“Inheritance IN Christ”

A Brief Commentary on Ephesians 1:11-14

Verse 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:”

In whom also we have obtained and inheritance... A child of God is not born physically, but is reborn spiritually. The first century Jews believed that they were children of God because they were born into Judaism and, as such, were entitled to the divine inheritance. When one is spiritually reborn through baptism into Christ and adopted as children of God they are entitled to the divine inheritance of eternal life. This inheritance is not based on the nationality of one’s physical descent.

Being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will... Again, this word “predestination” refers to the fact that the conditions of salvation have been foreordained from the beginning. This was according to the purpose of God. God works all things according to His wisdom and will. He does not have to answer to man. His matchless wisdom, strength and power are all the counsel He needs as the supreme creator of the universe.

Verse 12: “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ... As a condition of inheritance, we must live our lives in such a way that we praise God’s glory. We must be the light of the world. Our example must be such that it leads others to God through Christ. One must first place his trust in Christ and be obedient to Him in order to glorify God.

Verse 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,”

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation… Trust here equals belief plus obedience. In this part of verse 13, we see that the Ephesians first heard the Gospel and then had believed and trusted in it to the point of obedience. Paul, in 2 Timothy 1:12, gives his motivation for trusting in Christ. “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” Paul placed his trust in Christ because he believed and was persuaded, to the point that he changed the course of his entire life, that God would keep His promise on the day of judgment.

In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise... When they had believed, trusted and obeyed the Gospel of Christ, their belief was sealed by the promise of the Holy Spirit. This promise of the Holy Spirit that sealed them may have been the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon some of the members there at Ephesus to enhance their knowledge and faith in God. On the other hand, this could be referring to the Word of God, which they had received and were sealed in the faith by keeping its precepts. Most likely, it referred to both the word and the miraculous gifts.

Verse 14: “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of His glory… The Holy Spirit is the earnest or the pledge of our inheritance. He dwells in us through the Word of God. The Word of God is our guide and our keeper until that great day of judgment when we will receive the bulk of our inheritance in heaven. Again, we see God’s motivation – the praise of His glory!

The Real "Boogey Man"

It seems that people have always loved to be frightened. The feelings of fear and fright causes our heart rate to accelerate and gets a little adrenaline flowing, thus causing a heightened sense of awareness. We begin to feel more “alive” when we are fearful. To some this feeling is quite pleasurable, at least for a short while. We should note that there is a difference between fear or fright and terror. Fear or fright is a feeling we get while we watch a spooky movie or read a horror novel in the safety and security or our own home or a movie theater. Terror, on the other hand, is something experienced. Terror is a mortal and realized fear for our own life, or that of another person. Most victims of violent crime, police officers, fire fighters and combat veterans have felt a sense of terror at some point.

Monday is All Hallows (Saint’s) Evening, a.k.a. “Halloween.” It is the evening before All Saint’s Day, which is a catholic holiday in honor of all of their “saints.” Halloween has its roots in paganism. However, today it has little or nothing in common with the pagan celebration. This day and age, Halloween is just a time for children to dress-up in costumes and get tummy aches from eating too much candy. It is a day when being frightened is fun. It is a day for hearing and telling scary stories by the light of a campfire or by the light of a flashlight held beneath a chin.

The spooky stories we hear and tell on Halloween are full of ghosts, ghouls, goblins, witches, were-wolves, vampires, and worst of all – the Boogey Man, or when I was kid the, “Booger Man.” We tell these stories, knowing full well that there is no such thing as a vampire, or a ghost, or a Boogey Man. They’re all just stories. We all know that, don’t we? However, the scary elements of the stories (ghouls, goblins, etc) all have at least one thing in common – they all represent evil and darkness. The “Boogey Man” of the story is always an evil, sinister being that wants to kill and destroy.

The stories are make-believe, but Boogey Man is real! He has a name – Satan, the Devil. He is an evil, sinister being who only wants to kill and destroy souls. He is an angel, who led a revolt against God and was cast down, along with his fellow rebel angels. For him and his angels, God has “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). However, as of yet, the Devil is allowed to roam free. Our adversary Satan, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (2 Peter 5:8). He is the “Father of Lies” and a murderer. “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44).

He knows that he has been condemned to everlasting fire in Hell and seeks to take as many souls as he can into that fiery pit with him. He is the source of all that is malicious, despiteful, evil, hateful, malevolent, malignant, nasty, rancorous, spiteful, vicious, wicked, poisonous, venomous, virulent, baneful, detrimental, noxious, pernicious, envious, jealous, mean or petty. He is the ultimate liar and deceiver. He is not a physical being who stalks and kills his victims like Jason (“Friday the 13th”), Freddy Kreuger (“Nightmare on Elm Street”), or a monster in a story. He seeks to kill and destroy in other ways. He tempts mankind into sin just as he tempted Jesus, “Who did no sin” (1 Peter 2:22). He seeks to have us kill ourselves in sin, knowing full well that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).

We need to fear and be in terror of him and his influence. He can destroy us if we allow him to. However, in our fear and terror of him, we must not panic! We must stand firm against him and resist his temptations. Soldiers in combat experience terror, but they stand firm in the face of it. Fire fighters and police officers experience terror and fight against it. Christians face the terror of Satan and his evil works and overcome them through faith in God and the assurance of eternal life in Christ Jesus. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28). Satan cannot snatch away your soul unless you let him. Fear him. Be wary of him. Nevertheless, stand up to him! “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).

