Ephesians 1:3–14 stands out among biblical passages that emphasize God’s election and predestination of people. I translate the super long sentence as follows:
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 realms in Christ, 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, 1:5 having preordained us to the adoption as sons and daughters for himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 1:6 for the praise of the glory of his grace, of which he favored us in the beloved, 1:7 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 1:8 with which he made abundant to us all wisdom and insight 1:9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he planned in him, 1:10 for the administration of the fullness of the times to bring back together all things in the Messiah, things in the heavens and things on the earth, in him, 1:11 in whom also we were appointed, since we were preordained according to purpose of the one who works all things in accordance with the intention of his will 1:12 so that we, who have pre-hoped in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory, 1:13 in whom also you, after hearing the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—in whom also after believing, you were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, 1:14 which is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the acquired possession, for the praise of his glory.
Interpreting Ephesians 1:3-14
As I start on a commentary on Ephesians, I am impressed by what I have read so far from a relatively new German commentary whose author is Wilfred Haubeck.* He agrees with my own general conclusion regarding Ephesians 1 by placing election squarely “in Christ” (see B. J. Oropeza, Jews, Gentiles, and the Opponents of Paul, pp. 227–30).
People too often read election as though an abstract term independent of Christ. Then they tend to read into Ephesians 1 their own presuppositions groomed by whatever systematic theology they hold dear. More importantly, we should ask ourselves how Paul and his auditors might have actually understood such a term in this letter.**
Paul is not so much interested in laying out a theological position on the issue as he is in praising God in these verses. He normally includes a thanksgiving or blessing (Berakah) after the prescript of his letters. Ephesians is no exception in this regard.
What stands out in this text is the multiple times Paul uses or implies Christ. Apart from the opening “our Lord Jesus Christ,” he uses the terms “in Christ” (1:3, 12) “in him” (1:4, 9, 10), “through Christ” (1:5) “in the beloved” (1:6), “in whom” (1:7, 11, 13 [2 times]), “his blood” (1:7), and “in the Messiah” (1:10). Whatever else election (and predestination) might mean, such things happen “in Christ”!
Wilfred Haubeck on Election in Ephesians 1:3-14
For Haubeck, the community in Christ are the elect ones here, whom God has chosen. Similar to Israel in the Hebrew Scriptures (Deut. 7:6–8), God does not choose them on the basis of some sort of special talents or qualities they have, but due to his grace and love (Rom 9:11–12; 1 Cor 1:27–28; cf. James 2:5; Haubeck, Epheser, 103).
This election takes place because the Messiah is elect, and the community or “church” (ekklesia) is thus elect as it participates in Christ.
In Ephesians 1:4, this election happens before the world’s creation. Haubeck suggests that this election thus assumes the pre-existence of Christ (1 Corinthians 8:4–6; Philippians 2:6–11; Colossians 1:15–20). Christ was both involved in the mediation of creation as well as God’s plan for salvation. “The actual goal of creation and humanity is the salvation in Christ” (Haubeck, 104).***
As such, believers in the Messiah are elect in Christ, both through him and in union with him.****
“Paul connects salvation and participation in the saving power of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ with the fact that they only become reality through faith in Jesus Christ. Election does not apply to people independently of their response of faith. We find an analogy in 2 Corinthians 5:18–21: God reconciled the world to himself through Christ, but this reconciliation only becomes a reality for people when they allow themselves to be enticed by the gospel to believe in Jesus Christ and thus be reconciled to God” (Haubeck, 105).
Salvation for all People
This election thus does not have to do with God selecting some individuals for salvation and excluding others. Rather, in Ephesians, divine election applies to both Jews and gentiles as God’s people—they are together one community in Christ.
Although election is universal for all people, this, for Haubeck (105–06), does not become a reality for individuals unless they trust in Jesus Messiah and experience his redemption (cf. Eph 1:13–14).
Notes
* Der Brief Des Paulus an Die Epheser, Historisch-Theologische Auslegung Neues Testament; Giessen: SCM R.Brockhaus/ Brunnen Verlag, 2023.
** Although Ephesians is a disputed Pauline letter, I lean in favor of maintaining Paul as the author. I’m in good company according to a fairly recent scholarly survey by Bruce Longenecker.
*** “Das eigentliche Ziel der Schöpfung und der Menschheit ist das Heil in Christus.”
**** As Joshua Jipp, Messianic Theology, 219–21, affirms, there is no reason for us to decide between Christ as the instrument and Christ as the location in which these things take place. In other words, God incorporates the people into the identity and reign of Christ so as to participate therein, and Christ is also the agent “though whom God works his will, elects, redeems, forgives, blesses, imparts new life, builds up his church” (220). Translation from the German that follows is from Google translate.
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