Ao – Chosen in Messiah 1: 4-6

Chosen in Messiah
1: 4-6

Chosen in Messiah DIG: As you read these opening verses of Ephesians, notice each occurrence of the phrase “in Messiah.” What is the significance of being “in Him?” In your own words, describe the blessings in Messiah. How does being adopted by the God of the universe relate to our believing? Who is the “we” mentioned here? What conclusions can you draw from the statement that God chose you before all creation? Who can you tell?

REFLECT: Why did God choose you for His blessings? When were you adopted? What excites you most about your relationship with ADONAI? How do you know that you are chosen? What is special about the fact that God deliberately chose to adopt you into His family? For what reason did God choose to make you a member of His family? How many ways are you “in Messiah?” How does living “in Messiah” affect who you are and how you live?

As an adopted child of God, you have a fresh start, a new beginning, a totally new life.

In Messiah, He chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in His presence (1:4). The plan of God was determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah He would adopt us into His own family – in keeping with His pleasure and purpose (1:5). So that we would bring Him praise in accordance with the glory of the grace He gave us through the Beloved One (1:6).

In Messiah (1:4a): Believers possess every spiritual blessing in heaven (1:3b) because we are in Messiah. This phrase expresses the supreme idea that permeates the entire letter. When we trust Him as our Lord and Savior, we are placed in a marvelous union with Yeshua Messiah, so that what is true of Messiah becomes true of us, minus His deity (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Kt – I AM the True Vine). All that the Lord has, those in Messiah have. The Spirit himself bears witness with our own spirits that we are children of God; and if we are children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with the Messiah (Romans 8:16-17a). Messiah’s riches are our riches, His resources are our resources, His righteousness is our righteousness, and His power is our power. His position is our possession: what He has, we have. His practice is our practice: what He does, we do. We are those things and have those things and do those things by the grace of God, which never fails to do His will in those who trust Him (First Cor 15:10).⁵⁷

In Messiah is the most frequent phrase used in the book of Ephesians, and the point is clear: If you’re in Messiah, you have everything. For example, believers are blessed in Messiah (1:3); chosen in Messiah (1:4); adopted in Messiah (1:5); redeemed and forgiven in Messiah (1:7); participants in God’s good plan in Messiah (1:11); glorified in Messiah and sealed with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (1:12-13); made alive in Messiah (2:5-6); created in Messiah (2:10); brought near to God in Messiah (2:13); growing in Messiah (2:21); built in Messiah (2:22); and sharers in God’s promise in Messiah (3:6). Get the picture? Everything in the universe is centered in Messiah, and we are in Him (1:10).⁵⁸

He chose us before the creation of the universe (1:4b): First among God’s spiritual blessings is the fact that followers of Yeshua have been chosen by ADONAI in a special way. The word for chose here is actually the Greek word eklego, meaning to pick or select. Used here in the middle voice, it means to choose someone for oneself. The Bible teaches that God chose us before the creation of the world. This implies that He did not chose others. This agrees with where it is written, “Jacob I loved [chosen], but Esau I hated [not chosen]” (see the commentary on Romans Cq – The Explanation of Isra’el’s Past Paradox). The Bible also teaches that we have the free will to believe in Yeshua Messiah and be saved from our sins. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John3:16). Yet, the Bible is just as clear that no person receives Yeshua Messiah as Savior who has not been chosen by God (Romans 8:29 and 9:11; First Thessalonians 1:3-4; First Peter 1:2). Yeshua gives both truths in one verse: Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will certainly not turn away (John 6:37).⁵⁹ So, is the Bible double-minded? Heaven forbid! Then how can we reconcile these two doctrines?

This is called an antinomy. An antimony in the Bible is two truths, both of which are capable of being demonstrated in Scripture, but cannot be reconciled from a human perspective. In other words, both are true. We don’t have to choose one or the other. For example, the Trinity is an antinomy. God is one (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bw – Sh’ma Isra’el), yet the Bible consistently teaches that there is a plurality in the Godhead from Genesis to Revelation. It is hard to reconcile this in our finite minds. So, picture a house with its roof slanted on two sides. We are standing on one side looking up at the roof and there is a sign that says: You have the free will to choose or reject Yeshua (Romans 10). That is election viewed from our standpoint. We can’t see the other side of the roof. But YHVH stands on the other side of the house, and as He looks up and His side of the roof says: Chosen before the creation of the world (Romans 9). That is election from God’s standpoint. Both are true, and like the Trinity, we must accept it as such.

