Ephesians 1:3 – 10

My mind, my heart and my history rivet me to these phrases in Paul’s greeting to the brothers and sisters in Christ in the cosmopolitan city of Ephesus, in Asia Minor.  I recall that Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a strict Pharisee of the Hebrews.  In all respects, a Hebrew!  And, maybe above all, a persecutor of the Church of Jesus Christ that was spreading through the world at the time.

Here they are, ponder them, my soul, again.

v. 3  Praise to God our Father who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  Who are the us?  Jews and Gentiles alike! When it comes to the Kingdom, there is no difference or preference at all between us.  This struck me as a white American Christian there in East Africa.  In Christ, all of us are the same, almost as though our culture is not superior!  I must admit, it took me a great while to believe and know this.  After all, I was a MISSIONARY!

v. 4  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  He chose us!  Without regard to whether we are Jew or Greek.  We are all equally called.

v. 5  In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.  We are all adopted.  None of us were born sons and daughters of God, for that matter.

v. 7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.

We all.  This wisdom dawned on me slowly but surely as I and my family lived for many years with people whose heritage could not be much different from ours.  Yet, through the mighty grace of God we loved one another deeply, family love.  Who can explain that?