In Ephesians 1:3 the Apostle blesses God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he recognizes to be the source of blessing (“who hath blessed us”). On reflection we recognize the term bears two senses:
- the LORD God is manifestly the source of all blessing, and
- in their response to this, believers throughout the ages have expressed their gratitude to Him by blessing His Name. Notable in this connection is Psalm 103: “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (v. 1).
None of the LORD’s blessings is to be forgotten, foremost among which is His readiness to forget our iniquities, a sentiment later reflected in the psalm, where we read, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (v. 12). But the LORD can also heal our diseases and rescue us from the pit, crowning us with lovingkindness and tender mercies (vv. 3,4).
While Psalm 103 is outstanding as a noble expression of thankfulness, the theme is one which recurs insistently in Scripture and surely it must find a place in the heart and prayers of every child of God. Paul, especially, was keenly conscious of what he owed to his God and to the Lord Jesus. Typically, he exhorts the Colossians to abound in thanksgiving (2:7). Immensely talented as he was, he reminds the Corinthians that if one appears to be more gifted than another, this is no reason for self-congratulation: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Cor. 4:7, NIV). But the supreme ground for the Apostle’s personal gratitude lay in the consciousness of the grace which had been extended to him when, as a feared persecutor, he received the revelation on the Damascus road. Saul, the blasphemer and persecutor, on his mission of destruction, obtained mercy and experienced the abounding grace of his Lord (see 1 Tim. 1:13,14).
To return to the beginning of verse 3; we note that the LORD God is referred to as “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul thus recognizes (and this we have already emphasized) the primary source of all blessing is the Father Himself. As a true Israelite, Paul knows of only one God, and the relationship Jesus bears to him is that of Son. This great truth figures prominently in Paul’s letters (see Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; Col. 1:3); later in Ephesians 1 we read, “…the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory” (v. 17). In an earlier letter, the Apostle had written: “Yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him” (1 Cor. 8:6). It is, then, in the light of the foregoing passages that we discover the evidences of Paul’s uncompromising monotheism. In the letter to the Ephesians, where we encounter such an emphasis upon the unique status of the Lord Jesus, it is surely highly significant that Paul stresses the Father’s total and universal sovereignty. This our Lord himself, after his resurrection, proclaimed to Mary Magdalene: “…I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God” (John 20:17).
In Ephesians 1:3 the emphasis is on the spiritual blessings we receive. These are available to the believer “in the heavenly places in Christ”. The NIV renders this: “in the heavenly realms”. The Greek plural term occurs first in the New Testament in Matthew 3:2 (“Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”) and recurs in the plural in verses 16,17 where the RV renders it “the heavens”. However, there can be little doubt that the expression refers to heaven, as in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:10, where various versions render the plural by “heaven”. The term recurs in Ephesians (3:15; 4:10; 6:9). In the last of these references, the Apostle speaks of the Master being in heaven. It is this which puts us on the right track, for there we are told our new life is in Christ in heaven. This is the supreme blessing which no silver or gold can purchase; the forms in which this blessing is extended become apparent in a later part of the chapter. To quote James: “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (2:5, NIV). The Lord himself exhorts us not to lay up treasures on earth but in heaven (Matt. 6:19).
These treasures are in the Lord Christ, and in him alone. It was to this great privilege, vested in Christ, that the disciples of all ages were destined in him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). Here we encounter the concept of the foreknowledge of the One who works all things according to His will. The LORD God has existed from all eternity, a notion which, in our present condition, we cannot comprehend. What becomes increasingly evident in Ephesians is that the history of mankind, and especially its consummation, are predetermined by our God. This concept is brought out especially in the various passages where “the foundation of the world” is encountered.
But what are we to understand by “the foundation of the world”? If we examine the passages in which the expression occurs, we discover they divide themselves into two groups:
- In common with Ephesians 1:4, we find “before the foundation of the world” in the following passages: John 17:24, 1 Peter 1:20; and
- In the following more numerous passages we find “from”: Matthew 13:35; 25:34; Luke 11:50; Hebrews 4:3; 9:26; Revelation 13:8; 17:8.
The key word in these occurrences is “world” (kosmos). This has nothing to do with the physical universe but with mankind, as shown in 1 Corinthians 5:10 where Paul advises against withdrawing from human society (kosmos) in order to avoid moral contamination. As we examine the various passages it becomes increasingly apparent that the foundation of the world is the establishment of the order of things brought about as the consequence of the creation of man.1We may perhaps liken “the foundation of the world” to a constitution.2To quote the Encyclopaedia Britannica: “In the broadest sense, a constitution is a body of rules governing the affairs of an organized group”, and this can apply to a state. In the case of the United States it is governed by the constitution which became effective in 1789 (see the 1980 edition, vol. 5, pp. 84,85).
