Blessed, Chosen, Adopted, Accepted, Redeemed, Forgiven, and Sealed

Ephesus was the second largest city in the Roman Empire at the time Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians. It was a Gentile city, a large port city with over 250,000 people. It was a religious center where many religions were practiced but was predominated by the Temple of Diana. It was a culture steeped in the occult and was tolerant of every religion except Christianity.

The followers of Christ didn’t fit in with the rest of the Ephesian culture. They were perceived as self-righteous and intolerant of the other religions. They would just as soon have them killed.

It is in this climate that Paul sends his letter to the Christians in Ephesus from prison in Rome during his first imprisonment of two years there in approximately 57-62 AD. (Acts 28:30) They were in great need of being reminded of who they were in the face of such great opposition, of who Jesus was and what He had done on their behalf.

He hopes to remind the believers there of the great promises that were theirs in Christ and to bring them some comfort by his words.

And it is this, that I hope to do for us today.
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We are a peculiar people –

We are told in a number of places that we are a peculiar people.

Deu 14:2 KJV  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

Deu 26:18 KJV  And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

1Pe 2:9 KJV  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  

Look at the person next to you and say, “You’re peculiar.”

And the proper response is, “Yes, we are!”

It wasn’t until early in the 17^th century that peculiar came to mean “strange”, “odd”, or “weird”.

Peculiar, as used in the Bible means belonging to or characteristic of someone, distinctive in nature or character from others, belonging characteristically to. Peculiar means, “special to”, “a treasure”, a “possession”, especially a “purchased possession”, something “distinctive” or “characteristic”.

ex. A black robe and a white collar are peculiar to a priest. It’s a distinctive trait. You wouldn’t expect anyone else to dress like that.

We are peculiar to God, a special treasure, a purchased possession. We carry the characteristics or distinctions of the people of the one true God. We exhibit the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

There are 7 distinctions of God’s people that the apostle Paul outlines in chapter one of Ephesians. These 7 peculiarities set us apart from others, characteristic of God’s people; set apart, separate, sanctified, the elect saints of God.

Blessed, Chosen, Adopted, Accepted,

Redeemed, Forgiven, and Sealed

Eph 1:3-14 KJV

(3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

(4)  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

(5)  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

(6)  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

(7)  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

(8)  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

(9)  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

(10)  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

(11)  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

(12)  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

(13)  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

(14)  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

1.   Blessed –

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. 

Eph 2:4-7 KJV(4)  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
(5)  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
(6)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
(7)  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Since God calls those things which be not as though they were (Rom 4:17), when He sees us “in Christ” by our confession of faith and baptism, it is as though we have already been translated into His Kingdom and sit with Christ in the heavenly places and are eligible to receive all his spiritual blessings.

Just like when Joseph and Mary were betrothed, it was just as if they were already married until the final consummation.

The ultimate fulfillment of being blessed will be at the resurrection and the marriage supper of the Lamb – 

Rev 19:9 KJV  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

  

2.  Chosen –

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (Joh 6:44 KJV) 

Joh 15:16 KJV(16)  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Joh 17:20-24 KJV (20)  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;(21)  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.(22)  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:(23)  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.(24)  Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Before the foundation of the world –

How do we wrap our minds around this concept of God choosing us before the foundation of the world? How could God have loved us before the foundation of the world?

Well, if I were to tell my wife that I loved her before I even met her, would she think that was too hard to grasp? Would she be puzzled by that? No, she would understand that perfectly and be touched by the sentiment of it.

It merely means that I loved the concept of her, her personality, her kindness, her intellect, even her quirkiness. I didn’t know her personally yet, but when God brought her into my life, she fit the construct perfectly and I knew.

A mother loves her child before they are born. She loves her child even before they are conceived. She doesn’t know the child but she loves the child. Why? How? She just does.

We can ask ourselves, why did God choose me? Why me? Because He loved you. But why? Because He did.

And why do we love God? Because he first loved us, as we’re told in 1John 4:19.

And to what are we called to do about this election? We are to become holy and blameless before him in love. Out of our love for him we are to become holy as His Spirit works in us.

If the purpose of our election is that we should be holy, then ultimately the only evidence of our election is our holiness.

We cannot continue to live in sin if we love Him.

We are holy only through Jesus Christ. We must put on Christ (Gal 3:27) in order to appear holy and blameless before God.

1Cor 1:4-9 KJV
(4)  I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
(5)  That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
(6)  Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
(7)  So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
(8)  Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(9)  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

3.  Adopted –

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

We have been adopted into the family of God. God called us and gave us to Christ.

Joh 17:6, 10, 20-23 KJV(6)  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

 (10)  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

(20)  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;(21)  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.(22)  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:(23)  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

We are true members of God’s family that we may be one even as they are one. 

Rom 8:14-15 KJV  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  (15)  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption (sonship), whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

 And we have been predestinated (foreordained) into this adoption, this sonship. We are continually being conformed to the image of his Son. 

