Ephesians 1:11-12

¹¹In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, ¹²in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.

Remember we’re still in the midst of this single sentence of praise from Paul, but here he gets repetitive. Perhaps he’s summarizing, but he’s still in the same sentence. Paul again states our having been chosen as heirs, our having been predestined just as God had planned in eternity-past. And again Paul states that the reason for God’s pre-creation electing and predestining us – to praise His glory. There’s a blessing (we are God’s possession of inheritance), the method of receiving the blessing (we are chosen, having been predestined by God), and the reason for being granted the blessing (to the praise of God’s glory). In every blessing of God, there is both delight and duty. We take joy in the blessing, but we are obligated to use it wisely. To whom much is given, much is required; those who have been forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47).

V11 begins with, “In Him.” Paul will never allow his readers to forget that the promises of God find their “yes” in Christ alone. Paul talks about election and predestination, but those high doctrinal truths do not exclude faith in Christ. Faith is essential to Christianity. Not only have we obtained the other things that Paul has mentioned thus far – every spiritual blessing, everlasting love, adoption, predestined unto holiness, but we have also obtained, or become, an inheritance. Translators and commentators struggle with Paul’s language and order here. There’s no doubt that “we” were chosen by God; there’s no doubt that we are God’s possession; there’s no doubt that we receive an inheritance; and there’s no doubt that we have been made God’s inheritance. All of that is conveyed in Paul’s language, though there is some confusion as far as best recording it in English – keep in mind that v3-14 is one lengthy sentence for Paul. David Wells sums up Paul’s thought here, “It is the inextinguishable knowledge of being owned by the transcendent God that forms our character, and His ownership challenges every other contender, so that we know that we belong to God, and that changes everything.” There’s delight and duty in this blessing.

Next, we see the method of becoming, or obtaining, this blessing. How did you become the inheritance of God? By God’s will; God chose you. You didn’t become the inheritance of God by chance or by your own choice; you became the inheritance of God by His choice, His will (John 1:12-13). Some argue that His unconditioned choice must be arbitrary and thus, unjust. But there is no injustice with God (Romans 9:6-24). Note the importance of v11b. Paul says that God works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. Calvin says, “The circumlocution employed in describing the Supreme Being deserves attention. [Paul] speaks of Him as the sole agent, and as doing everything according to His own will, so as to leave nothing to be done by man. In no respect, therefore, are men admitted to share in this praise, as if they brought anything of their own. God looks at nothing out of Himself to move Him to elect them, for the counsel of His own will is the only and actual cause of their election. This may enable us to refute the error, or rather the madness, of those who, whenever they are unable to discover the reason of God’s works, exclaim loudly against His design.” Do you find fault with any of chapter 3 of the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646):

• “God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”
• “Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions; yet has He not decreed anything because He foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.”
• “By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life; and others foreordained to everlasting death.”
• “These angels and men, thus predestinated, and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.”
• “Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, has chosen, in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto; and all to the praise of His glorious grace.”
• “As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so has He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.”
• “The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, whereby He extends or withholds mercy, as He pleases, for the glory of His sovereign power over His creatures, to pass by; and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praised of His glorious justice.”
• “The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men, attending the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the Gospel.”

Paul has revealed the blessing, the method of obtaining, or becoming, the blessing, and now, as v12 declares, he shows the reason for having been granted the blessing. God ordains everything ultimately for His own glory – specifically that we, who were the first to hope in Christ (Jews), might praise His goodness. Could it be that the Jews will praise God for in-grafting Gentiles into His body? Paul will elaborate in Ephesians 2:11-22 and Ephesians 3:2-6. See also Romans 9-11.

Vincent Cheung paraphrases: “The mystery of His will is that He will sum up all things under Christ. When it comes to His people, He has predestined some of us Jews to first believe in Christ, but He has predestined some of you Gentiles to also believe in Christ and be saved. By giving us faith in the same gospel, God has placed you Gentile believers ‘in Christ’ in the same way that He has for us Jewish believers.” You may be familiar with this prayer of praise: “Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and evermore shall be, world without end. Amen!” Revelation 5:13 says, “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’” Why are we saved? It is good in God’s sight.