We were chosen in Christ before the creation of the world. This concept blows our mind and seems beyond comprehension. Indeed the whole idea of predestination has at times caused great debate and great problems. It might be tempting to dismiss the whole notion of predestination and election, but this would be a big mistake for the Bible, and Paul in particular, keep referring to it.
There is one thing that must be said first of all. Virtually every page of the Bible makes it clear that how we live our lives matters. How I live my life and the choices I make affect my life and affect the lives of others. Any "understanding" of predestination that tends towards the idea that what we do with our lives does not matter is totally unbiblical. In fact these sorts of ideas are not predestination, but fate, an utterly pagan idea.
So let's turn now to what Paul actually said. God's purpose has always been that we should be "holy and blameless in His sight", and this would be accomplished in and through Christ. This has always been God's purpose, and He has been working at this purpose throughout time, and is working on it right now. We were always in God's mind, even before time began. How does He make us holy and blameless? Through the cross and by the Spirit. We are cleansed of our sin by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, and we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. When we believed God started the work of sanctification in our lives, this work is going on now, and will be brought to completion on the day Christ returns. Later chapters in Ephesians also make it clear that we have a part to play in this (see also Phil 2:12,13).
There is one thing that must be said first of all. Virtually every page of the Bible makes it clear that how we live our lives matters. How I live my life and the choices I make affect my life and affect the lives of others. Any "understanding" of predestination that tends towards the idea that what we do with our lives does not matter is totally unbiblical. In fact these sorts of ideas are not predestination, but fate, an utterly pagan idea.
So let's turn now to what Paul actually said. God's purpose has always been that we should be "holy and blameless in His sight", and this would be accomplished in and through Christ. This has always been God's purpose, and He has been working at this purpose throughout time, and is working on it right now. We were always in God's mind, even before time began. How does He make us holy and blameless? Through the cross and by the Spirit. We are cleansed of our sin by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, and we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. When we believed God started the work of sanctification in our lives, this work is going on now, and will be brought to completion on the day Christ returns. Later chapters in Ephesians also make it clear that we have a part to play in this (see also Phil 2:12,13).
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