He further explains the reason. Believers were chosen of God, according the "good pleasure" of God's will. God has chosen to make those who believer His children to "praise the glory of His grace." In other words, God chose to save believers as a demonstration of His Grace. God's extended His grace, (grace means "unmerited favor") to the sinner and made the sinner acceptable to Himself. He did this simply because He wanted to show His grace through the salvation of sinful man.

          Verse 7-12, explains the action of God's grace in saving the sinner. The first truth God mentions is that men are redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ. In Eph. 2:13, Paul says, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:2, states, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. " John wrote, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."

          In light of these scriptures and many others which clearly teach that it is through the blood of Jesus Christ that believers are saved, how can anyone deny this precious truth. Yet, man are greatly offended at the teaching of redemption by the blood of Christ. A great number of the old hymns of the faith reflected this wonderful doctrine, yet many modern denominations are going to great lengths to remove this from their teaching. Why, because there is absolutely nothing for man to pride himself in when the Bible says salvation is solely the gift of God, through the blood of Christ. Salvation is wholly the act of a sovereign God, by His grace, apart from any merit in man. This truth galls those who think themselves worthy to work for their salvation. How totally foolish for a sinful man to think he could atone for his own sin. How sad for man to reject the free gift of God, and try and earn that which is free given. How true are the words of the old hymn, "What can wash away my sins? Nothing, but the blood of Jesus." ("Nothing by the Blood," by Robert Lowry)

          The mystery being revealed is that God simply willed to give all who believe, redemption, forgiveness and the wonderful, abounding riches of salvation. The will of God is mentioned four times in this first chapter of Ephesians.

          1. Verse 5, "We have been foreordained unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." The Hyper-Calvinist errors when he uses these verses to try and show that God predestinated "who" would be saved and who would not. What is in view is not "who" is predestinated, but this passage is addressing God's plan that all who are saved are predestinated to become the children of God. There is not even a suggestion in these verses that God has chosen some men to be lost and others saved. The saved are chosen by God's to be his children to bring glory to Himself. This is "mystery of His will" that Eph. 1:9 speaks of.

          2. Verses 9-10, "Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of time He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in haven, and which are on earth; even in Him."

          3. Verse 11, "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will."

          Verses 11-12, states very clearly that believers were predestinated, according to God's purpose to be to the praise of His glory. Note carefully the last sentence in verse 12, ". . .who first trusted in Christ." That qualifies the matter. Whose that are chosen are those that first trusted in Christ. Verse 13, continues by stating that the Ephesian to whom Paul is writing " . . .had trusted in Christ, after they heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also "after" (salvation came after the believed) that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise." These believers were not sealed until they believed. Nothing in these verses supports the false doctrine of the Hyper-Calvinists.

          The word, "dispensation" means an organized system, or method by which affairs are conducted. The word is translated into English, "economy" and literally means "the law of the house." A political economy refers to the way the political affairs are being conducted during a set period of time. We hear much talk about the economic economy of our nation. This addresses the financial affairs effecting our money supply, commerce and economic state of our citizens.

          A "dispensation" in the Bible is a period of time in which God was dealing with man in a particular way. For example, the first dispensation is called the Dispensation of Innocence and refers to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they sinned. God dealt with them in a particular way. He told them to freely eat of all the fruit in the garden, not the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus, a dispensation or period of time, God gives man certain responsibilities. In each dispensation God worked with man is a very distinct way.

          Dispensations are not ways of salvation nor are they different methods of administering Grace. Salvation in any age, from the Fall of man till the New Heavens and Earth, Old or New Testament, is always by the grace of God, through faith and by the redemption of Jesus Christ. However, today we are not under the restriction not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That was solely the responsibility of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Believers today are not under the Old Testament law or the ten commands. We are to follower the principles behind the Old Testament laws, but we do not under the law God gave to Israel. We do not stone witches, nor sacrifice animals, or worship in a temple. We are not looking for the first coming of the Messiah, as He has come but we look to His second appearing. A dispensation is the way God worked with men within a defined period of time.

