Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (4) just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love (5) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (6) to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (7) In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (8) which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, (9) having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, (10) that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him. (11) In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, (12) that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.  (13) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. 

The letter to the Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul while he was in prison because of his preaching of the gospel.  In the verses we study today he is not lamenting his current miserable state but Paul is caught up in contemplating the unbelievable blessings God has ordained for those who love Him in Christ.  He wants the faithful in Ephesus to be unshakeable in their confidence of salvation in Christ so that all contrary doctrines  – preached as usual by the false teachers who followed him everywhere to corrupt the gospel – would fail

Paul begins with gratitude and rises to the eternal election of God into which the predestined are born; not by whim but by the good will of God.  God blesses us so that we may bless Him.  This selection was made before the world began and we were chosen in Christ, not of ourselves – the name and work of Christ Jesus excludes all merit on our part – we are unworthy.  Our salvation does not come from us but God alone and the material cause of this election and the love now revealed is only in Christ Jesus – we can only be reconciled to God in Jesus.

Keep in mind not only Paul’s circumstances but also what a novelty the gospel was.  God fixes His will and purpose to be revealed in His own good and perfect time that He might gather, in Christ, all things restored in order.  We are in unity by Christ alone and without Him there would be chaos and eternal darkness.  The gospel cannot deceive as it is truth but it is also in eminence – there is no other truth.  Paul now moves onto the proof of the gospel and it is the seal of the indwelling Spirit.  True conviction does not come by judgment of man but by the Spirit guiding the conscience and Paul uses the metaphor of earnest money used to seal a transaction to explain this gift. The Spirit is a pledge to the confirmed committed faithful – there is no turning back