Read Ephesians 1 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Greek Testament does not contains paragraph markers.
The Chiastic structure:
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance … Eph 1:11 NKJV
However, the Greek grammar yields:
In Him we also were made His inheritance … Eph 1:11
The grammar is unambiguous. The Greek means that God sovereignly makes believers His inheritance or possession. It’s as if He cast lots, and His lot fell on us, so that we are allotted to Him as His portion.
For YHVH’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. Deu 32:9
However, His lot did not fall on us by random chance. The prior verse says:
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, for the administration of the fullness of the times, to gather together all things in Messiah—things in the heavens and the things upon the earth—in Him. Eph 1:9-10
The mystery of His will, which He planned for His own benefit, which pleased Him, was hidden until the appointed time for the execution and revelation of it. He managed, and administered, and stewarded His plan to ensure it reached its fullness at the appointed time, to accomplish its goal: gathering all things in Messiah – including me and you, His allotted portion!
He planned for you to be His, He determined beforehand (predestined) for you to be His, He chose you in Messiah to be His treasured possession.
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. Exo 19:5
This is beyond amazing, but then notice verses 13-14:
You also … were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise, which is the pledge of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph 1:13-14
‘Our inheritance’ is the same word in Greek as ‘His inheritance’ in verse 11.
That He has given us His Spirit, is our pledge, our guarantee, our down payment of our future redemption as God’s possession. We are God’s inheritance (v. 11), and our inheritance (v. 14) is the full redemption of ourselves as His possession. *mind blown*
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
Segullah, “Special treasure,” Strong’s H5459 – Christine Miller
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