People sometimes use the phrase “reality check” to mean recognizing the circumstances that hinder us from achieving an ambition or reaching a goal. But the reality check Paul describes in his letter to the Ephesians is different. The apostle writes about the true position of those who have trusted in Christ. Their reality is security and hope. If you consider the situation Paul was in, the apostle’s confident tone is especially striking. Although a prisoner, Paul’s did not describe his situation as the four walls holding him captive but as someone who had been blessed “in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (v. 3). Paul was much more than a prisoner. He was someone who had been chosen in Christ “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless” (v. 4). He had been drawn into God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. This plan, which originated with God in eternity past, when finished, will “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth” (v. 10). The terms “chosen” and “predestined” (v. 11) have been the focus of much discussion and disagreement among Christians. While the issues that surround the Bible’s teaching about election and predestination may seem complex, Paul’s main point (vv. 11–14) is fairly simple. It was God who saved us by uniting us to Jesus Christ through the promises of the gospel. The proof that we have been included in Christ is the presence of the Holy Spirit who is “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession” (v. 14). >> Whatever circumstances you find yourself in today, your future is secure if you are in Christ. Security depends not on your situation but on God, who is bringing about your redemption. His plan has been unfolding since eternity past. Jesus is at its center, holiness is its aim, and praise will be the outcome.

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