Ephesians 1:3-4 reads, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.” Your church’s doctrinal statement may have something to say about that word predestined in verses 5 and 11, a concept which has caused many heated discussions as Christians have wrestled with God’s predestination of individuals’ eternities and the free will of those same individuals.
Today we’re going to address another key instruction in these verses often overshadowed by the discussion above. The remainder of verse 4 reads, “that we should be holy and blameless before him.” Somehow, perhaps because of the adrenalin rush of a possible controversy, we tend to miss that God wants us to be holy and blameless. A few verses later, we read, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that—” what? Not so that we can take pride in the fact that we have been chosen. No, the remainder of the verse reads, “ . . . so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory”(Ephesians 1:11-12). Holy and blameless before God . . . to the praise of his glory.
You may have heard or memorized the statement, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever”(Westminster Shorter Catechism). It’s not a scripture verse, but it’s a noble truth based in scriptures. In addition to the verses from Ephesians above, consider 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul again emphasizes this worthy goal and gives direction as to how it can be attained: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Glorifying God should be our primary motivator in life. Certainly, other good goals exist; but if another goal becomes our primary goal, the drive to accomplish that other goal may cause us to do or say something which is not glorifying to God. Remember this as you make choices, plan actions, and communicate with others today. Glorify God in all.