Ephesians 1:5

 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight”. (Ephesians 1:3-8, English Standard Version)

Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (New Living Translation)

One strategy that I like to use when I’m studying scripture is to underline key words in the text. I’m somewhat of a “word geek”. In verse 5, the words, “decided”, “adopt”, and “pleasure” are the words that stood out to me. Let’s look at what each of these words mean.

Decided: To come to a resolution in the mind as a result of a consideration.

Adopt: Legally take (another’s child) and bring it up as one’s own; formally approve or accept.

Pleasure: A feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment; not necessary.

If I were rewriting Ephesians 1:5 in my own words and personalizing it, it might say, “God resolutely set His mind on Kristen. He took her as His own child through the finished work of Jesus Christ. It wasn’t necessary. He wanted to do it because it gave Him satisfaction.”

Sometimes I can get caught up in the feeling that God had to choose me. He did it with more of a sigh. It’s as if He looked at me, saw my mess, sighed and thought “I guess I’ll save her.” But this isn’t a school yard line up where I was the last person and so He had to choose me for his team. It wasn’t necessary. Before He formed the first thing on earth, He wanted me. He loved me, and it pleased Him. I please Him. You please Him. If we don’t understand this truth, we will live our lives trying to find acceptance. We will strive to earn approval from the people around us. It will leave us weary from chasing something that we can never obtain. One of the basic human needs is to be known and loved. We want to be seen for who we are, and to be loved. Yet most of us will spend our lives hiding who we really are. Instead, we often try to adapt to the people around us. We try to be who we think they want us to be. In this seeking to be accepted, we lose sight of who God created us to be. 

I am more introspective, and quiet by nature. I love solitude. Actually, to be the best version of myself, I need solitude. I need quiet space to think, otherwise my mind is constantly in overdrive. In the past, I have apologized for this. I struggled when I was around extroverted people because I somehow thought that I should be more like them. Time has taught me that this is the way that I’m uniquely wired. It’s what allows me to write. If I didn’t like long periods of silence and solitude, I could never be a writer. I would never have the time or energy to process what I am learning. What I have often perceived as a weakness is actually a strength. 

God created you with intention. Psalm 139:13-16 says that God knit you together in your mother’s womb. He watched as you were being formed, and there wasn’t a detail about you that escaped His notice. You are created the way you are for a reason. He sees you just as you are and loves you. As you walk with Him, He will continually be working in your life to conform you to His image. He will be refining you so that you can best reflect His image.

Not only did God choose us but He also adopted us into His family.  In ancient Roman times, when an adoption took place, the person being adopted had all of the rights of a legitimate son. Any ties to his former family were gone. This included any debts that were owed. In the eyes of the law, he was a new person. When God adopted us, we received all of the rights of Jesus. Romans 8:15 says, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.” (New Living Translation) As I think about this, I wonder how often I live with a spirit of fear? How often do I let my fears hinder living the life I’ve been called to live? As a child of God, I have His spirit within me. Somehow I forget this truth. It gets muddied by life, so I hold back and let fear settle in. But we weren’t created to live with a spirit of fear. We are meant to walk in the fullness of His Spirit within us. 

Truth to Remember:

It wasn’t necessary for God to adopt you as His child. You delight Him and so it pleased Him to choose you. He loves you and accepts you just as you are. He has chosen you to be His child, and He has given you His Spirit.