WHAT DID GOD CHOOSE US FOR?

First look:
Ephesians 1:4-5 (CSB) 4 For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will[.]

When I first look at Ephesians 1, I am just blown away by how it was God who chose us and predestined us by His will. Thanks be to God for His undeserved, glorious grace and this undeserved privilege where we as believers find ourselves!

Second look:
Ephesians 1:4-5 (CSB) 4 For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will[.]

Today I want to look at these same verses from a slightly different perspective that could perhaps be overlooked among the great truths pointed out earlier. So the question here is: What does God call us, His Church, to be? In verse 4, we find that He calls us to be holy and blameless.

Now we could look at being holy and blameless legalistically, as something we have to do, perhaps with God being a cosmic killjoy that keeps us from fun or that burdens us with rules to follow. But that is obviously not what God intended, because notice three things that
immediately follow:

• First, it is in love. Some translations pair “in love” with our call to be holy and blameless, as the CSB does above. Other translations pair the “in love” with God’s predestining us to sonship. Either way, this is not a cosmic taskmaster who is taking away our fun. Rather, we are joined together with the God of the universe in love. We love because He first loved us   (1 John 4:19).
• Second, He has adopted us as sons. Whether male or female, adoption into sonship involves moving from a position outside His family into His family, and not only into His household but in a position of inheritance as heirs (Romans 8:17), and more importantly in relationship together as a perfect Father desires with His children.
• Third, this adoption did not arise from His pity or our begging. Rather, it was born out of the good pleasure of His will! He wanted to rescue us and reposition us as His sons!

If we are going to be in relationship with the holy and blameless God, it would be incompatible for us to have fellowship with Him and not also be holy and blameless. What has light to do with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)? We have died to sin; how can we go on living in it (Romans 6:2)? God’s holiness demands our holiness (1 Peter 1:16). And we see that Christ desires to present His church radiant and blameless (Ephesians 5:27).

Holiness includes being set apart, not of the world (John 17:16). It includes being set free from sin (Romans 6:17-18), a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). Being blameless includes being a person of integrity, above reproach (Proverbs 20:7, 2 Corinthians 8:11).

As we are drawn to God in love, let us cast aside the sin that easily entangles and run the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1). The rewards are incredible! There is peace that passes all understanding that guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). There is contentment (Psalm 37:4, Hebrews 13:5). There is joy unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8-9). The world cannot give us peace, contentment, or lasting joy, but our Father has this and so much more for us!