exegetical paper on ephesians 1: 11-14 - · pdf file28.03.2012 · exegetical paper...
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Exegetical Paper on Ephesians 1: 11-14
BIA3215 Advanced Biblical Interpretation
Dr. Ardel Caneday
Jeremiah Cowell
3/28/2012
Summary of Selected Passage
For this expositional essay I have selected Ephesians 1:11-14 as the passage on which I
will expound. In the selected passage Paul is expressing great praise for God’s work in Christ,
specifically mentioning the inheritance of the elect, and the Spirit as the guarantee of that
inheritance. Ephesians 1:11-14 reads as follows:
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the
purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were
the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised
Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the
praise of his glory” (English Standard Version).
Outline of Ephesians 1:11-14
1. The elect have obtained an inheritance in Christ (11)
2. Believers the praise of God’s glory (12)
3. Believers sealed with the promised Spirit (13)
4. The Spirit, the guarantee of inheritance until possession of it (14)
Paul’s main idea unfolds beginning with stating that those who God predestined
according to His sovereign will have obtained an inheritance in Christ as a result of Christ’s
work. These elect are the praise of his glory in that He is glorified through the redemption of
these, who were predestined. Likewise, the elect also praise and glorify God in response to his
grace. God sealed them with the promised Holy Spirit at the time of salvation. The Holy Spirit is
also the guarantee of the inheritance that belongs to the elect.
Introduction
The Apostle Paul wrote 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. His
theology and the topics he wrote on were divinely inspired and have, in-turn, inspired Christians
for almost two millennia. Many Christians have opened the Bible and read Paul’s letters for
reasons such as learning pure doctrine, studying how Christians ought to live, finding comfort,
seeking correction, or to study Paul’s letters in comparison with other books in order to get a
bigger picture of the theology found in the Bible. The letter to the Ephesians discusses the work
that God has done through Christ in his earthly ministry, and the redemption that Jesus assured
for the elect who place faith in Him.
This exegetical Paper will focus on verses 11 through 14 of chapter one in which Paul
specifically mentions that those who have been predestined according to God’s purpose have an
inheritance, and that we have a guarantee of our inheritance—the Holy Spirit. In addition to our
inheritance, we are God’s possession which he will one day fully redeem. This information
applies to Christians of all times, places, and cultures. Therefore, it is important and beneficial
for Christians to take a look at these verses, and to learn what Paul was trying to convey to the
Christian reader in writing the words found in them.
Historical and Cultural Context
The Apostle Paul has generally been accepted as the author of the letter to the Ephesians,
though there has been some disagreement on Pauline authorship. Paul, however, is most likely
the author of Ephesians and even identified himself as the author in the letter. It is best to view
the letter to the Ephesians as a genuine work of Paul, which is assumed in this expositional
paper.
Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He was probably born in the middle to late 60’s A.D.
in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. Prior to Paul’s conversion to Christianity he was a Jewish
Pharisee who descended from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul, however, converted to Christianity
after an encounter with Jesus on his way to Damascus. He proclaimed and taught the gospel to
many individuals, and assemblies. The Christians as Ephesus are one group of people that He
proclaimed the truth of God to.
The Christians at Ephesus were the recipients of the letter in focus in this essay. Ephesus
was the capital city of the Roman province named Asia (Modern day far west Turkey). In the
first century, Ephesus’ population was nearly five hundred thousand. Ephesus was also a worship
center of pagan goddess Artemis (Diana). Ephesus was also known for occult practices and
contained a temple for worship of the emperor (Elwell; Yarbrough, 308-309, 2005). There were
those in Ephesus that did not worship the emperor, Artemis, or any other unseen spirits, but
worshiped the living God and embraced Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Literary Context
The immediate context of the selected passage is Paul’s doxology—his expression of
praise for God’s work in Christ. Paul begins Ephesians with a greeting to the faithful Christians
in Ephesus. He then begins praising God for his blessing Christians in Christ and for his
predestining Christians according to His will. Paul then mentions the inheritance that these
Christians have In Christ. Following the selected passage in focus Paul thanks God for the
Ephesian Christians who are faithful to God and have great love toward “all the saints” (1:15).
Paul also prays that the church will have a deep insight of God’s powerful work and gifts in
Christ.