Isra’el’s election is a central doctrine of the TaNaKh as well as present Jewish liturgy. From the days of Abraham, ADONAI has confirmed that He had a particular calling upon him and his descendants (see the commentary on Genesis Dt – I Will Bless Those Who Bless You and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse). The blessing read before the chanting of the Torah says, “Who has chosen us from among the peoples.” Sha’ul applies this concept to the Ephesian believers in Yeshua, both Jews and Gentiles. It could be said that for the Messianic Jews of Ephesus they would appreciate the fact that they were in some way “twice chosen!” The first time was the national call to all Isra’el, and the second time was as one called to be a disciple of Yeshua.

Although these believers of Ephesus had responded to God’s call, please note that it is God who initiated the covenant call (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD when I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el). It is not enough to know the fact of this calling in Messiah. It will only be effective as each person responds in personal faith to receive that call. This election, unlike Isra’el’s national call, actually took place before the creation of the world. Plus, this calling would result in Messianic beliefs being holy and without defect. Of course, believers are not perfect and still struggle with sin in our personal lives. That is why Paul does not call us “sinless” but without defect because of our response to this calling. The Good News of Yeshua is that YHVH looks at us, Jew and Gentile, through the work of His Son. He has us covered!⁶⁰

And as Rick Warren relates in his book The Purpose Driven Life . . . you are no accident. Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, He expected it. Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God. He thought of you first. It is not fate, nor chance, nor luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing at this very moment. You are alive because God wanted to create you! Not only that, God planned every single detail of your body. He deliberately chose your race, the color of your skin, your hair, and every other feature. He custom-made your body just the way He wanted it. He also determined the natural talents you would possess and the uniqueness of your personality. The Bible says: For You fashioned my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank You because I am awesomely made, wonderfully; your works are wonders – I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of [my mother’s womb] (Psalm 139:13-15).

Because ADONAI made you for a reason, He also decided when you would be born and how long you would live. He planned the days of your life in advance, choosing the exact time of your birth and death. The Bible declares: Your eyes could see me as an embryo, but in Your book, all the days [of my life] were already written; my days had been shaped before any of them existed (Psalm 139:16).

Most amazing, YHVH decided how you would be born. Regardless of the circumstances of your birth or who your parents are, God had a plan in creating you. It doesn’t matter whether your parents were good, bad, or indifferent. God knows that those two individuals possessed exactly the right genetic makeup to create the custom “you” He had in mind. They had the DNA the LORD wanted to make you.

While there are illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children. Many children are unplanned by their parents, but they are not unplanned by God. His purpose took into account human error and every sin. God never does anything by accident, and never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything He creates. Every plant and every animal was planned by God, and every person was designed with a purpose in mind. God’s motive for creating you was in His love. The Bible says: In Messiah He chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in His presence (1:4).

God was thinking of you even before He made the universe. In fact, that’s why He created it! ADONAI designed this planet’s environment just so we could live in it. We are the focus of His love and the most valuable of all His creation. The Bible proclaims: Having made His decision, He gave birth to us through a Word that can be relied upon, in order that we should be a kind of firstfruits of all that he created (James 1:18). This is how much God loves and values you!⁶¹

The plan of God was determined in advance (1:5a): We may define this as His eternal decision, making certain all things that are in Him come to pass. There are several analogies which, though necessarily insufficient, may help us to understand this concept. The plan of God is like the architect’s plans, drawn first in His mind and then on paper, according to her intention and design, and only afterward executed in an actual structure. Or ADONAI may be thought of as being like an athletic coach who has a carefully conceived game plan which his team seeks to carry out. Or He may be likened to a business executive planning The strategy and tactics for his firm. YHVH is like the student who carefully plans her schedule of work for the term, so that she is able to do a good job on all her required assignments and to complete them on time.⁶²

Some translations use the word predestined (Greek: proorisas, meaning to predetermine or foreordain) here, which has led to all sorts of theological debate in both Jewish and Christian circles. Joesphus, the first century Jewish historian, notes that this was a hotly debated topic within the various sects of Judaism of his day. “As for the Pharisees, they say that certain events are the work of Fate, but not all; as to other events, it depends upon people, themselves, as to whether they take place or not. The sect of the Essenes, however, declares that Fate is the mistress of all things and that nothing befalls men unless it is in accordance with her decree. The Sadducees do away with Fate, holding that there is no such thing and that human actions are not achieved in accordance with her decree, but through personal decisions. Thus, humans are responsible for their own thoughtlessness (Antiquities 13:171-173).

