having marked us out beforehand for adoption through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Paul has just said that God chose us before the world began; now he says what He chose us for. The verse raises three questions that the commentators press: what predestination adds to election, what "adoption" actually means, and why the whole thing ends with the words "to Himself."
Election and predestination are close, but they are not the same. The difference decides how the verse reads.
To predestine is to mark out beforehand, to decide in advance. Election is God's choice of people; predestination is to a blessing. In Ephesians 1:5, 11, God predestines believers to the adoption of sons, according to His purpose. Predestination does not, as some insist, imply that others are marked out for wrath.
The older translation "adoption of children" blurs a real distinction. Being God's child and being God's son are two different gifts, and only one of them is what this verse promises.
The apostle John is the one who dwells on our being "children" of God. Why? Because we are born into the family of God. Born of the Spirit, we are children of God, children of His family… But when it is a question of being "sons," predestination is what puts us into this place of relation… Adoption is never of children; it is always of sons. One must be by new birth a "child" of God. But God also predestined to adopt the Christian into the position of a "son" by Christ Jesus to Himself… Believers in Old Testament times were all "children," as we who believe now are also. But they were not adopted "sons." Sonship is one of the new privileges of the gospel.
The phrase "through Jesus Christ" is not decoration. Christ Himself holds the place He gives us, and it is His for a different reason than it is ours.
Christ is Son of God under two aspects. As the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father He has a relationship which is not and never will be ours; but as Man He is called Son of God (Psalm 2; Luke 1:35). He sets us in that same relationship. Only one difference remains between Him and us: the place is His because of His personal dignity and worth… while we are sons only because of His work. But it is marvellous to think that our relationship is absolutely the same as His. "My Father, and your Father; My God, and your God."
God already had servants in abundance. Sonship was not the only option open to Him — it was the one He wanted.
Would we ever have conceived that a relationship like the angels' was possible? It would not do for God. He had countless angels, strong and always doing what pleased Him — but they were only servants. He wanted sons: sons to surround Him in His home of light and love with the cry of Abba, Father… Sweet thought: He planned this for His own indescribable joy. It was not only for our blessing, but according to the good pleasure of His will.
The ESV reads "the purpose of his will." Older translations say "the good pleasure of his will," and the comment below turns on the word "pleasure." It rules out the idea of a cold, arbitrary decree.
"The good pleasure of His will" is not simply sovereignty — it is the good pleasure of His will. God is acting in His love and showing the will of His grace. He takes up poor, wretched, vile sinners, and pours out on these objects of His mercy all the riches of His own goodness. "The good pleasure of His will," that which God takes delight in, is the ministering of the fulness of His blessing to us. Here the soul finds solid ground… the measure of His goodness can never be the measure of what we deserve from Him.
Adoption is already ours, yet something is still outstanding — and the body is what waits.
God will not rest till He displays us before all in the position of sons… We shall stand before God, holy and without blame. But God desires more for us than that. He would have us before Him as sons, and He tells us about it as part of what He has called us to… So He gives us the Holy Spirit as the spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15), while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:23).
- Cause — God's own will, not our worth, is the reason. What pleases Him is pouring out the fulness of His blessing on people who deserved nothing.
- Gift — election picks the persons. Predestination names the blessing: adoption — the dignity of a son, a privilege new to the gospel.
- Means — through Jesus Christ. He is Son by His own worth; we are sons only by His work. Yet the relationship is the same one He named: "My Father, and your Father."
- Direction — the gift runs "to Himself." God wanted sons around Him crying "Abba, Father," not more servants.
- Completion — sonship is ours now by the Spirit of adoption. God will display it for all to see when He redeems our bodies.
to [the] praise of [the] glory of his grace, wherein he has taken us into favour in the Beloved
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in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of offences, according to the riches of his grace;
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.