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Ruins of the Library at Ephesus.  Paul would have seen this in its prime

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These complete studies were written in the autumn of 2009

Bible study for Ephesians 1:1-6

Ephesians 1:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

These powerful verses begin Paul’s great letter to the Ephesians.  To say that this letter is influential is something of an understatement, because there is a breadth and quality to its message which has drawn people’s attention since it was written, and many regard it as one of the most spiritually deep and inspiring of Paul’s letters.  There has always been some contention about whether Paul wrote the letter and to whom it was written, but we will look at this further in the ‘going deeper’ section of the letter.  Nevertheless, I will side with church tradition which identifies the author as Paul, writing in a poetic style about the central truths of the Christian faith.

Our reading today contains a brief introduction (1:1), followed by the familiar greeting used by Paul in most of his letters; that is, ‘grace and peace’ (1:2, see also Romans 1:7, Galatians 1:3, etc.).  Most of Paul’s letters begin with an introduction which gives some information about the church being addressed, perhaps explaining the circumstance of the letter (as in Galatians 1:3f.) or offering praise for the work and witness of the church (as in Colossians 1:3-8).  Here in this letter there is no more introduction beyond the first two verses, and Paul launches straight into what he has to say; and before we can catch breath, Paul begins to speak in extraordinary ways about the Gospel.  We may be used to these words today, but they are quite different to much of Paul’s other writing, and we are caught up in both the power of his description of Christ and the depth of his praise.

Verses 3 to 6 are extraordinary in themselves.  They express supreme praise and glory to God for the spiritual blessing of Christ’s work of salvation, and he introduces an amazing idea in order to describe it.  He says that those who are saved are ‘adopted’ as His sons through Jesus Christ, into His family!  However, before we go on to look at what Paul says, there is something we should note about how he says it.  Verse 3 begins a long sentence in the original Greek that keeps on going throughout our reading and tomorrows, on and on until at least verse 14, and then there is hardly a break before he continues to the end of the chapter!  Every translation you read, including the ‘Authorised’ Version, has to break up this incredibly long and extensive prayer of praise and thanksgiving; they present it to us in shorter verses.  In order to take in the power and breadth of this great text, I have split it into three sections that are useful for study, and the first section is here in our reading, verses 3 to 6.

Now these verses have an incredible amount to teach us about God and Christ, and our relationship with God through Chris, but the purpose of the letter is not to educate us about the nature of salvation.  Paul wrote these words to encourage his readers to glory in the immense privileges they have been given through their salvation in Christ Jesus.  Paul is enthralled at God’s love and the wonderful things He has done through Jesus Christ, so he does not start by speaking about sin or salvation, but launches immediately into describing the great privilege of being ‘blessed’ by God (1:3).  Continuing, he declares that this blessing brings people into a close relationship with God, something like an ‘adoption’ that is achieved through Jesus Christ (1:5), and he offers praise to the living God for this work of grace (1:6).

The greatness of God’s work of salvation and the blessing that it has bestowed on humanity are not things that can be described in normal terms.  Paul does not use the usual superlatives to describe God’s work, such as ‘greater’, ‘bigger’ or ‘best’.  Instead, he uses phrases that say stupendous things about God and what He has done for us.  Each phrase says something that is to normal people beyond belief, and Paul colours his phrases with words that reflect the great honour of being close to this greatness which is God.  In verse 3, for example, he uses the word ‘blessing’ three times, building up our anticipation of the glories of God.  Then in verse 4, Paul describes the extraordinary wonder of God’s choice to save and to bless, something He decided ‘before the foundation of the world’.  How extraordinary that God has such a grasp of eternity that He has hand on those he intends to bless ‘from the beginning’ (1:4), something God does of His free favour and grace, His free gift to the world through Jesus (1:6).

But what can this all mean for us now?  From time to time it does us good to be reminded of some of the wonders of our salvation, and the fact that it is planned by God outside of the ‘time-frame’ of our existence.  God has made us to have faith, and when we express it, the spirit feels as if it is coming home.  Our faith is born out of God’s desire to draw to Himself those who have sinned and separated themselves from Him, because they were made by Him and He loves them.  God’s passion has been to solve this separation ever since the ‘Fall’ (Genesis 3), and He has finally accomplished this in history through His, Son Jesus Christ, and through His death and resurrection.

Thank God, that the faith of God’s people and the discipleship they practice is no spiritual ‘life-choice’.  It comes about because God has made us capable of responding to Him and His passion to draw us back to Him.  The life of faith is a life in which the love of God meets the love of each man and woman who responds by grace and faith.  It is a glorious life, and sometimes, we should sit back and take time to think about and enjoy the wonderful things that our heavenly Father has done for us; this is our great privilege.

Ephesians 1:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• To whom was Paul writing and why (1:1)?
• What does the word ‘blessing’ mean (1:3)
• What do the words ‘set apart’, and ‘adoption’ mean (1:4,5)?
• What does predestination mean and what does this passage say about it?

Notes on the translation of the passage:

V1 ‘to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful ...’

There is some strong evidence that the words ‘in Ephesus’ are not part of the original letter.  The very earliest of manuscripts and papyri suggest that these words were not part of what Paul wrote; however, the early church clearly received the letter as written to the Ephesians, even though there is no other reference to Ephesus or Ephesians in the letter.  For this reason, I have left it in.  However, those who study this letter should be aware of why it is that many scholars are sceptical about the designation of the letter as ‘to the Ephesians’, and why some versions of the bible omit the word ‘to the Ephesians’

V3 ‘in the heavens’

The phrase ‘in the heavens’ refers to the heavenly sphere believed by the ancients to cover the earth, and being the realm of God’s dwelling because it was unreachable by humanity.

V4/5 ‘In love He set us apart ...’

The break between the two verses is highly contentious.  The words ‘in love’ might either be attached to the previous sentence or the next sentence, and the Greek does not indicate which!  However, because both verse 4 and 5 are about God’s choice of His children at the beginning of time, I have assumed that this work of God is done ‘in love’, and this way of translating the text reads most naturally.  It is preferred by most modern Bible translations.

V5 ‘He set us apart from the beginning ...’

To be ‘set apart from the beginning’ is just another way of translating a word that is sometimes rendered ‘predestined’.  The phrase does not solve any riddles about predestination, but it does help explain what the text means here.

V5 ‘to be adopted as His through Jesus Christ’

This phrase translates the Greek ‘... for adoption through Jesus Christ to Him’.  You will find that other Bibles give different versions of this, but the idea is that the adoption is done by and for God, but through Jesus.

V6 ‘His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the beloved’.

It is hard to translate this because a literal reading would give this; ‘His glorious grace, with which He has graced us in the beloved.’  The Greek words are impressive, but we have no vocabulary in English which is similar to ‘gracing’ someone, except the language of blessing them.  Hence my translation.

To whom was Paul writing and why?

The arguments about Paul’s letter to the Ephesians do not look like abating.  If you read the translation notes you will have noted that the words ‘in Ephesus’ are quite unlikely to have been a part of the original letter written by Paul, and this is verified by the oldest and most significant copy texts we possess, coming from perhaps less than a hundred years after the letter was first written.  Nevertheless, early Christians were used to listing Ephesians within the letters of Paul, and not many people recognise the fact that Paul’s letters are listed in the New Testament from Romans to Philemon in order of length.  Clearly, Ephesians would not be where it is unless the earliest compilers of the New Testament felt the letter was genuinely by Paul, or it would not be placed here!  It would be placed alongside Hebrews, which comes next in the list of the ‘letters’ by people other than Paul (these also being listed largely by length but also by author – James, Peter, John and Jude, before the very last book of the Bible, Revelation).

The other main argument against the Paul’s authorship of the letter is that the opening chapters are highly poetic in nature, and unlike any other writing of Paul.  For example, people point to the fact that this letter does not start with any commendation of the Gospel or of recipients of the letter, as in Romans, Galatians, Philippians, or Colossians.  However, there are other places where Paul writes in a highly poetic style (e.g. 1 Corinthians 13), and in addition, the themes and remaining structure of Ephesians (after the first two chapters) show a great similarity to the letter to the Colossians.  Indeed, some scholars think that if Paul was the author, then the letter was bound to have been written at the same time as Colossians!

As it is, we can say that the church at Ephesus was an important centre for Paul and was significant in both his second and third missionary journeys (Acts 18:19f. and 20:16,17f.).  The records in Acts (especially 19f.) show that Ephesus was a strategic centre for mission on the whole western side of Asia (now Turkey), and the church at Colossae, for example, was set up when a young man named Epaphras heard the Gospel at Ephesus from Paul and took the message home to Colossae (Col 1:7)!  After everything that happened on that great last missionary journey of Paul, a ‘round robin’ letter sent by him to Ephesus would have been greeted with enthusiasm.  It would have been circulated around the many congregations that sprang up in those regions during this missionary activity.

What does the word ‘blessing’ mean (1:3)?

The great words used in this passage of scripture help us understand something of what was on Paul’s heart as he wrote.  The word ‘blessing’ comes from the Greek word ‘eulogeo’ from which we get the English word ‘eulogy’, for example, meaning ‘fine speech’.  The word ‘eulogeo’ and its various forms is used in the New Testament in different ways to convey the idea of both praise and blessing.  How do we know the difference?  When someone gives a ‘eulogy’ (fine speech) to God, this is what we mean by ‘praise’; however, when God gives us a ‘eulogy’, this means that He conveys a gracious blessing on us, for we do not deserve such kind treatment by God.  People sometimes become confused between the meaning of ‘blessing’ and ‘praise’, so it may help to remember that both come from the same word in Greek.  I have heard people suggest for example, that while God blesses us we cannot bless God, and should not speak as if we do; unfortunately, this is a misunderstanding.  We are dealing only with this one New Testament word (‘eulogeo’), so to speak of blessing God simply means to praise Him!

What do the words ‘set apart’, and ‘adoption’ mean (1:4,5)?

Next we come to the word ‘set apart’ which is found in verse 5 and is frequently translated as ‘predestined’.  The whole doctrine of predestination has been terribly misunderstood, but it is still important for us to understand what the new Testament means when it uses language which talks about people being chosen by God from before they were born for special tasks. It is important to remember that the word ‘predestined simply means ‘chosen beforehand’, or ‘set apart beforehand’, and I have chose this translation in order that we do not misjudge what is said here about this.

