Ephesians is a great book of the New Testament. I have always enjoyed teaching from Ephesians. I have decided to write one post a week that is more like a Bible study so I thought I would start with Ephesians and see how it goes. This is not meant to be a detailed, in-depth, verse by verse exposition of Ephesians. I do want to spend some time going through the chapters and sharing my thoughts. My prayer is you will find some encouragement and hear from God a message he has for you.
Ephesians 1:1-14
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: {2} Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. {3} Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. {4} For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love {5} he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- {6} to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. {7} In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace {8} that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. {9} And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, {10} to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. {11} In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, {12} in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. {13} And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, {14} who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory." (Scripture quotation from NIV)
Like all of Paul's letters, this letter begins with an introduction saying who the letter is from and who it is to and a statement of blessings to the church in Ephesus.
Verse 3 begins a description of the blessings we have in Jesus. "Praise to God ... who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." I think it is significant that Paul states God has blessed us in the heavenly realms. This is especially significant when you read the end of the letter and then come back to this verse. In the 6th chapter of Ephesians, the 12th verse, Paul tells us "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Did you catch the significance I was talking about? Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but.....against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Paul begins to prepare us for this struggle by telling us that God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. This is yet one more example of how God has promised us we have victory over evil. Since God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms and our fight is in the heavenly realms it makes sense that we are victorious in the heavenly realms in Jesus our Savior. What an awesome way to begin a letter that is all about spiritual warfare, blessings, and unity.
Verse 4 tells us God chose us to be in Jesus before creation and wants us to be holy and blameless. This is important for us to remember since Paul just told us about our spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms. God chose us to be blessed and to fight the fight we have against our evil foe. God did not choose us to be losers. God has given us all the tools and blessings to be victorious.
In verse 5, Paul continues to tell us how we have been chosen by God to fulfill our mission. In fact, Paul uses the phrase predestined. Some shy away from this idea but God has his purpose for our lives--isn't that predestination? God has predestined his desire for us to serve and worship him, to love him, and to share the message of his great love with our neighbors and friends. We are predestined for the blessings of salvation and eternal life in the presence of God's love. We are predestined to be victorious over sin, death, and the grave. This verse also reminds us that we have been adopted as sons. We are not just friends--though being friends is great. We are not even step-sons. We are the real thing. God loves us just like his son, Jesus. This doesn't make sense to our human understanding--it doesn't have to make sense--it is God's pleasure and God's will.
Verse 6 tells of God's glorious grace which is given to us in Jesus. Jesus is the key to all of our blessings, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Jesus is the key to our victory for Jesus defeated sin through his death and he defeated death through his resurrection.
Verses 7 and 8 continue this theme, "we have redemption through the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." We have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus. This is something we could not possibly do for ourselves. Jesus paid the ransom--the price was so high that no person would ever be able to pay the ransom. The precious blood of Jesus was more than enough. God has lavished his grace and blessings on us with wisdom and understanding.
Verses 9 and 10 tell us the mystery of God's will -- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under Jesus. This was God's purpose from the beginning. God established this as Jesus' purpose and as we mentioned earlier God has established his purpose for us--blessings and victory. This is also the first of many references to unity in Jesus in this letter--"to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under Jesus."
Verses 11 and 12 continue with the theme of God's purpose for us. We have been chosen according to God's plan and God's will -- God has a specific mission for each of us if we will do His will. Again, Paul uses the term predestination. I believe this means that we have a mission that fits God's purpose for our lives. I don't believe this means we are puppets that God controls--every move or every breath. God has clearly given us free will and the ability to choose for ourselves. His gifts are ours whether we use them for his glory or not. Imagine his great joy when we choose to use them for His purpose in our lives.
Verses 13 and 14 states we have been included in Christ and in the plan to fulfill the purpose of God. This happened as soon as we heard the word of truth and believed. After believing in Jesus we are marked with a seal -- the promised Holy Spirit. These verses tell us that the Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (our salvation and our blessings).
Summary: This first part of Ephesians is all about knowing who we are in Jesus and what we have as our inheritance. In Jesus, we have all spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms which gives us the assurance that we have victory against our spiritual foe. This section of Chapter 1 ends with a statement about the Holy Spirit who guarantees our salvation and our blessings.
Next week we will finish the 1st chapter (Paul's Prayer for Christians - click to read). Leave a comment and tell us your thoughts about this section of Chapter 1.
Let me leave you with this summary of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians. The Holy Spirit and his place in the believer's redemption is a central emphasis in the book of Ephesians.
The Holy Spirit:
1. Is the mark or seal of God's ownership (v. 13).
2. Is the first installment of the believer's inheritance (v.14).
3. Is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation (v. 17).
4. Helps the believer when he or she draws near to God (2:18).
5. Builds the body of believers into a holy temple (2:21-22).
6. Reveals the mystery of Christ (3:4-5).
7. Strengthens the believer with power in the inner being (3:16).
8. Motivates unity in the Christian faith in full Christ-likeness (4:3, 13-14).
9. Grieves when there is sin in the life of the believer (4:30).
10. Desires to repeatedly fill and empower the believer (5:18).
11. Helps in prayer and Spiritual warfare (6:18).
May our Lord bless you and keep you in his gracious love and care.
Tim
