“To the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6).
This is the first time we have encountered the refrain “to the praise of the glory of His grace” but it will not be the last. If you take a moment to read this first chapter, you will find it twice more (12 and 14). It serves as a refrain at the end of successive stanzas to indicate that all of history has as its ultimate goal the praise of His glory.
God’s glory is the “showing forth” of His very nature and the manifestation of His presence (see Ex. 33:18ff.). Israel was chosen to live to His praise. Listen to Isaiah 43:21. “The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.” Now those who are adopted as children through Jesus Christ must show forth the Father’s nature and thus glorify Him. We give God glory when we reflect His nature in our lives. That is the essence of what it means to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven, hollowed be Your name” (Matt. 6:9b). God is seeking a people who will manifest His name, embrace His mission, and obey His word (This is the thrust of the EKG: The Heartbeat of God study).
We have the potential of living to the praise of God’s glory because of the grace “which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” It is the objective grace of God which Paul has in mind. It is by no virtue of our own that we can express God’s glory through our lives. It is the underserved favor of God.
Prayer: Let me live today in such a manner that it is to the praise of Your glory. Amen.