The subject is not just found in verse 5, but also in verse 4.  In verse 4 we read that God chose us before the foundation of the world, and then in verse 5, the letter goes on to speak about being ‘set apart from the beginning’.  For the sake of reading the letter in English, these are phrases within two sentences, but in the original Greek, these two phrases are parallel to each other, saying virtually the same thing, and I set them out below so that you can see this clearly:

 ‘for he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world ...’ (1:4)

 ‘He set us apart from the beginning to be ...’ (1:5)

Read like this, the letter reads like a typical Hebrew poem (although translated into Greek!), and this reminds us that we should look at what comes after these phrases to see what the purpose of this setting aside, or ‘predestination might be.  Firstly, we must realise that the ‘us’ in this sentence is not us individually, but ‘us’ meaning the ‘church’, the gathered people of God.  Now, at the end of verse 4, we are chosen to be holy and blameless; now we cannot be holy or blameless by ourselves, so the phrase means that God has chosen His people, the church, to be His holy and saved people.  The second phrase says something similar, but the emphasis is not on holiness and salvation, but on being ‘adopted’ as God’s children, to be heirs alongside God’s Son, Jesus Christ!  ‘Adoption’ is what happens to us when we identify with Jesus Christ, and so inherit the blessing of God that He has received, principally the blessings of the Holy Spirit in this life and eternal life in the next!

What does predestination mean and what does this passage say about it?

This passage is a way of saying that although we have responded to Jesus by faith, we possess no merit for our choice to follow the Lord, God has chosen us to be His, and He has chosen us before we knew it, from before ‘creation’.  Some find it difficult to speak of ‘predestination’, but we must remember that Paul was speaking about God’s people as a whole, and he was wanting to convey the incredible and moving fact that our salvation was part of God’s plan from before the beginning of time.  The grace of God was not given because of our choice; we simply responded to the choice God gave us, and Paul used the idea of God’s ‘choice’ before time (predestination) of all His people to convey the idea that we who benefit from this grace do so freely and without claiming to be better than anyone else.

Nevertheless, even though we do not have a full blown doctrine of personal predestination here, what is said is breathtaking.  God has chosen His people ‘before the beginning of the world’!  How can any one of us respond to this revelation except with awe!  This choice of God is not a personal privilege, for all are equal before the Creator, but it is a privilege of us all (collectively) who are saved, and this is why we place our lives at the disposal of our Saviour not just individually but collectively.  Without condemning us by mentioning the sin which has separated us from Him, God has made it possible for us to be ‘adopted’ back to the privilege of His care and family, ‘through Jesus Christ’.  Paul does not say how; he simply glories in the wonder of what he is led by the Spirit to say.

Ephesians 1:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

In reading a passage such as this, we can identify a number of points as worthy of our attention.  This passage speaks about grace, blessing (and praise), being chosen, and adoption.  Any of these great themes can be explored further in the Bible by comparing what we read here with what may be found elsewhere, and we can gain an understanding by reading about them in commentaries and Bible dictionaries.

Nevertheless, the real challenge of this passage is surely to release ourselves in praise and awe of God.  This, of course, is what Paul was doing in this letter, and his enthusiasm and spiritual delight are evident.  Even if he used poems and hymns and possibly wrote in a poetic style, this only indicates that he was pouring out his soul in praise.  The text reads as if the deep theology Paul wrote about in so many of his great letters was not just a matter of words and mental agility, but a deeply personal source of ‘wonder love and praise’, welling up within him.  It is also possible that Paul wrote in this way because he remembered with deep affection the amazing evangelism and church growth that was enabled by the Holy Spirit when the churches in the region of Ephesus were founded (see Acts 19f.). 

In the middle of our study we observed the connection between praise and blessing; God blesses us and we praise Him, and this two way action surely feeds our souls.  If we invest time and energy in praising God throughout life and in the midst of everything we do, then we will be blessed!  This passage of Scripture encourages us to pour out our hearts to God in praise and reap the benefits.  However, this is not just a personal matter, this truth is a truth for God’s people as a whole; the more we pour ourselves out in praise to the living God, then the more we will receive His blessing!  Surely we go nowhere as God’s people unless we praise Him for His grace towards us.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. How does this passage make you feel?  Discuss your responses in your group.
2. What does it mean for us to be chosen ‘before the beginning of the world’ (1:4), and how should this affect us now?
3. When the Bible talks about us being ‘adopted’ into God’s family, what does this mean for you?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• This passage of Scripture is so extraordinary, I suggest taking a notebook, and writing down a few sentences that describe your reactions to the different words and phrases as they occur.  Use these to create your own prayers of praise and glory to God, and keep them handy.
• Pray that God’s people will rediscover the spirit of praise and thanksgiving that will enrich them and make them a vehicle for God’s renewal in our countries and in our world.

Final Prayer

Jesus, grant us all peace this day.  We have worked, we have talked, we have thought and spoken, and we have done what we believe to be right even though we may have slipped up along the way.  Forgive our sins, we pray, and grant us peace. AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 1:7-10

Ephesians 1:7-10 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

These verses lie at the heart of Paul’s prayer of praise to God at the beginning of his letter to the Ephesians.  They speak of the abundant and gracious mercy of God towards those He saves, according to His eternal plan.

This reading is part of Paul’s great poem of praise to God at the beginning of Ephesians, which lasts from verse 3 to verse 14.  We looked at the first four verses of this poem yesterday (1:3-6), so we focus on the central part of it today (1:7-10), and the last part tomorrow (1:11-14).  Our reading today lies at the heart of this prayer of Paul’s, and in order to understand it, it is best to split the passage into two parts, and I have written them out below so that it is easy to follow.  The first part speaks about the God’s gift of salvation:

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the richness of His grace which He lavished upon us. (verses 7,8)

The second part describes God’s will; His eternal plan, which is centred around salvation:

In all wisdom and insight He has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good purpose, which He has planned for us in Christ; a heavenly task for the fullness of time which is to unite everything in Christ, all that is in heaven and on earth. (verses 8-10)

The first part is a remarkable sentence, describing the saving work of God with a series of important words, ‘redemption’, ‘blood’, ‘forgiveness’, ‘sins’ and ‘grace’. Each of these can be tracked through both the Old and New Testaments, and each of them contributes significantly to our understanding of salvation.  Together, they are a powerful description of what God has done for each one of us who has been saved.

The word ‘redemption’ comes from the Old Testament idea, still used today, of the price paid for the release of something.  This is something far more than a simple purchase where money is handed over for something in return, instead, it describes something given so that it might be returned to its rightful owner.  Today, for example, someone might deposit something valuable for safe keeping, which requires a ‘redemption’ fee to release it back to its owner.  Now when our passage says ‘we have redemption through His blood’, it means that the ‘blood’ of Jesus Christ is God’s redemption fee for our salvation, and the word ‘redemption’, tells us that this is about returning to God.  But this is not just a powerful idea, it is the truth.

No brief summary can plumb the depths of meaning to be found in these words, but we would be the poorer if we did not try.  For example, the word ‘blood’ reminds us that our salvation comes at the cost of Jesus’ very life.  But why did God require this?  Now in the Old Testament, God’s people understood that He required of them complete commitment and great sacrifice.  Consequently, their worship focussed around the sacrifice of animals, probably their most valuable possessions.  So now, the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice represents God’s complete commitment to humanity, and if we are willing to receive this by faith and commit ourselves to Him, then Christ’s blood is the ‘redemption’ price paid that we might be saved!

The rest of verse 7 speaks of the ‘forgiveness of sins’, which we have in Christ.  Again, we can presume we know what this means, but we should look carefully at what the Bible calls ‘sin’.  The Old Testament reminds us that the most potent sin of God’s people is their tendency to rebel against their Lord and God!  Something we might describe today as ‘doing what we want’ rather than following God’s ways.  The more we study God’s Word the more we will understand what sin is, and from that, come to understand the extent of God’s love, that he always forgives us our sin when we repent!  This is the love that Paul glories in here, for true love is always shown in forgiveness, whether on earth or in heaven!  How amazing that God is willing to forgive us all our sins, time and time again.  Jesus says that God forgives seventy times seven times and more, meaning an infinite number of times.  He is that big, and that loving.

The second sentence is more complex, because it spans eternity and speaks of God’s ‘wisdom and insight’, qualities consistently ascribed to God in the Old Testament.  It confirms that God has always worked to a plan of salvation, and He brings it to fruition in the ‘fullness of time’, an expression meaning ‘when the time is right’, that is, at God’s discretion.  God’s plan is revealed supremely in Jesus Christ and it will be completed when He comes again, when everything will be ‘united’ in Him (1:10).  Some would like to think that God will bring all things together irrespective of faith in Jesus (something called ‘universalism’), but this is to misunderstand our passage.  Paul says here that God’s plan is completed ‘in Christ’, so we can only be a part of it if we accept Him.  All things will eventually make sense in Him, even if they appear not to do so now. 

This passage contains a breathtaking glimpse of God’s purposes both for now and for eternity.  All of us gain immeasurably from dwelling on these words and phrases, and there is always more for us to find in them (we will do this as we go deeper in the study).  But first and foremost this is a prayer of praise, which glories in these most powerful truths of God’s Word; let us all be caught up in it.

Ephesians 1:7-10 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• What do we mean by ‘redemption’ and what does the Bible tell us about this (1:7)?
• What is meant by the ‘forgiveness of sins’ in this passage (1:7)?
• Why does Scripture speak about ‘the mystery of His will’ (1:9)?
• What is God’s ultimate plan for all things (1:10)?

Notes on the translation of the passage

V7 ‘we have redemption through His blood’

The Greek word for ‘redemption’ is one used for the action of paying a price for the release of slaves in the market place.  The Bible uses this word frequently as one of a set of words describing salvation, and it is sometimes translated as ‘deliverance’.

V7 ‘the forgiveness of our sins’

The Greek word used for sins (‘paraptoma’) is not the usual one (‘harmartia’).  This refers to things that are a deviation from right living, and is similar to the Old Testament concept of ‘missing the mark’.

V8 ‘in all wisdom and insight’

The original sentence is not at all clear, and this phrase could be either attached to the previous clause or the following clause; either

‘the richness of His grace which He has lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.  He has made known to us the mystery of His will ...’ or

‘the richness of His grace which he has lavished on us.  In all wisdom and insight He has made known to us the mystery of His will ...’

There is no clear way of working out from the Greek which of these two it is, and although it seems very technical, the difference is between whether the reference to ‘wisdom and insight’ is about what God has done for us in the past or about what He will do for us in the future.  I have chosen the second option because this makes more sense, and it is in accord with the similar passages found in Colossians 1, which is recognised as being very similar to the thought of this part of Ephesians.

V9 ‘which He has planned for us in Christ’

The Greek word ‘protithemi’ is a rather complicated word in the form used here, and you will find that different Bible versions translate it in many different ways; ‘set forth’, or ‘purposed’.  However, the basic idea is of setting something out in one’s own mind, and the simplest way to express this thought is to speak of ‘planning’, as I have done here.  The other alternatives make the sentence sound unnecessarily complicated.

 V10 ‘a heavenly task for the fullness of time which is to unite all things in Christ ...’ 

This verse is difficult to translate.  Although it would not be good English to present this as a translation, the Greek reads like this: ‘a heavenly task for the fullness of time to unite in Him all things in Christ, that is, what is in heaven and on the earth.’  I discuss this later in the study, but it relatively easy to see that this translation prevents any suggestion that the passage supports ‘universalism’.

What do we mean by ‘redemption’ and what does the Bible tell us about this (1:7)?

