Charles Hodge on Ephesians 1:5

V. 5. The apostle says, God hath chosen us to holiness, having predestinated us to sonship; that is, because he has thus predestinated us. Holiness, therefore, must be a necessary condition or prerequisite for the sonship here spoken of. Sonship in reference to God includes—1. Participation of his nature, or conformity to his image. 2. The enjoyment of his favour, or being the special objects of his love. 3. Heirship, or a participation of the glory and blessedness of God. Sometimes one and sometimes another of these ideas is the most prominent. In the present case it is the second and third. God having predestinated his people to the high dignity and glory of sons of God, elected them to holiness, without which that dignity could neither be possessed nor enjoyed. It is through Jesus Christ, that we are made the sons of God. As many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God. John 1, 12. For we are all the children of God by faith of Jesus Christ. Gal. 3, 26. Christ has purchased this dignity for his people. He died for them on condition that they should be the sons of God, restored to their Father’s family and reinstated in all the privileges of this divine relationship.

The words εἰς αὑτόν, to himself, in the clause, ‘Predestinated us to sonship by Jesus Christ to himself,’ are somewhat difficult. The text, in the first place, is uncertain. Some editors read εἰς αὑτόν, unto himself, and others εἰς αὐτόν, unto him. In either case, however, the reference is to God. They admit of three explanations. 1. They may limit or explain the word sonship. ‘Sonship unto himself,’ i. e. sons in relation to God. 2. They may express the design of this adoption. ‘Sonship for himself,’ i. e. for his benefit or glory. This assumes that εἰς is here equivalent to the dative. 3. They may be connected immediately with the words Jesus Christ. ‘Through Jesus Christ to himself,’ i. e. to be brought to him by Jesus Christ. The first is generally preferred, because it gives a good sense, and is consistent with the force of the preposition.

The ground of this predestination and of the election founded upon it, is expressed by the clause, κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ, according to the good pleasure of his will. The word εὐδοκία means either benevolence, favour, as in Luke 2, 14; or good pleasure, free or sovereign purpose, as in Matt. 11, 26; and Luke 10, 21. Phil. 2, 13. The meaning therefore may be either: ‘according to his benevolent will,’ or ‘according to his sovereign will,’ i. e. his good pleasure. The latter is to be preferred. 1. Because it agrees better with the usage of the word in the N. T. In Matt. 11, 26, ὅτι οὕτως ἐγένετο εὐδοκία ἔμπροσθέν σου means, ‘Because thus it seemed good in thy sight.’ In Luke 10, 21, the same words occur in the same sense. In Phil. 2, 13, ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας means, ‘Of good pleasure.’ 2. The words εὐδοκία τοῦ θελήματος naturally mean voluntas liberrima, beneplacitum, sovereign purpose; to make them mean benevolent will, is contrary to scriptural usage. 3. In this connection it is not the predestinated that are the objects of εὐδοκία, but the act of predestination itself. God chose to have that purpose. It seemed good to him. 4. The expressions, "purpose of his will," " counsel of his will," v. 11, are used interchangeably with that in the text, and determine its meaning. 5. The analogy of Scripture is in favour of this interpretation, because the ground of election is always said to be the good pleasure of God.