Does election mean that God chooses some and not others? Study Ephesians 1 with context, apologetic analysis, and cross-references.
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Dr. Lucas D. Shallua Commentary · EPHESIANS 1 — GOD'S ETERNAL PLAN, OUR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS, AND PAUL'S PRAYER
01
The precise difficulties
Does election mean that God chooses some and not others?
Is the sealing of the Spirit the same as the baptism in the Spirit?
Can believers lose their salvation if they have been sealed?
Why does Paul say that God predestined us "for adoption"?
02
Verse and question study
Does election mean that God chooses some and not others?
Scripture teaches that God chose a people in Christ before the world began, and that salvation is wholly His gift. Christians have disagreed about whether this refers to individuals chosen unconditionally, to individuals chosen in light of their faith, or to a people chosen in Christ into whom individuals are incorporated by faith. This commentary holds that God's sovereignty and human responsibility are both taught, that the gospel is to be preached to everyone (Romans 10:13–15), and that God desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). The doctrine should lead to worship and humility, not to speculation or division.
Is the sealing of the Spirit the same as the baptism in the Spirit?
The sealing refers to the Spirit's permanent indwelling of every believer as a mark of ownership and security. The baptism or filling of the Spirit for empowering is a distinct emphasis in the New Testament, associated with power for witness and the exercise of gifts (Acts 1:8; 2:4; 4:31). The two are related but not identical, and believers are called to be continually filled (5:18).
Can believers lose their salvation if they have been sealed?
The seal and guarantee describe God's commitment to complete what He began. This commentary holds that true believers are kept by God's power and that perseverance is the evidence of genuine faith, while taking seriously the warnings of Scripture (compare John 10:27–29; Romans 8:38–39; Hebrews 3:12–14).
Why does Paul say that God predestined us "for adoption"?
Because the goal of salvation is not only forgiveness but family. God does more than acquit; He welcomes sinners into His household as sons and daughters, with full inheritance rights. That is a deeper purpose than most people imagine.
03
Historical and literary context
Ephesians was written by Paul during an imprisonment, most likely in Rome around AD 60–62, and it is closely related to Colossians, which was carried by the same messenger, Tychicus (6:21; Colossians 4:7). Some early manuscripts lack the words "in Ephesus" in the opening verse, and many scholars think the letter circulated as a general letter to the churches around Ephesus, which would explain why it contains fewer personal greetings than Paul's other letters. Ephesus was the leading city of the Roman province of Asia, home to the great temple of Artemis, a center for magic and the occult, and the place where Paul spent about three years (Acts 19–20). A few scholars question whether Paul wrote the letter, but its claim to Pauline authorship was accepted by the early church, and this commentary treats it as Paul's. The letter divides naturally into two halves: chapters 1–3 describe what God has done for believers in Christ, and chapters 4–6 describe how believers are to live in light of it. Chapter 1 is the doctrinal foundation, and its two halves are a blessing (verses 3–14) and a prayer (verses 15–23).
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Apologetic note
The great hymn of verses 3–14 and the prayer that follows show that devotion to Christ as divine was already full-blown in the early 60s, within thirty years of the resurrection. Paul places Christ at the right hand of God, far above every power, as the head over all things, and as the one in whom all things will be united. These are claims about the identity of Jesus that go beyond anything said of a human teacher. They are written in a letter that early Christians copied and circulated widely, and the letter is cited by writers in the generation after the apostles, including Ignatius and Polycarp. A note on the textual evidence is also in order. Some early manuscripts lack the words "in Ephesus" in verse 1, and that is the sort of detail that honest scholarship brings to the surface. It does not affect the content or authority of the letter, and it suggests that Ephesians may have been circulated as a general letter among the churches of the region. Finally, the letter is addressed to a city devoted to Artemis, whose temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Against the claims of such a cult, Paul announces that the true power in the universe is the risen Christ, and that His people already share in His victory.