Whom Do You Worship?

Paul was a theological thoroughbred, and Ephesians 1:3-14 is sort of like his Belmont Stakes. He writes like a "tremendous machine"—to quote Chic Anderson, who called Secretariat's famous Belmont Stakes race—as he exalts the triune God. He starts off in verse 3 with a general topic sentence and then widens out with phrase after phrase to touch on various redemptive themes without even stopping for a period! In Greek this is one long (202 words), complex, and glorious sentence that oozes with God-centered worship. One writer quipped that this is the "most monstrous sentence conglomeration that I have ever found in the Greek language" (E. Norden, in O'Brien, Ephesians, 90).

Made for Praise

Made for Praise

This passage is so important because we were made for praise. And we must have the right object of worship. Look around and you will find expressions of praise: teenage girls screaming at boy band concerts; sports fans exalting the virtues of their team, paying big money for20 tickets, and adjusting their schedules for the games; dads getting fired up about going to The Home Depot to work on a new project; adulterers praising their mistresses; consumers praising their favorite stores; television viewers praising their favorite new series; and coffee drinkers commending their favorite coffee shop. Humanity has never had a problem expressing praise.

In regard to functional idols, we like to take good things in creation (treasure, food, work, relationships, sex) and substitute them for the Creator and Redeemer, turning those good things into god things, thereby committing idolatry. This is no small matter. Paul says in Romans 1 that this failure to worship God is at the heart of sin. Any sin problem is fundamentally a worship problem.

Idolatry can also happen as people have the wrong view of God. God has revealed Himself in His Word, and worship is a response to that revelation. We are not to worship the God of our imaginations but the God of the Bible. We are required to believe that what the Bible says is true, not that what we want the Bible to say is true. In Ephesus the people had numerous objects of worship, from Diana to the emperor. The question then (and today) is not, Do I worship? The question is, Whom do I worship? Whom do we worship? We should praise the triune God. We should praise Him for who He is and what He has done.

The Language of Praise

Unfortunately this passage has generated a lot of debate because it mentions the concepts of election and predestination. While this discussion in itself is not a bad thing, I think we can miss the spirit of this text. The spirit is one of worship. Let us look at the big picture of the passage for a moment.

A note of praise is struck in verse 3, and the sentence ends in verse 14 with praise. Paul begins with an outburst of praise to God in a typical Old Testament, Jewish style of extended eulogy (berakah). Why bless God? He says, because God "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens" (1:3). The phrase "every spiritual blessing" shows the wide-ranging scope of God's blessing to His people. In the following verses Paul mentions blessing after blessing. Verse 14 rounds out the sentence appropriately: "to the praise of His glory."

Observe also the Trinitarian nature of the passage. The opening verses are Trinitarian; Paul mentions God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and speaks of "every spiritual blessing" (alluding to the work 21of the Spirit). Further, though the structure should not be forced too woodenly, there is an emphasis on the work of the Father in verses 3-6, the work of the Son in verses 7-12, and then the work of the Spirit in verses 13-14. Paul is calling us to praise the triune God from whom all blessings flow.

Notice also how our spiritual blessings are in Christ. This phrase appears 11 times in these verses. The great salvation God has provided is centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Only through our union with Christ do we have these spiritual blessings. He is to be exalted by believers.

Paul also points out that our salvation is ultimately for God's glory. Look at the phrase "to the praise of His glorious grace" in verse 6 and the phrase "to the praise of His glory" in verses 12 and 14. Why did God choose to bless us with this great salvation? That He may be glorified. God saves people for His glory.

The passage also highlights the grace of God in salvation. We do not deserve these blessings of salvation; we did not earn salvation. Paul speaks of "glorious grace" (v. 6) and "the riches of His grace that He lavished on us" (vv. 7-8). Those who have received these riches should praise the Giver.

Incredibly these verses highlight the eternal scope of salvation. This passage goes from "before the foundation of the world" (v. 4) to "the days of fulfillment—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth" (v. 10). It goes from eternity to eternity. We join Moses in praise: "From eternity to eternity, You are God" (Ps 90:2).