The selected verses fit into the bigger context of the letter to the Ephesians in that Paul’s
flow of thought moves from blessings in Christ (of which verses 11-14 fit), to redemption, to
unity in Christ, to the mystery of the gospel, to the new life, to walking in love, to relationships,
to the armor of God, to Paul’s closing of the letter. The big picture in Paul’s letter focuses on
what God has done, what God is doing and human relationships in light of God’s work.
Exposition
The elect have obtained an inheritance in Christ (11)
Verse 11 begins with the words “In him”, that is “in Christ”. Preceding this verse Paul
praised God who has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing…even as he chose us in
him…he predestined us…according to the purpose of his will…In him we have redemption
through his blood” (1:3, 4, 7 ESV). Walter Liefeld (1997) states that the reference to Christ is
“not only to reemphasize what has already been taught above about Christ as the source…of our
salvation, but also to link our incorporation into Christ with the grand plan just explained” (pp.
44, 45). Klyne Snodgrass (1996) points out an important point in dealing with being “in Christ”.
He says that people presume that existence is limited to the “physical world” which is
perceivable to us, but that the Bible shows that existence “includes God and his actions and what
takes place “in Christ” and “in the heavenly realms…Christians live in two realities at the same
time: their physical world and in the heavenlies in Christ” (p. 56).
Verse 11 continues “we have obtained an inheritance” according the English Standard
Version (ESV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), New King James Version (NKJV), and
New Living Translation (NLT). The New International Version (NIV) however, translates the
verse “In him we were also chosen”. The word Kleroo, as William Klein (2006) mentions, means
“to appoint or obtain by lot” (pp. 52, 53). Klein states that “If Paul intends the idea of “appoint,”
then he means that in Christ we were appointed to be his possession or to become his
inheritance…If the sense centers more on “obtain,” then Paul might mean that in Christ the
church obtained its inheritance” (p. 53). Both of these ideas are correct; the church has an
inheritance in Christ (we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ), and we were
appointed to be his inheritance (The OT shows Israel as God’s inheritance). However, I lean
toward the idea that Paul is stating here that the church has obtained an inheritance in Christ.
Continuing in verse 11, we find the words “having been predestined according to the
purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will”. The idea of
“predestination” is one that has caused much controversy and argument. The discussion of
“predestination” or “election” is seen by some to mean that God chooses an individual based on
their works, worth, or accomplishments. The language of “election” is important though. As
Snodgrass writes:
“Election language may mislead, for it suggests voting on the basis of value, merit,
recognition, and accomplishment—none of which pertain to God’s election. On the other
hand, the language may be too valuable to give up, for the doctrine of election removes
the idea that we are in control. We must never think we do all the choosing and assume
God is waiting like some wallflower to be chosen. We want to be in control; election says
otherwise” (p. 64).
It is important to note that the Christian, who is in Christ, and has obtained an
inheritance, has been predestined according to God’s will, for he “works all things according to
the counsel of his will”. Though this is not a systematic theology, election is important in this
verse, for it shows God’s sovereignty over creation. Thomas Schreiner (2000) correctly describes
the theology of election:
“Some have understood the scriptures to teach that God has chosen a people, i.e. the
church of Christ, for salvation, but has not chosen individuals. Similarly, it has been
suggested that God has chosen Christ to be the means by which people are saved (Eph.
1:4), but has not determined which individuals will actually be incorporated into
Christ…John focuses on the individual in his teaching that any and all who are drawn by
the Father will come to the Son…individuals cannot come to believe in Jesus unless God
grants them the ability to do so (John 6:44, 65)…John 10:26 says, ‘[You] do not believe
because you do not belong to my sheep.’…conveying the idea that being chosen as one of
the sheep is the means by which God’s people come to believe” (p. 452).
Schreiner has correctly shown that election is God’s work and, as seen in verse 11, is
according to God’s will. God has chosen those who are in Christ, who obtain an inheritance,
based solely on his will and purpose.
Though God “works all things according to the counsel of his will”, it must be stressed
that human responsibility exists in the life of the Christian. Later in Ephesians (chapters 4-6), as
well as in other letters from Paul, moral commands are given to Christians. Therefore, though
Paul speaks of God’s sovereignty, he also shows the necessity of human responsibility. God is
also never blamed for evil or tragedies (cf. Job 1: 21-22, Rom. 5:12, 2 Tim. 4:14). We may not
fully know how exactly God’s sovereignty and human responsibility are both at work together in
the world, but Scripture clearly shows both as realities.
