Ephesians 1:5-6
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.
Paul reminds us that one of the richest blessings from God’s treasury of grace is predestination. God saves and predestines His people to adoption into His family.
This makes the action direct, highlighting God as the subject who both chooses and predestines. God could have redeemed us without making us His children, yet His love determined that salvation would include sonship.
Paul’s phrase “in love, having predestined us” shows the affection behind this plan. The New Testament places believers in God’s family as sons and daughters, giving them full privileges and responsibilities. Through the Spirit of adoption, believers naturally cry out, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).
This adoption is possible only through Jesus Christ. Our sins once kept us distant, but Christ’s death and resurrection reconciled us to God. His sacrifice provides a righteous foundation for our new position of intimacy with the Father.
Paul says God acted according to the good pleasure of His will. God delights in sons and daughters who conform to the image of His beloved Son. His purpose was not merely our rescue, but our transformation into Christ’s likeness for eternity.
Finally, Paul bursts into worship: “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” This refrain is both exclamation and exhortation. It magnifies the glory of God’s grace, explains that His dealings with us are for His glory, and urges us to respond in praise. God accepts us – not by merit, but through Christ, the Beloved.
Adoption, then, is not only our privilege but also our calling: to live as children who continually honor the grace that brought us home.