So it was that God set up a constitution by which mankind has been governed, whether men recognize the fact or not. From the start of human history man has been subject to God’s law, which required total obedience. Thus sin, disobedience, brought about death. Man’s own endeavour to conceal the fact was in vain: the garments of fig leaves were replaced by the coats of skins, provided by God Himself. All this speaks to us of God’s work of salvation in His Son. This enables us to understand how in Revelation 13:8 the Lord Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world” (NIV). So it is clear that something, at the very beginning of human history, took place which prefigured our Lord’s sacrifice. This passage in its turn can lead us to the conclusion that the creatures slain to provide Adam and Eve with a covering for their nakedness were lambs, a conclusion confirmed by the fact that Abel, in sacrificing a lamb, satisfied divine requirements (Gen. 4:4).3
To return to Ephesians 1:3, we can now conclude God foresaw the call of His servants in his Son, and it is he — the Son — who at the Judgement says to the faithful: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). By our faith in God and our baptism into the Lord Jesus, we can be incorporated into the flock of the One whose purpose precedes the creation of mankind and controls all subsequent history. The concept of a divine purpose controlling human history in all its major phases may be illustrated by using the analogy of architecture. This is suggested by Hebrews 3:4: “For every house is builded by someone; but he that built all things is God”; the supreme architect is indeed the LORD God. In the case of a building to be erected, the details are drawn up by the architect and made available to all involved in its construction. This is what our God has done in the Scriptures. But while the privilege of knowing the divine purpose is the greatest available to us, this knowledge is in itself insufficient: it must awaken a proper response. This response becomes meaningful only if we live a new and full life in the Lord Jesus. The history of Israel reveals, tragically, that the privileges it enjoyed did not produce an appropriate response. Moses was at pains to make clear that the privileges available to the Israelites were accompanied by special responsibilities: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth” (Deut. 7:6); but this reminder was followed by the words, “Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes and the judgements, which I command thee this day, to do them” (v. 11; see also Exod. 19:5,6).
We can discern an echo of Moses’ words in the final part of Ephesians 1:4: the purpose of our call in Christ is to “be holy and without blemish before him in love”. The expression “without blemish” reminds us of Colossians 1:28 where the Apostle declares he exerts himself “to present every man perfect in Christ”. The perfection is achieved when we perfect love in our lives. How that love reveals itself in its various manifestations is, as we all know, set out in 1 Corinthians 13. Unless we show that love, whatever we do in the Lord’s Name is meaningless: we may even have faith to remove mountains, but if this is not accompanied by love, it is “nothing”. There can therefore be no more important prayer than that which asks our God and our Lord to aid us in the development of love. Love provides the environment in which the disciple should live. Later in Ephesians Paul instructs us “to walk in love, as Christ also loved us” (5:2), which appears to be a conscious reference to John 13:34.
Having spent some time in the consideration of verse 4, we can see the force of the words in verse 5: “…having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ”. Our natural state, in Adam, is to be “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). This is our status as sinners. God’s wrath is with the impenitent sinner (see, for example, Rom. 1:18; 2:5). Our God is indeed longsuffering but His patience can at length be exhausted and the consequences for the sinner can be dire, as in the judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah, and on Israel itself at various stages in its history, notably in the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. However, and this is the work of God’s grace, we can be adopted as God’s sons and daughters. The concept of adoption is peculiar to Paul; it occurs here in Ephesians 1:5 and also in Romans 8:15,23; 9:4; and Galatians 4:5. Adoption was practised by the Romans and the first emperor Augustus had, under the name of Octavius, been adopted by Julius Caesar as his heir. Thus the way had been opened for Octavius to occupy the supreme position in a great empire, but this was a status to be lost because of his mortality.
There can be no comparison between the status of an Augustus and that bestowed on God’s children by adoption. To the latter is offered the prospect of eternal life.
As with all God’s privileges, this too is conditional: in Romans 8:23 Paul reminds us of the final and enduring form of adoption, the redemption of our body. It is only when the body of our humiliation is made like the body of the unique Son of God that our adoption into God’s family will be complete and permanent.
Although the term “adoption” does not appear in the Old Testament, the concept is there: the LORD God became a father to Israel, a relationship of which a redeemed people proved itself unworthy: “I thought how I would set you among my children, and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful heritage of all the nations, and I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me” (Jer. 3:19, NRSV). The failure of Israel is a perpetual reminder of how easily the status as a child of God can be lost.
The verse with which we are now concerned (v. 5) continues the thought in verse 4 by affirming that adoption is foreordained and, as the Apostle declares so consistently in this letter, it is on God’s part “through Jesus Christ unto himself”, and this is in keeping with the good pleasure of His will. God’s will is absolute and sovereign, and nothing can prevail against it. The mention of God’s will is recurrent in the letter and especially in this first chapter; with the mention of this will (“theleema”) is linked the word “eudokia” (“good pleasure”). Although the divine will is sovereign, it is not arbitrary or despotic. Rather, as we shall see, it is synonymous with His grace.
In verse 6 Paul is not content with a bare mention of God’s grace; rather he speaks of “the glory of God’s grace”, the contemplation of which moves him, and surely us, to praise. There is no thought in Paul’s mind of anything but the fullness of divine grace. In Romans 5:20 the Apostle speaks of grace abounding in response to human sin, and this he had experienced himself — more than most, for he had been persecutor and blasphemer (cf. 1 Tim. 1:13,14).
In Ephesians 1:6 he is making a deliberate play upon words, for the verb used is cognate with the term for “grace”: to bring this out we need a rendering something like the following: “the grace with which he graced us”. But how is this grace revealed? “In the Beloved.” What nobler word can describe our Lord than this — “the Beloved”! Even then, he is no passive recipient only, but also the means of conveying God’s love to us: “Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love” (John 15:9; see also John 5:20).
As we work through this wonderful letter we shall appreciate increasingly how completely Paul’s mind is focused on the Father’s activity in the Son. The consideration of verse 7 will give full support to this observation.
- The term corresponding to “foundation” in the expression “the foundation of the world” is katabole, which literally means “a throwing or laying down”. Apart from the occurrences of interest to us it is used in only one other place in the New Testament: Hebrews 11:11, of Sarah conceiving seed. The other word for “foundation” in the New Testament is themelios, as in Luke 6:48.
- It is interesting to note that B.F. Westcott in his commentary on Ephesians 1:4 states that the Vulgate renders “before the foundation of the world” by “ante mundi constitutionem” ( Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, London 1906, p. 8).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One