The Book of Ephesians: Part 1-4

Part 1

THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS

The main message of Ephesians is that believers in Christ are reconciled not only to God, but to each other. They are to maintain unity of purpose within their families and church, while resisting the temptation to fall into the sin of the world surrounding them.

Keeping The Purpose of God in View

We begin our study in a letter written to a major city of the Roman Province of Asia Minor, called Ephesus, but we aren’t starting in the letter Paul wrote to that city; Instead, we begin this teaching in a letter Jesus wrote to Ephesus some 30 years later from Revelation chapter 2.

Rev. 2:1- “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: Rev. 2:2 “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; Rev. 2:3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. Rev. 2:4 “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Rev. 2:5 “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent. Rev. 2:6 ʻYet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Rev. 2:7 ʻHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.

Note: Ephesus had great respect for doctrine, great intolerance for false teaching, and at one point they did deeds in keeping with the doctrine they knew, but at some point, things changed in Ephesus; they left their first love, Jesus said. They set aside the more important work of the Church, of serving Christ and Godʼs people; instead, they returned to the lower priority of pursuing worldly things, earthly accomplishments, earthly wealth, earthly recognition.

They knew so much and did so little, Jesus declared it was to their condemnation in the end. Jesus warned the church in Ephesus they could lose their lampstand. In other words, if they would not fulfill their mission to be light in the world, then they forfeit their place as a church. This is a sobering thought we shouldn’t run past too quickly. Jesus says that putting our faith and our knowledge of doctrine into action is so important to Him, that if we fail in that mission, we no longer have reason to exist as a church.

It’s clear that Paul and Jesus had concerns for this church. In Paul’s final instructions in Acts, he was concerned the church might succumb to the temptations of the city to serve self instead of Christ, and just a few decades later, we hear Jesus telling this church they did, indeed, leave the highest priority, which suggests they went after other things. Secondly, it’s safe to say Ephesus was a church whose affections were divided. On the one hand, they knew and respected the doctrines of their faith. On the other hand, they desired the wealth and prominence their city offered to those willing to chase after it. The Church had known a period of success, early in their walk, when their faith prompted a love for serving God and His people. They served the mission of the church, setting aside the pursuit of earthly things and setting their eyes on Jesus and His concerns, but eventually, they fell to the temptations of earthly things, they left their first love and they lost their way and eventually their place. This is how the story of Ephesus ended. Itʼs an unhappy ending, but it didn’t have to be this way. The circumstances surrounding the Church of Ephesus have much in common with the Church today.

These questions arise: Are we in danger of leaving our first love? Are we all doctrine and no action? Do we guard the teaching yet allow our hearts to be tempted by the world around us? Do we acknowledge we have been approved by God through our faith in Christ yet still covet the praises of men?

Note: Paul wrote a letter that is 50% doctrine, 50% exhortation hoping to prevent the church’s downfall. He will explain the true riches that accompany salvation and sanctification for every believer. This was so that the church might have reason to set aside their desires for Ephesus to pursue Christ instead, and he calls for the church to live a sanctified life, one that witnesses to Christ daily.

Part 2

THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS

SPIRITUAL RICHES

After our introduction last week, we’re ready to dive into Paul’s letter; beginning with Paul’s salutation.

Eph. 1:1-Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Eph. 1:2- Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Note: Paul introduces himself in his customary fashion, identifying himself to his readers as an apostle by the will of God. You’ll almost always find Paul beginning his letters in this way. First, he identifies himself to his Greek audience by his Greek name. His Jewish name was Saul, which when translated into the Greek becomes Paul. Paul was the Jewish apostle sent by Christ to the Gentile world and Paul embraced his calling wholeheartedly. He identified with his Greek audience by calling himself Paul.

Paul reminds his audience that he possessed the authority of an apostle. He says the Lord selected him for the role and therefore the Lord was responsible for the timing of his conversion. This was an especially important point in light of Paul’s purpose for writing to Ephesus. He’s going to explain the Lord’s sovereign hand in our relationship with Christ.

