Jennifer Rothnie Supporter Housewife, Artist, Perpetually Curious

Taking the Greek word choice and the context of the passage, Eph 1:4-5 means that God had already planned before he created the world that believers would become Holy through Christ's work. This sentiment is repeated just a verse later, where it shows that He also predestined that believers would be adopted as sons of God through Christ.

This verse in more recent centuries has often been misinterpreted to claim that it proves God chooses who will be a believer, but there is no backing for this interpretation in the text or context itself.

To dive into this deeper, we must look at the audience, context, and text.

#1 Audience: Paul is addressing a mixed church of Jewish and Gentile believers. He addresses them specifically as "the faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:1.)" Notably in this first chapter, he uses the pronoun "us" when describing believers of Jewish ethnicity since he is among them and "you" to reference Gentile believers.

#2 Context: Paul is explaining to a mixed church that the plan to save, sanctify, and adopt Gentile believers is nothing new. It wasn't plan B in case Israel didn't work out. God had a plan for one united church in Christ, Jew and Gentile, from before He created light! The reason for this explanation is two fold: to keep the Jewish believers from resentment that the Gentiles are somehow claiming their inheritance (like the older brother's struggle in the parable of the prodigal son) and to encourage the Gentiles that there is a wonderful inheritance for them - they are not second class Christians. The Jews had the advantages of growing up studying the promises of God, but now the Gentiles would learn of their hope and inheritance as they walked with Christ. Paul's prayer in Eph 1:18 sums this up: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."

Text: "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love."

Who did He choose? 'Us in Him' - the faithful in Christ Jesus whom Paul is addressing. Specifically, he is here addressing the Jewish believers, but will soon expand the audience to the Gentile believers in Eph 1:13 to show that they are also among this group.

What did He choose believers to be? Holy and blameless. (further verses in the chapter mention adoption, redemption, forgiveness, and other things God also had planned for believers.) 

When did He make this plan? Before the creation of the world.

Note that nowhere in the verse does it say, "God chose some to be in Him before the foundation of the world," but rather that He chose those in Him to be Holy. This chapter is all about the blessings which believers receive, and how God had that planned for both Jew and Gentile before the foundation of the world.

In fact, the passage specifically mentions the point at which a Gentile would be included in Christ, and it doesn't say this is before the foundation of the world:

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory." Eph 1:13-14

For further exploration of this passage, here are some additional resources:

https://ebible.com/questions/3273-how-are-predestination-and-election-connected-with-foreknowledge
https://ebible.com/questions/3697-are-we-predestined-to-know-christ

And here is an interesting, if long, video that goes incredibly in-depth as to audience/context/word use and examines some common misinterpretations of the text. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o43rLyiM2aU

March 13 2018 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

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