In verse 7, Paul describes the basics of our faith, and the graciousness of God by which people are redeemed by the life and death (the blood) of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  In short, we call this ‘salvation’.  However, the word translated ‘redemption’ (apolutrosis’) does not mean the same as ‘salvation’; it has a special meaning that is deeply rooted in Scripture.  When Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, he did so because God ‘redeemed’ His people (see Exodus 13:13f.).  On the night before the Israelites left, God sent an angel of death over Egypt, and the people of Israel were told to slaughter a lamb and eat this as a sacrificial meal.  They smeared the blood of this lamb on their doorposts as a sign to the Lord that they had acted according to His instructions, and the Lord counted the sacrifice of the lamb as the redemption price for the firstborn of the Israelites, who otherwise would have been killed by the angel of death.  In this way, God saved His people and as a consequence, the language of redemption became attached to the Passover meal, the celebration that defines the people of Israel to this day.  Other passages of the Old Testament illustrate the same theme of sacrificial offering for the redemption of life, for example, the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah (Gen 22), and the prophecies of Isaiah (53).

With this background, the early Christians quickly perceived the importance of Jesus’ last Passover meal with the disciples (John 13), and realised that He died sacrificially on behalf of all people for the forgiveness of their sins and their acceptance before God (Romans 3:21f., 5:1f.).  For this reason, ‘redemption’ has become part of the essential language of salvation, along with other words such as ‘deliverance’, ‘freedom’, ‘healing’ and ‘peace’; each of them with their own contribution to what we mean by ‘salvation’.

The word ‘redemption’ is used where God’s Word tells us about the price paid by Jesus for our salvation, and it also says something about God’s eternal plan to bring salvation into the world, starting in the Old Testament and being fulfilled in the New.  Here, Paul says unequivocally that our salvation has been secured by the redemption price paid for by Jesus with His life; not by His teaching or by His ministry of healing and preaching, wonderful though these are, but by His death on the Cross and His subsequent resurrection.  ‘We have redemption through His blood’ is an uncompromising statement of the extreme sacrifice of Jesus required for our salvation; and this is the reason why we are reconciled to God.  Paul praises God and gives Him glory because He has made this possible.

What is meant by the ‘forgiveness of sins’ in this passage (1:7)?

Because this passage is full of prayer and praise, its language is rich and effusive.  Words flow from Paul in pairs that either complement or add to each other in order to express praise and glory to God; the phrase ‘redemption through His blood’ is paralleled with ‘forgiveness of our sins’ (1:7), not so much as an explanation of salvation, but a way of glorying in it.  However, we need to look more closely at the word ‘forgiveness’, and what it means here in this verse.

The Greek word for ‘forgiveness’ means ‘cancellation’ or ‘release’, and it complements the idea of redemption, for redemption is won through the payment of a price so that someone may be ‘released’.  In our minds should be the picture of a slave in a market place, who may be ‘released’ (the same word as ‘forgiven’) if someone pays the required ransom, or ‘redemption price’ for the freedom of a slave.  Bearing this in mind, we must conclude that we cannot obtain ‘forgiveness’ for our sins by ourselves or just by asking for it; our forgiveness is granted at the cost of Christ’s life.  We sometimes treat the matter of our forgiveness in Christ too lightly, but this costly freedom is described here as the ‘riches’ of God’s grace (1:7); but we can hardly expect such mercy unless we accept the One who has died to make it available! 

Most people do not realise that Paul rarely uses the word ‘forgiveness’ (only here and in Colossians 1:14), and most of the teaching we have about forgiveness comes from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and in other places (Matt 6:14f., 18:21, Luke 6:37 etc.).  It is not that Paul never teaches forgiveness, but that he normally chooses to speak about our salvation by using words like ‘justification’, or being ‘put right with God’ (e.g. Romans 1:17, 3:21f.).  It is reassuring to find a passage such as this that confirms our belief that when Paul talked about ‘salvation by faith’, ‘justification’ and ‘peace with God’, what he said could also be described as ‘redemption ... for the forgiveness of our sins’.

Why does Scripture speak about ‘the mystery of His will’ (1:9)?

The second sentence of this passage speaks eloquently about the eternal plans of God for all creation.  Paul revels in the fact that God has finally revealed His plan for the whole world in Christ, something that before the time of Christ was indeed a mystery.  God knew what He was doing from the beginning of time, and when Adam and Eve ‘fell’ in the Garden of Eden, He had a plan in mind to bring men and women back to Him in the ‘fullness of time’ (1:10 – see next).  This was only partially revealed through the Old Testament, firstly through the relationship between God and His people, the Israelites, and then when the people began to go astray under the influence of their kings (see 2 Kings 17), God continued to reveal His plan through the prophets.  Although there is much for us to learn about God’s plans in the Old Testament, all of it leads up to their fulfilment in Christ.  Jesus Himself said ‘I have come not to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them’ (Matt 5:17).  Let us not be mistaken, the mystery of God has been revealed!

It is not something we spot very quickly, but in his prayer of praise Paul mocked the so-called ‘mystery’ religions of His day, which suggested that access to God was gradually revealed through ‘mysteries’, to which people were granted access progressively in the attempted to reach the ultimate secrets of the universe.  The only comparable well known ‘mystery religion’ of our day is freemasonry, with its ‘secrets’ and orders of initiation.  People think of it as merely a social club, but it is not; the orders are built on religious themes completely at odds with Christian faith, and its perils are too often ignored.

In Paul’s day, people were used to hearing the word ‘mystery’ in any discussion of religion, and some early Christians constructed mystery religions based on Christ, with different levels of revelation required to find the ultimate mysteries of God in Christ.  Paul would have none of this; in Christ, he said, all the mysteries of God had already been revealed.  Even though it was as obvious to Paul (as it is to us) that people could never know the future or know when Christ would come in glory, there was no need for Christians to feel that God had kept anything back.  His full plan was available in Christ!

What is God’s ultimate plan for all things (1:10)?

What is this plan?  Paul declared that God’s intention was to bring all things together ‘in Christ’.  At this point in the study, I urge you to read the translational note on verse 10 above.  This makes it clear to us that Paul’s sentence, which is a little obscure, means that God’s intention is to complete the work of Christ rather than to simply ‘make everything come good in the end’.  It is therefore quite wrong to suggest that God intends to accept all people and everything into His New Creation whether or not they have accepted Christ, for the truth is quite contrary to this.  God’s ‘heavenly task for the fullness of time’ (1:10) is to complete the plan He has revealed in Christ.  God has no more surprises for us about who He is or what He will do; everything is available to us in Christ, and we know about Him from God’s Word, the Bible, and His presence with us in Spirit and in truth.

Some people complain that God has not revealed everything, because the book of Revelation remains a mystery to us, and scholars are unable to fathom what it means!  In addition, it seems to us that there is a great deal we do not know either about our own world or the future; indeed, people who study theology search as if there is always some more truth to be found that has not yet been revealed!  However, we must be careful.  There may be things we do not know, but we should not work on the basis that God has yet to reveal more of His plan.  He has declared this fully in Christ.  it is not God’s fault if we are unable to understand what He has given to us within His Word and in Christ.  As each generation goes by, godly people discover more about what God has revealed both in Christ and the Bible, but it is there, waiting for us to find it.  We may have difficulty in understanding everything, but God cannot be faulted for this.  Perhaps the only part of God’s plan that we do not know is the exact time of Christ’s coming, as Jesus Himself made clear (Matt 24:36).

Ephesians 1:7-10 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

In the wonderful prayer here at the beginning of Ephesians, Paul prays in gratitude for the wondrous redeeming work of God and His plan to unite all things In Him in eternity.  It is a plan that has been started and is yet to be completed, and the details of this plan are plain and available for all.  However, there is a remarkable contrast between this prayer of praise and the reality of church life today.  People are often be tempted to believe that God has not yet revealed everything and that He has, for whatever reason, kept some things back.  There are so many things that Christians argue about and frequently ‘agree to disagree’, whether it is about doctrines of baptism or what the Bible says about a variety of things such as what happens to us after death.  Yet Scripture itself is adamant that there is no more revelation to give; we have all we need and the work of Christ is unique and unmistakable.  Even the last words of the book of Revelation say that no one should add to anything that ‘has been written’ (Rev 22:18,19); and yet apparently godly people still preach and teach as if God has revealed something new in our generation.  What we need is a new heart of praise which interprets Christian truth to our generation, not an attempt to re-invent the Gospel for our age!  

In addition, God’s intention is to complete what He has already revealed through Jesus, and ‘unite all things in Him’.  Yes, we are all to be one, and our precious preferences of church allegiance or denominations, and our arguments about baptism, the Reformation, Calvinism and evangelism, will all cease.  In Christ they are meaningless not just in the future, but now!  We continue to base our church life on our divisions rather than on Christ who is our unity.  When we come to the Father in glory, we should not expect justification for our standpoint on divisive issues; we should expect to be humbled before the One who is our only hope and salvation.  Our arguments are the jargon of division, and they succeed today in preventing the Gospel instead of enabling it; they are a sin to be confessed, not a fact of life to accept.

The glory of the passage of scripture we have read today is that it is a poem of praise to God for what He has done and will do, untainted by the divisions and factions of the church today.  Through this praise, Paul bids us accept that God has revealed all things about Himself and His plan for the world and appeals to us to come together in Him because our redemption in Jesus is more important than anything else in the world.  After all, this redemption is God’s rich grace lavished on us; why do we look for more?  By bringing us back to praise, Paul calls all God’s people to join him in celebrating the eternal plan of God and the work of Christ by which it is accomplished.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. In your group, ask yourselves what you do to give praise to God.  How does it measure up to what Paul does in this passage?
2. How do you envisage the future and God’s plans for all Creation?  Share your thoughts in your group.
3. Why does God want to ‘unite all things in Christ (1:10) and what will this achieve?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Read through this passage of scripture and make a note of all that God has given us.  Examine this list carefully, and compare what it says with what you know of the Gospel.  To what extent is it different, or does it say the same as what you know already?  Let the Holy Spirit lead you as you explore your faith and check out the meaning of these words of scripture.
• Pray for the many Christians who live in your area and who worship God in different churches but yet do not know each other.  Ask the Lord to help you see what you can do to help bring about His vision of a people who are united in Him, in preparation for His glory.

Final Prayer

Fill us with Your grace, Lord God, our Creator and our Redeemer; and may Your divine favour flow through us because we have unreservedly accepted Your glorious and generous presence.  May our lives give testimony to Your kind, open and supportive love; and through us, may others see the gracious truth about You, the One in whom we believe: AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 1:11-14

Ephesians 1:11-14 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Paul concludes his prayer of praise to God with a powerful description of God’s purposes, to save first the Jews and then the Gentiles.  More than that, the common possession of both is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is the gaurantee of God’s eternal promises.  Alleluia!

These are the last four verses in Paul’s great prayer at the beginning of Ephesians.  Having given thanks to God for His eternal plan of redemption in Christ (1:7-10), Paul’s eulogy now reveals even more about our salvation.  He speaks of God’s choice of those He saves (1:11,12), the inclusion of those who hear the Gospel (1:13) and God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, which is the proof of His work (1:14).  The whole passage overflows with praise, and it has had a profound impact on the faith of believers for generations.

Yesterday, we were led to look into Scriptures to explore the meaning of Paul’s great prayer; his words were familiar, but theologically, rather technical.  Today, however, many of the words and phrases found in this passage are familiar, and are used extensively today.  Christians often speak of their ‘hope in Christ’, of the ‘praise of His glory’, also the ‘word of truth’, the ‘Gospel of your salvation’, and ‘the promised Holy Spirit’.  These phrases are so familiar we can be in danger of taking them for granted, but there is something we should note about them; most are found only here in the Bible!  The phrase ‘hope in Christ’ is found also in 1 Corinthians 15:19, and ‘word of truth’ is also to be found in Colossians 1:5, 2 Timothy 2:15, James 1:18, and Psalm 119:43, but the rest are unique to this passage of Scripture!

Unfortunately, it is easy to be confused by what Paul says here, and we find it hard to understand what his long and complicated sentences mean.  So when Paul says things like this; ‘being destined according to the plan of Him who makes everything work so that it conforms to His will’ (1:11), or ‘... sealed by the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the release of what has been kept for us’ (1:13,14), we can tend to switch off, by taking what we know and leaving to one side what is not familiar.

Again, we should not be satisfied with this.  We accept that in every aspect of life from science, law, teaching and the professions, language is used that is understood only within that field, and not necessarily outside.  Doctors have their ‘language’, as do those trained in ‘social services’, and most of us change the language we use according to whether we are at work or at home, without thinking.  So we should not be surprised to find that some words and phrases that are a part of Christian faith are not familiar to people outside of the church.  As God’s servants, our work is to seek to understand everything God says to us in His Word, and be willing to explain it to others so that they might know the incredible things God has done.

The best way to understand our passage today is to break it up into three parts, beginning with verses 11 and 12:

In Him we have also been chosen, having been set apart from the beginning according to the plan of Him who makes everything work so that it conforms to His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might exist for the praise of His glory. 

Here, Paul is referring to the Jewish people, and he will add others later.  The people of Israel are God’s chosen people, ‘set apart from the beginning according to the plan ...’ (1:11); and by saying, ‘we who were the first to hope in Christ’ (1:12), Paul refers specifically to the first disciples and apostles.  In this way, Paul sets out his belief that God has a plan for the salvation of the world, worked out from the beginning of time, by which He makes Himself known firstly to a chosen people.  Now as a matter of fact, the first to receive the gift of salvation were those with whom Jesus met and ministered. Of course, the Bible is the astonishing and unique story of the unfolding of this plan, something that is worthy of our highest praise.

But Paul goes on to say that God’s plan goes further than His own chosen people.  He says this, in verse 13;

You were also included in Him when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation

Clearly, Paul is now saying that by the preaching of the Gospel, others who are not Jews are included in God’s plan.  Remember, he is addressing a group of churches from the region around Ephesus, and he is telling them that they are as much a part of God’s plan as the Jewish people!  It is characteristic of Paul’s writing that he emphasises the importance of the Gospel as the means whereby God’s plan is put into action, and this is precisely his point here.  But he continues, and in a wonderful sentence, he describes the one feature of Christian experience that binds all believers together, which is their common experience of the Holy Spirit.  He says this;

you were sealed by the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the release of what has been kept for us; to the praise His glory!

This means that the gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee of His promises of eternal life!  Moreover, just as Jesus taught, God has prepared this inheritance for us and guards it for our arrival!  No wonder Paul continues by saying ‘to the praise of His glory!’ (1:14).

There is so much more for us to discover, but the pattern of Paul’s prayer is now complete.  He praises God for His plan of salvation and the choice of His people to bear witness to it, and he gives glory to God for making this godly inheritance of faith available to all through the preaching of the Word, the Gospel of salvation and the work of the Holy Spirit!  What a powerful prayer of blessing!

Ephesians 1:11-14 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• Who were the first to ‘hope in Christ’ (1:12)?
• What is the real significance of the change from ‘we’ to ‘you’ in this passage (1:12,13)?
• To what extent does this passage summarise the Gospel message?
• What does this passage mean by the ‘seal’ of the Holy Spirit (1:13)?
• What does Paul mean by describing the Holy Spirit as a ‘guarantee’ (1:14)?

Notes on the translation of the passage

V11 ‘Him who makes everything work so that it conforms to His will’

The Greek verb here is ‘energo’, which is related to the English word energy.  If it were not a deviation from the proper meaning of the word, which is ‘to be operative’, or ‘to make something work’, it would be very tempting to translate the phrase, ‘Him who energises everything so that it works according to His will.’ I leave this thought with you as a way to assist your understanding of the text.

V12 ‘we who were the first to hope in Christ.’ 

The Greek verb ‘pro-elpidzo’ is the basic word behind the expression ‘first to hope’, but it is not entirely clear what it means.  It could mean ‘hope before’, and a strict translation would be ‘we who pre-hoped in Christ’, which is far too vague.  The logic of the sentence determines the translation here (see study)

V13 ‘and having believed in Him ...’

You will find that there are considerable variations on the translation of this verse in different Bible verses, because the Greek is very hard to translate, and there is no common agreement on the possibilities.  Some Bible versions make the whole verse into one sentence, but there are two clauses; firstly, ‘You were also included in Him when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of you salvation’, and secondly, ‘and having believed in Him, you were sealed by the promise of the Holy Spirit.’  The whole verse seems to me to be much clearer if the two clauses are separated in this way.

  V14 ‘until the release of what has been kept for us ...’ 

The Greek text is just two words, which say ‘the release of the possessions’.  However, the ‘possessions’ in this case are the inheritance God has kept for us.  However, it is not that God holds back something that we do not understand or that we have no knowledge of.  The pledge given to us is a sample or ‘guarantee’ of what God will give us in all fullness at the end of time (see study).

Who were the first to ‘hope in Christ’ (1:12)?

In verse 12, Paul speaks about those who were the ‘first to hope in Christ’ (1:12).  There is a little confusion about what the term means (see notes above), but it is most likely that Paul was speaking about the first generation of Christians who were part of the earliest pioneering days of the church, especially the disciples and those to whom Christ appeared (see 1 Cor 15:5-8).  To these we might add those who came to Jerusalem on the first day of Pentecost; the vast crowd of people from the Roman Empire, both Jews and proselytes (those converted to Judaism), of whom about 3,000 became Christians on their profession of faith, their baptism and the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit  (Acts 2:38f.).  Many of these people, of course, would have returned to their homes after Pentecost, and although we think of Paul as founding churches throughout the Roman world, there is also evidence that groups of believers began to meet throughout the Roman Empire from before the time of Paul’s great missionary effort.

Nevertheless, Paul counted such people, mostly Jews either by birth or by conversion, as the primary witnesses to God’s plan for the salvation of the world.  Their purpose was to give glory to God, to ‘exist to the praise of His glory (1:12).  Clearly, Paul believed that God intended His good news to be broadcast by praise!  This seems odd to us who might think that practical evangelism is required for the proclamation of the good news.  However, in saying this we fail to recognise the power of praise and what praise means.

In scripture, to praise God means to honour Him as Creator and to live one’s life by His direction and in obedience.  As the psalms testify, praise is not merely being happy about the things of God, but having faith in Him in the midst of every circumstance of life.  So praise cannot be a personal extravagance or something done only in worship together with others; it is a way of life.  As such, praise testifies to God, which is why Paul described it as a primary witness to God in the world.  Praise is not for people, it is for God!

What is the real significance of the change from ‘we’ to ‘you’ in this passage (1:12,13)?

When Paul began this prayer, he used the term ‘we’ as if speaking about all Christians.  Indeed, everything we have read about the plan of God for the revelation of His will and redemption in Christ is our Christian heritage to this day.  However, in the very early days of the church, when Paul was writing this letter, people were only just beginning to come to terms with what it meant for the Gospel to move out from this first wave of believers into the wider world.  Paul was one of the few who perceived the importance of mission to the Gentiles, and his work at Ephesus was arguably his most successful mission (see Acts 19,20), reaching out from the city into the regions of Asia Minor beyond.

In changing his words from ‘we’ to ‘you’, Paul was consciously addressing the Ephesians, and later on in the letter it is clear that by ‘you’, Paul meant Gentile Christians in Ephesus converted on mission (see Ephesians 2:11f.).  So, where everything from Ephesians 1:3-12 has been said from the point of view of first generation Christians using the Jewish language of redemption, destiny and election, everything from verse 13 onwards speaks to Gentile Christians using the language of evangelism; the ‘word of truth’, ‘the Gospel of your salvation’ and the ‘Holy Spirit’!

To what extent does this passage summarise the Gospel message?

At last the more modern Christian can feel more at home in what Paul says, although some of his illustrations (as we will see in verse 14 shortly) come from the ancient Roman world with which we are unfamiliar today.  In Romans 10:12f. Paul explains with clarity how evangelism works:

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on Him.  For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."  But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim Him?  And how are they to proclaim Him unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"  ...  So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:12-17)

By emphasising the preaching of the Gospel, this passage explains why Paul placed great emphasis on the ‘word of truth’ in this prayer; he was not referring to the Bible!  The Gentiles were included in the Gospel of salvation through their response to evangelism, the preached word of truth.  When they heard about the Gospel, responded by faith and received the blessing (or ‘seal’) of the Holy Spirit, they were accepted amongst God’s people (1:13).

Some believe that verse 13 is a formula for baptism used by the early church, in which all these elements played their part.  However, this is only a theory.  Baptism is not mentioned here, but what Paul says in this verse has provided a model for evangelism for centuries.  The word is preached, people respond by faith, and the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is taken to be the proof that God has blessed the individual and included him or her amongst His people.  Naturally, baptism follows at some point in the future, and a good service of baptism will naturally celebrate how a person has been saved by the grace of God.

What does this passage mean by the ‘seal’ of the Holy Spirit (1:13)?

Paul’s phrase ‘sealed by the promised Holy Spirit’ is fascinating.  Today, we speak about receiving the Holy Spirit more simply, suggesting that someone either has the Holy Spirit, or they do not.  Paul’s words suggest that we look more carefully at what this means.

His words ‘you were sealed’ suggest a connection with Ezekiel 9:4, which is a vision in which a mark is placed on the forehead of true believers who lamented over the ‘abominations’ of Jerusalem.  The prophecies of Ezekiel were well known by early Jewish Christians, and they would have identified with this prophecy.  They believed that true Christians were in some way ‘marked’ by God as His own.  People in the first century also knew that a seal was the mark of ownership on a slave (sometimes on the forehead, but sometimes elsewhere).  In addition, the idea of a sign of belonging was rooted in the Jewish Passover, at which the doorposts of homes were marked with the blood of a sacrificial lamb (Exodus 12:7) as a sign of covenant faith and Jewish identity.  It was also rooted in circumcision, the ‘sign’ of God’s Covenant with Abraham and His ancestors.

