Ephesians 1: How do I Know if I’m Chosen and Predestined?

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The Flower Falls

18 min readApr 23, 2019

NOTE: This post is adapted from chapter 5 of the book The Flower Falls: A Careful Examination of Calvinism’s TULIP. If you prefer to read the material in print or eBook, you can find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com, or ask your favorite bookseller to order it.

In the opening post, I mentioned I was blissfully ignorant of Calvinism for almost fifteen years of my new life in Christ. What I did not tell you was that when the rumblings of the burgeoning New Calvinism movement became too frequent to ignore, I asked the youth pastor at my church to help me better understand statements he had been making about salvation and the gospel. His wife and I had recently developed a friendship, so when they invited me to their home for a Sunday afternoon discussion, I quickly accepted. The closest thing I had to formal Bible training was my participation in some Precept inductive Bible studies, so I was thrilled to be able to learn from him what I had been missing.

When I arrived, I was quickly overwhelmed by how different our view of the gospel and salvation was. I don’t remember many details of the conversation, but I do remember him likening salvation to a present under a Christmas tree that people can’t see unless God “turns the light on.” His illustration was interesting, but I had recently been meditating on the early part of the Gospel of John, so I reminded him that John 1:9 speaks of “the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

We discussed that verse and several other passages for more than two hours. Then, as I prepared to leave, he encouraged me to carefully read the first chapter of Ephesians and let him know what I found. I assured him I would. What I found started me on a quest to examine every text used to support the teachings of Calvinism, and later became the foundation of this website and my book.

The Predestined Apostles

John Calvin’s bold claim that God unconditionally chose and predestined people to either salvation or damnation might lead some people to assume predestination is taught throughout the Scriptures, but this is simply not the case. The Scriptures speak in several places of God unconditionally choosing people for particular tasks and positions, but proorizo, translated “predestined” is used only six times: once in Acts 4:28, which speaks of the suffering and death of Jesus being predestined; once in 1 Corinthians 2:7, which speaks of the hidden wisdom that God predestined before the ages; twice in Romans 8:28–30, where Paul wrote of people who love God being predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son; and twice in Ephesians 1:3–12.

The first chapter of Ephesians contains perhaps the most-used passage of Scripture to support the Calvinistic idea that some people are predestined to eternal life and others to damnation, so it’s no surprise the youth pastor asked me to consider it first. There Paul wrote, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (v. 4), “He predestined us to adoption as sons” (v. 5), and “We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (v. 11). These words seem to offer strong support for TULIP’s idea of unconditional election; but when read in context, they tell a different story.

Paul began the letter:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise and glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to and administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. 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” (Ephesians 1:3–12).

Many Christians read Paul’s words about people who were chosen and predestined and assume he was referring to Ephesian believers. Almost instinctively, then, they apply those words to themselves and conclude they’re chosen and predestined. Likewise, when they read the words predestined to adoption as sons, they associate adoption with a guarantee of eternal life and conclude they were chosen and predestined to eternal life. This interpretation fits perfectly with the Calvinistic idea that God chose and predestined people to either life or death before the foundation of the world. However, just as we can’t read a small portion of a letter from a friend if we hope to understand the fullness of their thoughts and comments, neither can we read a short passage of Scripture if we hope to understand its meaning and intent.

Calvinists use Ephesians 1 as support for their view of predestination, but the context of the letter and the greater context of the Scriptures reveal the chosen and predestined people were the apostles who were chosen to be eyewitnesses of Jesus and stewards of the mystery revealed to them. Evidence for this view is first seen in Paul’s use of pronouns in verses 3–13. Consider again the following passages:

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (v. 4).

“He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (v. 5).

“In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will” (vv. 8–9).

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose” (vv. 10–11).

“To the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory” (v. 12).

These are powerful statements about people being chosen and predestined, but after using the first-person pronouns we and us throughout verses 3–12, Paul began using the second-person pronoun you in verse 13: “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

This change in pronouns is the first time Paul made a distinction between two groups of people, but it is not the last. Consider the opening words of chapter 2:

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Ephesians 2:1–3, emphasis mine).

Paul addressed this passage to “you” who were dead in trespasses and formerly walked in the lust of the flesh, but then went on to say “we too” did the same. Who are these two groups of people? He identified the “you” as Gentile Ephesians just a few sentences later when he wrote, “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision’” (v. 11).

Identifying the “we” takes a little more effort. The first clue is found near the beginning of his letter where he wrote, “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 hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:10–12).

This passage reveals information about the “we” that many people seem to overlook; they were “the first to hope in Christ.” The phrase first to hope is a compound word in Greek: proelpizo. Many people will recognize pro as a preposition meaning before, while elpizo is a verb that speaks of hope or expectation. Literally, then, proelpizo means “to anticipate or expect before.” In other words, the people who were chosen before the foundation of the world and predestined to adoption as sons had been anticipating or expecting the coming Christ.

