That We Might Be Holy and Blameless

Ephesians 1:3-6

The passage we look at this evening has been the cause of many arguments and disagreements among Christian brothers and sisters for many years. How you understand this passage has been the cause of removal for some pastors and the dismissal from churches for members. The controversy of how we understand our salvation to take place has been an issue of disagreement ever since the writings of Augustine (ca. 400 AD) if not before then. We should approach this subject with humility and understanding that no one will ever fully explain and understand the truth of this subject. What I will attempt to do with this passage is explain it and provide insights that all should be aware of. We must remember that salvation is God’s gift to us.

When we come to Ephesians 1:3-6, we come to one of the great passages of the Bible that depicts God’s graciousness and greatness in our salvation. In verse 3, some think that Paul has placed a Trinitarian response or involvement in our lives with this statement. He says God and Father, then Lord Jesus Christ and then every spiritual blessing which the only change in our lives and spiritual growth is only through the work of the Spirit. Christ brought us salvation by direction of the Father and through this work He established His authority as Lord. The work that Christ brought about was not a physical change. He did not come that in our salvation our bodies would be renewed immediately, nor did He come to establish all believers as the aristocratic elite, but that we might bear a spiritual change in our hearts, our souls. Our new birth is of the Spirit. We have been blessed with spiritual blessing. Not just one but every. This is the reward, the blessings of being of Christ.

In verse 4 we move to how we received the spiritual blessing. Remember Paul is talking to the saints at Ephesus those who are of Christ, those who have received the spiritual blessing. The saints at Ephesus are the redeemed therefore Paul is telling them how they received the spiritual blessing. He is encouraging them in their faith because he will tell them that it was not an accident or a second thought for them to have attained salvation. (Now for the fun part of the passage.) This is where it could get ugly or it could be encouraging. Paul tells us that God chose us in Christ. Wow! You mean pastor that I didn’t make the choice? Well, I don’t know did you? It says here that the same way that God chose Israel He chose us. Is that the church or the believers? Who are the chosen the elect? Simply, they are those who have faith in Jesus. The emphasis here is on God’s will determining what happens. Whether you are an Arminian, free will or Calvinist/Reformed, the point here is that God’s will is for the salvation of those who believe in Christ. The differing views of the groups listed is in how the elect are determined. My statement is God is in control of who gets saved or not. If you are saved then God allowed it. If you are saved then God desired it. If you are saved then you should be holy and blameless. Verses 1-12 are said to be one continuous sentence. Paul didn’t use punctuation at all but the phrasing made it clear when one thought ended and another began, but here the thought continues. One of the spiritual blessings of being in Christ is that we are holy and blameless. The point of being chosen is that we become holy and blameless. We see in verse 5 that we are adopted but the adoption is that we might be holy and blameless. God desired to have a holy people. These verse revolve around holy and blameless. Please do not miss that point. Holy and blameless. “Be holy for I AM holy.” Holiness. To be conformed to God and His will is to be HOLY!

Verse 5 says that we were predestined. Another great word that has caused many problems through the centuries, this word means to mark a boundary beforehand. Everybody wants to know, how did God mark the boundary? My question, does it really matter because He did mark the boundary? Was it sovereignty and His personal choice as to what pleased Him? Maybe. Was it foreknowledge, the knowledge of who would accept Him? Maybe. Are you going to say anything other than maybe? No. Because what I believe about this passage and those minute controversies really does not matter when the passage makes clear that we who believe are adopted as sons, the heirs of God’s riches. Who cares how I was adopted but that I was. Who cares if God chose me or I chose Him. I am adopted. All I know is that there was no reason why God should want to adopt me yet He did. I am adopted through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The Son of God died for the orphan who was worthless and living out of dumpsters in the alleys of the poorest neighborhoods. This was all according to God’s good pleasure. God’s desire for us was good and good was what He desired. The word ‘kind’ denotes an attitude of gentleness. His desire was not harsh nor forced nor evil nor destructive but gentle and affirming.

In verse 6 we see that God’s grace gives praise to His glory. It is His grace that gives Him glory. The fact that God is righteous and we are not is a major issue for us as the sinful and unrighteous. Yet in His righteousness He saw fit to provide the means for our redemption. His grace in His perfect holiness gives Him praise to His glory. His grace was graciously poured out so that we might receive it. In His graciousness He gave us abundant grace. Freely to all who would receive it.

How would you reconcile John 3:16 with this passage? I think it is quite easily done. I will put in quotes the verse from the Ephesians passage where I see that they come together.

For God so loved the world (v. 6) that He gave His only begotten Son (end of v. 3; 1^st half of v. 5) that whoever believes in Him (1^st half of v. 4; 1^st half of v. 5) should not perish (v. 3) but have everlasting life (v. 3).

God’s desire is that we receive life and not death, that we are holy and not filthy and lost and dead in sin. Those who are in Christ will receive the blessings and riches of Christ. Where do you stand? Are you an heir or are you still outside of the family? Only through Jesus Christ will we receive the fortunes that are God’s.

Resources used to prepare this message: