 2:32 et al]. He considered himself, his apostolic group, and the other Apostles to be be this "remnant" which he writes about in Romans 9: 27-30 and chapter 11. These, Paul says, God "chose" and "predestined" [verses 3 and 4] and "who first trusted in Christ" in verse 12.
In verse 13, Paul now addresses "You also" who are the Gentiles[us]who God has now "grafted in" [Romans 11:17]. He further explains these truths in Chapter 2 with the incredible conclusion that, "Now, therefore, you [Gentiles] are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints [Jewish remnant] and [are] members of the household of God ---".
This cleared it all for us and I hope this will help others to understand what Paul meant by his words in Romans 1:16, "---for the Jew first and also for the Greek."
Lots of love in Christ,
Dave
Re: The riches of God's grace in Christ
Hello Dave,
As you probably realize, I'm big on context ... including those mostly ignored pronouns. :) If you also consider farther along in Ephesians, Paul digs deeper into the distinctions between Jew and Gentile so that he can declare the amazing unity in Christ as the wall was broken down, and the two made into one!
Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision†by the so-called “Circumcision,†which is performed in the flesh by human hands– remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:11-22 NASB77
Re: The riches of God's grace in Christ
You don't do THIS often. I wonder what is hitting you behind this chunk of scripture here?
Adam
Re: The riches of God's grace in Christ
I recently was asked a question regarding Ephesians 1:9-10 about the summing up of all things in Christ, and as this whole section of Paul's letter is so interconnected, I've been answering it in view of the whole. It is a magnificent declaration of the freely bestowed grace that in Christ. I'll be posting that reply soon. :)
Jim
Re: The riches of God's grace in Christ
still waitin! [JK]
Re: The riches of God's grace in Christ
Okay, it's up there! Ephesians 1
Re: The riches of God's grace in Christ
This says it all!!!:)