          There is much confusion on the matter and many have greatly misunderstood God's different economies. Most of the confusion comes from mixing or misapplying God's instructions in one dispensation with another. A prime example is confusing God's instructions and promises to Israel with those He made to the believers in the current church age. God made specific national promises to Israel. He promised that the Messiah would reign over all the world, sitting on the throne of David, and that they would one day occupy the land God gave them. These are literally unconditional promised God made to Israel and these promises have never been fulfilled or nullified. Most Protestant churches including many Southern Baptist Convention churches and all their colleges and universities teach that God has done away with Israel and they say that believers in the church age have inherited these promises. [Most conservative SBC are Pre-Millennial and reject tenant of Amillennialism] Those who hold these false views recognize the folly of teaching that the believer will literally inherit the land God promised Israel, so they apply these Old Testament truths to the church age by giving them some "spiritualized" meaning. They deny the dispensation of the Tribulation, and the Millennium. Their corrupt interpretations of Scripture have the affect of robbing believers today of the "blessed hope" of the soon return of Jesus Christ and deliverance from the wrath of God that will be poured out upon this earth. The theological term for their belief is called "Amillennialism" or "no" millennium. Their confusing of the promises God in one dispensation to the nation of Israel and the later dispensation of the age of the church makes a shipwreck of the Bible's clear teachings.

          Another example of gross misapplication of Biblical truth is made by those who teach a Mid- Tribulational or later Rapture of the church. The Mid-Trib'ers have church age believers, going through the Tribulation which is a dispensation when God will be again working with Israel, and not the church. Their failure to understand that God works differently in different dispensations with the people of that economy, corrupts their theology and makes them teachers of false doctrine. The single most important rule in interpreting Scripture is to keep Israel and the church age separate.

          Most dispensationalists believe in seven dispensations of time, however I believe there clearly are eight dispensations of God's working with men. (Number 8. below) Following is a list of these dispensations:

1. Dispensation of Innocence; Creation to the fall of Adam.
2. Dispensation of Conscience: From the fall of Adam to the Flood.
3. Dispensation of Human Government: From the Flood to Abraham.
4. Dispensation of Promise: Abraham to the Giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai by Moses.
5. Dispensation of the Law: Moses till the time of Christ.
6. Dispensation of Age of the Churches: Pentecost till the Rapture.
7. Dispensation of Tribulation: Rapture to the Millennium.
8. Dispensation of Millennium: One thousand year reign of Christ on earth which ends with the Great White Throne judgment and the New Heavens and Earth followed by Eternity.

          A dispensation is understood as involving:

1. A test for man.
2. Man's failure.
3. God's judgment.
4. A rule of life.
5. A crucial event or crisis.

          In each dispensation these five elements can be found. For example look at the Dispensation of Innocence:

The Test: Gen. 2:17. Do not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Failure: Gen. 3:6. Adam and Eve ate the fruit.
The Judgment: Gen. 3:14-19. God drove them from the Garden and cursed the serpent, and the world.
The Rule of Life: Gen. 2:28, 3:8. Adam and Eve were to be fruitful and multiply, and God dealt directly with them.
The Crucial Event: Gen. 3:24. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden.

          God's expressed will is that salvation is solely in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." (Phil. 2:10)

          This is an excellent verse to use with those who are trying to work their way to heaven by their good works. Ephesians 1:3-14, clearly teach God's mind and revelation concern salvation. Salvation is wholly in Christ Jesus and His redeeming work on the cross. What a wonderful truth is revealed here in these verses, the message of God's Grace in the Lord Jesus. Those who believe, repenting of their sin, in faith receiving God's forgiveness and salvation, will all one day be in heaven with the Lord. This is God's will, that the redeemed of God become the children of God to spend all eternity with Him and bring glory to His name. To this I say, thank God and Amen.