Rom 8:28-30 KJV(28)  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
(29)  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
 (30)  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Predestination is an unfortunate word choice here. It implies that each of us in particular, by name was pre-selected before the foundation of the world and the rest of the world is condemned with no hope of changing it.

The Calvinists have taken this to the extreme privilege that God destined some individuals to be called no matter what and some are destined to not be called no matter what.

It doesn’t mean that. If it did, there would be no room for free will.

What it means is that we, as a group, would be called. That God would form a family who would answer the call, repent, be baptized, and receive his Holy Spirit.

But no, He did not predestinate that Bob, by name, would be called.

For example, let’s say I decided to form a Little League baseball team. I have predetermined that I will have boys on the team to fill various positions. I don’t know who they are yet. So, I put out the call that I am forming a new team to compete in the local league. All those who are interested should come to tryouts on such and such a date.

I have predestinated. I have called. But I have not yet chosen.

These boys must answer the call, they must show up for tryouts, and they must agree to conform to the schedules and terms of the league to be chosen. We aren’t concerned with their skills. These are little boys who will learn to play the game once they’re on the team.

Similarly, we must answer the call, we must show up before God, and through repentance and baptism agree to obey the terms of the covenant as he has laid them out.

It doesn’t mean he knows which ones will submit their will to His. (2Ch 32:31)

God does this according to the good pleasure of his will – 

God is not obligated to give us the Kingdom. He can do anything he wants. He is God. He can do whatever he pleases. (Isa 46:9-11)

However –

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luk 12:32 KJV)

4.  Accepted –

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

To the praise of the glory of his grace – God will be praised when we become glorified spirit beings by His grace, not of works, but by the gift of God. Aren’t we pleased when our children delight in a gift we have given them?

He hath made us accepted – transformed us, made us acceptable to Him

Who can remember times growing up how good it felt to be accepted by our father, to be in his good graces. Contrast this with the times when we weren’t,  when we didn’t quite measure up, not quite good enough.

How wonderful it is to be accepted in God’s good graces. To be his son or daughter in whom He is well pleased.

Beloved – the Beloved Son of God – “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” at His baptism (Mat 3:17) and at the transfiguration. (Mat 17:5)

We have been accepted in the beloved. We are “in Christ”.

Remember what we read in John 17:23 –

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.  

God loves us even as He loved Christ! To the same extent and vastness that He loved his only begotten Son, he also loves us and accepts us. He expects us to grow in grace and knowledge just as the expectations we have of our own children, but loves us just the same.

5.  Redeemed –

Eph 1:7 (a)  In whom we have redemption through his blood,

God so loved the world…

We have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb.

Gal 4:4-7 KJV(4)  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
(5)  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
(6)  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
(7)  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We are in the world but we are not of this world. We have been translated into the Kingdom already. Yet we are but sojourners here and await a better country, the Kingdom of God established on Earth believing God and having faith that He who redeemed Christ’s body, will redeem ours also.

Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Rom 8:23) 

Col 1:12-14 KJV (12)  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
(13)  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
(14)  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

6.  Forgiven –

Eph 1:7 (b)  the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9) Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. (Rom 5:20)

He gives to us according to the riches of his grace, not just out of his riches.

What’s the difference? If a rich man gives to you “out” of his riches, he may give you a meager amount, maybe five dollars. But if a rich man gives to you “according” to his riches, that would be a gift indeed.

By which method does God tell us to bring our offerings on holy days? We are to make an offering according to how God has blessed us, are we not? (Deut 16:10, 17)

The next 5 verses tell us how God has blessed us according to the riches of His grace.

(8)  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

The ESV reads,

which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight (Eph 1:8 ESV)

I like that. I can just picture God lavishing us with all wisdom and insight. He slathers us with the riches of his grace like you would your Momma’s banana bread with butter. It’s because he has lavished us with his wisdom and insight that we understand our future. It is a gift. He has not done so with everyone. 

Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. (Matt 13:11)

(9)  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

A mystery isn’t a puzzle to be figured out. It’s a secret that can only be known when God reveals it. (Eph 3:3) 

Joh 15:14-15 KJV (14)  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.(15)  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Things he has made known to us according to the riches of God’s grace. God’s plan has been made known to us and Jesus Christ considers us His friends. Yes, we serve Him. But he does not treat us like servants but friends and brothers in Christ, sons of God.

(10)  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

In the fullness of times, Christ will return to the earth and set up the Kingdom forever and ever and we will be one with Him and the Father.

Upon Christ’s return all things will be gathered together in one, in unity. All the enmity we have amongst each other, the husbands and wives who merely coexist, the families who don’t speak to one another, the various church factions that have been splintered all over the planet, will all be brought together in unity under Christ.

(11)  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (12)  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Notice that it is in Christ that we have obtained an inheritance.

By ourselves, we are inadequate and unworthy and it is only because we are in Christ that we have been assigned this inheritance and only because we are in Christ that we can be to the praise of His glory.

We’re still talking about the riches of God’s grace that He lavishes on us because we have been forgiven because we have trusted in Christ.

