Lesson Truths at a Glance
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God’s Plan Is Eternal
Week of September 5
Background Passage:
Lesson Passage:
LESSON PASSAGE OUTLINE
1. We Are in Christ
2. We Are Blessed
3. We Are
4. We Are Sealed
BIBLICAL TRUTH
Christians have experienced four
facets of God’s eternal plan to provide salvation.
LIFE GOAL
To help adults praise God for His
plan to provide salvation
Bible Commentary
Introduction
“What’s
in it for me?” Everyone has expressed this attitude from time to time. For
example, I was recently visiting a single young adult friend who moved to
another city two years ago. We were members of the same church before his move,
but now Jared claims he can’t find a church where he feels comfortable. Either
the music is wrong or the preaching is too strong or people aren’t friendly. He
complained, “I know that I’m a Christian and need to be in a church, but right
now there’s not one that I like in this whole city.”
Not
surprisingly, Jared’s attitude extends to his understanding of salvation. He
thinks of it as an advantage that he receives. He hasn’t thought much about the
benefit that God receives because of the unfolding of His plan of redemption
toward Jared.
How would you answer the question, “What’s in it for God?”
when it comes to your salvation? What does God receive as a result of planning
and carrying out your salvation?
Christians
believe that God wants to save people. Yet if you asked them why God designed a
plan for salvation, responses would vary. Some would say it’s because people
are bad. All humans are sinners in urgent need of redemption. Others might
focus on salvation as an expression of God’s love. God will not turn away from
people who humbly admit their spiritual needs. These statements are true. God
has always intended to save sinners through Jesus. Yet many believers fail to
appreciate that God brings praise to Himself by saving people. When God saves
people, He reveals His character, His love for humanity, and His grace.
Christians who understand this truth recognize that part of “what’s in it for
God” is the praise coming to Him from His people.
As
you study, focus on what you will learn about God’s salvation plan. You might
consider this lesson from the perspective of a timeline.
What
part of salvation belongs to eternity past (before the world was created)?
What
part belongs to history (for example, Christ’s death)?
What
part belongs to today—September 5, 2010?
What
part belongs to our eternal future?
The
of
this lesson is to help you praise God for His plan to provide salvation.
The Bible in Context
Ephesians
1:1-2 follow the first-century pattern of beginning an epistle with a
salutation, in which the writer and the recipients are identified. The standard
salutation also included a formal greeting. In the thirteen letters that bear
Paul’s name, the greeting always included the word grace.
Verses
3-14 make up a single, exceedingly complex sentence in the original Greek
language. It’s as though once Paul started writing about the wonder of God’s
plan of salvation, he couldn’t find a place to come to a stop. Bible
translators have organized this sentence into several English sentences so that
modern readers can more easily follow the flow of Paul’s thinking. As we read,
however, we will do well to remember that everything in these verses is a doxology,
an expression of praise to God. Everything flows from the words, “Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” in verse 3. Note also that this
sentence finally concludes with the words, “to the praise of His glory.”
We Are in Christ
It’s
tempting to skim over the greetings of the New Testament epistles. We often
want to move quickly to the main message. Yet Paul expressed great spiritual
insight even in his greetings. Particularly important for this week’s study is
the wonderful little phrase “in Christ.”
Paul expressed his
authority simply: The Lord had commissioned him on the Damascus Road, just as He had earlier
commissioned 12 others to be His official representatives during His earthly
ministry. Apostleship was never self chosen; rather, it was Paul understood (specially dedicated
ones) to be the same as
(those who trust in Christ for salvation). He was not referring to a super
class of Christians.
The
recipients of Paul’s letter lived in two locations. It’s easy to understand at
Ephesus,
a geographical position (see map, p. 10). Because some early manuscripts of
this letter are missing this phrase, some Bible students believe the letter was
originally intended for multiple churches.
The more challenging phrase is in
Christ, a spiritual location that cannot be pinpointed in space or
time. Paul loved this phrase. He used it or an equivalent phrase (such as “in
Him”) more than 160 times in his letters, more that 30 times in Ephesians, and
11 times in this week’s lesson passage. Not only do we Christians have faith in
Jesus, our lives are in Him. A fish is in the sea; a branch is in its vine; and
a root is in the soil. These cannot live without being joined to their
respective spheres. So it is with Jesus’ followers. We are spiritually united
with the Lord and cannot survive outside Him. Whenever you see in
Christ in Paul’s letters, consider paraphrasing it as “in living
union with Christ.”
