“…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”
(Ephesians 1:4)
God’s covenant of grace runs as a singularly consistent thread throughout all of Scripture. Its glorious truth is first hinted at in Genesis 3:15, and triumphantly culminates with Revelation 22:17. In between these beautiful bookends lies one seamless story with one consistently unified gospel message – God saves sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9). And He does it “in many times and in many ways,” (Heb. 1:1-2).
After briefly introducing the crux of the gospel in the third chapter of Genesis, God begins establishing His covenant of grace with specific individuals of His choosing. For instance, when the wickedness of humanity became so great that God vowed to drown them all with a flood, He chose to save Noah and his family by way of the ark. The ark was a type of Christ, and represented God’s promise of salvation through Christ – by grace, through faith (Gen. 6).
As God’s story progresses, He further expands His covenant of grace with Abraham. God chooses Abraham to be the father of Israel – His chosen people. His covenant to Abraham is rich with undeserved grace: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed,” (Gen. 12:2-3).
It is with His people Israel that God first implemented His means for forgiveness via a sacrificial lamb – another type of Christ. And it is to His people He first promised the coming of His Messiah, their ultimate Deliverer (Isa. 9:6-7).
God eventually extends His covenant of grace to His church, which consists of people “from every tribe and language and people and nation,” (Rev. 5:9). By way of this covenant in Christ, God opened the door of hope for repentant sinners. He paved the way for His chosen ones to be transformed from our sinful and wretched natural state into a holy and happy state of grace. Though we are fallen in the first Adam, God restores His elect through the second Adam, which is Christ, all because of the enduring covenant of grace He established first with Noah shortly after the world began (Titus 3:4-7; Gal. 3:21-22; Rom. 3:20-22, 26-27).
What is God’s ultimate purpose for this covenant of grace? Paul explains: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved,” (Eph. 1:4-6). The sovereign God permitted Adam to fall into sin in order to demonstrate the surpassing glory of His love, mercy, grace, and justice towards His people throughout all eternity.
“Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved,” (Eph. 2:4-5)
- What kind of favor is this, that You, O Lord, would give Your Beloved Son to save wicked sinners? You didn’t choose to establish this covenant of grace with angels who, by their very nature, are far more noble and excellent creatures. Rather, You extended this promise of grace to me, the lowest of all sinners, that Your glory might be evidenced to all who know me.
- Father, how can I understand more deeply the great and precious promises You freely give me in Christ? Your nature is revealed through Your covenant of grace, and my understanding of You grows as I follow that covenant through the Bible until it culminates in the Person and work of Your Son, my Savior. When I see that it is Your gracious purpose and pleasure to restore my soul to fellowship with You, I marvel at the blessing of it all!
- Lord, Your gracious disposition is evident in Your dealings with Adam in Gen. 3:15, Noah in Gen. 6:18-22 , Abram in Gen. 12:2-3, 15:9 and 17:1-15, Israel in Deut. 5:2-22, David in 2 Sam. 7:11-17, 23:5 and Psalm 89:3, with the Jews captive in Babylon in Ezek. 34:20, 23-25, 36; 37:1-21; and Jer. 32:1-3, 36, and ultimately by the New Covenant in Christ, as explained in Jer. 31:31-34 and Luke 22:20. May You reveal Yourself more and more to me as I ponder them all for Your glory and my good.
Further References for Ephesians 1:4
Matt. 25:34; Eph. 2:10, 4:15-16, 5:27; Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:21; 2 Thess. 2:13
