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, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:3-10 ESV)
We were not simply created. God did not arbitrarily make us just to pass the timelessness. We were created for a purpose; a reason. We were designed.
The English translation of the Greek word (proorizo) as “predestined” has caused all kinds of controversy by those who bring their own ideas to the Scripture rather than listening to what the Word is saying to us. This word is made up of two parts in Greek. The first is “pro” and is where we get our prefix meaning the same thing, “before.” The second is “orizo” and means literally, “to mark out the boundaries or limits” of a thing. In this sense, the translated word, “predestined” is out of date and misunderstood. The closest English word that accurately portrays the original meaning is, “designed.” Put together, the two simply mean, “to lay out the design of a thing before you put it together.”
We are familiar with things that are designed; buildings, furniture, modes of transportation, tools, etc. Something that is designed has a specific purpose in the mind of the designer. If it is a tool it works best when it is used to do the thing it was made to do. It can be used for other things, but those things may damage both the tool and the object on which it is used. I can use a screwdriver as a chisel or a pry-bar, but the results won’t be good for the screwdriver.
In the beginning of Ephesians Paul reveals God’s “mystery;” the purpose of His creation. It goes something like this: first, He “chose” us (v. 4) before he created anything else. In the ESV it says He chose us to be “holy and blameless” before Him. That means that in His heart He “set us apart” (holy) and protected us from the accusations that He knew would come (blameless). Second, He “designed” (predestined) us for “the praise of His glorious grace.” This was our sole purpose; to praise Him and His grace in our every action, word, and thought. But that design had another, deeper purpose behind it, revealed in v. 10. Finally, He desires to use us to unite all things in Him, “things in heaven and things on earth.”
The impact of this cannot hit without significant time spent on its meditation. To understand that God’s unification of the entire universe is dependent on our response to His love is so profound that if we could grasp the smallest inkling of it, it would shake us to our very foundations. It should literally scare the “hell” out of us, and I don’t use the term lightly as a figure of speech. It is the greatest responsibility in the history of the universe.
Of course we can’t do it. It’s too big of a task. Nor does God expect us to. He says He will do it using us. That’s a big difference. My tools can’t build anything without me, but I can use them as they were designed to build the thing I have in mind. But that analogy does break down quickly because we are not mindless like screwdrivers and hammers. We have a will. We can choose to be used as God designed us, or to go our own way. It’s as if my hammer could say, “No, I don’t want to be a slave to you while you use me to bang away on things. Leave me alone!” And, out of respect for my hammer’s desire, I leave him alone to eventually rust, erode, and crumble away. Without me, the hammer can’t do anything but decay and die.
But what if the hammer desires to be used by me? What if he decides to submit to my will? I show him the mansion I intend to create using him. Seeing it all, and the magnificence of it, he despairs. “I can’t do that! It’s too overwhelming! There’s wood that needs to be cut, and I can’t cut it! There’s glass that needs to be fit and fashioned and I can’t fit it! And all the painting and staining, the carving and shaping! And what about the electricity? How am I supposed to get at that? The wiring, the heating, the air-conditioning, and the plumbing! What about the plumbing? How am I supposed to do it all?”
It’s easy enough to see the solution to the hammer’s dilemma. He’s not supposed to do it all. In fact, in the light of the entire project, his part is quite small. But it is extremely important. The saw family can’t do what he can do. Neither can the wrenches. He is uniquely designed. But he must put himself into the hands of the carpenter and work in harmony with the carpenter’s will.
When we put ourselves in harmony with God’s design we experience something that is indescribable in human terms. It is a “joy of being” that comes with God dwelling in us as we were designed to hold Him. It comes with God using us as we were designed to be used by Him. Some people prefer to call it learning to love one’s self correctly. I don’t like that terminology because to me it’s confusing. So I call it the “Joy of Being.” It is a deep, abiding joy that is completely independent of circumstances. It is not love of self, because to get to this place I have to constantly deny myself and crucify my self until it stops returning and demanding my allegiance. It is, if anything, a love of the new creation that Christ is forming in me in the absence of my old self. It doesn’t find its identity in the opinions or in the gains or the loss of others. It is both immersed in, and filled with the presence of my Creator and His Son, Jesus Christ.
This joy comes from obedience to my Creator. His intention is to use me to “unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.” I can’t do it all. I wasn’t designed to do it all. I am part of a corporate body working in harmony for Him. It’s not just me. It’s us. And He wants us to begin right where we are.
So what does He do? He puts us in front of each other and says, simply, “Love. Love one another. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love your enemies and do good to them so that you may draw them to me.”
He puts us in front of each other. That’s where the uniting begins. All things in heaven and on earth. It begins right here, right now.
With us.
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