What does Ephesians 1:4 teach about when and why God chose believers?
Ephesians 1:4 teaches that God chose believers in Him before the foundation of the world, so they should be holy, set apart, and without blame before Him, in love. This choosing is rooted in the love extended on the cross, not a predestination to heaven or hell.
Les explains that Ephesians 1:4 says God hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, set apart, and without blame before Him, in love. He connects this choosing to the love extended on the cross. Les also corrects a common misunderstanding of predestination: the text does not say God predestinated people to heaven or hell. Instead, whom God foreknew, He predestinated to a position—being conformed or made like the Son—a position reserved for every individual believer.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
More Questions
Why did God choose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, according to Ephesians 1:4?
God chose believers in Christ before the foundation of the world so that they would be holy, set apart, and without blame before Him in love, according to Ephesians 1:4.
What does Ephesians 1:4 say about when God chose us?
Ephesians 1:4 says God chose us in Him before anything was ever created.
What does Ephesians 1:4 mean when it says God chose us before the foundation of the world?
When Ephesians 1:4 says God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, Les explains that God's choice was based on His foreknowledge of what every individual would do in the exercise of their own free will, not on God arbitrarily picking certain people or leaving anyone without a chance.