"I Don't Think It Means What You Think It Means"
There’s this great scene in The Princess Bride where one of the characters keeps describing everything as “inconceivable,” a tendency which prompts one of the other characters to say:
“You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means.”
This same phenomenon is in today’s reading—Paul will use words and we’ll think we know what he’s talking about, but we’ll be exactly wrong. This is particularly true of the word “predestined”.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 1:11-14
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
The “we” here are Jewish Christians. When Paul speaks of “predestination” he is not talking about Reformation-era theological debates over salvation and free will; rather, he is talking about God’s choosing of Israel as his chosen people. Paul points out that the Jewish Christians came first. Do not read Reformation debates back into Paul—rather, work hard to understand what Paul meant, and then see how that meaning applies to theological debates that took place 1,500 years later.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Those Reformation theological debates often have to do with why people come to believe—were they chosen by God beforehand to believe, i.e., were they “predestined” in the way we use that term?. Paul is not interested in that question. For him, it is simply that some people heard that gospel and then believed, and that is what makes a Christian.
Speaking to the Ephesian non-Jewish Christians, he tells them that, through their belief in the gospel message, they also were “included” in Christ, and the proof of their inclusion is the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Why Should Anyone Care About This?
If we choose to approach Paul on his terms, and not our own, we will find that he has lots to say that speaks to our contemporary questions and trials but in unexpected ways. If, on the other hand, we demand that Paul answer our questions and if we arrogantly assume that we know what Paul means when he uses words which later became loaded theological phrases, we’ll end up learning nothing and destroy Paul’s message in the process.
The way Paul describes what it takes to become part of Christ is simple and moving: hearing, and then trusting what you’ve heard.
Two Questions for Reflection
How will people hear if they don’t hear it from us?
What are you doing with what you’ve heard? Are you trusting in the gospel message, or in worldly wisdom?