Believers the praise of God’s glory (12)
Verse 12 continues in Paul’s flow of thought from verse 11. It states “so that we who
were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory”. It is evident that Paul is
thinking of two groups of people in verses 12 and 13 with the use of “we” and “you”. The NLT
translates this verse “God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would
bring praise and glory to God”. The idea that Jewish Christians are in focus in verse 12 is one of
two popular ideas concerning the use of the words “we” and “you”. Klein states that “we” could
be a reference to the Jewish Christians, because they were the first to hope in Christ (p. 53). The
other idea is that verse 12 could be a reference to both Jewish and Gentile Christians, but
Snodgrass stresses that it probably refers to Jewish Christians. This is because Ephesians
concerns the connection between Jewish and Gentile Christians (p. 54). Klein is one of many
scholars who do not lean toward the idea that Jewish Christians are in view in verse 12, however,
I disagree with him. Snodgrass leans toward the idea that “we” consists of Jewish Christians and
the “you” in verse 13 consists of Gentile Christians. The latter view (that represented by
Snodgrass) seems to be the correct interpretation of the “we” and “you”.
Regardless of the identity of “we” and “you”, it is certain that both are Christians. Ralph
Martin (1991) drives this point home in stating that
“Both Jews and Gentiles are ‘members together of one body’ to form a worldwide
church, even if they did come into that body from different cultures. The Jewish people
‘obtained an inheritance’…The Gentiles had no such privilege and place, but in Christ
both units of ancient society gain in unison their destiny of becoming God’s ‘inheritance’.
Jewish privilege is thus broadened to include all nations” (p. 19).
The phrase “to the praise of his glory” is mentioned here in verse twelve in connection to
the Jewish Christians who were “first to hope in Christ”, and later in verse 14 in connection to
Gentile Christians who now have part in the inheritance. The NLT translation is helpful here in
knowing what the phrase means. It reads, “God’s purpose was that we Jews who were first to
trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God”. The phrase then, in this verse, concerns the
Jewish Christians bringing praise and glory to God. Liefeld states that in verse 6 it is the
sovereign work of God which “brought praise to his glorious grace”, but in this verse it is
Christians that are “to the praise of his glory” (p. 45). Liefeld continues:
“The word glory (doxa) is related to dokeo, to ‘seem’ or to ‘think.’ What people think
about a person becomes that person’s reputation. God’s reputation can be enhanced by
our thinking more highly of him and by our giving other people reason to think more
highly of him also…in ancient Hebrew culture the name of a person represented what
that person was, we speak of glorifying God’s name” (p. 45).
Though God’s final redemption of his people will be “to the praise of his glory”, the
Christian is now able to live in a manner that brings him praise and glory. After verse 12 Paul
shifts the focus of who he is speaking to—Jewish Christian focus to Gentile Christian focus.
Believers sealed with the promised Spirit (13)
In verse 13 the beginning words “In him you also” show a shift from Jewish Christians to
Gentile Christians. Verse 13 states in the ESV “In him you also, when you heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy
Spirit”, in the NIV “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”, and in the NLT “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the
Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own
by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago”.
This verse contains an assurance for believers—we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is
important to note that we were not sealed by the Holy Spirit; the seal actually is the Holy Spirit.
This means that we were sealed by God, but that the Spirit is the believers’ seal. The believers
are indwelt by the Spirit. It is the hearing and believing the gospel that result in salvation and the
sealing with the Spirit.
Many have wondered “what is this seal?” In response to this question Klein answers that
it could refer to a “security measure or the need to seal something up” but that Paul probably
means that it is a “mark of ownership or possession” (p. 55). 2 Corinthians 1:22 confirms this
idea in stating “[God] has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a
guarantee”. Snodgrass agrees and adds that “A seal conveyed authenticity and ownership. In this
case, the Spirit is the seal given to believers to verify that they belong to God” (p. 54). The idea
is that Christians are marked as belonging to God.