Paul speaks of being blessed in the heavens, a phrase only used in Ephesians. I think this gets at the "already-not yet" aspect of our salvation. Now we are linked with the heavenly realms because of our relationship with God. We have the benefits of salvation now, but we also anticipate them in the future when we will praise Him with all nations.

Finally, note who should share in this praise: both Jewish and Gentile. Following these words of praise, Paul stresses that these blessings already described in verses 3-10 are for both Jewish and Gentile believers (vv. 11-14). In verses 4-14 the same people are in view (O'Brien, Ephesians, 92). In almost every verse Paul speaks of "us" or "we" to refer to the people of God. They are for you if you are in Christ!

This passage, then—all of it written from prison—is about praising the Trinitarian God. Paul's body was in prison, but his heart was in22 heaven. Regardless of your circumstances, God is worthy of praise. Let us look at the reasons why.

The Reasons for Praise

Paul reminds his readers (and us) that we should bless God for the spiritual blessings we have received. He reminds us that we have been chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and assured by the Spirit. Each section calls us to praise "His glorious grace" or "His glory" (vv. 6,12,14).

Chosen by the Father

Chosen by the Father

Ephesians 1:3-6

This amazing passage highlights God's gracious election of sinners for salvation. Paul says that God "chose us" (v. 4) and that He "predestined us" (v. 5). These words concern some people, making them tense up, but they should not. These are Bible words. These words should inspire awe and worship.

The idea of God choosing a people to display His glory is not new. The Bible is a book of election. God chose to create the world for His glory. God chose Abraham to bring blessing to the nations (Gen 12:1-3). God chose the nation of Israel that they might be a light to the nations (Deut 7:6-8; 14:2; Isa 42:6-8). Further, Jesus chose His 12 disciples to bear fruit and multiply (John 15:16). Paul adds that God chose what is "insignificant and despised in the world ... so that no one can boast in His presence" (1 Cor 1:28-29). In Ephesians, as in other NT texts (cf. Rom 9-11; Acts 13:48; Titus 1:1; 1 Pet 1:1; 2 Pet 1:10), we read that God chose individuals for salvation. These believers, both Jew and Gentile, make up the church.

Our church's statement of faith summarizes this doctrine well under "God's Purpose of Grace":

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. ("Baptist Faith and Message 2000")

23Some argue that election here is primarily corporate rather than individual. While I do want to emphasize the corporate purpose of our salvation, as Ephesians makes clear, I do not accept this argument. God did choose a corporate body, but that corporate body is comprised of individuals. In fact, the passage speaks about how individuals experience salvation. "Redemption," "forgiveness," "sealing," and "belief" are all individual experiences, so it is not an "either/or" but a "both-and." God chose a people for Himself, and that people is made up of believing, redeemed, forgiven members.

The Nature of Election

Let me make a few more observations about the nature of election in this text.

First, we must admit great mystery in the doctrine of election. This passage speaks about what God was doing "before the foundation of the world" (v. 4). It speaks of His eternal, secret purposes (vv. 5,10), and recognizes that He works all things according to "the decision of His will" (v. 11). We must admit mystery here. God is God and we are not. Deuteronomy reminds us, "the secret things belong to ... God" (Deut 29:29 ESV). So we might disagree about the finer points of this mystery, but we can still fellowship and serve together. It is difficult for finite creatures with three-pound, fallen brains to comprehend how this doctrine relates to God's love for all people and His impartiality, as well as how it relates to human choices. We should be OK with mystery. Encountering mystery should be a cue to start worshiping.

Second, while we want to affirm mystery, we should also affirm the other attributes clearly affirmed in this text. In this text we see that God is perfectly loving (vv. 4-5), eternally sovereign (v. 5), gloriously gracious (vv. 6-8), and infinitely wise (v. 8). God can do whatever He pleases (Ps 115:3), and whatever He does is always consistent with who He is.

God is loving. Election is an expression of God's love for His children. Paul says, "in love He predestined us" (vv. 4-5).