It says further down in Ephesians in verse 19 that He also gives of the exceeding greatness of His power toward us according to the working of his mighty power when he raised Christ from the dead. 

Eph 1:19-20 KJV(19)  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
(20)  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

This is the grace and power that God has toward us. Paul is telling us, no matter how weak and pitiful we may feel look what God has done for us in Christ!

God did all this for us according to the riches of his grace and according to the working of his mighty power.

Paul tells us this to galvanize our hearts against all that comes against us. Knowing what we know and knowing that we know it, we can march ahead and navigate the spiritual wreckage all around us. The God of this kind of power, that can raise the dead, is the God we serve and he wields the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe and forgives us with abounding grace.

7.  Sealed –

Eph 1:13-14 KJV  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,  (14)  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary has this to say about a seal –

“A seal is a token of proprietorship put by the owner upon his property; or it is the authentication of some statement or engagement, the official stamp that gives it validity; or it is the pledge of inviolability guarding a treasure from profane or injurious hands. There are the protecting seal, the ratifying seal, and the proprietary seal. The same seal may serve each or all of these purposes. Here the thought of possession predominates (comp. Eph_1:4); but it can scarcely be separated from the other two. The witness of the Holy Spirit marks men out as God’s purchased right in Christ. (1Co_6:19-20) In that very fact it guards them from evil and wrong, (Eph_4:30) while it ratifies their Divine sonship (Gal_4:6) and guarantees their personal share in the promises of God. (2Co_1:20-22) It is a bond between God and men; a sign at once of what we are and shall be to God, and of what He is and will be to us. It secures, and it assures. It stamps us for God’s possession, and His kingdom and glory as our possession.”

The seal of God’s Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase.

When you make a large purchase like a car or a house, they usually expect a down payment. This down payment is called “earnest money”. It is evidence that you are serious and intend to make the full purchase. You’re not just kidding around. It’s a promise that you will pay the rest until it’s paid off, until redemption, and it is fully yours.

Similarly, you could think of this seal like an engagement ring. It’s a pledge to a lifelong commitment until the marriage has been consummated.

Blessed, Chosen, Adopted, Accepted, Redeemed, Forgiven, and Sealed

We are all these things in Christ, yet we are still becoming. When we focus on who we are in Christ, when we focus on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, it gives us hope, it comforts us, though we may be going through a rough patch, though we may be but sojourners in a strange land. When we know what awaits us when we get there, it gives us a sense of hope, and comfort, and peace.

When I used to travel quite a bit internationally, I had a watch that I wore. It was just a simple Casio watch but it had a unique feature. This watch had an analog face with hands that spin around to tell me the time. But in addition to the analog face it also had a small digital watch built in at the bottom of the analog face. And the thing that was so special about this watch was that it allowed me to set them to two different time zones. I could set the one, the analog face with the hands to the local time where I was located at the time and the other, the digital, I could set to the time back home. It further allowed me to set it to what we call ‘military time’, you know, on the 24-hour clock. So, for example, I could be in Singapore and I would set the analog watch with the hands to 7:00 am the local time. Then I could set the digital clock to the time back home based on the 24-hour clock to 18:00 as there were 13 hours difference. So, it would be 6:00 pm the previous day in Sterling, VA and 7:00 am in the morning of the next day, 13 hours ahead in Singapore.

Now, my wife and I didn’t have the means to communicate with each other the way you do today. There was no Skype, there was no Facetime, there was no internet to speak of. I know what you’re thinking but there were no dinosaurs either. Phone calls were very expensive so you didn’t call home ever unless it was a dire emergency.

But I still wanted to know what time it was back home. Not because I didn’t want to call and wake up my wife accidentally. I had no plan to call her at all. But by having that digital display of the time back home I had a connection to home. I could picture what she might be doing. Oh, it’s 6 o’clock in the evening, she’s probably sitting down to dinner, to a nice home cooked meal. I may be sitting here half a world away eating a hard-boiled egg and a piece of cold toast but she’s winding down her day and it was comforting somehow.

While I was traveling all over the world separated from my wife, my children, and my home, I had a connection by this simple knowledge of the time there. And I was comforted by it. I knew what awaited me there, the blessings of home, the love and acceptance and it gave me a sense of hope, and comfort, and peace.

Similarly, by understanding God’s plan, knowing that we are blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, and forgiven by Him, and his seal of promise upon us, we are comforted by the picture of our home in the Kingdom.

As we set our digital watches to God’s time, His Sacred Calendar, it comforts us as we traverse in our existence on Earth, as we sojourn here in a strange land until such time as we’re united with our family in the Kingdom

This is the heart of our Christian existence. We need to understand what God and Christ have done for us. For once we do, it is this hope in the riches of our inheritance that gives our daily lives meaning. We no longer wallow in the muck and mire of our daily trials but look to our eternal hope in the Kingdom. Our daily trials amount to naught when held up to the light of the assurance of the gospel, the good news, of the Kingdom.

Paul is telling them in Ephesians chapter one that he prays that they know these things deep in their hearts and he reassures them that they are so.

And that is my prayer for us today.

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