5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
We have come to one of the most controversial words in the Bible: predestination. This term has divided Christians for centuries. As I researched it further, I was surprised to find that it appears only six times in the New Testament: twice in the first chapter of Ephesians, twice in Romans, once in Acts, and once in First Corinthians. That’s it!
To shed light on the matter, let’s look at the original Greek. It combines two words meaning “to mark out the boundary or limit” and “before.” So the definition of “to predestinate” is “to predetermine something, to mark out the boundary of something beforehand, to limit in advance.” In the New Testament, it always refers to God doing so from eternity, before the world was created.
The controversy surrounding this word has always centered on who is predestined, and it is often presented as the opposite of free will. But Paul isn’t talking about such things. His argument focuses not on who’s saved, but on what believers are predestined to. His point is that even before time began, God predetermined what will happen to believers who put their trust in Christ. In Romans 8:29-30, Paul says they are “conformed to the likeness of His Son.” Put simply, a believer will become like Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 2:7, he speaks of the wisdom God gives to a believer.
In these verses, Paul has in mind the adoption of Christians into God’s family. Through Jesus, they become heirs of God. The notion presented here is that of an adult son or daughter who can now benefit from all the blessings of being in the family. They enter into a new kind of relationship with God, who becomes their Father. Paul goes on to say that God was very pleased to do this. He wasn’t reluctant at all. No one had to twist his arm. He wanted to adopt us, and it gave him great pleasure.
I have several friends who went to great lengths to adopt children, even traveling to the other side of the globe. I can only imagine their great joy when the time finally came to bring the children home, whose lives were changed forever. The kids went from living in an orphanage to becoming members of a loving family.
This is the picture Paul is painting here. God is overjoyed whenever he adopts a new son or daughter, reconciling to himself someone who had previously been separated from him. That person is forever changed, becoming a member of the King’s family.
No wonder verse six encourages us to praise God and his incredible grace!
Picture: Carol Schlorff