In this Bible study we zoom in on the first steps of God’s economy and see how they are altogether for God’s goal, which is to gain His many sons.

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God’s Economy to carry out His Heart’s desire and eternal purpose

Ephesians 1:5 Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Ephesians 1:9 Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself,

Ephesians 1:10 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him;

Ephesians 3:9 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things,

This diagram is a carry-over from last week. Review its significance with your group.

If you would like, you can review last week’s post here: A Rare View of Eternity Past

God’s Selection for His Economy

Ephesians 1:4 Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love,

Romans 9:20-21 But rather, O man, who are you who answer back to God? Shall the thing molded say to him who molded it, Why did you make me thus? 21 Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?

The first step of God’s economy happened before creation. This step is God’s selection.
As the sovereign God, He is free to choose what He wants and do what He wants. He is like a potter molding the clay in whatever way He chooses. As the clay, we cannot say to our creator, “why…?”

His choosing is His selection. From among innumerable people, He selected us. This He did in Christ. Christ was the sphere in which we were selected by God. Outside of Christ we are not God’s choice. This took place in eternity past. God chose us according to His infinite foresight before He created us.

Have you ever been impressed with the fact that God chose you in Christ before the foundation of the world? Whenever I think of God choosing me in eternity past, I am filled with worship and praise to Him. I do not need to be chosen by man, for I have been chosen by the Triune God.

Christians often say to the Lord, “O Lord, we did not first love You. You were the One who first loved us.” However, concerning God’s selection, we need to say. “Lord, we didn’t choose You—You chose us.” We all need to thank the Lord for His eternal selection, the selection made in eternity past for eternity future. We have been selected not to occupy a position of prominence in the world, but to be in the church. God’s selection was for the church. (Life Study of Ephesians, Chapter 75)

Fellowship with your group about God’s selection. Compare God’s selection with being selected for prominent positions in the world.

To the genuine Christians, those who have believed in Jesus Christ, the Bible says: you have been chosen. You have been selected. Is this not cause for rejoicing and worship? Praise the Lord!

God’s Predestination for His Economy

Ephesians 1:5 Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Romans 8:29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;

The second step in God’s economy is His Predestination. God knows all things, the past, the present, and the future. He is the source and initiator. Therefore, before you and I were born, He knew us. Not only so, but He looked at all those whom He would create and marked them for a certain destiny. This was His predestinating us as is mentioned in Ephesians 1:5. In his translation of the Bible, John Nelson Darby used the words “having marked out”. In fact, God marked us out for something really special, to be His many sons and to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ.

What have you previously heard about predestination, and what do you now see concerning God’s predestination?

Sonship – the goal of God’s Selection