All these ideas and perhaps more went into the idea of the Holy Spirit as God’s ‘seal’.  So the Spirit is the mark of God’s favour and blessing, enabling the Christian to do God’s work and be fruitful for Him, a theme taken up in most of Paul’s letters (e.g. 1 Corinthians 12 and Galatians 5, and also Revelation 7:4 and 9:4, and 2 Corinthians 1:22).  The Holy Spirit is God’s gift of Himself to all who believe (as John explained exhaustively - John 14:17f.).  Prophets in the Old Testament promised the coming of the Spirit (Isaiah 32:15, Joel 2:28), and the promise was granted on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1f.).

What does Paul mean by describing the Holy Spirit as a ‘guarantee’ (1:14)?

Nevertheless, no one can possess all the Holy Spirit!  We have something of God’s Spirit at work in our lives as what Paul describes as a ‘guarantee’ of the full inheritance of God.  Today, we think of this as like a down payment or a deposit that guarantees intent to pay the full amount.  However, the Greek word here is ‘arrabon’, used in Greece to this day to refer to an engagement ring.  The term arose in ancient times from commercial bartering and exchange of goods.  A sample of goods was deposited with a buyer not just to mark intent to complete a deal, but as a test sample of the full stock ordered, to enable the buyer on receipt of the full order to judge whether it matched up to the promise made when the deal was struck.

When looked at like this, the gift of the Holy Spirit is a perfect sample of what God promises us in eternity; His power and all the qualities of the Spirit described in Scripture, represent the presence of the living Christ within us.  He is our promise from God that one day we will be with Him in glory!  We cannot experience that perfection now, but when Jesus comes again, we will, because God has planned since the beginning of time to bring us back to Him if we will accept Him and His offer in Christ.

Ephesians 1:11-14 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

Our passage today does not explain how God has redeemed us and saved us, this is to be found earlier in Paul’s prayer, in Ephesians 1 (1:5f.).  However, it describes the importance of praise as a means of witnessing to God in the world, and also the receipt of the Gospel by faith and the evidence of this in the ‘seal’ of the Holy Spirit.  Other features of our passage are similar to what we have already read, concerning the plan of God to complete His work at a time of His choosing.

It is perhaps natural that a prayer that began in praise should both end in praise and also hints that praise is a means of making God known within the world.  There is something liberating in what Paul suggests here.  Instead of thinking that praise is what happens in church on Sundays, we can begin to realise that praise is a way of life.  If what we do and say is worshipful and honouring to God, then our lives will indeed give evidence to other people about what we believe.  We tend to think that we are not very special and often prefer to hide ourselves in a crowd.  However, if we are confident in the Lord and live with an attitude of praise and worship to Almighty God, then this will show in almost everything we do.  We may think that it is hard to change our lifestyle and live in a different way, but surely, we can ask the Lord to help us by His Spirit to do such a thing.  This is exactly what God wants of us, so we should not be afraid to ask for His help!

Our passage also confirms the importance of evangelism, but not in a narrow way.  The preached word of God is important, but it is also important to encourage people to understand that they should expect to receive the Holy Spirit as God’s authentic guarantee of His presence.  Many people have offered their lives to Christ without being told that God is waiting to grant them special gifts including the Holy Spirit.  The result is that even to this day many churches are filled with Christians of whom Paul might ask ‘did you know about the Holy Spirit when you were baptised?’ (see Acts 19:1f.).  Evangelism is complete not just when people respond to the Gospel by faith, but when they know the assurance of God’s blessing through the power of His Spirit present within their lives.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. How can praise become a part of life, not just a part of what you do on Sundays?  Discuss this within your group.
2. If God has given us a foretaste of our future through the gift of the Holy Spirit, what should we expect eternity to be like?
3. Why is the Holy Spirit important to God’s plan for His people and for the whole world?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• If you are unsure about the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, then try coming before God in prayer, and asking Him to reveal the truth to you about the Holy Spirit.  If you feel comfortable to do so, ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life; if not, then speak to other Christians about this.
• Pray that God will encourage His people by the power of His Holy Spirit, and bless them by His presence.

Final Prayer

Dear Jesus, may we speak to You honestly and listen to You carefully, so that we may learn to distinguish Your voice from the clamour of everything around us.  We long to learn more of Your will and be obedient throughout our lives, and demonstrate in this way the abiding faith we have in You; AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 1:15-23 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

This great prayer comes at the end of the extraordinary first chapter of Ephesians. It is a prayer of thanksgiving and encouragement for the churches to which Paul wrote, and a wonderful description God’s work amongst His people there.

Now, in the previous three studies we looked in depth at the first fourteen verses of Ephesians, because they are an amazing description of the work of God through Jesus Christ, and the seal of the Holy Spirit as the evidence of the work of God in the life of the believer.  The language of our passage today is just like these previous verses, which bubble over with enthusiasm and excitement at the work of God.  All of this is addressed to God as a prayer of thanks, and it is a good example of how we should give glory to God for all He has done for us.  However our passage today is a prayer of intercession, instead of thanks, and it is yet another ‘single sentence’ prayer flowing from one theme to another, beginning with Paul’s remembrance of those to whom he writes (1:16) and ending with a powerful call to God’s people to acknowledge the presence of Christ in their midst as their supreme head and as the Master of all things (1:2-23).

Those who are familiar with Paul’s writing, and the New Testament as a whole, will quickly see that there are strong connection between this passage and the first chapter of Colossians; there are indeed similarities to be found through the whole of Ephesians 1.  This is because there are many phrases that can be found in each, such as ‘for this reason ... I have not ceased to give thanks for You’ (1:15,16 and Colossians 1:9), and ‘... what are the riches of His glory ...’ (1:18 and Colossians 1:27).  We will explore this further in the ‘going deeper’ section of this study.  The passage is rich with meaning, and many phrases are heaped together, but they are all highly important for God’s people.

Because of the rather condensed language of this prayer, we need some help to unpick what is said by Paul.  For this reason, I have summarised it below in ‘bulleted’ form.  You may well feel that you could break it down in other helpful ways, but this keeps the breakdown correct to the proper grammar of the Greek as written by Paul.  If you read different Bible versions, you will find that they sometimes break down the whole prayer into smaller sentences, but this can make the prayer less understandable as a whole, and the whole passage can quickly lose its magnificence and grandeur if this is done.  Most importantly, this outline enables us to see how the different points within the prayer relate to each other, building up the picture of Paul’s prayer.  As you read through this now, note how each subsection follows on from the one previous, to add to your understanding of what Paul has just said.

• Ever since I heard about your ... (1:15)
• Faith
• and love
• I have prayed and interceded for you ... (1:16)
• to have wisdom and revelation in understanding (17)
• to be enlightened and that you may know ... (1:18)
• the hope of your calling
• the riches of His glory and His inheritance
• and the greatness of His power and strength which comes ... (1:19)
• through Christ’s death and resurrection (1:20)
• through His authority at the right hand of God in the heavens ...
• above all ‘rule, authority, power and dominion’ (1:21)
• and above every name now and forever
• And you should know that God ...
• has put all things under Christ’s feet  (1:22)
• and has made Him head of the church.  The church is ...
• His body
• the fullness of Him who completes everything ...’

It is not too hard now to summarise this great prayer.  It begins with Paul expressing joy in hearing about the continuing faith and love of the churches of Ephesus, but he goes on to express concern that they should grow in wisdom and understanding and perceive the things of God.  He wanted them to know the true value of what they had received in Christ and the power of God active in their lives (1:18,19); this was available to them because of Christ’s resurrection and the fact that He reigns in the heavens with the Father (1:20,21), and is the head of the church, which is His body (1:22,23)! 

At each stage of this great prayer we are faced with fascinating insights into the work of God in the life of believers and also the church.  In general, the prayer calls on God’s people to be energetic and enthusiastic in their pursuit of the things of God and the preaching of the Gospel.  This of course is possible if the Spirit of God fills those who believe with the same kind of hope, energy and conviction shown by Paul here.  One of the significant things about this passage is that it encourages us who read, and if we are open to it, then the very reading of it will fill our hearts with exactly these qualities, and energise us in the proclamation of God’s ‘good’ news!

Ephesians 1:15-23 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• How does this passage connect with Colossians 1 and what does this mean?
• Why did Paul pray for the Ephesians to have wisdom and revelation (1:17-19)?
• Why does Paul finish the prayer by emphasising Christ’s supremacy (1:20-23)?

Notes on the translation of the passage

V16 ‘... making mention of you in my prayers’

The Greek could read ‘making remembrance in my prayers’, so you will find that some Bible versions use the word ‘remember’ here.  I feel that the phrase ‘make mention’ reflects the sense of the Greek better.  In addition, I have placed a full stop at the end of the verse.  Most translations do not, but because there were no punctuation marks in the Greek original, we cannot tell what the author’s intentions were.

V17 ‘a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your understanding of Him,’

I have added the word ‘your’ to this sentence to help it make sense.  In this way, the apostle speaks about wisdom and revelation being an important part of how God’s people gain knowledge about Him (see study).

V18 ‘riches of His glory and inheritance’

Many Bible versions have ‘riches of His glorious inheritance’.  However, although the Greek is not all that clear at this point, both the words ‘glory’ and ‘inheritance’ are separate nouns; and because each has a distinct meaning, I have kept them apart.  Each word has special significance in the New Testament, and the meaning of God’s glory is lost if the word is merely appended to ‘inheritance’ as an adjective.

How does this passage connect with Colossians 1 and what does this mean?

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is very similar to that for the Colossians (see Colossians 1:3-21), but it seems to be a shortened version.  Both prayers begin with Paul’s commendation for faith and love in the believers (Eph 1:15, Col 1:3), as the comparison below shows:

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints.  I have not ceased to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.’ (Eph 1:15)

In our prayers for you, we always give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love you have for all the saints (Col 1:4,5)

Some people have suggested that one greeting was copied from the other, but it seems more likely that Paul did indeed look for evidence of faith and love within the fellowship of believers.  This is why he began so many of his letters with some mention of these two, not just these two letters, however close the words he used (e.g. see also Phil 1:3f. and 1 Thess 1:3).  Faith and love are surely the vital ingredients of any church fellowship, expressing our relationship with God by faith in Christ, and the love for each other that must flow from our faith.  This is not new teaching, but standard New Testament doctrine, and it is better if we see it as this.

Other similarities between our passage and Colossians in particular are listed below:

• Eph 1:16,17  Col 1:4      ‘give thanks for you ... praying’
• Eph 1:17        Col 1:3      ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’
• Eph 1:18        Col 1:27    ‘hope ... what are the riches of His glory’
• Eph 1:19        Col 1:29    ‘power ... according to the working of His might ...’
• Eph 1:21        Col 1:16    ‘rule, authority ... dominion’
• Eph 1:22-23  Col 1:24    ‘the church, which is His body.’

