This study will actually begin with the last two words of verse ten, because they are part of the sentence which we are studying. It is always better to study the Bible sentence by sentence rather than verse by verse, because thoughts were produced in sentences.
I must admit that this is a verse and a post that I would have avoided posting for most of my life. However, I have always confessed that I would believe whatever the Bible told me, as it is the testimony of the Word of God, namely Jesus. Within those pages is Jesus, the living, breathing, exalted and glorified Savior. Therefore, though this is a difficult passage for a Christian Church man to discuss, I must.
The sentence, as written in the NASB is as follows:
"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory."
The first step we must take is to find the main clause of this sentence, then find how the other clauses build around it. The main verb is "we have obtained." This translation, though not bad, is not perfect. The verb is an aorist tense and the helping word "have" is designated for the perfect tense in the indicative. Also, the phrase here is in the passive voice, therefore, it is not "we obtained" but "we were obtained." The words "an inheritance are not really in the passage, however, the phrase "ev ho" is. This phrase would almost repeat the phrase "In Him" from the end of verse ten. Therefore, it is very possible that the first "in Him" is part of the previous sentence. This is also observed by the nature of the "kai" post-positive in this phrase. It is translated "also", meaning that the verse starts "in whom we also were obtained."
So, all the remaining parts of the verse are based on this main phrase. The next phrase is "having been predestined according to His purpose." This phrase is pretty straight forward and accurate. The word predestined here literally is "being decided from the beginning" or "being set apart from the beginning." Notice again the passive voice; it is not US who do the action, but someone does the action to US. The "according to His purpose" phrase tells us that us being set apart has been done for the purpose of Him. Notice that the past tense of these verbs and participles that all this has happened before the time of the speaker. This could mean that this set apart is either from the beginning of all things or from the beginning of their Christian walks.
The next phrase, beginning with "who," tells us more about the "Him" we have been speaking about. The only major note is that the word "counsel" is actually the word "purpose." Therefore, He works all things to the PURPOSE OF HIS Will. Notice the importance of the words "all things." The word "works" is actually a participle, but is translated very correctly because of its purpose.
The next phrase begins with the word "to." The Greek word "to" meant literally "unto." It is the destination of the main clause. Therefore, this is the purpose of our being obtained. The NASB does a great job of showing that by saying "to the end" meaning "to this ultimate purpose." This last part is the key of the entire verse! So, the purpose of our being obtained is that we, who were first to hope in Christ would be TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY.
Conclusions:
-God is the active agent in the sanctification of sinners, we are not.
-God is working all things, not just good things, but all things to bring his will about. Tsunami's, Hurricane's, Wars, and Famines are part of God's plan as much as all our actions as Christians.
-The purpose of our conversion is to praise and lead others to praise HIS glory! This is not a passage that supports any self-righteousness, but supports the need for us to be honest about our sinfulness. We need to proclaim the good news of God that he saved us while we were sinners! Notice that there is no greater calling than to glorify God, no greater task for us than to praise the glorious nature of the Holy One.
Well, that is what I have, please critique it. Perhaps I've missed something key.
Grace and Peace
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