August 20 2025

Wednesday August 20

Chosen and Adopted As Sons

Ephesians 1:3-6

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.

Today we're continuing to look at Ephesians chapter 1:3-6. In verse three, we're told how that we are blessed by God the Father with many spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. In verse four is the first blessing that we talked about yesterday which was “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love”. We are an “elect” people (1 Peter 1:2). We are a “chosen” people.

When we look at the words “election” or being “chosen” in the Scriptures, we're speaking of the fact that God has a special people set apart for a specific purpose. Just like He chose Abraham and chose the people of Israel to be His people. It didn't mean that they were all saved. It means that they were called to as a special people to special purpose. As believers, we are born into the family of God. But as His sons and daughters we are chosen by Him to be holy, to be a “chosen” people, an “elect” people, a people that has the purpose of reflecting His glory as His church to the world around us.

In verse five, it says, "Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will."  Here we meet this word called predestination. The meaning of this word has caused many divisions amongst believers. This should not be the case, especially when you look at the context in which it is used in the New Testament. We should not misunderstand this word. This word as it is used in the Bible refers primarily to what God does for saved people. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught that people are predestined to hell or even to heaven, because this word is already referring to those who are saved who have been born into the family of God.

The word simply means to ordain beforehand to predetermine. As we said election seems to refer to people while predestination refers to purposes. And when you look at scripture, you find that the events connected with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ were predestined. Read Acts 4:25-28. Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world as the Lamb of God. God has predestined us to adoption (Ephesians 1:5). God has predestined us to conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29-30). “For whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son”.

God didn't predestine us to be saved or to be lost, to go to heaven or go to hell. He predestined us to be like His Son. And my friend, one day we ultimately will be just like Him. God also predestined our future inheritance. This is found here in Ephesians 1:11, “In Him also we've obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the council of His will”. This has to do with our future inheritance that we have when we see Jesus Christ at His coming.

Adoption, when you look at it in scripture, has a dual meaning, both present and future. You do not get into God's family by adoption. You get into God's family by regeneration, the new birth. John 3:1-18. You see this also in 1 Peter 1, we're born again by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit of God into the family of God. Adoption in scripture is the act of God by which He gives His “born ones” an adult standing in the family. Why does He do this? That's because we might immediately begin to claim our inheritance and enjoy our spiritual wealth right now. A baby cannot legally use his inheritance. Galatians 4:1-7. But an adult son can and should. It means that you do not have to wait till you become an old saint before you can claim your riches in Christ Jesus. You can claim them now as a brand-new believer.

The future aspect of adoption is found in Romans 8:22-23. Again this is speaking of the glorified body that we will have when Jesus Christ returns and we meet Him face to face and we're like Him even in our glorified bodies. We already have an adult standing before God. But the world can't see that. When Christ returns, this private adoption will be made public for everyone to see. As Paul says in Romans 8, we look forward to that day! My friend. I believe Jesus’ coming is just around the corner.

Today, are you claiming and enjoying the riches of the glory of your inheritance in Christ Jesus? (Ephesians 1:15)

God bless!