“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing 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 to Himself 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 1:3–6
We are saved solely due to God’s sovereign mercy and grace in Christ.
Oh I could keep going on, the next verses are just as awesome but let that soak in. God, in Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. I don’t even know how to comprehend that and there’s mystery here. All this talk of predestination and choosing so how does this work?
Ephesians 1:3–6 Praises God’s Love for Us
I don’t understand how it all works, but I believe Ephesians one three through six here that before a star was ever placed in the sky, before the foundation of the world God chose to pour out His love on sinners like me. He predestined us for adoption to Himself, His sons that we would be His children. That is something He set in motion before I was even existent. All to the praise of His glorious grace. There is no other explanation I have for my salvation, you have for your salvation. The only answer when we say how have you been saved from your sin? It has nothing to do with any merit in us. It is solely based on mercy in Him.
Let’s just pray through Ephesians 1:3–6 and praise God as we do, bless God as we do. God, together right now we bless You. You are the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We glorify You, we praise You, we thank You for blessing us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We don’t even know how to comprehend what that means. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places is ours in Christ. God help us to live in the richness of that today. Lord, help us to see the wonder of what we have in Christ, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places belongs to us even as You chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. God, thank You. We praise You.
Ephesians 1:3–6 Thanks God for his Grace
Before the world even existed for choosing to pour out Your grace on us, Your love on us so that we would be holy and blameless before You God, may it be so. Help us today to grow in holiness, help us to be blameless before You. We pray, make us holy today. We know that’s what You’ve predestined us for, to become like Christ, to be more holy today than we were yesterday and tomorrow than we are today. Lord help us to be holy, blameless before You as Your sons.
We praise You for predestinating our adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of Your will. We praise You for willing this. To the praise of Your glorious grace. God we look to You and we have no explanation for our salvation other than Your grace toward us. We praise You for loving us like You do. For your grace with which you have blessed us in the beloved in Christ Your Son. Lord, thank You for blessing us.
This Verse from Galatians 1 Calls Us to Grow Towards Christ
We bless You today. We glorify You today and we pray You help us to grow more in the likeness of Christ today. Those You predestined You want to be conformed to the likeness of Your Son, Romans eight says. May it be so in our life today and God may Your blessing spread through us today to others. We’re not the only ones we know that You’ve chosen to pour out Your grace on so Lord pray out your grace on others through us. Help us to spread this good news of Your glorious grace today. In Jesus name we pray, in Jesus name we praise You. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
