Ephesians 1:11

This verb is crucial. The passive form suggests the action is performed upon us. While some older translations (RV1909, KJV) interpret it as 'we obtained an inheritance,' most modern scholars and translations (ESV, NASB, NIV) understand it to mean 'we were made his inheritance' or 'we were chosen as his portion.' This shifts the focus from what we receive to what we are for God, emphasizing his possession and purpose over us.

This participle underscores prior and sovereign divine action. Predestination is an action of God before time, establishing destiny or purpose. The context of Ephesians 1:4-5 has already introduced this idea. The text does not explain the mechanics of this predestination in relation to human will, but affirms its reality as part of God's plan.

This term emphasizes that predestination is not arbitrary, but is part of a deliberate and pre-established plan by God. It connects the act of predestining with God's wisdom and eternal plan.

Describes God as the active and continuous agent who 'works all things.' The present participle indicates constant action. This reinforces the idea of divine sovereignty and God's active providence in history and in the lives of believers.

This phrase is a hendiadys (two nouns joined by 'and' to express a single idea) that emphasizes the deliberate, wise, and sovereign nature of God's will. It is not a capricious will, but one that proceeds from his eternal counsel and wisdom. It underscores God's omnipotence and omniscience in the execution of his plan.

Patristic

The Church Fathers offered diverse interpretations of the predestination and divine election expressed in Ephesians 1:11. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) is the Father who most fully developed this theme: in works such as 'De praedestinatione sanctorum' and 'De dono perseverantiae', written toward the end of his life in the context of the Pelagian controversy, Augustine argues that divine election absolutely precedes any foreseen human merit. In his interpretation of the Pauline formula 'predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will' (Eph 1:11), Augustine underscores the absolute sovereignty of grace: God freely chooses whom he wills, without any prior merit determining that choice (PL 44, cols. 959-992 and 993-1034 respectively). This position is also reasserted in Book II of the 'Ad Simplicianum' (PL 40), where Augustine marks a decisive turning point in his theology of grace around 396 AD. John Chrysostom (347-407), in his 'Homily I on the Epistle to the Ephesians' (PG 62, cols. 9-26), comments directly on this passage: while acknowledging God's sovereign action, he emphasizes that divine predestination does not suppress human freedom or moral responsibility. For Chrysostom, 'having been predestined' is linked to God's foreknowledge of the free response of faith that human beings offer to grace, without implying arbitrary election. Origen of Alexandria (c. 185-254), in his 'Commentary on Ephesians' (fragments preserved in catenae, partially edited by J.A.F. Gregg and in PG 14) and in 'De Principiis' (Peri Archon) I-II (SC 252 and 268), vigorously defends free will: predestination is grounded in divine foreknowledge of the moral choices that each soul will freely make, so that God's providence respects and presupposes the freedom of the rational creature.

Reformed

The Reformed tradition, following John Calvin, sees Ephesians 1:11 as a clear statement of unconditional and individual predestination. Believers are predestined by God's sovereign will, not by merit or foreknowledge of their faith. The 'counsel of his will' underscores that God is the primary and determining agent in salvation, and that his purpose encompasses all things. This verse is a central affirmation of divine sovereignty in election and providence.

Interpretive tension: The tension within the Reformed system is not about the truth of predestination, but how it is pastorally articulated to avoid fatalism or passivity in evangelism, and how it is reconciled with human responsibility affirmed by other biblical texts. The text itself does not explain how predestination relates to the exhortation to faith and obedience.

Arminian

The Arminian tradition, influenced by Jacob Arminius and John Wesley, interprets this verse in the context of divine foreknowledge and corporate election. 'Predestined' is understood as God's plan to save those whom He knew beforehand would respond to His call and persevere in faith. Predestination is not unconditional for specific individuals, but is God's purpose to save a 'body' of believers 'in Christ.' The 'counsel of his will' refers to God's wisdom in establishing the plan of salvation through Christ, which requires a response of faith.

Interpretive tension: The tension within the Arminian system is how to maintain the force of the phrase 'predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will' without divine purpose appearing subordinate to or conditioned by human decision, which the text also does not explicitly establish. A theological inference is required to reconcile divine sovereignty with human freedom in a way that does not diminish God's initiative.

Contemporary

Contemporary scholars like N.T. Wright emphasize the cosmic and corporate dimension of election in Ephesians, seeing predestination as God's plan to create a holy people 'in Christ' who are his inheritance and who participate in his purpose to restore all things. The 'inheritance' (eklērōthēmen) is often interpreted as believers being God's portion, his chosen people, which reinforces the identity and purpose of the church. Douglas Moo and Peter O'Brien, in their commentaries, discuss the implications of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, acknowledging the complexity of Pauline language without fully resolving the tension between Reformed and Arminian perspectives, but leaning towards a strong affirmation of divine initiative.