Redemption IN Christ

A Brief Commentary on Ephesians 1:7-10
By Jack W. McNiel

Verse 7: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”

In whom we have redemption through His blood, according to the riches of His grace... Redemption is a releasing upon payment of a ransom. A ransom is the price demanded to free a hostage or one held in bondage. When a person reaches an accountable age and commits sin, they are in bondage to sin and death. But, because of God’s love for mankind, He has allowed a ransom to be paid to free mankind from that bondage. Innocent blood was the ransom demanded. In the Old Testament, the shedding of the blood of an innocent lamb on the Day of Atonement put off payment of the ransom or rolled it forward until Christ, a more perfect sacrifice, came and shed his blood to pay the ransom in full (Mat. 20:28). Now, all who have become obedient to God’s divine will have been redeemed by the blood of Christ.

The forgiveness of sins... Once the Christian has been redeemed by the blood of Christ their sins are forgiven and they are forgotten, just as if he or she had never sinned. A Christian who commits sin, after having been redeemed, must still be brought back into contact with the blood of Christ. This is done through fervent prayer and through confession, either public or private, depending on the nature of that person’s sin. (1 John 1:9).

Verse 8: “Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;”

Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence... God has given the Christian the promise of eternal life according to the riches of His grace. In fact, he has given to those who obey Him in abundance out of the riches of His grace. He has given more than is deserved by those who have sinned and who continue to sin from time to time. God’s plan of salvation is derived out of God’s love, wisdom and prudence.

Verses 9-10: “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:”

Having made known unto us the mystery of His will... The mystery of God’s will is His plan of salvation for man, through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. This plan was a mystery until God revealed it to man by the Gospel. This plan was developed before the earth was formed and was concealed in the Old Testament. But now, this plan has been revealed in the pages of the New Testament.

According to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself… This mystery was revealed to man by God in the fullness of time according to God’s will or pleasure.

That in the dispensation of the fullness of times… God’s concept of time is not ours: but when it was time, according to His divine purpose, he revealed the mystery of His plan unto man.

He might gather together in one all things in Christ… It had been according to God’s plan, from the beginning, that all things pertaining to salvation be placed in Christ. Brother Jerry Moffitt wrote in his Commentary, “We are in the dispensation of the fullness of the times. It is the last hour before judgment (1 John 2:18). All things, all loose ends, are gathered together and summed up. There will be one kingdom under one head (1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Philippians 2:5-11).[i]

Both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him... Under the Gospel plan of salvation, all things, both in heaven and in earth have been gathered together under Christ. The Apostles would receive the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The things that they would bind or loose on earth would already have been bound or loosed in heaven (Mat.16:19). All things, both in heaven and in earth are now under the authority of Jesus Christ (Mat. 28:18).

[i] Jerry Moffitt, Moffitts’s Bible Commentary, Thrust Publications, 1997, p. 342.

“Spiritual Adoption in Christ”

A Brief Commentary on Ephesians 1:3-6

Verse 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:”

Blessed be God…who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings... “Blessed be God” indicates one who is worthy, i.e. “worthy of blessing.”[1] By this Paul is saying that God the Father is worthy of blessing because He has blessed Christians with all spiritual blessings. These spiritual blessing include: grace and peace (verse 2); spiritual adoption (verse 5); redemption and forgiveness of sin (verse 7); the Gospel (verse 9); and a divine inheritance (verse 11).

In heavenly places in Christ... The word places is not found in the Greek text. The phrase directly translated from Greek would read “in the heavenlies.” “This phrase indicates the sphere of the blessing which are related to the Spirit. The term refers to heaven as seen in the perspective of the new age brought about in Christ.”[2]

Verse 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:”

According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world... According to the plan of salvation that God had determined before the foundation of the world. Here Paul is saying that those who are in Christ are those who have obeyed the Gospel plan of salvation that God had predetermined at the foundation of the world. God in His infinite wisdom chose a plan or course of action by which mankind would have the opportunity to have their sins remitted.

That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love… This is the purpose for which God’s plan of salvation was set in place. So that through the blood of Christ man can once again be made holy and pure before God, just as if he had never sinned. He would be sanctified and made pure by obedience to the Gospel, which God has given mankind out of His great love for His creation (John 3:16).

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

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself... Paul is saying that those who have obeyed the Gospel plan of salvation are the class of people who have been adopted as children of God through baptism in the name of His son Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). This class of people – Christians have met God’s conditions of salvation that he predestinated at the foundation of the world.

According to the good pleasure off His will... The various facets of the Gospel plan of salvation work together for the good of those that love God (Rom. 8:28) according to the good pleasure of His will. The pleasure of God’s will is significant in two ways. First of all, the plan of salvation itself came about by the pleasure of God’s will. 1 Corinthians 1:21 tells us that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching [the Gospel plan of salvation] to save them that believe.” Also, God derives pleasure in those that love Him, serve Him and obey His will.

Verse 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... “Our salvation is by grace (Eph. 2:8-10) and by our salvation His grace is praised.”[3] When a person obeys, loves and serves God that person’s actions glorify God before all. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. When the world sees that person’s response to God’s grace and the good works in which that grace response in manifested, God is glorified.

Wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved... God’s grace has made the Christian acceptable in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of God.

[1] Fritz Rienecker, Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, Zondervan Publishing House 1977, p. 521.
[2] Rienecker, Rogers, p. 521.
[3] Jerry Moffitt, Moffitts’s Bible Commentary, Thrust Publications, 1997, p. 342.