These quotes only give a snapshot of the two passages, and we can see them by reading the full text of both, side by side.  However, it is worth considering how these connections come about.  Some suggest a variety of literary reasons, such as copying, or even that Paul was using some form of words or ‘liturgy’ used in the church.  Personally, I think it too soon for the church to have such elaborate liturgies as would affect someone like Paul, and it is more likely that the connections reflect the regular prayer life of Paul himself.  He is known to have been a man of prayer, and it does not take much to imagine that just like all of us, he had ‘habits’ of prayer and the use of words.

Paul prayed out of a sense of concern for the churches to which he ministered, but the prayers have become important because they have come to us within scripture, and they can now help us consider how we might pray for the churches of Christ.  Certainly we should pray that they be filled with faith and love, but the rest of the prayer has more to say.

Why did Paul pray for the Ephesians to have wisdom and revelation (1:17-19)?

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is in verses 17 to 19 flows from one point to another conveying two complex requests; one in verse 17, and one in verses 18 and 19 which is itself split into three parts.  All of the prayers continue to use the same confident and flowing spiritual words which have inspired us so far in Ephesians.  The first prayer was that God (described uniquely in scripture as ‘the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory’) would bless the Ephesian Christians with a ’spirit of wisdom and revelation’ as they sought to learn and understand more of their Lord.  Wisdom and revelation are a fascinating combination here, and Paul does not mention them casually.  He knew that people learning about God, need to engage their minds in a search for wisdom and also keep their spirits open to God’s direct revelation.  The combination of earthly and spiritual quest is the key to fulfilment in discipleship and faith.

The second prayer Paul said for the Ephesians was that they would indeed benefit from wisdom and revelation, and that the ‘eyes of [their] hearts’ would be ‘enlightened’ (1:18).  Not enlightenment for the sake of enlightenment, but so that the Ephesians might experience and know three things; firstly the ‘hope’ of their calling (1:18), secondly the ‘riches of His glory and inheritance’ (1:18) and thirdly the ‘unsurpassed greatness’ and ‘power’ of God (1:19).  Note how all these wonderful treasures keep the Christians looking forward.  Hope, in Christian terms, is a confidence in the eternal future promised by Jesus to all who believe (John 14:1f.).  The ‘riches of His glory and inheritance’ are all benefits a Christian may experience now, in part, but fully when Christ comes in glory; and to know the incomparable greatness of God is surely to have confidence that God is able to help and deliver even in the midst of present difficulties.

Why does Paul finish the prayer by emphasising Christ’s supremacy (1:20-23)?

Underneath the beautifully expressed words of our reading lies Paul’s uncompromising belief that the Gospel message was effective in this world because the power of Christ was greater than anything else on earth or in heaven.  It is worth our while dwelling on these words because phrases such as ‘seated ... at His right hand in the heavens’ are frequently part of the liturgy of the church, either formally or informally.  It is possible to read this entire passage as part of a prayer of glory to God and our Saviour Jesus Christ without taking on board what it really means.  In the world of the first century when people commonly believe in many gods and there were many religions to choose from, the Christians boldly claimed that there was only one God, supreme in the heavens.  They took their language from Psalm 110, a passage used extensively in the New Testament:

The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand

       Until I make your enemies your footstool ...’ (Psalm 110:1)

In this passage, Paul gave a reason why people could be confident in the promises of God of an eternal future (1:18, see above).  He explained that by His death and resurrection Jesus (1:20) had overcome the final enemy of humanity, which is death, and was therefore higher than any other imaginable ‘rule, authority, power and dominion’.  When we read these words today they sound dramatic, but each of them refer to various pagan ways of understanding heavenly places and the being that inhabited them.  We hardly need to know the details of what ancient people thought ‘rulers’ were or ‘powers’, because Paul’s point is made.  Christ is above all of them because He is God.

In addition to this, Jesus has not just risen to heaven to be absent from us here on earth, but by means of His Holy Spirit is both head of the church as its founder and inspiration, and the ‘body’ of the church because He encompasses everything.  Jesus is present in His world, but most completely in those who own His name; people who will one day be ‘completed’ and made perfect in heaven through His ministry.  This is what is meant by the slightly mysterious verse at the end of the passage; ‘which is His body, the fullness of Him who brings to completion everything in every way’ (1:23).

Paul was not using beautiful words and expressions merely for the sake of poetry and liturgy; he used them because he was overcome by the profound truth of what he had discovered about the Gospel.  His words remain powerful and authoritative.

Ephesians 1:15-23 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

Paul’s prayer is a great reminder to us of where our faith should be.  I have visited or been a part of many churches today who seek to find out what they think they stand for by asking congregations to fill in questionnaires, or discussing ‘vision statements’ in leadership teams or elders meetings.  I understand that church congregations need focus and direction, but I fail to understand why godly people do not point out, as Paul does here, that we already have everything necessary to be totally motivated by our faith in Christ.  In addition, it is patently clear that we have trouble loving one another, so there is plenty of work for us to do if we are to begin to fulfil the existing criteria for God’s people as set out in Scripture.

It is often argued that we always need to focus the Gospel according to our culture.  Having read through Ephesians and knowing its power over the centuries to motivate God’s people to faith, evangelism and mission in all its forms, I am more convinced than ever of the importance of what it says.  If we want to find out how to be relevant to our culture today, then we will find the answer not by examining our culture, but by being immersed in Christ.  He will guide us into what He wants us to do in His world, and if we attempt to focus on the world rather than on Him, we will simply end up becoming like the many religions of the world which simply peddle religiosity rather than engaging with the only living God.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. How do we keep ourselves open to both wisdom and revelation within the church today?
2. Read through the prayers Paul says for the Ephesian churches, and discuss what you feel you might add to what he says if you were praying for the church today.
3. If Christ is ‘seated in the heavens’ above all things, how is it that we can have a relationship with Him?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• How often do you pray?  Try disciplining yourself to a set time each day, or pray while you are doing your various tasks in the midst of the day.  Try praying about people and things in general, and pray for the church of God just as Paul prayed.  The church is essential to your own spiritual health!
• Read through this passage several times until you can see the patterns within it.  You should find yourself encouraged in faith and blessed through assurance that God has a future for you.

Final Prayer

Bless the special time we set aside to spend with You, Lord God.  If we have been challenged, guide us in our response; if we have been blessed in Your presence, move us on to greater things.  May we always be responsive to the movement of Your Spirit, and return to You each day with hope and confidence that You will guide us without fail throughout our lives: AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1-10 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Here, Paul gives us a magnificent summary of the Gospel, focussing on the work of Christ in saving sinful humanity by ‘grace’, on the basis of their ‘faith’.  He also reminds the believer that each one is saved in order to do the good deeds God requires.

The opening chapter of Ephesians is so remarkable, it is easy to forget that as it continues, Paul’s letter is no less full of enthusiasm and fervour.  Our reading today, just like the main chunks of the first chapter, is one long sentence in the original Greek.  But where the first chapter, apart from the first two verses, is a long prayer giving thanks to God and then interceding for the Ephesians, today’s reading encourages his readers to believe.  The whole passage one of the most complete summaries of the Gospel to be found in Paul’s letters.

If we delve into the Bible we will find that there are similar passage in Romans (3:21-26) and Galatians (3:10-14).  All of these passages urge God’s people fervently to know why they are saved and how they are saved, and as a consequence, live a good life that demonstrates God’s salvation.  In all of them, Paul argues that all people are sinners and in need of God’s grace (2:1-3), supplied through the generous love of God (2:4-7), who asks that we have faith in Christ and that we live according to our calling as God’s people (2:8-10).  However, what marks out this passage is its sense of zeal and vigour; here is the voice of mature conviction urging the believer to accept the consequences of faith, to believe the full gospel of grace, and to do those ‘good works’ God requires of all who call on His name (2:10).

One of the main characteristics of Paul’s summary of the Gospel here is that it is designed for Gentiles, and not Jews.  There are no arguments here about Christ fulfilling the prophets, or about freedom from circumcision or the bondage of the Law, as is found in Romans and Galatians.  The Gospel message here has been honed for those who are not Jews.  So Paul speaks of the sinful ‘ways of this world’ (2:2), and the ‘passions of our earthly nature’ (2:3) from which Gentiles are saved.  He also speaks briefly of the demonic influences of the ‘prince of the power of the air’ at work in the Gentile world.  No matter what the origins of the sin, everyone is subject to its power and in need of salvation (2:1-3)

Paul goes on to describe the work Christ has done to save Gentile sinners (2:4-7).  His point here is that Christ puts people in touch with the true God of love who alone can save people from their sins.  He has broken down the barrier between God and humanity so that in Christ, the believer can indeed have access to God.  Now, there was no secular world in Paul’s day, and those who were not either Christians or Jews were citizens of a Roman world in which everyone sought the gods, providing they honoured the state, and there was a huge range of religious belief on offer.  Paul’s message to such people was that their search was over; they only had to believe in Christ and their every religious quest was fulfilled!  Moreover, the God he preached was the Almighty God of love, not a god of war, or food or drink, or the planets

The last emphatic paragraph begins with what is one of Paul’s most famous ‘quotes’.  Having explained the state of humanity (2:1-3) and then the work of Christ (2:4-7), he says ‘for by grace you have been saved through faith’ (2:8).  The first part of this is a repeat of what he said a couple of verses earlier (‘by grace you have been saved’ - 2:5), but the whole sentence includes the idea that salvation is a combination of the faith of the believer and the free grace of God.  This combination has characterised Christian theology ever since, and has never shifted from its place at the centre of all Christian doctrine.

We should be aware, however, that Paul adds more to this enigmatic and spiritually potent sentence.  The rest of this last paragraph, from the end of verse 8 to verse 10, is a carefully worded addendum to his definition of salvation concerning the part played in it by the deeds done by believers.  He is categorical in insisting that salvation itself cannot be won by, or thought to be based upon, the deeds of anyone (2:8,9).  But equally, he insists that each individual is made by God to do ‘good deeds’ on earth; and once a person is saved by grace, such ‘good deeds’ are required of the believer by God; they are ‘the pathway in which we should walk’ (2:10).

It is possible to argue that here, Paul plots a pathway from the ‘sinful deeds’ of the unsaved which cause sin and define the depravity of humanity (2:1), to the ‘good deeds’ which God requires of the saved (2:10).  This is indeed true, but what Paul wants the believers at Ephesus to remember and hold dear is an understanding of the gracious saving work of God through Jesus Christ, by which all people are saved.  He seems to glory in the very words he uses here while talking about the grace of God, and the highlight of this passage is undoubtedly his description of the fruit of salvation;

‘he has raised us up together with Jesus Christ in the heavenly places, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus’ (2:9,10).

Ephesians 2:1-10 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• What can we learn from 2:1-3 about the ‘pre-Christian’ life?
• What does 2:4-7 add to our knowledge of God’s salvation in Christ?
• How may we know we are walking in the pathways of God (2:8-10)?