What other paraphrase could you suggest to
help a new believer understand the phrase “in Christ”?
Paul’s greeting
of reminds us of
God’s initiative in salvation. He has provided undeserved help for the
helpless.
(a traditional Jewish greeting) focuses on the result of salvation. Sinners
have been reconciled to God, and groups that were formerly hostile to each
other—such as Jews and Gentiles—have been reconciled to each other in the
church. Notice that the twin blessings of grace and peace have their source
equally in
and in From
the very beginning, Christians have recognized that the Father and the Son
(with the Spirit) are equal in their divine identity as God.
If
Paul were writing to your church, he would have said “at ________” (fill in the
blank with your city) instead of “at Ephesus,”
because you necessarily live in a specific time and place. However, he would
have described you as “in Christ,” the same phrase he used for the Ephesians.
You are “in Christ,” and it matters much more that you are in living union with
Christ than it does where you live geographically. You enjoy this close relationship with Christ
as a result of God’s eternal plan to provide salvation.
We Are Blessed
As Paul thought about God’s plan of salvation, he began by
writing about what the Father has done for us before the worlds began. He
overflowed in praise to God, but his praise was rich in doctrinal truth.
The verb as applied to God
points first to His kindness (blessing) extended to others. Its meaning also
includes praises returned to Him by those whom He has blessed. The Heavenly is the Source of our
every —and
for that matter of our material blessings. Here, however, Paul focused on
benefits that exist that
is, the supernatural realm invisible to natural sight. In the Bible this
unusual phrase occurs only in Ephesians (1:3,20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12).
The Old Testament
Israelites were often referred to as God’s chosen people. Now, however, it is (Christians) whom Paul called the chosen
people. God decided on this plan before the creation
of the physical universe. In the mind of God, before all eternity we existed,
and before Christ died for sinners, God chose us to be This teaching, often
called the doctrine of election, is difficult to fully understand. The mystery
of God’s sovereign choice in salvation will not be resolved this side of
heaven! Yet Paul emphasized the result God intends for His chosen ones: (morally pure, a
positive term) (free
from guilt, a negative term).These are the benefits to keep in mind as we consider the
biblical teaching on God’s election for salvation.
persons are the same
as those God has chosen. [See :
“Predestined,” p. 20.] The source of God’s saving plan is He was pleased
to make this plan, and His determination to accomplish His pleasure cannot be
thwarted. The Agent of God’s plan is His unique Son, who achieved the plan through His death
(1:7). The Father’s plan called for undeserving sinners as His sons and
daughters, giving His Son a family of siblings. Adoption was a well-known Roman
custom, in which adopted children received the same rights—including
inheritance—as biological children.
Two spiritual blessings are
named here: being adopted into God’s family and becoming holy and blameless.
What do you see as the relationship between these two blessings?
Paul moved from the
benefits we receive through God’s plan of salvation to the benefit God
receives: When we realize how magnificently God has
displayed His grace, we can’t help but praise Him. Our inclusion in God’s
gracious plan ()
occurs only in living union with Christ (), God’s Son. Because of His grace, the
Father’s love for His Son Jesus has overflowed toward us (“in love,” 1:4).
Sometimes people say
to me “Have a blessed day” instead of “Have a nice day.” Those who say this
mean well but may have little idea of what it truly means to be blessed with
every spiritual blessing. Just think about it: as part of His eternal plan, God
has blessed Christians by choosing us for holy living and adopting us as His
children. The next time you hear, “Have a blessed day,” pause and praise God
for His wonderful blessings toward you.
We Are Redeemed
is one of several important biblical terms to describe
salvation. It referred to the payment of a price (ransom) in order to set
slaves free. Paul taught that the death ()
of Christ was the price paid to free sinners from their bondage to sin. Jews
understood this concept because of the story of their release from Egyptian
slavery through the death of the Passover lambs. The of redemption is God’s limitless mercy. One of redemption is Punishment
is no longer due to we who deserve it, because Another was punished in our
place. means our sins (see
also 2:1,5).