To be faithful doesn’t mean to merely have faith, a Christian can fail to be faithful to the Lord.  Those in Ephesus were faithful, as we learned last week. They remained faithful to the truth and to the apostles’ teaching.

This church was especially troubled by worldly temptations and distractions. They were leaning too heavily on earthly concerns for validation, for satisfaction, and they were overlooking the surpassing riches of Godʼs mercy which was already theirs by faith. For them, Paul wishes they would experience the grace and peace they have received. Paul then launches into one of the most powerful theological declarations in all the New Testament, intended to remind the church of all they received in Christ. The doctrine Paul will teach is found in Chapters 1-3. Remember this important point: We study doctrine so we can know how to live in response to the truth. In these chapters, we get a steady stream of truth by which we may live.

Note: Our opportunity for blessing from the Father is entirely based on Christ’s work on our behalf; so whatever we receive from the Father comes because the Son deserves it, not because we do. Itʼs because the Father blessed the Son that we too are blessed, and that should give us great comfort knowing that your blessings are the result of Christ’s goodness and His work, not your own.

Eph. 1:3- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Notice that v.3 is written in the past tense. The Father has already determined to bless us because of Christ. Yes, the Bible teaches of heavenly rewards based on our service to Christ, but it also teaches that our relationship with Christ alone assures us of unimaginable blessings apart from anything we do. Therefore great and eternal blessing will be ours as a result of our faith in Christ, and this is without question.

Spiritual blessings are sure……………..

Take a look at the second part of Paul’s statement: We have received spiritual blessings. Itʼs become vogue in the church these days to talk about blessings, to claim blessings, to name blessings. Preachers and their congregations throw the word around frequently and casually these days. A new car is a blessing, a new job is a blessing, a tax refund is a blessing; a good hair day is a blessing. The Lord certainly grants us earthly blessings in various forms, but Paul has spiritual things in mind.

The kind of spiritual blessings we can experience today are benefits for our spiritual well-being. Things like peace, contentment, holiness, patience, sacrifice, courage, boldness, joy, compassion, humility and the like. The Bible calls spiritual blessings the fruit of the Spirit, and they are the manifestation of Godʼs love in our hearts. Some Christians are so focused on gaining material blessings that they’re overlooking the superiority of the spiritual blessings found in Christ. In just v.3 Paul has established the thesis for the doctrine of his letter; that spiritual riches are assured for all who are in Christ, and these riches surpass all that the world holds.

Part 3

THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS

Eph 1:4- just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love Eph. 1:5- He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, Eph. 1:6- to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

CHOSEN

Did God choose us to believe or did we choose to believe in the Gospel? Or is it some combination of the two?

Paul explained that we can be confident in our riches in Heaven because the Father has chosen us to receive them. He chose us to be in Christ, that is to be a born-again child of God. Today as we move forward to the next verse, v.5, we find Paul doubling-down on his statement that we were chosen. In v.4 he said we were chosen before the foundations of the earth, and now in v.5 he adds we were predestined to become a child of God.

Note: The word in Greek is proorizo. The definition of proorizo, its only definition  is “to determine an outcome beforehand.” On the matter of our salvation, Paul says (twice now) that the Father determined beforehand, before the foundations of the earth, that we would be saved; that decision was specific to you. God chose you personally, and it was for the purpose of bringing you to salvation. Paul says you were predestined to adoption as sons and daughters of God. The Bible frequently uses the concept of adoption to explain our salvation.

