Preschool
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8).
Chosen in Christ
Memory Verses
Primary
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8).
Junior
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation (Genesis 7:1).
Background Scripture: Ephesians 1
Lesson Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14
Introduction
People desire to be chosen because it means recognition. Remember the satisfaction of being chosen for a team or project while in school? This is an earthly example of the desire to be chosen.
A far higher calling exists in being chosen by Christ, and what a thrill to the soul! Christians are called to not only know about but also to extol Christ’s great wonders and majesties. God has chosen us and recognized our need before the foundation of the world; let us now choose to love and serve Him.
Key Verse
For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth (Deut. 7:6).
Lesson Scripture
Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
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.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Studying the Lesson
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul’s purpose is to settle and establish them in the truth. In our lesson text, he expounds on the mystery of the gospel. Christians of today, like those at Ephesus, do not have a past to be proud of. We were lost in sin before we were converted. We, too, were idolatrous; even if we did not bow before literal idols, we worshipped ourselves and our sinful desires. Through embracing the whole plan of salvation, we are accepted by the beloved Son of God and become justified, free from the guilt and power of sin. The great miracle of salvation is indeed a mystery; how this can be is beyond human comprehension.
These verses enumerate the blessings of the saved, some of which are the forgiveness of sins, being adopted by God, being the recipients of his goodwill, and being sealed with the Holy Spirit. All such blessings result from the work of Christ—shedding his blood and giving his life for us. God made this plan before He laid the foundations of the world.
A foundational stone of the salvation doctrine is that it cannot be earned; it is not obtained by the determination of man nor by any contribution, plan, or method that man devises. We realize this more clearly as we understand that salvation’s plan was laid before creation. In his introductory sentence, Paul says his apostolic calling was by the will of God, meaning that the working of man’s wishes and desires did not play a part in his calling to apostleship.
Being chosen, predestinated, and made part of a plan before the world began may have had a special meaning to the Ephesian Christians. They were a very small group in one of the largest cities of the world at that time. Nearly the whole city was given to the worship of the goddess Artemis (Diana). A central part of this religion revolved around vile, immoral practices, meaning those following Christian principles of purity were considered an enemy of the religion. The account in Acts 19 of the riot in which Paul’s companions were dragged into the theater was always in the back of their minds—when would it happen again? Worship of the emperor was also common. Many pagan religions were accepted in Ephesus; Christianity was not among them nor welcome there.
The Jewish synagogue at Ephesus also rejected the new belief (Acts 19:9). Even those Jews whose minds were open to hearing about Jesus Christ were not open to associating with gentile believers. With these dismal conditions, the message that God had chosen these Christian believers before the world began would have been a special thought of comfort to them. It was surely a consolation to know that God had predestinated the gentiles to be qualified as heirs of salvation on an equal footing with the descendants of Abraham.
Practical Truths for Today
The term predestination simply means God planned to make a way to save every person who would be born into the world before it even began. This does not infringe upon our free will, because we still must choose whether we will accept his plan. God convicts his lost creation of sin and the coming judgment, at some point making each person accountable to Him. The choice is ours; we must make the choice to accept God’s conditions of salvation or reject them. Everyone’s salvation has already been provided for; in this way we have been predestinated to be a child of God and a spiritual brother with Jesus (Heb. 2:11; Mark 3:35). Those who choose not to accept God’s plan will not come under the grace of the foreordained (predestined) plan of salvation.
Are we chosen because of our merits? Consider Deuteronomy 7:7-8: “The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” We are chosen because we are loved. First John 4:19 states that God loved us first. What a privilege to be the recipient of the love of the great eternal God of the universe!
Being chosen in this way frees us to serve God. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Christians should not live feeling they cannot measure up or that they are not good enough. Rather, our life’s theme should be that we love Him because He first loved us and chose us. We do not strive to live godly lives to earn salvation; we live as Christians and keep his commandments because we love Him.
We may meet those in life who maintain they are saved, even though the works of the flesh are evident in their lives. Some misinterpret the doctrine of predestination to mean their salvation is secure while they live in sin. The Bible is clear that those who truly love God will strive to obey all the commands of God in Christ Jesus. There is no doctrine in the Bible teaching that some are predetermined to be saved and others to be lost, regardless of their choosing. A predominant theme found throughout the Bible is an exhortation to choose to serve God.
What is a proper understanding of being chosen by God? Its basis is believing in the immutable goodness of God. God’s eternal plan will work for everyone. The blueprint He designed is available for all people regardless of their class, ability, location, or any other limiting factor. The blessings of salvation are intended for every person. All were chosen and predestinated for eternal life. Remember, this plan was already in place before time began. This truth is a secure anchor for our souls. Will we choose to follow his eternal plan or rather trust our own?
Questions
- How can we help someone who is convinced that the plan of salvation will not work for them?
- Why is it so easy for us to slip into trying to earn God’s approval by good works? How can we develop the understanding that we should serve God because He loves us, not to ingratiate ourselves with Him?
- What is the root of a belief or feeling that I can never be good enough and that no matter how hard I try, God is never pleased with me?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).