Ephesians 1:4 - Gods Passionate Love for You.
Ephesians 1:4 (NIRV) God chose us to belong
to Christ before the world was created. He
chose us to be holy and without blame in his eyes.
He loved us.
Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) Even before he made the
world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be
holy and without fault in his eyes.
Ephesians 1:4 (VOICE) God chose us to be in
a relationship with Him even before He laid
out plans for this world; He wanted us to live
holy lives characterized by love, free from sin,
and blameless before Him.
Ephesians 1:4 (MSG) Long before he laid down
earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled
on us as the focus of his love, to be made
whole and holy by his love.
INTRODUCTION
Paul says that God "chose us" to
emphasize that salvation depends totally on God. We
are not saved because we deserve it but because
God is gracious and freely gives salvation. We
did not influence God's decision to save us; he
saved us according to his plan. Thus, there is no
way to take credit for our salvation or to allow
room for pride. The mystery of salvation
originated in the timeless mind of God long before we
existed. It is hard to understand how God could
accept us. But because of Christ, we are holy and
blameless in his sight. God chose us, and when we
belong to him through Jesus Christ, God looks at us
as if we had never sinned. All we can do is
express our thanks for his wonderful love.
That God "decided in advance to adopt us"
is another way of saying that salvation is
God's work and not our own doing. In his infinite
love, God has adopted us as his own children.
Through Jesus' sacrifice, he has brought us into his
family and made us heirs along with Jesus (Romans
8:17). In Roman law, adopted children had the same
rights and privileges as biological children, even
if they had been slaves. Paul uses this term to
show how strong our relationship to God is. Have
you entered into this loving relationship with
God? [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
You Are the Focus of Gods Love
Did you know when God looks at you, he
loves you simply because he made you?
When my three children were small, I
would sit down by the side of their bed at night
and just watch them sleep. Id watch their
chests rise and fall. Because I was their father, I
got so much joy out of watching them sleep
peacefully.
Thats the way your heavenly Father
feels about you.
The Bible says, Long before he laid
down earths foundations, [God] had us in mind,
had settled on us as the focus of his love
(Ephesians 1:4 The Message). Before God even created
the universe, he thought of you. In fact, the
Bible says that the entire universe was created
simply so God could create the human race and love
us. We are the focus of his love, unlike
anything else in creation.
You were created to be loved by God.
When you let that profound truth sink
into your soul, you will never again have a
problem with insecurity or low self-esteem. Because
when you realize that God created you in order to
love you, it will take away all those uncertain
feelings.
In Hosea 6:6, God says, I dont want
your sacrifices - I want your love; I dont
want your offerings - I want you to know me
(TLB). The most important thing you can know is
that God created you to love you. And the most
important thing you can do is to know and love him
back. Thats your number one purpose in life.
The tragedy is that most people go
through their entire life missing the purpose of it.
They know all kinds of things"stock quotes,
sports scores, whos on the cover of their
favorite magazine - but they dont know God.
You may know about God, but do you know
him personally? Do you have a friendship - a
love relationship - with God? If not, I encourage
you to take that step today. [Daily Devotional
by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
Youre Already Chosen and Loved
Every person wants these three things -
more than anything else: to be loved, to be
accepted, and to be chosen.
These longings are there even in people
unwilling to admit it.
But theres good news: You dont have
to look anymore for love and acceptance.
Youre already chosen, loved, and accepted by Jesus
Christ.
Everyone wants to be chosen - from your
childhood days at recess to your adult workplaces and
love life. Being chosen is key to establishing
your self-worth.
The Bible says in Ephesians 1:4-5, "Even
before he made the world, God loved us and chose us
in Christ to be holy and without fault in his
eyes. 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" (NLT).
God created the entire universe because
he wanted a family. The whole reason the
universe exists is because God wanted children to
love.
According to this verse, when did God
choose you? God chose you before the world was
made!
Before God chose to create the universe,
he had already chosen you. In fact, that's why
he decided to make the universe. He wanted a
place where you could live. Before God chose any
tree, he chose you. Before God chose the oceans,
he chose you. Before God chose every rock that
exists, he chose you.
Thats an amazing thought - that even
before he chose to create the sun and moon and
stars, God knew you and chose to love you. That is
the foundation of your identity.
Nobody wants to be chosen last. But you
have never been last in Gods thoughts. You
have always been first on his mind. He chose you,
he loves you, and he accepts you. You can rest
in these truths today. [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Ephesians 1:4 - Gods Passionate Love for You.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201222-0954.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