God is sovereign. God's choosing is simply one expression of His eternal control over all things. Notice the language of God's sovereignty, as Paul mentions predestination (vv. 5,11), God's "favor" or "good pleasure" (vv. 5,9), God's "will" (vv. 5,9,11), God's "administration" (v. 10), and God's "purpose" (v. 11).

24God is gracious. God's choosing is an expression of His grace to sinners (cf. Rom 11:6; 2 Tim 1:9). God did not choose us because of anything good in us.

God is wise. God's choosing is an expression of His infinite wisdom.

Third, the passage itself shows the necessity of personal belief in the gospel. This is true even if all of our questions about human responsibility (or will) are not answered in this passage. Look at verse 13: one must believe. Remember, this is the same sentence! Election and faith belong in the same sentence, and it is a sentence only God could write. We may not understand this, but we should fully embrace it. We embrace other truths that are mysteriously woven together like the deity and humanity of Christ and the divine-human authorship of Scripture. Someone once asked Charles Spurgeon how he reconciled God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, and he responded, "I never reconcile two friends" ("Jacob and Esau"). Someone asked another pastor about this "problem," and he replied, "That's not my problem. That's God's problem. And for God, it's not a problem." Just believe both truths and let God harmonize them.

Some get the wrong idea about election. It should not cast doubt on whether or not all are welcome to come to Jesus. All may come. That is the invitation. Russell Moore says,

God is not some metaphysical airport security screener, waving through the secretly pre-approved and sending the rest into a holding tank for questioning. God is not treating us like puppets made of meat, forcing us along by his capricious whim. Instead the doctrine of election tells us that all of us who have come to know Christ are here on purpose. (Adopted for Life, 34)

Our invitation should be, "Come to Jesus! When you come, thank Him for drawing you!"

Another question that is often raised concerns the need for evangelism. Election does not lessen the need to tell people about Jesus. Election gives hope to evangelism. When Paul was discouraged in Corinth, Jesus said, "Don't be afraid, but keep on speaking and don't be silent ... because I have many people in this city" (Acts 18:9-10). Some people will believe when you speak the gospel! The hardest of hearts can be converted because evangelism is not about the quality of our presentation but the power of God. We should fear no one because of 25this truth, and because God is sovereign, we should assume that God has placed us where we are for the purpose of seeing others come to Christ through our faithful evangelism.

Further, there are numerous examples of missionaries and pastors who affirmed the doctrine of election (William Carey, Andrew Fuller, John G. Paton, David Brainerd, and more). The Lord, who is the Judge of all the earth, orders us to go make disciples of all nations. Maybe the most famous example of this is the apostle Paul. Interestingly, in Romans 9-11, Paul speaks about election in detail, but the chapter in the middle (chapter 10) is about the necessity of evangelism for people to come to saving faith in Christ (see Rom 10:14-17). In that section he is burdened for lost people (Rom 9:1-3; 10:1), and love compelled him to proclaim the gospel to everyone.

Again, this passage in Ephesians is primarily focused on God's activity in salvation. Some texts we will expound will more heavily emphasize human responsibility, but we do not have the space necessary to harmonize all of these passages. And that is not Paul's purpose either. His purpose is to praise the God who saves sinners.

Fourth, our election is in Christ. We are chosen in the "Chosen One" (Luke 9:35; 23:35). F. F. Bruce says, "He is the foundation, origin, and executor: all that is involved in election and its fruits depends on him" (Ephesians, 254-55). O'Brien summarizes, "Election is always and only in Christ" (Ephesians, 100). We were not chosen for anything good in us. God accepts us because He chose to put us in union with Christ.

Finally, in light of these things, election should humble us (cf. 1 Cor 1:27-30). The proper response to God's having chosen us for salvation is awe, worship, and obedience to God. Election should not anger anyone or inflate anyone's pride. It should humble everyone. No one should be arrogant when talking about the doctrine of election.

For those who want to argue against this truth, Paul says, "But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God?" (Rom 9:20). We should not be arrogant; we pots do not talk back to the Potter. Those who embrace this doctrine but walk in pride have not applied it properly. This doctrine should put us on our faces in worship to the sovereign, wise, loving, gracious, and mysterious God, who has chosen us in Christ.