Martin sees a process concerning the “way into the church” in verses 13 and 14. He
mentions that the first part of the process is “[hearing] the word of truth” which is “the gospel of
your salvation”. The next step that Martin mentions is the response of faith. Finally, the third
step is the “sealing of the Spirit” (p. 19). To the idea of the importance of hearing and believing
which result in the sealing of the Spirit, it is important to add that it is not sufficient to merely
hear the gospel. A person must hear and believe the gospel.
The Spirit, the guarantee of inheritance until possession of it (14)
Verse 14 reads, “Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of
it, to the praise of his glory.” The NIV reads, “Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” The first
principle here concerns the Spirit—“the guarantee of our inheritance”. The Spirit is the seal of
believers (v. 13), but that is not the full extent of the Spirits role discussed in this passage, for the
Spirit is also the guarantee, and as the NIV states, a deposit. This means that the Spirit is an
assurance of the believer receiving their full inheritance. Klein makes this clear in stating, “The
Spirit in believers’ lives constitutes God’s ‘earnest money,’ a kind of deposit from him by which
he assures that he will give them their full inheritance” (p. 55).
Liefeld also mentions that “God will complete the purchase, so to speak, when he
redeems his possession, the believer” (p. 47). Paul’s use of “guarantee” should drive home the
point to the believer who is in Christ that they will receive their full inheritance and that God will
“complete the purchase”. In ancient times a deposit or down payment was given with intention to
pay the full amount at a later time. Though humans may “go back” on their word and decide that
they will not follow through with a prior commitment, God is not like men; God is faithful and
will complete what he begins. God has guaranteed, through the Spirit who is the guarantee, that
we will acquire possession of our inheritance.
An alternate rendering of “until we acquire possession of it” is “until God redeems his
possession”. In this case the Spirit is still the guarantee, but the focus is on God redeeming
believers rather than believers acquiring their inheritance. Both of these renderings are
doctrinally sound. Klein helpfully explains this by saying that “at the grand finale when God
‘pays up,’ he will redeem his property—us—and we will acquire our inheritance” (p. 55). I agree
with Klein that God will complete the purchase, redeem believers, and believers will acquire
their inheritance.
This beautiful explanation of what will happen in the future shows God’s amazing grace,
and the expectation believers can hold onto as we wait for Jesus’ return and our final, complete
redemption. The believers’ response to God’s great grace is “the praise of his glory”, or as the
NLT states “[that we] praise and glorify him”. This is similar to what Paul wrote in verse 12, in
which Paul mentioned the Jewish Christians bringing praise and glory to God, but here in verse
14 it is all Christians who bring praise and glory to God.
Application
The application of this passage is limited, but not non-existent. The majority of what is
discussed in this passage concerns God’s glorious and sovereign work, as well as what is
expected in the end both on God’s part, and for the believer. God initiates salvation and brings it
about for those he has chosen and according to his purpose. In working out and completing his
will for the believer, God’s glorious grace and sovereignty show forth clearly.
The first part of the application of this passage is that the Christian have assurance in
God’s faithfulness and work. God is faithful; he does not break his promises but instead
completes the work he begins in the lives of believers (Philippians 1:6). Because of the perfect
faithfulness on God’s part believers should be absolutely assured that God will bring to
completion his work in their individual lives.
The second part of the application of this passage involves the worship of God for his
glorious grace and work. The worship of God should consist of believers’ giving him praise and
thanks for what he has done, is doing, and will do in the future in accordance to his purpose and
will. The worship of God in reflection to this passage should also consist of believers’ obedience
to God in living a holy life (Ephesians 1:4). It is God who saves us, it is the Spirit who is our
seal, and who guarantees our inheritance, but God deserves our worship expressed through
words, actions, thoughts, motivations, and intentions. After all, the ultimate purpose of humans
as God’s creation is to glorify the one, true, living God.
Bibliography
Elwell, Walter A.; Yarbrough, Robert W. Encountering the New Testament. Grand Rapids:
Baker, 2005.
Klein, William W. “Ephesians” in Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians—Philemon, vol.
12. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
Liefeld, Walter L. IVP New Testament Commentary: Ephesians. Downers Grove: InterVarsity,
1997.
Martin, Ralph. Interpretation: Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Louisville: John Knox,
1991.
Schreiner, Thomas R. “Election” in New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Downers Grove:
InterVarsity, 2000.
Snodgrass, Klyne. NIV Application Commentary: Ephesians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
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