Ephesians 1:4 (WEB)
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love,
Catechism · 10
The Liturgy - Work of the Holy Trinity
“He destined us before him in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."” — Catechism footnote: Eph 1:3-6.
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
“Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us "holy and without blemish," just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is "holy and without blemish."” — Catechism footnote: Eph 1:4; 5:27.
The Father
“Such is the "plan of his loving kindness", conceived by the Father before the foundation of the world, in his beloved Son: "He destined us in love to be his sons" and "to be conformed to the image of his Son", through "the spirit of sonship".” — Catechism footnote: Eph 1:4-5, 9; Rom 8:15, 29.
In the Age of the Church
“TWO fundamental forms express this movement: our prayer ascends in the Holy Spirit through Christ to the Father - we bless him for having blessed us;” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Eph 1:3-14; 2 Cor 1:3 7; 1 Pet 1:3-9.
“Doxology, the praise of God, arises from this "marvelous work" of the whole economy of salvation.” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Eph 1:3-14; Rom 16:25-27; Eph 3:20-21; Jude 24-25.
The Seven Petitions
“Asking the Father that his name be made holy draws us into his plan of loving kindness for the fullness of time, "according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ," that we might "be holy and blameless before him in love."” — Catechism footnote: Eph 1:9, 4.
"Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary"
- §492Paragraph 2 · "Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary"Read at vatican.va
“The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person "in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" and chose her "in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love".” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Eph 1:3-4.
The Revelation of God
“God, who "dwells in unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son.” — Catechism footnote: I Tim 6:16, cf. Eph 1:4-5.
The Church - People of God, Body of Christ, Temple of the Holy Spirit
- §796Paragraph 2 · The Church - People of God, Body of Christ, Temple of the Holy SpiritRead at vatican.va
“The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Rev 22:17; Eph 1:4. 5:27.
The Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
“Then all those he has redeemed and made "holy and blameless before him in love,"” — Catechism footnote: Eph 1:4.
Fathers and councils · 18
Athanasius of Alexandria
“…of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself.’” — editor's note: Eph. i. 3–5.
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Origen
- Origen, De Principiis III.6Book III
“The apostle also, in the Epistle to the Ephesians, has employed the same language, saying, “Who hath chosen us before the foundation of the world;” and this foundation he calls καταβολή, to be understood in the same sense as before.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
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Ambrose of Milan
“…was made Wisdom for us: “But we preach the Wisdom of God in doctrine of mystery, which Wisdom is hidden, foreordained by God before the existence of the world for our glory, and which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.”” — editor's note: Cf. 1 Pet. i. 19–21; Eph. i. 4; Col. i. 26, 27.
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Theodoret of Cyrus
“The lesson he gives to the Ephesians is “in love having predestinated us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself.”” — editor's note: Ephes. i. 4, 5. Observe the position of “in love” which agrees with the margin of R.V.
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Jerome
“For all that comes before works should be counted of grace; although, doubtless, God foreknew the future when He sanctified Jeremiah as yet unborn, when He made John to leap in his mother’s womb, and when, before the foundation of the world, He set apart Paul to preach the gospel of His son.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
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Tertullian
“We have been predestined by God, before the world was, (to arise) in the extreme end of the times.” — editor's note: In extimatione temporali. See Eph. i. 4 and 1 Pet. i. 20.
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Augustine of Hippo
“But I see that the Father loved us also before, not only before the Son died for us, but before He created the world; the apostle himself being witness, who says, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.”” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4
Read the whole comment“For not only to God the Father, but also to His Only-begotten, who came to seek what was lost, we had been known already even so far as to be chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
Read the whole comment“For then indeed there shall come only those who are elected, whereof the apostle saith, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.”” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
Read the whole comment“Such sometimes do not know themselves, but the Shepherd knoweth them, according to this predestination, this foreknowledge of God, according to the election of the sheep before the foundation of the world: for so saith also the apostle, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.”” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
Read the whole comment“Just as the Gospel plainly intimates when He chose His disciples, that is to say, at the time of His calling them; and yet the apostle says, “He chose us before the foundation of the world,” to wit, by predestination, not by actual calling.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
Read the whole comment“But over it He rejoiced even from eternity, when He chose us before the foundation of the world.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
Read the whole comment“Here surely is at fault the vain reasoning of those who defend the foreknowledge of God in opposition to His grace, and with this view declare that we were chosen before the foundation of the world, because God foreknew that we should be good, but not that He Himself would make us good.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
Read the whole comment“For it was not then that God first knew those who were foreknown and chosen before the foundation of the world; but then it was that He made them to know Himself.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
Read the whole comment“For if the apostle has said of us, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,” why should it be thought incongruous with the truth, if the Father glorified our Head at the same time as He chose us in Him to be His members?” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
Read the whole comment“That is to say, in the Son the Father loveth us, because in Him He hath chosen us before the foundation of the world.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
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Hilary of Poitiers
“The Father wills that we should be with Christ, in Whom, according to the Apostle, He chose us before the foundation of the world, and the Son wills the same, namely that we should be with Him.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4.
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Clement of Alexandria
“For it were no longer seemly that the friend of God, whom “God hath fore-ordained before the foundation of the world” to be enrolled in the highest “adoption,” should fall into pleasures or fears, and be occupied in the repression of the passions.” — editor's note: Eph. i. 4, 5.
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Cross-references · 33
Cited together in Catechism §1426.
Cited together in On the Apparel of Women II.8.
Cited together in Catechism §52 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Catechism §257.
Cited together in Catechism §257.
Cited together in The City of God XVII.6.
Cited together in Catechism §865.
Cited together in Catechism §865.
Cited together in Catechism §865.
Cited together in Catechism §865.
Cited together in Catechism §865.
Cited together in De Principiis III.6.
Cited together in The City of God XVIII.48.
Cited together in The City of God XVII.6.
Cited together in The City of God XVII.6.
Cited together in The City of God XVII.6.
Cited together in The City of God XVII.6.
Cited together in Catechism §2807.
Cited together in The City of God XVIII.48.
Cited together in The City of God XVIII.48.
Cited together in Letters Letter 24.
Cited together in The City of God XVIII.48.
Cited together in The City of God XVIII.48.
Cited together in The City of God XVIII.48.
Cited together in Letters Letter 24.
Cited together in Catechism §2807.
Cited together in The City of God XVII.6.
Cited together in Catechism §257.
Cited together in Catechism §257.
Cited together in Letters Letter 24.
Cited together in De Principiis III.6 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Tractates on the Gospel of John Tractate 83.
Cited together in De Principiis III.6 and 1 other place.