Who had been expecting the coming Christ, the promised Messiah? Was it the Ephesians to whom Paul wrote? It’s not likely. They were largely Gentiles who, prior to Paul preaching the gospel to them, were generally uninterested in Jewish religion and ignorant of the Hebrew Scriptures. In fact, history reveals the city of Ephesus was steeped in the worship of Artemis; and the Scriptures tell us it considered itself guardian of her temple (Acts 19:35). Who, then, had been anticipating Christ? Rather than leaving room for anyone to suggest it was the Ephesians, Paul went on to say they had not: “Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

The word translated “hope” here is elpis. This is the noun form of the verb root of proelpizo, which Paul used in 1:12 when referring to the “we” who were “the first to hope in Christ.” Taking this into consideration, it seems unlikely that Paul would refer to the Ephesians as those who waited expectantly for the Lord, then contradict himself a little while later, saying they had no expectation.

Since, then, Paul was not referring to the Ephesians as those who had waited expectantly for the Messiah, twenty-first century believers in Jesus can be certain he wasn’t referring to us. After all, we believe the Messiah has already come! Who, then, were the people who had anticipated the Christ, the promised Messiah? The Scriptures reveal they were descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — people of the “circumcision” (2:10–12).

Further evidence that the first-person pronouns Paul used in Ephesians 1:3–12 were referring to Israelites is found when looking at the coordinating conjunction “to the end that” at the beginning of verse 12. There he wrote, “To the end that we, who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” The words to the end that are one word in Greek, eis, which means “so that” or “in order that.” Taking this into account, the predestination Paul wrote of is directly linked with people who were the first to hope in Christ; those who had been anticipating his arrival. Inserting the Ephesians or “all believers” in place of the pronouns in these sentences would not make sense because neither they, nor we, were the first to hope in Christ.

Paul wasn’t arbitrary with his use of pronouns, so we can’t be arbitrary in our interpretation of them. Christians who insert themselves or “all believers” in place of the pronouns of Ephesians 1:9–12 are forced to interpret the passage something like this: “He made known to all believers the mystery of his will, according to his kind intention. . . . In him also all believers were made a heritage, having been predestined according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will, to the end that the Israelites would be to the praise of his glory.”

Does it make sense that Paul would write all believers were made a heritage “to the end that” only those who had been anticipating the coming Messiah would be to the praise of his glory? It seems not. Paul later included Gentile believers and said all who believe in Jesus would be to the praise of his glory (v.14), but the context of verses 10–12 indicates he was speaking of himself and other people of Israelite descent who had anticipated the Messiah.

Other passages narrow the antecedents of the pronouns “we,” “us,” and “our” to an even smaller group. One of these is Ephesians 1:9–10: “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times.”

Who is the “us” to whom God made the mystery of his will known? Paul revealed their identity almost forty verses later:

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the Sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:1–12).

Paul wrote of the mystery three times in this passage. First, he wrote of the mystery being revealed to him, then of his insight into the mystery, and finally that the mystery was revealed to the other apostles and prophets. He didn’t write these things to suggest he was more important than the Ephesians. Instead, he explained that the mystery was revealed to him for the sake of the Ephesians and other Gentiles: “If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you” (v. 2).

The word translated “stewardship” in 3:2 and “administration” in 3:9 is the same word translated “administration” in 1:10. In each of these instances, Paul referred to the mystery God had entrusted to him and the other apostles and prophets, and their responsibility to be faithful administrators, or stewards, of that mystery. Evidence that Paul understood the serious nature of that stewardship is revealed in his closing remarks: “Pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (6:19–20).

Chosen Eyewitnesses and Stewards of the Mystery

Many people mistakenly believe they are the predestined people Paul wrote about, and that the predestination is in reference to eternal life. But the greater context of his words reveals that, in his infinite wisdom and in accordance with his amazing grace, God chose and predestined the apostles and prophets “with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of time” (1:10), then sent them into the world to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16–20).

Luke, the presumed author of Acts, referenced this twice in his account of the Acts of the Apostles. The first time is in the opening passage where he said that, just prior to ascending in a cloud, Jesus had “by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen” (v. 2). Luke then went on to say Jesus had presented himself alive to these apostles, appearing to them over a period of forty days, speaking of things concerning the kingdom, and telling them to wait, saying, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:1–8).

Paul was not included among the chosen people who received instructions from Jesus that day; but later God said of him, “He is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15). God’s choice of Paul as an eyewitness is confirmed two other times in the book of Acts. The first time is when Paul gave his defense to his fellow countrymen on the stairs of the barracks after his arrest in Jerusalem. Relaying the words Ananias spoke to him after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he said, “The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:14–15).

The second time is when he testified to King Agrippa of Jesus’ words to him:

“But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:16–18).

