Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, 4 as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love 5 he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, 6 for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.
7 In him we have redemption by his blood, the
forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace 8 that
he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, 9 he has made known to
us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him 10
as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven
and on earth.
11 In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, 12 so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. 13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, 14 which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
The passage begins with an OT blessing formula used in early Christian prayer (1 Cor. 3-7). Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven through Christ (v. 3). God has chosen us in Christ from all eternity and granted us supernatural blessings in Christ so that we could stand holy and morally righteous in God’s presence (v. 4). In his love and through grace, we were pre-ordained to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ (v. 5). This is a gratuitous act on God’s part (v. 6).
Through his sacrificial death, Jesus paid the ransom for the forgiveness of our sins and through God’s magnanimous grace we receive the gift of revelation (v. 7). God who possesses all wisdom and insight has revealed to us the mystery of his will in Christ (vv. 8-9). Now is the fulfillment of time when God’s plan is to bring all things in heaven and earth to fulfillment in Christ (v. 10).
Through Christ, the Jewish believers were chosen by God to serve in accordance with his will and live for the praise of God’s glory (vv. 11-12). Paul first spoke about the graces first given to the Jewish believers and now speaks about the graces given to the Gentile believers. They have been given the gift of revelation (the word of truth and the Gospel; of salvation) and through their belief, they have been sealed with the Holy Spirit (v. 13). Through the Holy Spirit, the Gentile believers also belong to God and receive the same graces towards redemption as the Jewish believers
Almighty God, you
love, nourish, and support all who seek you in faith, all whom you have called
according to your purpose. Give your
sons and daughters the strength to live each day for the glory of your name and
the charity to serve each other’s needs as we seek the greater good and avoid
the lure of evil. This we pray through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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