Later Christian theology reflected some of these same discussions. An extreme view, called Unconditional Election, believes that God makes the determination without any assistance from the person, a concept that seems closely tied to the concept of foreknowledge. While I agree that “God does not foresee an action or condition on our part that induces Him to save us” (Romans 3:23), I also believe that because of our free will, we have a choice in the matter. Those who believe that we have no choice point to Romans 9:13 and Jacob and Esau. While it is undeniable that Jacob was loved (chosen) and Esau was hated (not chosen), I don’t believe this applies to salvation in general, but rather through whom would the Seed of the Messiah come. ADONAI chose that the line of the Messiah would come through Jacob and not come through the line of Esau. In the final analysis, God’s choosing never cancels or eliminates the necessity for personal faith. If there were no free will to choose, then it would appear that Ha’Shem is unfair and that we would be no more than spiritual robots. But there are too many bible verses stating that “whoever believes” will find the wonderful gift of redemption. Once again this is an antimony (1:4b). As the Torah says, some secret things belong to ADONAI (Deuteronomy 29:29).⁶³

To adopt us into His own family (1:5b): The result of God’s election is our adoption into the personal family of God. Even those born Jewish, who have a covenant with God, must enter into a deeper level of relationship. Yeshua even urged a famous rabbi to be born again by the Spirit of God (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bv – Jesus Teaches Nicodemus). In Jewish law, an adopted child has their original bloodline, but their legal status changes. This concept would apply well to both Jewish and Gentile followers of Yeshua in the city of Ephesus. People retained their cultural identity, but through the work of Messiah, their legal status had changed to become the spiritual children of God (John 1:12b).⁶⁴ When adopted, we are transferred from Satan’s family to God’s family. In addition, we are transferred from slavery to sonship, from being completely cursed to utter shalom. And adoption implies our eternal security in Messiah if you look at ADONAI as the perfect parent (see The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

To be saved is to have the very life of God in our souls, His own Spirit enlivening our spirits. Human parents can adopt children and come to love them every bit as much as they love their natural children. They can give an adopted child complete equality in the family life, resources, and inheritance. But no human parent can impart their own distinct nature to an adopted child. Yet, that is exactly what God miraculously does to every person whom He has chosen and who has trusted in Yeshua out of their own free will. YHVH makes them sons and daughters just like His own divine Son. Believers not only have all of the Son’s riches and blessings, but also all of the Son’s nature, minus His deity.

In accordance with the glory of the grace He gave us (1:6): Why did YHVH do all of that for us? Why did He want us to be His children? We are saved and made the children of God in accordance with the glory of the grace He gave us. Above all else, He saves and adopts us for His own glory. The apostle Paul interceded for the Thessalonians, praying that our God may count you worthy of your calling . . . in order that the name of our Lord Yeshua may be glorified in you, and you in Him (Second Thessalonians 1:11-12). Even the beasts of the field will glorify the Lord, Isaiah tells us (Isaiah 43:20), and the heavens declare God’s glory (Psalm 19:1). The only rebels in the universe are fallen angels and fallen mankind. Everything else glorifies its Creator. The fallen angels have already been eternally removed from God’s presence, and those fallen men and women who will not bend the knee to Yeshua Messiah will join those fallen angels in that eternal separation.

The plan of God chose the Body of Messiah before the foundation of the universe in order that no human being could boast, or take that glory personally, but that all the glory might be the LORD’s. Salvation is not partly of God and partly of man, but entirely of God (see Az – Seated in Messiah). To guarantee that, every provision and every detail of salvation was accomplished before any human being was ever born or before a planet was formed. This leaves no room for the theory of evolution, which holds that the things that are seen today were made of pre-existing material. The ultimate reason for everything that exists is the glory of His grace. That is why, as God’s children, we should do everything – even such mundane things as eating and drinking – to the glory of God (First Corinthians 10:31).⁶⁵

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your Awesome love to bless me with every spiritual blessing “in Christ”! Your gracious love is so big that You promise me. Every spiritual blessing that You promise is based on being “in Messiah”. His sacrificial death and resurrection opened the path to heaven. You chose the path to be “in Christ”. The path to heaven is not in any person but only thru the one sinless and spotless Lamb of God (John 1:29). All other people died and are still dead. Only Messiah Yeshua has conquered/defeated death and only Messiah Yeshua was without sin. Before You created the universe You knew that mankind could never be good enough to save itself. Since You are holy, the only way for You to fellowship with anyone is if they are holy and so You planned for Holy Messiah Yeshua to bear the sins of mankind. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world (Revelation 13:8). All who choose to love and trust Messiah Yeshua, get on His path of holiness by being adopted as God’s children. Thank You for my adoption, giving me the right to enter Your holy heavenly home and live with you eternally! Praise You for Your Awesome Love! I want to thank You for Your love and blessings by blessing You back by living our lives in loving obedience, sharing Your greatness with others and making time to talk with You daily in prayer. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen