AN INHERITANCE. Ephesians 1:11-12 Christ unites God’s people in the church, bringing Jews and Gentiles together in Him. Redeemed individuals are not divided by nationality but are united in Christ through faith, so that we may bring praise to His glory. “We,” the Christian Jews, have an inheritance in Christ that is far greater than the exclusive national covenant God made with them in the wilderness. This new covenant was planned by God from the very beginning.
Jews were the first to hear and accept the Gospel message, so Paul’s encouragement to Jewish believers was to live holy lives that honor the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The awareness of being predestined by God to bring glory to the Lord has a very humbling effect on those who are honest enough to admit that we are not worthy of even the least of God’s mercies.
The believers in Ephesus must have been surprised and perhaps overwhelmed by the idea that they were part of a great, ongoing work of God. Not only did they have personal salvation through the blood of Christ, but they were also included in God's future plans. I don't know how it affected their first love for Christ, but they were certainly moved to do what God wanted.
God's sovereign plans do not remove the difficulties of life or the challenges we face from Satan and his forces. When we remember that God is in control, and that ultimately, the divine order He has planned will bring the world together under the Prince of Peace, then we can dedicate ourselves now to praising His glory. We have a role in that great work. This is not just an accidental act on our part; God has predestined His people to participate in what He is accomplishing.
There is an inheritance that Christians have now, just like the apostles had at the beginning of this age of grace, including the Jewish believers who were saved through their preaching. Additionally, we are part of that inheritance. Then, the Gentile believers, along with the Jewish believers in Ephesus, were included, and that continues through the years right up to us today. We are neither Jews nor Gentiles but "church of God." "We have obtained an inheritance" can also be to the praise of the Lord's glory because we have trusted in Christ.
God is doing all of this work Himself. He is the Source of this blessing, and its ultimate purpose is to showcase the excellence of His grace. The "exceeding riches of His grace" and "the glory of His grace" revealed through the church will be displayed as a way to bring honor to God through us. What God has done, is doing now, and will do in the future reveals His glory. When God has His proper place among His people, there is joy, peace, and unity among them, even today. How much more will this be when this principle becomes universal?
The praise of His glory is evidenced not only in what God does among His people and within His people but in all things. He has plans in every part of His work that are meant to bring praise to His glory. The order of creation and the way each plant, animal, and mineral is unique yet necessary to fulfill various needs serve to praise His glory. He does everything according to the counsel of His own will. The entire creation would be far less fascinating if the only plant God made was grass, the only animal was cattle, or the only metal was silver. The diversity and unity of God's creation display His divine imprint, with each thing being different yet following a certain order of intelligent design from atoms to the atmosphere. God has left His signature on all things. Even among humans, there are some “look-alike” identical twins, but that uniqueness only highlights the glory of God's wisdom and prudence shown in the variety of races and features of people. If everyone looked exactly the same, had the same voice tone, and did everything in exactly the same way, it would limit the praise of His glory.
The apostles were the first to trust in Christ. Then came Jews who believed, and they thought that was where God would stop building His church. But from those early apostles and prophets, the Gospel spread and reached Ephesus, including both Jews and Gentiles who received that inheritance and were to the "praise of His glory." God's purpose has extended far beyond Ephesus and Europe to include people from all over the world.
The entire body of Christ testifies to God's purposes. Universal glory to God will result, and to some extent already has, as evidence of God's plan to establish His designed order. When everything is united and functions as God originally intended under the reign of the King of Glory, righteousness will prevail in the new heavens and earth. The Ephesian Christians were given a glimpse of God's purposes from the perspective of looking down from the heavenlies and seeing the big picture of His plans through His eyes.
What a beautiful view of God's work, from creation to the church and into the end of the age, that we see in the book of Ephesians. All the wrongs we observe and understand become insignificant when we see God's plans. We can imagine everything coming to completion "to the praise of His glory." But how much more powerful it is for us personally when we realize that I am responsible "to be to the praise of His glory." Not as idol-worshipping, ungodly, immoral, self-centered people who live for what they can get now and ignore God, but as those who have "obtained an inheritance" with those who have gone before us. We are participants in the same work and for the same purpose as the apostles who heard the Lord's commission with their own ears. What great blessings we have received, even though we didn't realize them when we "first trusted in Christ."
There is a long line behind us of saints who lived for God long before He, by grace, saved us. Often, things that happen in our lives tend to blind us, preventing us from knowing what God has in store for us in the future. From time to time, we pause to consider what God has revealed to us in His word, and then those things that try to hinder our spiritual growth are set aside. We then understand what we have heard as the Spirit of God guides us into all truth.
God had this plan designed long before the world was created. He made this earth for mankind. From reading His word, we see that God intended to dwell with man and enjoy the love and joy that build a true relationship. Following the plan, He predestined those willing to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to the praise of His glory. God’s order is evident in everything. He was not simply inclined to be kind to us when we were brought to the Savior; His purpose followed a sovereign design.
It started with those who followed Jesus when He came to live among people on earth. Throughout history, in grace, He has rescued many sinners from hell and brought them into His family to worship His glory. These people stand out as bright lights in a world darkened by sin. They are dedicated to sharing His story of redeeming grace with the world by preaching the Gospel.
When all the ages God planned have run their course, then under Christ, He will unite them into one complete body, which will be His bride. Where once there was only darkness, from the Source of life comes holiness so bright that throughout the universe of God, praise will rise to honor His name. Grateful people who know the Lord will forever rejoice that He came. We will join with the saints of all ages, with angels, and with whatever families exist above, along with that great company of believers in Christ who have experienced God's love, and we will honor Him together with our praise and worship. We will praise Him with one voice, sharing the inheritance with the blessed. The church and everyone else will bring glory to our Savior and Lord.