Ephesians 1-6
December 24, 2014


Three thoughts come to mind as I read through Ephesians.  First, I continue to wonder what Paul meant as he often refers to "predestination".  The word as become a point of contention that has served as a dividing line between christian brothers.  I doubt that Paul would approve.   Some say that predestination means that God has selected certain people in advance to be included in heaven.  A natural consequence of that train of thought is that God also created others who were never intended for heaven.   An example might be Pharaoh at the time of Moses, or Judas Iscariot.   both of them served a purpose, neither of them are believed to be in heaven.  In both cases they seem to have been headed for destruction far in advance of the actual event.
I choose to believe that Paul isn't saying that some people are elected for life, and others for destruction.   Not because of anything Paul preaches, but because of what that would say about the character of God.   Having read the Bible, I do not see anything in God's character that would cause me to believe that He would do this.   He has the right to do it, and no one can fault Him if He does...but that doesn't mean that He did.    I prefer to read this as Paul saying that God knows the future, and He already knows who, of their own free will has decided to confess their sins.   Those are the ones that are "predestined".  I think that God intends for all of us to be in heaven, and the only reason we won't be is because we chose not to accept the invitation.

The more salient point here has to do with the importance of love.   Paul insists that every thought  and action be motivated by love.  If we truly love one another we won't have control issues in our marriages, or in our work relationships or with our children.   That's not to say you won't have any problems...just that the problems will be less.

In fact, I wonder why Paul doesn't say much about love when he talks about the armor of God?  He is so emphatic about it all throughout the letter, and then doesn't mention it with the armor.    Maybe that's because the armor is what God does, and love is the natural by-product of that relationship.

Either way, thinking about how much God loves me is a wonderful way to begin my Christmas Eve.


Merry Christmas,

PR