The God of Glory

3-6 How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

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As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight in charity.

Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto himself: according to the purpose of his will:

Unto the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he hath graced us in his beloved son.

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·That is [or Just as; or For; Because], in Christ, he chose us before the ·world was made [L foundation of the world] so that we would be his holy people—people ·without blame [or unblemished; C as are sacrificial animals] before him. Because of his love [C this phrase may go with the previous sentence], God ·had already decided to make us his own children [L predestined us for adoption] through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, and it brings praise to God because of his ·wonderful [glorious] grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in ·Christ, the One he loves [L the Beloved].

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