Ephesians 1: The Praise of His Glory

^“11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³ 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, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” -Ephesians 1:11-14

Reading Ephesians 1 is like drinking from a fire hose. There is so much coming at you so fast you can’t even take it all in.

In just verses 11-14, we read of God choosing us from eternity past, that God the Father had designed a plan that included us before the creation of space and time, and that it all fit within his perfect divine will.

Regarding salvation of Christ, we are told it is the message of truth, the gospel.

Regarding the Holy Spirit, we are told we are marked with it when we believe in Christ, that is a deposit of our future inheritance, and that our future includes a redemption.

Our God is unmatched in his size, wisdom, and greatness. This was Paul’s overarching point. We struggle to grasp the depth of his details, but we dare not miss the goal of communicating God’s greatness–the praise of His glory. When we see what God has done for us, is doing for us, and will ultimately do for us, the only right response is–and always will be–worship.

+++

Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.