Bible Reading
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 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 1:7-14
Ephesians 1:7-14
Devotional
We all love the scene in a movie where a master plan is laid out. It could be a heist, such as in Oceans 11, or an intricate plan to break out of jail, or even a new coach explaining his plan to turn the ragtag group of kids into a real competitive team. The point is this; we love to watch a complex plan unfold with all the needed parts coming together at just the right time to accomplish what the mastermind had within their minds as part of a master plan.
One way the book of Ephesians has been summarized is the unveiling of God's perfect plan to bring heaven to earth. God has a plan of redemption that has been in the works for many thousands of years and before Christ, that plan had been a mystery, but now that mystery is being revealed and the reality of what God is doing can now be seen. The master plan is being revealed. Jesus and his death and resurrection are a central part of that plan, but we, the church and bride of Christ, are also part of that plan. Another essential role in God's plan is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's presence in our lives acts as a seal that indicates ownership, which is a guarantee of our inheritance and a promise that the plan will come to fruition. The Greek word for guarantee used by Paul in verse 14 is the Greek word 'arrabon' which can also be translated as a down payment, deposit, first installment, or pledge. This word 'arrabon' is only used only in the New Testament to describe the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit. This idea represents, certifies, and guarantees that payment in full will follow. The “guarantee” is not the full payment; it only is a guarantee of full payment in the future. In other words, as a “guarantee,” the gift of the Holy Spirit is a down payment that verifies and confirms that in the future the believer will receive the promised inheritance God has promised His people. The plan is not yet complete. The mystery is not yet fully revealed, only partially. Heaven has not yet come to earth, but God has guaranteed that this will happen completely one day.
God’s ultimate master plan is to bring together and ultimately resolve all things in Christ, either through Jesus as Savior or Jesus as judge. To bring heaven to earth is to bring the grace and mercy of God, but it is also to bring the truth and justice of God to earth. Bringing heaven to earth will be a glorious and joyous occasion for the believer, but for the unbeliever, it will be a time when the wrath of God is poured out on those who have rejected him. In this way, everything and everyone will be gathered together in Christ at his coming. The word for 'gather together' has within it the idea of 'to unite’ or 'to sum up'. It was a word used for the process of adding up a column of figures and putting the sum up at the top. Paul’s idea here is that God will make all things 'add up' at the end, and right now, He is in the process of coming to that final sum. For believers, Jesus is not a judge, but the One in whom we have an inheritance; our Savior. But make no mistake, Jesus is either savior or judge. Paul uses another interesting Greek word in verses 7 and 14 when he describes the redeeming blood of Jesus. Paul uses the Greek word 'lootruo' which means "to liberate on receipt of a ransom". This is the idea of redemption that always implies a price being paid for the freedom that is purchased. Here, the price paid, or ransom, is the blood of Christ, which was paid to purchase your freedom. There is no possible redemption outside of Jesus other than through His redeeming blood. Jesus does not redeem us by his sinless life or his moral example, or by anything we could do on our own, but only by his death in our place. You were just presented with many complex theological ideas surrounding this revealed mystery, but the bottom line for all humanity is that the time to get right with God is coming to an end. Jesus will return as either savior or judge and the good news is that we get to choose who he will be. In all this mystery, God is still sovereign and in control. In that way, we can trust the plan, trust the process, and ultimately be assured that God has never or will never fail on a promise He made.
One way the book of Ephesians has been summarized is the unveiling of God's perfect plan to bring heaven to earth. God has a plan of redemption that has been in the works for many thousands of years and before Christ, that plan had been a mystery, but now that mystery is being revealed and the reality of what God is doing can now be seen. The master plan is being revealed. Jesus and his death and resurrection are a central part of that plan, but we, the church and bride of Christ, are also part of that plan. Another essential role in God's plan is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's presence in our lives acts as a seal that indicates ownership, which is a guarantee of our inheritance and a promise that the plan will come to fruition. The Greek word for guarantee used by Paul in verse 14 is the Greek word 'arrabon' which can also be translated as a down payment, deposit, first installment, or pledge. This word 'arrabon' is only used only in the New Testament to describe the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit. This idea represents, certifies, and guarantees that payment in full will follow. The “guarantee” is not the full payment; it only is a guarantee of full payment in the future. In other words, as a “guarantee,” the gift of the Holy Spirit is a down payment that verifies and confirms that in the future the believer will receive the promised inheritance God has promised His people. The plan is not yet complete. The mystery is not yet fully revealed, only partially. Heaven has not yet come to earth, but God has guaranteed that this will happen completely one day.
God’s ultimate master plan is to bring together and ultimately resolve all things in Christ, either through Jesus as Savior or Jesus as judge. To bring heaven to earth is to bring the grace and mercy of God, but it is also to bring the truth and justice of God to earth. Bringing heaven to earth will be a glorious and joyous occasion for the believer, but for the unbeliever, it will be a time when the wrath of God is poured out on those who have rejected him. In this way, everything and everyone will be gathered together in Christ at his coming. The word for 'gather together' has within it the idea of 'to unite’ or 'to sum up'. It was a word used for the process of adding up a column of figures and putting the sum up at the top. Paul’s idea here is that God will make all things 'add up' at the end, and right now, He is in the process of coming to that final sum. For believers, Jesus is not a judge, but the One in whom we have an inheritance; our Savior. But make no mistake, Jesus is either savior or judge. Paul uses another interesting Greek word in verses 7 and 14 when he describes the redeeming blood of Jesus. Paul uses the Greek word 'lootruo' which means "to liberate on receipt of a ransom". This is the idea of redemption that always implies a price being paid for the freedom that is purchased. Here, the price paid, or ransom, is the blood of Christ, which was paid to purchase your freedom. There is no possible redemption outside of Jesus other than through His redeeming blood. Jesus does not redeem us by his sinless life or his moral example, or by anything we could do on our own, but only by his death in our place. You were just presented with many complex theological ideas surrounding this revealed mystery, but the bottom line for all humanity is that the time to get right with God is coming to an end. Jesus will return as either savior or judge and the good news is that we get to choose who he will be. In all this mystery, God is still sovereign and in control. In that way, we can trust the plan, trust the process, and ultimately be assured that God has never or will never fail on a promise He made.