Ephesians; 1:5 – The uses of predestined in the NT.

Tuesday April 16, 2019

 

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

 

Eph 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love

 

Eph 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

 

Eph 1:6a to the praise of the glory of His grace,

 

Proorizo is always used as God determining from eternity (1Co 2:7 – reveal mystery wisdom), decreeing to do something (Act 4:28 – life of Christ), foreordaining things or persons (Rom 8:29 – believers), or appointing someone beforehand (Eph 1:5).

 

It is not a difficult word or a difficult concept to grasp. Simply put, God determined something or someone to happen before human history. Other questions about why, and why not, lead us into the unknown, but the fact of it is simple. There is great benefit to the believer’s state of peace and happiness when he believes God and understands what is simply put forward, and who doesn’t bother with the questions that can’t be answered.

 

Our little spark of intelligence glances upon one spot in a boundless ocean, on the surface of immeasurable depths.

 

Rom 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

 

Rom 11:34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?

 

Rom 11:35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?

 

Rom 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

 

Always remember that there are immeasurable depths, upon which you only glance at a spot on the surface, and it will prevent you from becoming a doctor of theology.

 

If God foreordained me to be His son and elected me to His holiness and blamelessness, then God’s will can be fully trusted. I can entrust my entire life to Him.

 

1Pe 4:19

Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

 

The same is said of Christ’s life in Act 4. God the Father predestined all things for the life of the Son. Jesus was the only Man to ever trust the Father explicitly. The Father uses the same word for predetermining the life of Christ as He does for predetermining you. That doesn’t make us the same, but it does make for us the same loving and omniscient Father as our Lord trusted during His incarnation.

 

Our Lord’s life was predestined to occur. His victory gives us confidence that our predestination from God is the only way, Act 4:28.

 

The greatest event in the history of the universe, the only event that could spare the lives of so many, the only Person capable of completing the event, delivering many from certain terrible judgment, was predetermined by the Father. If what He preordains accomplishes goodness of that magnitude, we are forced to conclude that He predestination of us as elected sons and priests is the only way to live.

 

This is likely a part of a hymn or common prayer of the early church.

 

Act 4:27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

 

Act 4:28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined [aorist active indicative of proorizo] to occur.

 

“predestined” – aorist active indicative of proorizo = all that was perpetrated against Jesus was predetermined.

 

Judas, Herod, Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, Annas, the Sanhedrin, all were predetermined. Yet all of them did what they did from their own self-determination. Predestination always leads us into the unknown because man has a choice. 

 

Act 4:29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence,

 

Act 4:30 while Thou dost extend Thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Thy holy servant Jesus."

 

Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

 

The suffering early Jerusalem church fixed their eyes on the predestination of the suffering Jesus and prayed for confidence surpassing fear.

 

The persecution of the church in Jerusalem in the first few decades after the ascension of Christ was very severe. The suffering Christians sang and prayed about our Lord’s suffering, how it was predestined, how He was predestined, and how He handled that suffering, never succumbing to fear, anxiety, or timidity, and so they prayed that they also would speak the Word with confidence.

 

They call themselves bond-servants or slaves of the Father. It is a humble position in which all things are entrusted to His loving care and plan.

 

Vs. 28 is the plan of the Father for the incarnation of the Son. Every believer is preordained as a son and possesses a preordained plan, i.e. the will of the Father.

 

We must be careful to understand that several parts of Christ’s life were prophesied. Not one thing about our individual lives have been prophesied. Also, we commit sin, whereas Jesus never did. There are many things that happen in our lives because of sin and we could not say that God foreordained sin or the ramifications of it. We place those things under the permissive will of God.

 

Some Christians err in attributing people and events in their lives as predestined by God. God doesn’t predestine sin or error or flaws. He allows them. That said, we may be able to reasonably determine some things in our lives as foreordained by God, but with our finite minds, our often fuzzy spiritual vision, and our inability to know all the workings of God, it seems best not to do this too often, and perhaps very seldom. You and I cannot read of prophecy concerning our own individual lives in the scripture.

 

 

Our preordained plan is to follow the will of the Father in everything we face today.

 

Christ was foreknown, elected, and predestined, as was His life, His cross, and His resurrection. We are foreknown, elected, and predestined, but aspects of our lives are not foretold as they were for our Savior, neither the manner of our death. We are to rest in the truth that we were foreknown, elected, and predestined, knowing that because of the fact of them, we can entrust our lives to our faithful Creator, and simply do what is right in His eyes.  

 

How wonderful that the same words, foreknown, predestined, elected, and glorified are all used of us as well. The Father has us in the hollow of His hands. There is nothing to fear from the world or from men.

 

Pick up your cross and follow Him, meaning follow His way, truth, and life; and cast all your burdens upon Him, for He cares for you.

 

The mystery [not revealed in the OT] wisdom was predestined to be shown to the church.

 

1Co 2:6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

 

1Co 2:7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined [aorist active indicative of proorizo] before the ages to our glory;

 

1Co 2:8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

 

The greatest crime perpetrated by the human race was to crucify Christ. It is the quintessential example of ignorance of the mystery. 

 

1Co 2:9 but just as it is written,

"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him."

 

1Co 2:10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

 

Therefore, we are predetermined as sons and daughters and a predetermined mystery has been reserved for us. This mystery, only the family knows. We could summarize this mystery as the law of Christ, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, or all the spiritual blessings provided for the elect by the Father. All three phrases are slightly different aspects of the same thing.  

 

One would have to be inducted into the family to know it. This fact does not make us proud. It does the opposite in fact, since the mystery wisdom is so fantastic and rich, there is no way to conclude that any of us did anything to receive it or consisted of any caliber that might deserve it. Possessing it therefore makes us genuinely humble and not proud.

 

Rather than making us proud and desiring isolation from the dark world, it makes us want to reveal the gospel to the world, letting the light of Christ shine through us, in the hope that others would believe and enter into the family and therefore the mystery. Yet, we also understand that many in the world reject the gospel. There is no way to get the people who reject the gospel to understand the depth of truth that is from God.

 

Rather, we should thoroughly enjoy the mystery revealed to us, and continue to sound its depths every day. Just because there are many who reject the blessings from God to man doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t enjoy them fully, and when we do, we are far greater witnesses of God’s blessings.

 

Proorizo in Rom 8:29-30. Whom He foreknew [proginosko], He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.

 

Rom 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined [aorist active indicative] to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;

 

Rom 8:30 and whom He predestined [aorist active indicative], these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

 

Every believer in this age has been foreordained for adoption into God’s royal family. These were foreknown, elected, justified, and glorified.

 

The predestined to adoption are the first fruits of the Spirit.

 

Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 

Rom 8:19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

 

There will be a public manifestation of the entire adopted family at the Rapture of the church.

 

Col 1:18

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.

 

Yet, we do not wait for this time to enjoy our placement in God’s family as adopted children. We grab hold of this privilege now.

 

Rom 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

 

Rom 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

 

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

 

Rom 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

 

Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 

Rom 8:19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

 

Rom 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

 

Rom 8:21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

 

Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

 

Rom 8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

 

Our groaning is not one of wretchedness, as in Rom 7, but it is the spiritually victorious who long for the redeemed body or resurrection body.

 

Rom 8:24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees?

 

Rom 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.