Ephesians 1:6 – Amazing Grace
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Truth to Learn
God loves us with the same love He has for Jesus Christ.
Behind the Words
The word “praise” is translated from epainos, composed of epi, meaning “upon” or “on” and ainos, meaning “praise given for benefits received.” Epainos refers to applause or commendation given in recognition of something that was done.
“Glory” is from doxa, which is derived from the verb dokeō, meaning “to think or suppose.” Doxa primarily means “thought or opinion, especially favorable opinion.” In a secondary sense it means “reputation, praise, honor, or splendor.”
“Grace” is from charis which we looked at back in verse two. It refers to “favor, good will, or kindness, especially that which causes joy and gratification.”
The expression “made us accepted” is from charitoō, which is a verb form of charis. It means “to endue with special honor” or “to greatly favor.”
“Beloved” is translated from agapaō, meaning “to love with a perfect, self-sacrificing love.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis in on the effect. That is, God perfectly loved the Second Person of the Godhead (His Son) in the past, and the result is that He is His beloved Son.
Meaning Explained
The opening phrase of this verse, “to the praise of the glory of His grace” is a Hebraism, that is, a method of thought of the Hebrew people. The meaning they would ascribe to this phrase is “to His glorious grace!” In other words, by His choosing us and determining beforehand that we will be adopted as His children, God is shining the spotlight fully on His amazing grace. God did not have to choose us and He did not have to legally make us His children. We do not deserve to be chosen by Him, and we certainly do not deserve to be adopted into His family. And, He did not do these things for our benefit; He did them to show to all of creation how magnificent His grace is.
Were it not for God’s holiness and righteousness, we wouldn’t need His grace. Because He is holy, he is completely separated from all sin and sinfulness. Therefore, but for His grace, He could not fellowship with us. Because He is righteous, He always does what is right, and He must judge (condemn) every sin and every sinner. Therefore, but for His grace, we are condemned as sinners and destined for Hell.
In the second chapter of this letter, Paul will get into a deeper explanation of this marvelous grace of His. For now, he tells us that by this grace, “He graced us in the beloved.” In other words, He showed great favor and bestowed great honor on us by placing us in His beloved Son. In Him we possess all that the Father loves in His Son. Thus, we are perfectly loved!
Application
What a blessing to know that God sees His beloved Son every time He looks at a Christian. The Father loves you and me with the same love with which He has always loved the Son. By His grace, He loves us with the love of Christ! How great is that?!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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