Chosen to the Praise of His Glory

“Ephesians 1:3–14 may be the most fought-over paragraph in the New Testament, and the fight has cost us the song.”

Sermon Summary

In the Greek it's a single 202-word sentence built on one verb: He chose. Paul, a Pharisee who had prayed the Psalms his whole life, reaches for the berakah, the extended blessing that closes each book of the Psalter, and pours into it Deuteronomy 7, the finished work of Christ, and the mystery that Gentiles are now brought into the people of God. Three verses, one repeated chorus: to the praise of His glory.

Here's the good news: everything Israel could sing, you can now sing in Christ. God chose you before the foundation of the world in Christ. He adopted you as a full legal heir through Christ. He planned that you would stand before him holy and blameless, not on the strength of your obedience, but in Christ.

Don't squeeze the mystery out of it. Learn to sing it.

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3–6
Date: August 9, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant

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