Eph 1:4  even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world for us to be holy and without blemish before Him in love,

Eph 1:5  predestinating us to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

What a precious priviledge and a humbling thought to be made holy by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.   That is the message of this passage.

I know that many of my brethren want to make the case that we are elected to salvation before the foundation of the world.  To me that thinking is to follow the theology of a man.  Rather than take another man’s viewpoint, I choose to stick with the Scriptures and how it reads from the Greek.  Above are the verses translated correctly and it throws some refreshing light on the passage.

I believe it points out that God has chooses us who are in Christ to be holy and to stand without fault before God because of the righteousness imputed to us.  The passages goes on to further amplify that meaning.  This all was according to the good pleasure of His will.

Salvation must be of the free will of a person.  What kind of love is it if it is mechanical or robotic.  What kind of love is it if you are forced to love someone.  That is not love.  Love is in choosing someone to place your affections on and to commit your life to that person.

God’s Word says, “Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.”  Revelation 22:17

I understand how easily it is to take the text and add to its meaning, but I choose to take it as it reads, understanding the warning in Revelation 22:18.

I know great men of the faith in history that have followed this theology and also some very wicked preachers who have followed it to the extreme.

There are not elected sheep out there waiting to hear the message of the gospel, there are sinners who need to be saved from their sins.  We are entrusted with this gospel to carry it to the ends of the earth and proclaim the truth about why Jesus came and that He paid the penalty for their sins and they, too, can be saved.

I thank God that He has chosen us through Christ to be holy.  To bring praise and glory to His name and he has made us accepted in the beloved.  Oh the fullness of His riches toward us in Christ Jesus Our Lord.  I am humbled at the thought.