Notes on the translation of the passage

V2 ‘in which you once walked’

The Greek word used here means ‘to walk, go about, live or conduct oneself’.  Some translations prefer ‘lived’ because it sharpens up the meaning of the phrase, however, the next verse begins in a similar way but with a different Greek word for ‘lived’, so it is best to keep a contrast between this verse and the next (see study) by saying ‘walked’ in this verse.  English usually uses ‘walked’ synonymously with ‘lived’.

V2 ‘in the children of disobedience’ 

The authorised version translated ‘sons of disobedience’, and many modern versions simply say ‘those who are disobedient’.  I have kept Paul’s rather dramatic phrase because it is meant to have impact, but suggest that the Greek for ‘sons’ has no particular implication for male rather than female (which is generally true in the New Testament) giving ‘children of disobedience’.

V5 ‘has brought us to life together with Christ’ 

This translation comes from a strange Greek word used by Paul that combines the three ideas of ‘life’, ‘being made’, and ‘together with’.  It is a unique word created to explain the resurrection.  Other Bible versions typically translate this as ‘made us alive together with Christ’ (see NRSV)

V6 ‘and He has raised us up and seated us together with Christ Jesus ...’

A translation that follows the Greek exactly would say ‘and raised us up with and seated us with in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus’.  This is rather difficult to comprehend.  What I have done is a little technical, but  quite logical, and this is to assume that the sentence structure in verse 6 follows on directly from verse 5  (which is clearly what Paul had in mind), and simplify the sentence construction so that it reads clearly in English.

V9 ‘... as the pathway in which we should walk’.

This famous verse ends with some bad grammar from Paul!  Nevertheless, we have to make sense of what he wrote, which is translated literally like this ‘which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them’ (see A.V.).  The last phrase is important because it links back to the beginning of our passage (see study) which refers to our ‘walk’ or way of life (2:1,2).  I have made the connection between the ‘good works’ of the previous phrase and the ‘way in which we should walk’ by using the word ‘pathway’ instead of the Greek ‘in them’.

What can we learn from 2:1-3 about the ‘pre-Christian’ life?

In verses 1 to 3, Paul speaks about the pre-Christian life in a highly negative manner; ‘dead in trespasses and sins’, ‘following the prince of the air ...’, ‘children of disobedience’.  In order to understand what Paul is saying here, we must look at the whole paragraph, and in some Bible translations the flow of the text has unfortunately been lost because of aggressive editing.  To begin with, you may wonder why verse 2 begins in the middle of a sentence.  This is because verses 2 and 3 both begin with the words ‘in which ...’; each verse follows on from verse 1, and each with its own point.

Verse 2 speaks about the multiplicity of gods, authorities and rulers believed in by people of the first century AD.  There was little escape from this.  People lived in a world that felt very dangerous and virtually everyone believed that the gods controlled everything.  The radical secular option to believe in no god at all, did not exist as it does today.  People’s lives were enwrapped with various beliefs about how their own lives were affected by the activities of the gods and most people lived according to systems designed to appease the gods.

In verse 3, Paul goes further.  Having addressed the Gentiles like this, he used the language of ‘we’ and included himself and his colleagues, many of them of Jewish origin, in the same condemnation; ‘we all once lived in the passions of our earthly nature ... we were children of wrath, like everyone else’ (2:3).  Remarkably, Paul dared to suggest that God’s people had also lost touch with God, and their purest motives had been lost (the pursuit of godliness according to the laws of Moses), given over to personal passions and desires.  This was challenging talk.  Yet it was no more than what Jesus said.  He spoke of Pharisees who prayed on street corners to draw attention to themselves (Matt 6:5), and He was killed on the orders of the High Priest for the purest of Jewish motives (Mark 14:53)!

Paul’s point is the same as that found in Romans 3:23: ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God’.  Some suggest that this is an insult to all people of good faith who have acted with altruism, from purely selfless motives, whatever their background.  However, by including the Jews in his argument, people who had sought to live by the highest of God’s standards, Paul sets us a challenge; what is altruism, and where can we find it? 

The problem is this; we might look at the actions of good people and applaud them, but we are suspicious of those who put themselves forward to say ‘we have acted selflessly’.  Consequently, our observations are no guide to what truly motivates people to do good.  Paul would say to us that the only truly good thing ever done for us is the selfless sacrifice of Christ, who has opened up for us a pathway back to our Creator, and eternal peace with Him.  Moreover, the proof of this is not in what Jesus said, but in what He did for us, and its subsequent effect on real people. 

What does 2:4-7 add to our knowledge of God’s salvation in Christ?

So it is not surprising that Paul followed this analysis of the human condition by speaking about the solution found in Jesus Christ by the grace of God (2:4-7).  Here is true goodness, Paul says, and it is found in God; ‘God, who is rich in mercy because of the great love by which He has loved us ...’ (2:4).  It is worth remembering that Paul said these words before the New Testament existed, and with no other background than the Old Testament as God’s Word and the example of the life of Christ.  The Old Testament speaks of God love, but it is a love that was often rejected, and God responded with grief when He had to punish His people so that they could learn from the consequences of their sin.  Yet in reading the Old Testament, many find it hard to pick out the ‘God of love’ from the ‘God of wrath’, however justified His anger!

Paul did not have this problem.  He knew the Old Testament better than most of us, and he understood its intricate array of prophecies and wisdom pointing to the Messiah.  He had seen these prophecies fulfilled in Jesus, not firsthand, but through the apostles and through a vision (see Galatians 1:13-2:21).  Throughout his ministry, Paul preached the message about the Messiah, Jesus Christ; ‘even when we were dead in out trespasses, He has brought us to life together with Christ!’ (2:5 see also Romans 5 and 6).  Paul’s great summary of faith in the unique work of Christ is this ‘by grace you have been saved’ (2:5,8); these words speak of the riches of God’s mercy made real in what Jesus has done for us on the Cross and through His resurrection.  However, it does appear from the way that it is written (like an insert to the verse) that Paul thought of this phrase as he was writing!

The second paragraph has an overflowing sense of wonder and praise, a feature of the letter which is absent from the beginning of Ephesians 2 but returns in verse 4.  Apart from the great words we have just discussed in verse 5, the main benefit of the paragraph is to be found in verses 5 and 6.  In verse 5, Paul created an impressive Greek word (by putting together some standard elements of Greek) meaning ‘to be made living together with’, and in verse 6 he added two more complex words, meaning  ‘to raise up together with’ and ‘to be seated together with’.  He used all these three words to describe the saving work of our generous God.  The phrases do not stand out in English in the same way that they do in Greek, but I can assure you it is obvious in the original text.  They tell us that Paul’s message here is this; our salvation entails these three things, all of which are a shared with Christ; being brought to life, being raised, and being seated in heaven!

Each of these three great promises are the consequence of God’s grace and kindness ‘to us in Christ Jesus’ (2:7), but there are consequences and we cannot ignore them!

How may we know we are walking in the pathways of God (2:8-10)?

In the last paragraph, Paul begins with the theme of salvation following on from what he has just said, and continues by applying it to the main theme of the passage, which is the manner of life God’s people should live, having been saved from a life of sin.  This is the Christian alternative to the apparent and illusive goodness of both paganism and secularism; he describes goodness based not in humanity but in the God who made all things, both the earth and the people within it.  It is interesting that Paul never discusses the origins of sin as described in Genesis 3, or tells us about how salvation overcomes this sin through the sacrifice of Christ.  He is content to speak of God’s free gift (2:8), and in an intellectual sense he hits the nail on the head when he says that ‘it is the gift of God not by means of works lest anyone should boast ...’ (2:9).

Paul knew that just as today, it is almost impossible to make a sound moral judgement about someone who says ‘I have done something good’ (see above), so he solves our intellectual problem and also the spiritual problem of human sin by saying that all ‘good’ comes from God.  Goodness is ‘previously prepared’ for us, and our path of Christian discipleship is to walk ‘in’ these good deeds.  We can never claim them as our own, but our calling is to do what is good, always

Ephesians 2:1-10 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

Unfortunately, the term ‘good deeds’ has become anathema to some within the church who have emphasised the Gospel message ‘faith not works’ to such an extent that the call of God to do good has been left almost to one side in the surge to evangelise.  However, we must not forget this.  In saving us, the intention of God is that we should be workers in His vineyard, sowers and reapers for the Kingdom of God.  This is exactly what Paul means by his last sentence, saying that we are ‘created in Christ Jesus (that is, as saved people) for the good deeds God has previously prepared as the pathway in which we should walk’.  If we cannot do good of our own merit, this is how we do it!

The threefold challenge of this text is therefore clear.  Leave behind all pretension that humanity can achieve pure moral goodness, honesty and integrity, and accept that these things are found in us by the grace of God.  Now, we will naturally find that these things are found partially in all circumstances and in all kinds of people.  However, if we believe that one God made the World and He is good, then all of this goodness comes from Him; and God gives of Himself graciously.  He wants to bless the world despite the sin within it, and so we who have received His mercy and salvation are the means of His blessing to the world.  We do not claim this goodness of ourselves, but what we do is by the grace and mercy of God, and by the power of His Spirit working within us.

The glory of our salvation is not ours to enjoy as some personal benefit from God so that we can have a good life.  The glory of our salvation is that the Lord God has given us over to do His work, and in doing this, we claim not our own merits but those of the God who has saved us.  To suggest otherwise is not the Gospel of Christ as found here in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.  How do we set about doing what God has prepared for us to do?  We ask Him.  If we have truly yielded all to Him, He will not fail to let us know what we should do for Him.  The Christian life is not rooted in worship service attendance and belonging to an organisation that does things that people have to ‘opt into’ (or try to get out of!).  The Christian life is personal communion with God by which He commissions us for our work, and we celebrate this by sharing it with the body of Christ, the church, in worship and service.  The church exists to enable people to do God’s work, not to control it.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. Discuss in your group what you mean by the word ‘grace’, particularly in the expression ‘God’s grace’.
2. How can God love the billions of people He has made individually with the same care for everyone?
3. Paul says that God has created us for good deeds (2:10).  Share in your group; what good deeds has He made for you to do?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Write down a private list of those things which you believe to be sins which affect your own life.  If you wish, you could share this exercise with someone you love, but there is value in doing it privately first of all, and sharing it later.  Pray into each one accordingly, and confess your sins
• Pray for the life of your own church, and pray especially that it might be a means of liberating God’s people to fruitful service, and the love of other people in the name of Christ Jesus.

Final Prayer

Great Lord and Master of all Creation, we ask You to receive from us the prayers and the praise we offer each and every day of our lives.  Fill us with a heart of worship so that nothing is too large or too small for us to bring to You in thanks, and be a reason for our praise.  Great and Mighty Lord; we worship You: AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 2:11-16

Ephesians 2:11-16 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Here, Paul addresses the Gentile Christians of Ephesus and explains that they have been reconciled to the same Saviour as that proclaimed by Jewish Christians.  God’s salvation is one thing for all people, they are one ‘in Christ Jesus’.

