Ephesians Chapter 1 Verses 1-5
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus 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, even as He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before Him in love, having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desire”
This is a much used passage by the “Reformed/Calvinists”, to try to “prove” from the Bible, that God has from eternity past, already “chosen” some, that is, “the elect”, for their salvation. And has “predestined” them to their salvation, without them having to do anything.
Does this passage actually say what these would have us believe? The answer is no. Their “theology” of “election/predestination”, are not found in this passage, nor in any other passage in the entire Holy Bible. Because, their understanding of this, makes the offer of the Gospel, which is to the entire human race, as Jesus says in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation”. In the Greek the end reads, “πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει”, which is literally, “to every single person in Creation”, which is brought out by the use of the singular, “πάσῃ”, which denotes, “individuals”. It is not a “general” call through the preaching of the Gospel Message, but “particular”, to each and every human being.
In the first place, the passage in Ephesians 1, is addressed “to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus”, which is to those who are already born-again believers.
In the second place, Paul says to these Christians, that, “God has chosen them in Himself before the foundation of the world”. Interesting, that Paul does not use the Greek word, “ἐκλεκτός” (elect), but rather, “ἐκλέγω” (choose). This latter word is also used in John 6:70, “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen (ἐκλέγω) you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”, where it is also used for Judas. Our English word “choose”, can also have the meaning of “to desire, wish”.
In the third place, we read, “that we would be holy and without defect before Him in love”. Paul here gives us the reason for this “choice”, or “desire” of God, “εἶναι ἡμᾶς”, “for us to be”, “holy and without defect before Him in love”. This is how God has decided in eternity past, that those who are in Jesus Christ, ought to live. In Ephesians 2:10, we have very similar language used, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”. Here the word, “προετοιμάζω (hath before ordained)”, cannot refer to “predestination to life”, which is not what Paul is here talking about, but, that as believers we should live our lives doing good. Again, like in 1:4, this is seen as something that God has already “decided”, how those who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, ought to live their lives. We also note from Ephesians 2:10, that even though it says, that God has “ordained before”, how we ought to live, that not all those who are the saved, do so.
In the fourth place, the “predestination” that Paul speaks of in verse 4, “προορίζω”, is to “decide beforehand”, that those who are the faithful saints, are “adopted” into the family of God. Not as the Reformed/Calvinists use this, that it means “predestination to eternal life”. This is not found in this passage at all!
In the fifth place, we are told in verse 13 of this chapter, when this “adoption”, of these faithful saints takes place. “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”. In the Greek, the words, “ἀκούσαντες” and “πιστεύσαντες”, are not as in the KJV, “after ye heard”, and “after ye believed”. There is not sequence of time here, and they should be correctly translated, “upon hearing...upon believing”. These were at their time of accepting (hearing) the Gospel, by faith (believing), that they were made children of God (Sealed by the Spirit), is in ownership.
