The Purpose of Election

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The Purpose of Divine Election
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.

Ephesians 1:3-14 remains a hotly debated passage.  It stands at the center of the debate on the relationship between God’s sovereignty and humanity's free will.  It has and continuously will be, one of the most deliberated issues in Biblical theology, and we will not attempt to solve the debate here.  We can affirm that the Bible teaches God’s sovereign election as the foundation for salvation and the importance and necessity of accepting the message so that this salvation might be applied to us.  How these two interrelate is a debate we will probably not solve on this side of heaven.  This is not to say that the discussion is unimportant.  It is.  While the theological debate may not solve all the issues, it is still essential because it keeps us from the error of the extreme.  

However, sometimes, in the debate, we lose sight of the focus of what Paul is stating.  While we may not fully understand the relationship between God’s sovereign election and man’s freedom of choice, we mustn't miss the emphasis.  There are three essential points that Paul is highlighting in this passage.  The first is the basis of our salvation, and the enjoyment of our salvation is grounded in our identification and union with Christ.  Seven times in these verses, the phrase “in Christ/ Him” is used by Paul to draw our attention to the fact that our salvation and all its benefits come through our identification with Christ.  Apart from Christ, there is no salvation; apart from His work, we have no blessing from God.  Only when we surrender to Christ and identify with Him will we be saved.

Second, the redemptive work of Christ is motivated by His love for us.  The words “in love” at the end of verse 4 should more rightly be connected to verse 5 so that it reads, “In love, He predestined us to the adoption as sons.”  The basis of our salvation is not upon our worthiness, as if we earned our salvation so that it is something He owes us.  Rather, our salvation is based solely upon His love and grace, which He freely has given us (vs. 6).  Our salvation is never achieved through our efforts or worthiness. It is grounded in his unconditional and limitless love. This love gives us value and hope, knowing that our salvation is not a transaction of our payment for our works but a gift of love.

Third (this is what we often miss), in these verses, we see the purpose of our salvation.  We are not saved just to be delivered from the clutches of Hell.  We are saved with the purpose that we would be holy and blameless before Christ.  Salvation is not just redemptive (saved from the penalty of sin) it is also transformative.  We are saved so that we might now live differently.  This brings unimaginable blessings.  First we are blessed with every spiritual blessing, a blessing we cannot even begin to fully comprehend (vs 3).  Second, this spiritual blessing begins with our adoption to be children of God.  We are not just subjects in God’s kingdom; we are elevated to being children of the king ( vs. 5).  Third, as children, we are given the same inheritance Christ Himself receives from the Father (10-11).  We are given the same status and benefits that Christ enjoys.  If God’s sovereignty and man’s choice are beyond our ability to fully understand, how much more incomprehensible is the statement that we are now co-heirs with Christ so that we now enjoy “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (vs. 3)?  We enjoy the same blessings that Christ enjoys.  

As we reflect upon this passage, we can only stand in rapturous wonderment, not only regarding the basis for our salvation but also regarding the results of our salvation. While we may have some idea of what this means, it is still veiled and partial, only to be fully realized when we step into the presence of Christ. It is no wonder Paul states that “to live is Christ, but to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).  As you reflect upon this today, reflect upon not only the blessings we have in Christ but how the promise of these blessings radically changes our whole perspective of the present. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

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