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.