Studies in Ephesians

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 14, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 2.

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Studies in Ephesians

Chapter 1, Verses 3, 4, A.R.V.

1. To whom does the apostle ascribe blessing?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Verse 3, first part. Note 1.

2. Why is He worthy of blessing?

“Who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Verse 3, last part. Note 2.

3. What was precedent to the blessing?

“Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” Verse 4, first part. Note 3.

4. What was His purpose in choosing us?

“That we should be holy and without blemish before Him.” Verse 4, last part. Note 4.

1. “Blessed be the God.” The margin reads, “Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The text seems to be clearer,—“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “blessed” is used in the sense of praise. All praise to Him. He is the Giver of all good, the Creator of all things, the Upholder of the universe, a marvelous, everlasting Provider. Surely every child of His ought to join with the apostle in ascribing to Him blessing. This expression is one of the seven which John uses in Rev. 5:12, ascribing them to the Lamb.

2. “Who hath blessed us.”—The expression is comprehensive. It would have us understand that God’s blessing includes all. It is not limited to one thing; it includes every blessing,—not only the blessings of the earthly, but the blessings of the heavenly. Earth of itself furnishes no blessings. In its perverted, sin-cursed state, it brings curses. “Cursed is the ground for thy sake,” was the word to our first father; but out of the heavenly places in Christ, God has brought down all the blessings and bestowed them upon His children. To this he refers again, as we will find in our study of the book; but take note of this, and do not put the spiritual blessings far off in the uncertain future: “He hath blessed us.” The blessings are ours now, even as Christ is given now. “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him ye are made full.” Col. 2:9, 10. He would have our faith grasp these now. He has exalted us by the gift of His Son, who died in our behalf, and who Himself was made one of the human family, to a seat in the heavenly places. He would have us occupy it. He would not have us insult the royal Giver by refusing to take it because we are unworthy. He would have us believe the royal promise, and in the worthiness of our Lord sit with Him together in the heavenly places. Eph. 2:6. How such a conception would take away all of our timidity in the world! How it would give us boldness to meet all the world’s scoffs and jeers and sneers! How it would enable us to meet all the trials and conflicts and seeming darkness of life, to know that in it all we were with Christ, we were with Him also in the heavenly places! It is one of the divine and blessed paradoxes of Scripture that while we are here, He the Heavenly One is with us, and while He, our Brother beloved in the flesh, is there, we are there with Him.

3. “Even as He chose us.” It is not a separating out of individual cases, choosing some “to heaven and some to hell, all for His glory.” That is not a part of God’s choosing. God chose character in the very beginning, a certain number of a certain character, to completely fill the home of this earth which He had provided for them. See Gen. 1:26; Ps. 115:16; Isa. 45:17, 18. The names of these characters were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of the world (Rev. 17:8); and when God calls us, He calls us to one of the chosen names, and counts that ours when we begin the Christian life (Phil. 4:3). The name of that character shall never be blotted out. That crown of life, crown of righteousness, crown of glory, that awaits the conqueror, will never fade or wither. That inheritance to which the soul is called, shall never pass away; and when God calls one of the children of earth, as He calls every one to one of those characters, His calling is “without repentance.” The failure will always be on our part, not His; and every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ will be bestowed upon that soul, that he may reach that character. And so by choosing us to one of those eternal characters, which were in God’s plan before the foundation of the world, God has chosen us before the foundation of the world in that character to which He calls. And the trials and conflicts and perplexities and struggles and triumphs of this life are the putting away of the wrong education which the world has given us, are the development of a right character in His sight, are the spelling out, letter by letter, of the new name which shall be wholly ours when the overcoming is complete. James 1:12; 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4; Rev. 3:5, 11.

4. “Holy and without blemish.”—The one thing of worth in the entire universe of God is character. The only thing which will endure throughout all eternity is character, and that connected with it. The only thing that makes our God the worthy Being that He is, is character. Men may be worth their millions, may own and rule the world, may pile their wealth mountain-high, and their fame may be world-wide, but it is all of no worth without character. When they die all is left, and all things that men may gather in this life will not tunnel the grave; but character does, and it is to character that God chooses His children; and those who in Him (for it is in Christ that we are chosen before the foundation of the world) gain that glorious character, shall have all the riches of God’s universe throughout all eternity. “Holy and without blemish before Him,” in His presence they shall verify in their own lives the song of the Psalmist, “In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” Let us take home to our hearts the blessed lessons, and make them ours.