The Goal of Election

Holiness. Paul says God chose us "to be holy and blameless in His sight" (v. 4). God's purpose is to bring us into conformity to Jesus (Rom 8:29-30). 26Only in Christ are we holy positionally. We can stand before God because of Christ. In Christ our blame is removed, and His righteousness is given to us. God sees us holy as His Son is holy if we are in Him. We have that status. It is mind-boggling! Now we have the responsibility of pursuing holiness practically. Ephesians chapters 4-6 will teach us about that.

It is difficult to tell if the phrase "in love" goes with what is before it, which would mean that we are to be "holy and blameless and live in love" (O'Brien, Ephesians, 101), or if it goes with what is after it, referring to the motive/attitude of God in adoption. I lean toward the latter interpretation, though the former is also true. The focus seems to be on God's activity. In love God has chosen us for adoption.

Adoption. God chose ("predestined") a people to be holy, a people for sonship. His people are part of the family of God. What a privilege to know God as Father! In these few phrases Paul gives us a minitheology of adoption.

He tells us the "what" of adoption. What does it mean to be adopted? It means to have all the rights and privileges that belong to the Father's children. The word is a compound word meaning "to place a son." Paul uses the word for "adoption" only five times in the New Testament, each time to those familiar with the Roman context of adoption (Rom 8:15,23; 9:4; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5). Romans were familiar with adoptions. Perhaps the most famous was Julius Caesar's adoption of Octavian, about whom we read in Luke 2:1 (Burke, Adopted, 62). You can imagine being adopted by a Roman ruler. Paul says, "That's nothing compared with being adopted by the glorious Father!" Now, as God's children, we can call Him "Abba" (Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15), which is what Jesus cried out in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36).

Adoption has a horizontal aspect, not just a vertical aspect. Not only is God our Father, but we are also now brothers and sisters with other Christians. The church is a family of adopted brothers and sisters. The greatest apologetic we have is to be a family.

He tells us the "when" of adoption, which is "before the foundation of the world" (v. 4). If we are God's children, then we are here on purpose. It is part of God's great plan.

He tells us the "how" of adoption, which is "through Jesus Christ." Only in Christ do we receive these blessings. He goes on to say that God has blessed us "in the Beloved" (6b; cf. Col 1:13; Mark 1:11; 9:7). We have been caught up in the love the Father has for the Son.

27Finally, Paul tells us the "why" of adoption, which is "according to His favor and will" (v. 5). Why did God adopt us? We do not have all the answers. We just know that it pleased God to do so. He was delighted to adopt us. Verse 6 adds that He did it "to the praise of His glorious grace." Adoption magnifies the greatness of God the Father.

An implication of God's purpose of making us "holy" and making us His adopted children is that we have been chosen for a mission. God's children will take on the family business, carrying out God's mission. We will imitate God as beloved children (Eph 5:1). Election is a privilege, but it also contains the responsibility of making Christ known in word and deed.

Redeemed by the Son

Redeemed by the Son

Ephesians 1:7-10

Next we should praise God for the work of the Son who redeemed us. Building on what has already been said about the blessings we have in Christ, Paul now overflows with praise to God for His great redemption accomplished through Christ, the forgiveness that is ours because of His death, God's plan to sum all things up in Him, and the rich inheritance that is ours.

We Have Redemption (1:7-8)

Redemption denotes liberation from bondage or imprisonment. It harks back to Israel's release from Egypt. When they were delivered from the Red Sea, they sang the song of salvation (Exod 15), and we should as well. Our redemption is spoken of as an event that has already taken place. Paul says, "We have redemption." It is not that we hope to have redemption; we have it. Read how he describes it in Colossians, the "parallel book" to Ephesians:

God has done the work of rescuing us, transferring us into the kingdom of the Beloved in whom we have redemption and forgiveness. Paul says that this redemption has come at a cost. "Through His blood" (Eph 1:7) we have this deliverance. This signifies the sacrificial death of Jesus. In Revelation 1:5 John says that Jesus "loves us and has set us free 28from our sins by His blood." Elsewhere, Paul says, "You were bought at a price" (1 Cor 6:20), and "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Gal 3:13).