The term means more than
enough. God’s rich grace toward undeserving sinners has overflowed like a
mighty waterfall. Thus redemption brings to us who receive it the we need to live
right.
means seeing things as they really are, from an eternal perspective.
suggests the ability to solve problems and make good life choices.
In Scripture, a is
a spiritual truth that previously had been obscure or hidden but is now made
known. Paul rooted this new revelation in God’s (in eternity past),which as certainly will be accomplished. The apostle also looked
ahead to God’s plan is more
inclusive than the salvation of individuals. He will The entire universe will finally “add up” (a way to
translate ). Everything will be
recognized as submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ. Nothing and no one
will escape, whether in the supernatural realm () or in the natural realm ). Paul was not teaching universalism here, that every
person will eventually be saved. Rather, one day every part of the universe
will be renewed and brought into subjection to its true Lord (Rom. 8:20-21;
Phil. 4:10-11).
What do you think is the connection between
the redemption of individuals “in Him” and bringing everything together in the
heavens and on earth “in Him”?
The
phrase translates a single Greek verb. Through
redemption and adoption into God’s family, Christians have become His special
possession, like the Israelites of old (Deut. 32:9). The translators of the Holman
Christian Standard Bible acknowledged two possible renderings for
this verb: “we were ... chosen” or “we ... received an inheritance.” Some Bible
students understand this verse to refer to the future inheritance Christians
will receive (which Paul in fact noted in 1:14). Yet the view that God
especially prizes the redeemed as His special treasure seems preferable here.
Paul repeated terms he had already used (
1:5; and God’s 1:1,5,9)
to stress the settled nature of God’s plan. God’s wonderful sovereignty
reverberates in the phrase,
This is quite different from the fickle actions of the pagan gods the Ephesians
previously worshiped.
As we have seen, God’s choice of persons for adoption
brings Him praise (1:5). In the same way, His redemption of sinners and making
them His inheritance brings Who are those their ? They are either Israelites of Old Testament times who
looked forward to the coming Messiah or else Jewish Christians who believed in
Jesus after His first coming.
If you are a Christian, rejoice that God has redeemed you
to provide Himself an inheritance. This is part of what He always has planned
to accomplish through Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus secured the redemption
of sinners. Every time a sinner repents and turns to Christ, that redemption is
applied to his or her life. Praise God that you have been redeemed to become
God’s own special inheritance.
We Are Sealed
How can we be sure that our location in Christ isn’t
temporary? Can the redeemed somehow become unredeemed? No. God proves He will
complete His eternal plan by sealing Christians with the Holy Spirit.
The
apostle’s thinking had darted from the ages past to Jesus’ death in history and
to the future time that all things find their unity in Christ. Now he focused
on the time when salvation became real in the lives of his readers. God’s plan
is sovereign, but Paul always balanced this truth with human responsibility.
The phrase
reminds us that salvation comes by the personal response of trusting Christ.
And faith does not come until someone has That is why Paul was
so insistent on getting this good news out to the widest audience possible.
In
addition to all the other spiritual blessings Paul noted, he now mentioned that
believers are In the Old Testament, the gift of the
Spirit was promised (Joel 2:28-29). After His resurrection, Jesus told His
disciples to wait for “the Father’s promise” (Acts 1:4). Beginning at Pentecost
(Acts 2), this promise had become a reality. Each believer in Christ now
receives the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9). His presence proves we
are truly His children and under His protection.
The term referred to a portion
of a sales price paid in advance to secure someone’s legal claim to an item.
(God thus claims believers as His own )
The
also guaranteed that the rest of the price would be paid. The very Spirit of
God in the lives of believers is only the beginning of what we receive in
salvation! Paul looked to our future
the full enjoyment of eternity, when our will be complete. Again the apostle noted the benefit to God
from His wonderful plan. Throughout all eternity, salvation will result in (1:6,12).
Why is it important to know that the
indwelling Spirit is merely the “down payment” on our salvation?
Conclusion
1.
Believers have a close relationship with Christ, called being “in Christ,” as a
result of God’s eternal plan to save.
2.
We have been blessed in being chosen by God and in being adopted as His
children.
3.
Like all Christians, we have been redeemed so that we may become God’s
inheritance.
4.
As Christians, we have received the Holy Spirit as God’s assurance of our
inheritance.
Lesson Truths at a Glance
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