Just a few words make such a difference!

I need to remember that and always look further and dig deeper.

I started reading Ephesians this morning. Not for the first time, but it is where I am right now. I try to read a chapter a day, but sometimes, just a few verses stop me in my tracks. They beg for my attention. I find there is always a lesson at hand in that moment.

Today, I only got as far as verse five and came to a screeching halt. Had I been a car, I would have left tire tracks on the pavement, smoke billowing behind me. I think you get the picture. This was a big thing for me. A light came on. Understanding blossomed.

The verse was:

Ephesians 1:5
he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, under his pleasure and will—

Predestined

Predestined… is the word that stopped me. I had read this before, received teaching on it, and even heard entire sermons on it. I always understood that those who chose Christ were chosen by God, but more than that, God chose them first—predestined them. For me, this meant that there were some God did not choose, and therefore, they were destined for hell.

Which always gave me a sense of defeat… why only choose some… why only allow some to have a chance at eternal life? Why choose one but not another?

Sure, I’ve been told that God knows everything. He is omniscient, so he knows those who will choose Christ and, therefore, eternal life and those who won’t.

Still, it left me hollow, for it seemed like a callous thing to do. Another part of me was grateful for that choice and that I was one of the chosen. But what about those not chosen? They had no hope. It didn’t matter what they heard about God or what they did, not that works save us. They were not chosen, so they would not be saved.

But this morning, something else stuck out… it was as if I saw it for the first time. A few more words…

Ephesians 1:4
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love …

Yup, do you see it now? (Hint: I added the bold.)

Before the Creation of the World

It was the words — “before the creation of the world”. It says God chose us … before the creation of the world. Not before our creation in our mother’s womb, or before our birth, or during our life because of who we were or what we had done or were about to do, but BEFORE HE CREATED THE WORLD, he chose us.

He chose the human race, the people he was about to create in his own image. He predestined the entire human race for adoption into sonship! God wants all of his creation to be with Him in Heaven.

This is not a selection of a special, select few.

No!

This is the selection of the whole of the human race. We are the chosen. We are the predestined. We are the select.

But there is a catch.

We must choose Christ. That is what the words, ‘through Jesus Christ’ mean.

Ephesians 1:5
5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

By choosing God’s Son, we also choose our eternal Father. Yup, the child gets to choose their eternal parent—their eternal, holy, and divine Father, God.

Of course, a choice only exists when there is more than one option. And there is.

We must choose between the Prince of this world or the King of this world. Check out who the prince of this world is here.

That is the catch. That is the step we must take. The choice we must make. If you make no choice, the default is the Prince of this world. The default is an eternity of separation from God. An eternity in hell.

Free to Choose

We are free to choose either. God gave us the free will to do that.

God does not choose this person or that one. No, He chose the entire human race. When He considered our creation, He also considered us. He already chose us to be His. He predestined us for sonship. All we have to do is choose Him of our own volition, with our free will. It is our choice.

Once we make that decision, then we are His. We become his heirs. We have the right to truly be called His Children… his sons, with full right of inheritance. Now, predestined has an entirely new meaning for me. I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Don’t ask me why; it just feels like that. God has revealed a truth to me that previously escaped me. A truth previously shrouded in shadow somehow, but now I see. My eyes have been opened, and now I see!

Psalms 119:18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Be One

So, yes, I was predestined. But so are you, and so is every member of your family, your neighbor, your co-worker, and every single human being on this earth.

The sad truth is that only a few make that choice.

Be one of those who choose.

Blessings,

Jana

PS. Shortly, I will post about what sonship means. It may be obvious to many, but it was yet another jewel of revelation for me.