We can be redeemed from the penalty of sin and from the prison house of sin, but it is not cheap. Our freedom cost Jesus His blood. He took our place. He bore our sins in His body on the tree.

Forgiveness. Paul says that this redemption is linked with the forgiveness of sins. We find forgiveness only in Christ. In Mark 2 Jesus told the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by his friends, "Son, your sins are forgiven" (Mark 2:5). The Pharisees objected, saying, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" In that passage Jesus showed everyone that forgiveness was more important than physical healing and that He has the authority as God the Son to forgive sins.

If He has forgiven our sins, then we should pour out our hearts in adoration to Him. In Luke 7 we read of an unknown woman who poured out expensive oil to anoint Jesus in adoration. The Pharisees, who were too self-righteous to seek Jesus for forgiveness, grumbled at this. Jesus said she was lavish in her adoration because she realized how much she had been forgiven. Those who do not realize how much they have been forgiven do not praise Jesus like this. We too should love Him greatly because we have been forgiven much! The psalmist said, "Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness" (Ps 130:3-4 NLT).

Grace. Redemption and forgiveness are "according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us" (vv. 7-8). Jesus has lavished grace on us. We are the recipients of Christ's extravagant goodness and kindness. We do not have words to describe God's amazing grace.

Wisdom and insight. God also expresses His grace by giving us "wisdom and understanding" (v. 8). God's lavish dispensing of grace in redemption involves forgiveness and the wisdom to know how to live in light of His saving plan (as expressed in the following verses).

We Have Revelation (1:9-10)

Verses 9-10 are the climactic note of the passage, where Paul says all things will be brought together in Christ. O'Brien says, "Syntactically and structurally ... [this 'bringing together'] is the 'high point' of the eulogy" (Ephesians, 111).

History is going somewhere. By God's grace, "He made known to us the mystery of His will" (v. 9). He has revealed His eternal plan to29 us, and that plan centers on the Redeemer. What is this plan? It is to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. So there is a cosmic dimension to God's plan of salvation. Now the universe is divided and groaning for redemption (Rom 8:19-23). Now God's people groan in this fallen world. Paradise was lost in Adam, but it will be restored in Christ.

Stott summarizes this well: "In the fullness of time, God's two creations, his whole universe and his whole church, will be unified under the cosmic Christ who is the supreme head of both" (Stott, Ephesians, 44).

Assured by the Spirit

Assured by the Spirit

Ephesians 1:11-14

On top of all the other blessings already mentioned, Paul now references the believer's "inheritance" or heritage (vv. 11,14). The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. This too should lead us to praise. Paul says "in Christ" we have this inheritance (v. 11). Apart from Jesus our future is not hopeful. It is tragic.

The phrase "we have ... received an inheritance" is one compound word in Greek. Paul speaks of something in the future that is sure to happen. The translation here is difficult. It could mean "we were made an inheritance (or heritage)" or "we have received an inheritance." The former is the notion that we are God's possession, an idea repeatedly mentioned in the Old Testament (e.g., Deut 4:20; Pss 33:12; 135:4). The latter use is more like 1 Peter 1:3-4, "[We have] an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (see also Col 1:12).

Both are great options! We are God's possession, and through Christ we have received a glorious inheritance. My preference, based on the following phrases, which emphasize Jews and Gentiles together as God's people, is to take it as "we are God's possession" who have been redeemed "for the praise of His glory" (so Stott, O'Brien, and more).

How has this happened? How do we have such a status and such a future? From a divine perspective, it is according to God's sovereign purposes. Paul says we are "predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will" (v. 11).

From a human perspective, we have believed. Paul mentions the responsibility of people by saying, "We who had already put our hope in 30the Messiah" (v. 12, emphasis added), and "When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him" (v. 13, emphasis added). Once again we see this mystery of sovereignty and responsibility. People receive salvation when they hear the gospel and believe in Christ.