God’s decision to reveal the mystery to the apostles and prophets, and assign them to be stewards of it, is further confirmed by Paul’s words in Colossians 1:25: “I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit.” And, speaking of those who had been given to him during his earthly ministry, Jesus referenced the stewardship of the apostles when, asking his father to keep them from the evil one, he said, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who will believe in Me through their word” (John 17:6–20).

It’s not surprising that God the Father would choose particular people to be eyewitnesses of Jesus. After all, eyewitness testimony has been an important element throughout history to determine the veracity of truth claims. Perhaps this is the reason that, not knowing God had chosen Paul to be an eyewitness of the resurrected Jesus, the apostles felt it necessary to choose a replacement for Judas. After Jesus ascended into the clouds, it was Peter who stood before the eleven and said, “Therefore, it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us — beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us — one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection” (Acts 1:21–22). The first time we see the bold testimony of one of the chosen eyewitnesses of Jesus is Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, but their faithful stewardship is recorded throughout the book of Acts and continues today through the writings of the New Testament.

While there is a definite distinction between the people Paul referred to as chosen and predestined and the Ephesians to whom he wrote, Paul was in no way exalting himself and the other apostles and prophets above the Ephesians. Nor was he exalting the Jews above the Gentiles. In fact, as we’ve seen, the remainder of chapters 2 and 3 reveal the opposite. They were chosen for the benefit of Gentiles.

In the early days of the church, much debate and animosity still existed between Jew and Gentile. Though Jesus had come to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world and the gospel was preached to both Jew and Gentile, a man-made separation continued between them. Thus, inspired by the Spirit of God and his love for the Gentile Ephesians, Paul wrote this beautiful letter to remind them:

“But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God, by having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:13–22).

This passage contains powerful truths, but Paul didn’t stop there. Referring to the mystery, he went on to say:

“Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places” (3:6–10).

The truths revealed in these two passages should cause our hearts to rejoice. Though salvation came through the Jews and the mystery was first revealed to people who had anticipated the coming of the Messiah, Gentiles who believe in Christ are no longer strangers and aliens to the covenants of promise. A dividing wall no longer exists. Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ. Gentiles are fellow citizens with the saints, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise!

All these are wonderful realities, but none of them mean that all believers can rightly insert their names in place of the pronouns used throughout Ephesians 1:3–12. It was not the Ephesians who were chosen and predestined before the foundation of the world. Nor was it you or me. While it’s true that, by virtue of Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:16–20, followers of Jesus Christ continue the work of being stewards of the mysteries of Christ, we are not the people to whom the mystery was first revealed. Instead, God chose and predestined particular people to be eyewitnesses of all that Jesus began to do and teach, so they could go in the power of the Spirit and proclaim the good news to a lost and dying world for whom Christ died (2 Corinthians 5:15). This is the predestination spoken of in Ephesians 1. It speaks nothing of predestination to either life or death.

On noticing Paul’s use of pronouns in Ephesians 1 and recognizing the implications of it, I emailed the youth pastor with my findings. He hadn’t replied before I saw him later that week, so I asked his thoughts about what I had found. He responded by telling me he hadn’t heard an interpretation like the one I was suggesting, then quickly told me he didn’t have time to talk about it because he and his wife were preparing to leave for the mission field.

I was on their missionary sending team, so I understood. And, candidly, I was naively relieved when they left, thinking the ideas of Calvinism would leave with them and I could go back to my simple faith. I hadn’t considered that he might teach the Calvinistic view of predestination to people in the country they were going to, and I had no idea that the new youth pastor would begin teaching a twenty-two week series on Calvinism to the high-school youth group where I had been volunteering.

I’ll have more to say about that situation in a later chapter. For now, I’ll tell you that, early on, a couple of well-meaning people suggested my understanding of Paul’s use of pronouns in Ephesians ignores the plain sense of his words. I took no offense at their suggestion, but I still can’t help wondering: Shall we dismiss Paul’s use of pronouns in favor of what some people have come to see as the plain sense of his words? Are the distinctions he makes in Ephesians an anomaly? Do pronouns really matter? Can we arbitrarily insert ourselves into passages that make no room for us? We’ll consider these questions here.

This post is adapted from chapter 5 of the book The Flower Falls: A Careful Examination of Calvinism’s TULIP. If you prefer to read the material in print or eBook, you can find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com, or ask your favorite bookseller to order it.

You can connect with me on Twitter/X, or email me at patti@theflowerfallsoff.com

If you’d like to read more, return to the homepage or follow one of the links below.

Calvinism’s Errors: A Brief Introduction

Reformation Truth and Error

The Illusionary Truth of Calvinism

The Sovereignty and Will of God

Chosen and Predestined Ephesians 1

Calvinism and the Plain Sense of Pronouns

Redemption, Adoption, and the Seal of the Spirit- Ephesians

Romans 8- Foreknown and Predestined

Romans 8:33- A Charge Against God’s Elect

Romans 9- Love & Hate, Potter & Clay