Sunday's Blessing - 10/04/2026 - Names of God - He Who Worketh All Things After the Counsel of His Own Will

Sunday's Blessing - 10/04/2026 - Names of God - He Who Worketh All Things After the Counsel of His Own Will

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, Ephesians 1:11 (ESV)

Ephesians 1 and 2 are, in my opinion, two of the greatest chapters in the Bible. Paul lays out the foundation of all God did to prepare a way for us to be restored back into fellowship with our Creator.

There’s a word in this verse which gives many Christians problems with their faith in God. “Predestined” does not mean that God has already laid out your entire life, including who you will marry, the children you will have, the work which you perform, the places you will live, the church(es) you will attend, and most importantly, whether you will be saved or not. There is a much simpler and more accurate understanding of being “predestined.”

One of the first rules for interpreting the Bible is the Bible itself. If the question is already answered elsewhere in the Bible, then you do not need to look further. In this case, Paul himself answers what he meant by “predestined.”

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29 (ESV)

I love how simple this is. God does have a plan for every single human who has ever lived, is living, or will live on this planet. He wants every person from Adam until the last human birthed before the end of this existence “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

How did God come up with this plan which could apply to everyone? The Godhead (Father, The Word [Jesus], and the Holy Spirit) decided this would be the hope for every person. “Let us make man in Our image.” (Genesis 1:26 ESV) God gave each person a will so they could make choices to bring themselves into conformation to Jesus. God gave each person means by which they would have the power to be conformed to Jesus – the Holy Spirit –  who was placed inside every believer. But it all started with Abraham, where God gave access to faith by which everyone can be redeemed back into right-standing with God.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, Hebrews 6:13 (ESV)

In all of scripture we see a single thread where God always does things according to His will, which is determined by taking counsel with Himself, because who else can God consult?

The final part of this particular “Name of God” has to do with “inheritance.” In today’s culture, an inheritance is something passed from one generation to the next. It usually consists of things pertaining to wealth (money, valuable objects, or real estate) but can include a business or trust where the recipient has to assume some sort of role to oversee the operations of the inheritance. The latter is the case here. God made us joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) where we are to “rule and reign” with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).

Let’s recap what Paul is trying to convey in Ephesians 1. God has prepared an inheritance for us (His Kingdom), and to qualify us for the position has predestined all of us to be like Jesus, who is the King of this Kingdom, where we will rule and reign with Him. This whole plan was conceived by God Himself when He “took counsel of His own will.” That is certain is Good News! God’s wisdom is incredible.

Trust His process and embrace His plan. Enjoy the ride.