The next phrase in Ephesians 1:4 on which we need to spend some time is, “before the foundation of the world.” This is a temporal clause. That is it places the action of the verse in time or sequence. The implications of this are vast. Peter is stating through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God’s choice of us in Christ took place before the earth was.
God being outside of time and not bound in sequence is not subject to this phrase that illumines our understanding. This placement of the choice of God as happening before the foundation of the world, in other words before Genesis 1:1, further distances us from having any influence on the choice of God, either by behavior or some other merit.
This phrase helps us to understand Peter’s later statement in Ephesians 2:10 and sheds some light on passages that trouble us like Romans 9:11 – 13. This concept of God’s sovereign choice through grace is central to all of Paul’s epistles. It has now surfaced strongly in Paul’s contemporary, Peter.
The posts in this series:
God being outside of time and not bound in sequence is not subject to this phrase that illumines our understanding. This placement of the choice of God as happening before the foundation of the world, in other words before Genesis 1:1, further distances us from having any influence on the choice of God, either by behavior or some other merit.
This phrase helps us to understand Peter’s later statement in Ephesians 2:10 and sheds some light on passages that trouble us like Romans 9:11 – 13. This concept of God’s sovereign choice through grace is central to all of Paul’s epistles. It has now surfaced strongly in Paul’s contemporary, Peter.
The posts in this series:
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