Rom. 8:29- For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

In that verse, Paul introduces another controversial term: foreknew. In Greek it’s the word proginosko, which means to know beforehand, so the Lord had us on His mind before the first day of Creation. Having us in mind, He then determined that we should become His children. Some Christians, who reject the idea that God chooses us for salvation, have tried to confuse the meaning of these two words. Some would tell you the word predestination means God knew beforehand that we would choose to believe in Christ. Then they say God simply confirmed our choice by predestining us. As you can probably tell, this is circular logic. If God is confirming our own choice in advance, then He isn’t choosing us at all. Under that interpretation, the word predestination no longer means determining an outcome beforehand.

To predestine means something different than to foreknow, and we can see these words mean different things by looking at Roman 8:29.

Paul uses both words in the same verse to represent completely different yet complimentary ideas. Predestination means to decide the future in advance, to determine an outcome before it comes to pass; while foreknowing means to have a thought in advance of an action. God had us on His mind before He acted to choose us. More importantly, as a result of Godʼs choice to adopt us, we now have the promise of sharing in the riches of Christ’s inheritance.

Notice Paul said in Romans 8:29 that we are predestined to follow in Christ’s footsteps, Who was the firstborn of many brethren. Jesus was the firstborn of Creation, meaning he was the first to resurrect into an eternal body.

Note: As children of God, we share this same future, to receive a new, eternal body that can never die, but more than that, as children of God we will share in Godʼs inheritance. The Bible says that Christ as the Son of God received an inheritance on the occasion of His own death. Normally when a person dies, his Last Will and Testament dictates that his wealth be transferred to a living relative, but in the case of Christ, He died but then He lived again. At His resurrection, He received His own inheritance back! The irony is Christ’s own death produced His inheritance. Paul says Christ is the firstborn of the Father, and we are likewise children of God by faith.

Part 4

THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS

GOD’S WAY OF RECONCILIATION

Eph. 2:1- And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, Eph. 2:2- in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Note: Being “dead” goes even deeper than just our spiritual future. Being dead also describes our spiritual inability to rescue ourselves from our predicament. To understand why this is true, we need to look more carefully at Paul’s explanation of our “deadness.” Paul specifically says we were dead in our “trespasses and sins,” and these two words are not synonyms. The Greek word for trespasses means literally “false steps.” We could say going the wrong direction, as in walking somewhere we shouldn’t go; like trespassing on someone else’s property. Trespasses are offenses against law, against standards of righteousness, and anytime we do something different than what God wants, we trespass.

Simply put, when we do the wrong thing in any way, under any circumstances and for any reason, we are trespassing. Even one trespass makes us lawbreakers, and all lawbreakers receive the penalty of the law; and the penalty for trespassing Godʼs law is eternal death. Paul says we were dead in our trespasses.

Paul adds that we were also dead in our sins…. The Greek word for sin means to miss the mark. Itʼs an interesting idea because it implies trying to do the right thing yet still coming up short in the end.

 Paul says we were dead in two ways. Our trespasses left us in jeopardy of the second death, and our efforts to reverse the situation were fruitless because even our good works missed the mark. We were dead because we were spiritually incapable of correcting our problem, and when you find yourself in a hole you created, you have to find a way to stop digging. In Chapter 2:1, the Greek word for dead is nekros literally refers to a dead body.

So it is with the unbeliever who is dead in his trespasses and sins. The unbeliever is already as good as dead waiting for judgment day, and the unbeliever’s desire to please God through good works can only produce more sin.

Then Paul adds, our nature drove our behavior…….

Eph. 2:3- Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

While Jesus walked the path of the grave, He then moved into the heavenly realm. We will follow that same path and have already moved from death to life as believers, but knowing where we started is critical to understanding what we now gain. We have come out of a state where we were 100% opposed to God, and 100% unable to correct our own problem. By the power of God He has moved us forward in this process to a point we were are now spiritually alive.

Note: Chapter 2 emphasizes the theme of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. First, Paul describes the process of salvation as the result of God's grace through faith. Human effort, and human goodness, are completely ineffective in our salvation. Second, Paul transitions to a focus on unity in Christ. This includes tearing down the previous divide between Jews and Gentiles who are now one spiritual family.