SIH’s Think On These Things: Ephesians 1:6

“Reflections Of His Grace”

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

 

The Gracious Works Of The Trinity In Salvation: Ephesians 1:3-14

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  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:  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;   Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:  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 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:  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 

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

We now begin the first section of Paul’s explanation of the gracious works of the Lord in our lives.  In this section, he looks at the individual workings of the three persons of the Godhead in salvation.  This section can be broken up into three basic parts:
1.  The work of the God the Father   vs 3-6
2.  The work of the God the Son    vs 7-12
3.  The work of the God the Spirit  vs 13-14

 

EXPOSITION:

In this morning’s devotional, Paul finishes His explanation of the work of the Father in our salvation experience……

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

Paul now answers the question…. “Why did the Lord bless us with all spiritual blessings; chose us in Him before the world began; predestinate us to be His adopted children?”

His answer is quite clear for all of us to understand….

To the praise of the glory of his grace

The Lord does all of these things so that our attention might be drawn towards Him and He might receive our honor, appreciation and respect…
1.  “praise” carries with it the idea of “to make shine”, “to bring attention to” or “to take seriously”.
2.  “glory”  has the idea of “valued” or “prized”

His gracious works are very valuable for all mankind.  Because His grace is so valuable to us, His works of grace cause us to place great attention and honor upon Him.  The more we know about what He did for us, the more we will focus upon Him and give Him the appreciation, honor and submission that He deserves.  (2 Corinthians 4:15)

What is interesting to notice is that ALL of the Godhead’s workings that bring salvation to us are performed for the same reason.  We will see as our devotions progress through Ephesians 1:…

1.  (vs 6) The work of the Father in our salvation “To the praise of the glory of his grace”
2.  ( vs 12) The work of the Son in our salvation “That we should be to the praise of his glory”
3.  (vs 14)  The work of the Spirit in our salvation “unto the praise of his glory.”

wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

These great acts of His saving grace has worked within us resulting in our acceptance by Him.

1.  “accepted” – He accepted us in two ways…
a.  He has received us into His presence;  (Revelation 22:14-15)
b.  He has placed us in a high position of honor as an adopted heir.  (Revelation 21:6-8)

2. “in the beloved” – This phrase can mean two different things…
a.  if we are “the beloved”…The Lord has included us among all those that He has loved. (Psalm 60:4-5)
b.  if Christ is “the beloved”… The Lord’s acceptance of us is based upon Christ’s work (Acts 4:10-12)

I believe both meanings are implied in this passage.

 

APPLICATION:

Our magnificent Lord has accepted us into His presence although we are fallen rebellious sinners.  He has included us among those He loves with a self-sacrificial love.  He did all of this through the work of His beloved Son who died for us.

He did all of this to bring to Himself our attention, our honor and our submission to His desires for our lives.  Let us all praise and serve Him for His wonderfully gracious works among us!

“This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.”(Isaiah 43:21)

May we all get a clearer picture of our Lord and Savior, and the great grace He has shown to us. Let us be always watchful to keep His great acts of grace on our behalf in the center of our attention… In doing so, may we be motivated to LOVE Him more, APPRECIATE Him more and SERVE Him more!  

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