I love how Paul calls the gospel "the word of truth." Coming to Jesus for salvation is a coming to the truth. Notice also the movement from "we" (a reference to Jewish believers in vv. 11-12) to "you also" (a reference to Gentile readers in v. 13) and to "our" inheritance (a reference to both groups equally in v. 14). This anticipates the exposition of how God has reconciled us, Jew and Gentile, through the work of Christ (2:11-22).

It is correct that everything said in the previous verses is true for Jew and Gentile (O'Brien, Ephesians, 116), but with the pronoun shift Paul is stressing a different point here in verses 12-13. He is stressing God's sovereign plan in the ordering of salvation history. Paul is also saying that the Lord's inheritance is not limited to the Jewish believers. They obviously had a special privilege as the first to hope in Christ, but the Gentiles are also recipients of God's amazing grace.

Paul is saying there are no second-class citizens in the kingdom of God. All believers are God's possession, redeemed for His glory. Gentiles can be assured of their privileged status by the Spirit's work in their lives.

The Sealing of the Spirit

Notice, now, what Paul says about the Spirit's work. He teaches us about the sealing of the Spirit, the "promised Holy Spirit" (the same promise given to Israel), and the guarantee of the Spirit.

A seal was a mark of ownership and authenticity. It was used for cattle, and even slaves were branded by their masters. Owners were guarding their property from theft by branding them (O'Brien, Ephesians, 120). Those seals were external of course. Our seal is internal. God puts His seal in our hearts (Stott, Ephesians, 49).

Paul later prays for the Ephesians to be "strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit" (3:16). The Spirit of God is dwelling in believers. Paul affirms this in several ways in Romans 8, saying, "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Rom 8:9), and "The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children" (Rom 8:16). In Ephesians 4 Paul writes, 31"Don't grieve God's Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption" (Eph 4:30). God has sealed us and will keep us until the day of redemption.

The Promised Holy Spirit

Paul refers to the Holy Spirit as "promised" probably because His new covenant presence was foretold. The prophets and Jesus told of the day in which the Spirit would be sent. Ezekiel 36:27 and Joel 2:28 are examples of Old Testament predictions regarding the coming of the Spirit.

Peter mentions the promised Holy Spirit in Acts 2: "Therefore, since He has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you both see and hear" (Acts 2:33).

In John 14-16 Jesus also spoke of the Spirit's presence that He would send: "It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don't go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7). He has not left us as orphans (John 14:18). How encouraging this is!

The Guarantee of the Spirit

Finally, the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our final inheritance. The Spirit is the first installment, or the down payment, provided for the glory that is to come.

Many times people use this verse to compare the Spirit to an engagement ring. However, an engagement ring is not part of the wedding. It is a promise, but it is not a down payment. A better analogy is the down payment on a house, which is the first installment of the purchase (Stott, Ephesians, 49). So God is not just telling us about something in the future, He is bringing the future into the present so that we may taste what the future is like.

Once again Paul strikes the note "to the praise of His glory" (v. 14). There is nothing left to do but to join Paul in worship and declare God's praises to the nations who are not worshiping Him. God is calling the nations to praise Him for His mighty salvation.

God the Father has chosen us, God the Son has redeemed us, and God the Spirit has assured us. Let us worship the triune God. We were made for praise, and our hearts will only be satisfied when we begin praising this God.

Reflect and Discuss

Reflect and Discuss

1. 32What does this passage say about worship? How does it move you to praise God?
2. How does this passage contribute to your understanding of the Trinity?
3. How do some people describe the doctrine of election in negative terms? Why should the doctrine of election lead us to praise God?
4. Why should we reflect deeply on the doctrine of adoption? What practical benefit might a deep understanding of this doctrine have?
5. How would you explain to a non-Christian what Christ did to accomplish your redemption?
6. How is Christ central in history?
7. How does knowing that God works all things according to the counsel of His will affect you? Why do we need to reflect on this truth?
8. Explain the importance of "when you believed" in verse 13, in light of the context of verses 3-14.
9. Using concepts from this text, explain who the Holy Spirit is and summarize His role in salvation.
10. Why should this passage give us hope?