Ephesians
1:3–14—Even if we seem to be
lacking in worldly wealth or wisdom, we are assured that we, the elect of God,
have a treasure far greater than anything on earth. We have the salvation
planned by in eternity by God and won in time by Jesus Christ, who has redeemed
us with His blood and forgiven us of our trespasses. Furthermore, He has
bestowed upon us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance until the
Last Day, when all His promises will be fulfilled.
Adoption was not uncommon in antiquity. Among the
elite it served the important function of allowing for an heir if one had no
children, or if one’s children died. The adopted person (who could be a child
or an adult) gained social status through association with the parent’s social
status. In the same way a biological child would, the adopted child benefitted
from the social and political connections of their parent. They also gained
wealth through their inheritance. In return the adopted child honored the parent
through taking the parent’s name and being loyal to them.
Similarly, adoption by God is a blessing for which the
apostle Paul praises God. It is an action planned by God (vv. 5, 9, 10, 11) and
also pleasing to God (“according to the good pleasure of his will,” v. 5). It
results in the praise of God (vv. 6, 14) by the adopted ones, who have a share
in an inheritance from God (v. 14).
The adoption indicated here is unique in that it is
not the adoption of an individual but of a people. The language echoes the
stories of God choosing Israel (e.g., Deuteronomy 7:6; Psalm 135:4; Isaiah
41:8), and the purpose of being chosen for “redemption” (Ephesians 1:7, 14)
evokes God’s release of Israel from slavery (e.g., Exodus 6:6). In addition,
all of the relevant verbs and pronouns (we, us) in the passage are plural. Paul
is not so much concerned with God’s relationship to individual believers as
with the claim that God has chosen a people for God’s self.
The adoption of God’s people is part of a larger plan
that has been established in the past and has both present and future effects.
Already God has gifted the community with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places. This is not simply a promise of future gifts to be experienced
in heaven, but a present gift of spiritual blessings. Similarly, in Ephesians
1:14 the Gentiles are described as having been sealed with the Holy Spirit,
likely a reference to baptism. The experience of transformation by the Spirit
is “a down payment of our inheritance” (v. 14). Believers participate now in
something that is a preview of the gifts that will be realized fully in the age
to come.[2]
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