“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even 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 for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:4-6, ESV).
What are the spiritual blessings that we could praise or thank God for?
Do we have any idea of the greatness of the spiritual blessing we received from the Blessed God? Consider, for instance, our topic: “Blessing To Be Chosen.”
While Paul was in a house arrest in Rome, he wrote to the Christians in Ephesus or to the churches around the region. Ephesus was the place where Paul performed extraordinary miracles that handkerchiefs or aprons, which touched his skin, were brought to the sick and demon possessed and healing happened (Acts 9:12). It was also in this place where the temple of the goddess Artemis was located. And those whose were to make idols protested to the teaching of Paul that “gods made with hands are not gods.” They dragged two companions of Paul in the uproar.
In Acts 20:1, we read that before Paul left the place, he encouraged the believers.
While Paul was writing the letter to the Ephesians, his experience and the difficulty that the believers encountered in the place could flash in his mind. And he pointed out to the Christians there the spiritual blessings they could praise God for. One of those blessings: being chosen.
Why is it a blessing?
Realize that it is God Himself who made the choice. Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you..." (John 15:16.) You are chosen not just by a powerful ruler of a certain nation, but by the Great Ruler of the whole creation!
Also, when the phrase says, "...chose us" -- it does not refer to every person on earth. Though some would like to interpret "us" to all persons -- both believers and unbelievers -- the text does not say that.
In fact, we read in verse 19, "...toward us who believe." Going back in verse 13, we also read: "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him..."
And the letter itself was addressed to: "To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus..." Notice that the message was not intended to everyone in the world, but to the "saints" and to the "faithful in Christ Jesus."
Jesus Himself said, "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14). Though some would try to explain "beautifully" that everyone is chosen in the world, those words of Jesus belied them.
Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica:
"For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction..."
Remember the words in I Corinthians 1:18?
"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
Consider: To us who are being saved, to us who believe, or to us who are chosen the message of the gospel -- the word of the cross -- is the power of God. Not everyone is chosen, not everyone is being saved!
Cherish then if you are chosen. It's a wonderful spiritual blessing.
God Himself chose you. And not everyone is chosen.
Now, consider another point why to be chosen is a blessing. Verse 4 starts with these words: “...even as he chose us in him...”
God chose us “in Him” -- or, as we read in the paraphrase of the Good News Translation, "Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his..."
God has chosen us to be His. As Paul wrote that there are people today who "...are called to belong to Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:6).
He also told the Christians in Rome:
"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him" (Romans 8:9).
Notice that we belong to Christ or in Him, if the Spirit of God dwells in us. Unfortunately, some would like us to believe that the Spirit is dwelling in every person and everyone today is in Christ -- believers or non-believers.
However, God's Word is clear: "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him."
Our text in Ephesians tells us that the believers are chosen to belong to God, to belong to Christ. They are living in this world, but said Jesus: "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:16). They are not of the world -- they do not belong to the world. They belong to God.
Now, let’s go to another point why to be chosen is a blessing.
Notice that those who were to chosen to be in Him or to belong to Him are chosen "...before the foundation of the world"!
If you are chosen by God, He chose you not during the time when you confessed your belief in Christ, or when you overcame all your bad habits, or when Christ came or died on the cross.
God chose you before you were born. In fact, our text says: "before the foundation of the world."
In other words, even before the creation of the physical world, God had already in His mind an elect to become His from among the people He would create.
We could have a glimpse of how this happened, when God spoke to Jeremiah:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jer. 1:5).
For the believers, before God formed them in the womb, God knew or chosen them. Before they were born they were set apart to belong to Him!
Did God choose them because He knew of their good works or right intentions?
We could get the answer in Romans 9:10-16:
"And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad -- in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls -- she was told, 'The older will serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.' What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."
Observe what the text says: "...that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls." God made the choice "not because of works." But, it is purely based on His Will -- "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
It's great blessing to be chosen, because God made the choice even before we were born -- based not our works, but on His mercy!
Again, let's read part of Ephesians 1:4: "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him..." (ESV.)
The last part says, "...that we should be holy and blameless before him."
It's a blessing for being chosen, because they were chosen to be holy and blameless before Him.
They were chosen not to fail. They were chosen not to despise Jesus. They were chosen not to suffer in hell.
Rather, one who is chosen is like a vessel for "honorable use" or vessel of mercy.
We read in Romans 9:18-23:
"So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?' But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory--"
Those who were chosen to be holy and blameless are like those vessels for honorable use or vessels of mercy. God prepared them "beforehand for glory."
Jude wrote to the believers, "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (Jude 24-25).
Because they were chosen to be holy and blameless, God will keep them as such "before the presence of His Glory," and, yes, "with great joy"!
Even in the absence of physical blessings, even under trials, a true believer could greatly praise God because of the spiritual blessings he received from Him.
And one of those spiritual blessings: being chosen.
It is actually a greatly spiritual blessing, because it is God Himself who chose; not everyone is chosen; one is chosen to belong to God; chosen before the foundation of the world; and chosen to be holy and blameless before Him.
Now, consider the last part of verse 4 and the next verse:
"...In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will..."
They were chosen to be loved for adoption as children of God!
Notice that they were predestined for adoption not because of their own merit, but according to the purpose of God's Will. As we read in Romans 9:12-16:
"she (Rebekah) was told, 'The older will serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."
Indeed, what a blessing to be chosen to be adopted as children of God. And, now, we read in 1 John 1:1, as we read in the New International Version:
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
Again, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
While some claim that everyone is a child of God, John himself made a distinction, when he wrote further in verses 9-10:
"No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."
According to the passage, there are those who are the "children of God" and those who are the "children of the devil."
The children of God are those who were chosen and enabled now by God to have faith in Jesus Christ. They are born of God. They pursue righteousness. Truly, it's a blessing to be chosen.
PRAYER: Our Blessed Heavenly Father, truly, what a great privilege to be chosen. May this spiritual blessing fueled our heart to love you more and worship you with greater ardor. Thank you very much in the name of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus. Amen.
