And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus. (Acts 28:19-21)
And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” (Acts 19:1-3)
Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all. (Acts 19:4-7)
And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. (Acts 19:1-10)
The church in Ephesus was one of the churches that Paul help establish. He spent much time there teaching the gospel of Christ Jesus. His last visit through Asia, From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. (Acts 20:17) He had prophesied to them, "And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me." (Acts 20:22-23) And God's Spirit never lies, because Paul wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus while he was in prison in Rome, after being falsely accused by the Jews and turned over to the Roman authorities. (Acts 21-28)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:1-2)
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, 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, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)
We've studied predestined and predetermined before. God did not predetermine who would be saved, but he did predestine the way we would be saved; He chose us in Christ, predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ, and made us accepted in the Beloved, Christ. Jesus Christ was predestined to be "...the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me [Christ]." (John 14:6) Through our acceptance of the free gift of salvation God offers through faith in Christ Jesus, we all are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 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. (Ephesians 1:7-10)
In Christ, in Him is the fulfillment of what God predestined. 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, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
God predestined the Way we would be saved, through Christ Jesus. He predestined how we would be saved, through hearing the word of truth, believing the word of truth and trusting in Christ. And God predestined the confirmation we would receive that we are saved, by sealing us with the Holy Spirit of promise, the guarantee of our inheritance. However, God is Omniscient, knowing everything. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)
The original Greek word translated "foreknew" means foresee. God knows who will and who will not accept salvation, but He doesn't predetermine who will. We all have freewill to "...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, ..." (Joshua 24:15) He foresaw all of us, and He predestined us to be adopted into His family through His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Once He predestined the Way, He called us. Remember Jesus told one of the seven churches, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Revelations 3:20-21)
God calls us because Jesus stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. Whoever chooses to open the door will be justified and glorified. But He's not going to kick the door down and barge in. So how do we wrap our minds around verses like, And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48) Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? (Romans 9:21-24)
The point is even though God foreknew, meaning foresaw everything, He still made everyone anyone, those who would believe and those who wouldn't. Through those who wouldn't believe, He shows His wrath and to makes His power known. Through us who would believe, He makes known the riches of His glory. Remember, God told Moses, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians,... (Exodus 3:7-8) “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go." (Exodus 4:21)
Pharaoh's heart was already hardened, that's why God said, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt,..."; therefore, God hardened his heart, meaning God allowed Him to stay the way he was. Then God used him, a vessel of wrath prepared for destruction, to demonstrate His mighty power, which He did through all the various plagues and miracles He had Moses perform. Finally, God delivered the vessels of mercy, the children of Israel; and Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also drowned in the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:4) Everyone has a choice to make, and everyone has to live with the consequences of their choice for eternity. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelations 3:22)
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