Scripture Reference: Ephesians 1:3-14

In Christ – Continued

From Last Lesson: Indeed, it is for this very purpose that God blesses us, that we might praise His wonderful and glorious name! Every spiritual blessing is ours in Christ, and according to the riches of God’s grace, for one purpose:

To the Praise of His Glory (verse12)

Here is another refrain that is repeated in this first chapter of Ephesians. God has predestined and adopted us, and he is making us holy, “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” He has given us our inheritance “to the praise of His glory.” He has made us His very own possession “to the praise of His glory.” God has bestowed every blessing upon us, He has opened up the treasure chest that is in Jesus and lavished gift after gift upon us, not merely so that we might enjoy the gifts, but so that we might praise and glorify the Giver! We have been made Christians, not first of all for our own sakes, but for God’s, “to the praise of His glory!”

So much of modern culture, even modern Christian culture, is geared toward the happiness and fulfillment of the individual. This is why the aforementioned televangelists have gained such a foothold. They say what we like to hear: “God wants to make me happy; to make me fulfilled; to give me blessings.” And they are not all wrong, of course. God does want to fulfill and delight His people. Nothing could be clearer when we read this first chapter in Ephesians! But where the prosperity teachers have erred badly, and where many other Christians fall into error as well, is by overlooking the fact that God blesses us and brings joy and fulfillment into our lives, not simply for the sake of our own joy and fulfillment, but so that we will turn around and bless Him, just as Paul is doing throughout this letter.

I say that many Christians, even those who see right through the sham of the prosperity gospel, sometimes miss this point. So what are some of the implications of that phrase “to the praise of His glory”? What does it mean, in practical terms? It means that we are made more holy, not so we can admire our reflection in the mirror, but so that we will admire the One whose image we reflect more and more! It also means that we are adopted into God’s family, not only so that we can revel in our possessing the rights of children, but also that we might revel in the Father Himself! We are forgiven of sins, not simply so we can feel a sense of relief from conviction, but also that we might praise and magnify the kindness of the God who forgives! We will someday receive our inheritance in heaven, not merely so that we will be able to sit back and think about how wonderful it is to live without sin, tears, or pain, but so that those blessings (and they will be spectacular!) will urge us to press as close as possible to God’s throne and praise Him, the Giver of the blessings!

The Apostle Paul in this opening to Ephesians challenges us and dares us to consider not just the fact of our “every spiritual blessing,” but also the why! Let’s continue to give thanks above all and to do so “to the praise of His [God’s] glory!”

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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