Up to this point in Ephesians, we have been able to revel in Paul’s presentation of the Gospel, enthusiastically recommended to the Christians of the Ephesian churches.  But although Paul continues to speak about the glorious Gospel in a fulsome and passionate manner, he now adds an important twist to what he has to say.  He explains to his readers that the Gospel by which they are saved is exactly the same as the one by which the Jews are saved, indeed, it is God’s intention to ‘make one humanity in place of two ... and reconcile us both to God’ (2:15,16).  This passage is about the unity of God’s people in Christ.

In the early days of the church, Paul had the unique task of taking the Gospel ‘to the Gentiles’ (Galatians 2:7f., Romans 11:13, Acts 18:6), but he did not make a ‘breakaway’ church.  His missionary work throughout was designed to draw all Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, into one church.  Because of this, it is not surprising that Paul turns to this subject immediately after his prayer of thanksgiving in chapter 1 and his explanation of the Gospel of grace (2:1-10).  Over time, God used Paul’s ministry to ensure that the Gospel was preached to all people throughout the known world, and for this to be done, the cultural boundaries between Jew and Gentile had to be broken.  This powerful work of the Spirit created the foundations of the early church from which all God’s churches have grown, whether they appreciate their heritage or not.

In the world of the first century, the land of Judea and Jerusalem were little known, and although the Jews were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, they had little contact with others, indeed, they largely scorned any contact.  It may seem remote to us now, but the divisions between Jew and Gentile were so complete that it was inconceivable to most in the first century that the gulf between them could be bridged; yet God did just this.  In those days, just as today, people were mostly content to keep their divisions; Jewish Christians preferred their own ways, while Gentile Christians, who believed that Christ had removed the need for the rituals of Judaism, tended to go their own ways.  Yet Paul would not tolerate any of these divisions, and he preached what Jesus prayed for before He died, for all God’s people, ‘that they might be one’ (John 17:11f.). 

Now the Gentile churches of Ephesus were formed after evangelistic work by Paul in his second missionary journey (Acts 19), and after he had vowed to walk away from evangelising in Synagogues (Acts 18:6).  How easy it would have been for Paul to encourage this new and vibrant Gentile church community to ‘do their own thing’ and ‘follow where the Spirit leads’, as we might say.  But Paul knew the purposes of God, testified to within the Old and New Testaments of Scripture, which are to bring all God’s people together.  So he reminded the Gentiles of their past, as people utterly rejected by the Jews as ‘uncircumcised’ (an unpleasant insult in Greek), and far distant from the one true God, despite their beliefs in ‘many gods’ (2:12, see Acts 17:23f.).  He told them that all God’s people were made for ‘peace’ (2:14), that is, the peace of being a part of ‘one humanity instead of two’ (2:15).

So, both Jewish and Gentile Christians were miraculously united in Christ, and the world’s cultural barriers were broken down.  The ‘blood’ of Christ was sufficient to satisfy Jewish ritual and fulfil the laws of atonement for sin (as in Leviticus), and it was also sufficient for the sins of Gentiles, for Christ had died on a Roman Cross.   Christ had certainly broken down the barriers between God and His people, but in addition, Paul says that He broke down ‘the wall of division’ between Jew and Gentile (2:14,15).  Centuries previously, God had chosen Abraham, and promised to bless the whole world through him (Gen. 12:1-3), and through his descendants (22:18).  Ultimately, the blessing came through only one descendant, Jesus Christ, and in His body, Jesus ministered the promised blessing given to the Jewish people, that they should bless the whole world.

We cannot afford to misunderstand this passage, especially today.  Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians still prefer their own ways, and Christians generally have split themselves into thousands of churches, most of which have no contact with each other whatsoever.  In a secular world delivering instant communication and contact, we do not even know the names and places of all God’s churches!  If you read these studies regularly, you will know that I write frequently about the scandal of our divisions; so today, I will leave the last word to another author:

‘In some churches, black and white people do not mix freely as members of one community ... in others, Christians ... will not share the communion with Christians of different denominations, thus inflicting hurt and humiliation.  This is an apartheid no less offensive to the true spirit of Christ than the early separation of Jew and Gentile within the church ... the Spirit of God will not rest until He has broken down these dividing walls.’ (Leslie Mitton, Ephesians, New Century Bible, Eerdmans)

Ephesians 2:11-16 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• What is meant by ‘citizenship of Israel’ and ‘covenants of promise’ (2:12)?
• How does the blood of Christ break down enmity and make peace (2:13,14)?
• Is the law in the Old Testament relevant for Christians today (2:15)?

Notes on the translation of the passage

V11 ‘Gentiles by natural descent’

The Greek says ‘Gentiles in the flesh’, where the word ‘flesh’ means the natural self of someone who is not a Jew.  I have added the word ‘descent’, because it is necessary to give the sentence meaning.

V12 ‘and that in those times ...’ 

Verse 12 is a second clause that follows on from the opening words of verse 11; ‘so keep it in mind ...’  Both verses 11 and 12 describe the time before a Gentile became a Christian.

V12 ‘without the Messiah’  

The Greek say exactly this, but the normal way of translating this, as found in most Bibles would be to say ‘without Christ’ (the word ‘Christ’ is Greek for ‘the Messiah’).  The sentence makes more sense if we translate it as I have done (see study).

V12 ‘excluded from the citizenship of Israel’  

The Greek word here means ‘to be alienated from’; this is a strong word, and it represents the complete cultural separation between Jew and Greek.  The English word ‘excluded’ seems best.

V12 ‘without God’ 

The Greek here is simply the word for God with a negative attached to it, and perhaps the best English word to represent this would be ‘godless’.  However, the passage would read strangely if this word was used, so I have translated it, ‘without God’, but the phrase still needs some explanation (see study).

V14 ‘for He indeed is our peace ...’  

There is a great emphasis on the word ‘He’ at the beginning of the sentence, and this can be conveyed in a number of ways.  Some other translations have this; ‘for He, Himself is our peace’ for example.

V15 ‘by cancelling the law of commandments in the form of regulations’  

This phrase is important, but you will find that the subtlety of it is missed by some translations.  Each word is important, because it explains that the Law (the Old Testament ‘Torah’) consists of commandments and regulations (see study).

V16 ‘destroying the hostility in Him’  

Some Bible versions say something different; ‘destroying the hostility through it’, meaning the Cross.  In Greek there is no difference between ‘in it’ and ‘in Him’.  Really, there is very little difference between these two in meaning.  However, I prefer to say ‘in Him’, because the emphasis in this passage is very much on the work of Christ.

What is meant by ‘citizenship of Israel’ and ‘covenants of promise’ (2:12)?

It must have seemed extraordinary to early Jewish Christians that people such as Paul so quickly set aside many of the things they held so dear.  Some churches were basically Jewish in ethos and had little to do with the Gentile world.  However, the authority of such churches, in particular the ‘mother’ church in Jerusalem, was broken when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70AD.  Many saw this as a sign that the future lay, as Paul had said, with the united congregations of God’s people, and not with the dominance of the Jewish church over the Gentile (see Acts 15).  The rise of the church in Rome came in later centuries and is simply not reflected or endorsed within the New Testament.

Nevertheless, the Jewish heritage of faith is largely as Paul declared it here in Ephesians (and also in Romans 9-11).  In speaking about the state of Gentiles before receiving Christ (2:11,12), Paul mentioned the ‘citizenship of Israel’ and the ‘covenants of promise’ (2:12).  What did he mean by saying this? 

Here, Paul did something typical of Him; he combined a Gentile word and a Hebrew word to symbolise the unity of which he spoke (just as he combined the Greek greeting ‘grace’ and the Hebrew greeting ‘peace’ in the introduction of most of his letters).  So, in speaking about the ‘citizenship of Israel’, he used ‘Israel’, the name that united all God’s chosen people, and added the term ‘citizenship’, normally used for identifying privilege within the Roman world (Paul claimed Roman citizenship to get out of trouble on a number of his missionary escapades - Acts 21:39, 22:25f.).  Using this phrase, Paul said to Gentile Christians that although few of them could aspire to citizenship of Rome (a great privilege), through Christ, all could aspire to the citizenship of Israel, a privilege from which they were previously excluded (2:12).  In other words, the church of God was His new ‘chosen people’, a ‘new Israel’, open to all through Christ.

Paul told the Gentiles that they had missed out on the ‘covenants of promise’; they were of course accessible through Christ, but what did he mean by saying this?  In the Old Testament, we do not read about ‘covenants’ (plural), we only find reference to ‘the Covenant’ between God and His people.  Paul, however, knew his Old Testament very well.  He knew that the Covenant had been made many times in the Old Testament, with Noah, firstly (Gen 6:18), and then with Abraham (Gen 15:8f.), and later with Moses (Exodus 24:7f.) and David (2 Samuel 23:5).  He also knew that the prophets had declared that God would make a ‘new Covenant’ with God’s people (Is. 61:8, Jer. 311-33, Ez. 16:8f.).  All these covenants revealed something important about God; in order, His faithfulness (Noah), His promises (Abraham), His moral law (Moses), His saving intent (David), and His power to renew (the prophets).

Although Paul used the words ‘new covenant’ only rarely to describe the church (1 Cor 11:25, 2 Cor 3:6), it is likely that he perceived this as a covenant of God’s grace, built upon all that God had revealed in the Old Testament Covenants.  This was available to all people through Christ, and Christ alone.

How does the blood of Christ break down enmity and make peace (2:13,14)?

When Jesus died on the Cross, He did so as the Son of God, doing what had been prophesied beforehand especially by Isaiah (chapter 53f.).  By coming as the servant of all humanity, His death on the Cross has completed all the laws of atonement set down in the Old Testament designed to enable impure and imperfect people to have access to the one true God who is pure and holy.  When Paul spoke about the ‘blood of Christ, he is used specialist language from the Old Testament law to describe Christ’s work in this way.

It was important for Paul to state clearly that Jesus had done this because Jewish Christians would have felt, quite rightly, that unless He had, God was not faithful.  How could anyone have faith in a God who was not consistent?  God had previously said that human sin had to be wiped away by the blood of sacrifice shed at death, and previously, this was performed as a repeated ritual using animals.  It meant that the continued sins of God’s people were dealt with insofar as the law allowed.

Gentile Christians need to know this same truth for another reason.  Throughout history, they were ‘without the Messiah’ (2:12), and because of the lack of any such heritage, Gentiles had been subject to all manner of pagan religions, mostly claiming access to God in all manner of ways; indeed, people invented elaborate religious systems for attaining this.  By pointing to the death of Christ (the blood of Christ) as the only means of access to God, Paul solved their problem.  In those days, everyone felt they needed access to God, and without the benefit of God’s own revelations over the years that would help them find the right way, they were ‘lost’.  The Gospel gave them the answer, and by the evidence of the growth of the early church in the first century, it was a ‘Good News’ that people had been eagerly awaiting to hear.

Is the law in the Old Testament relevant for Christians today (2:15)?

In verse 15, Paul carefully described God’s work.  He said that Jesus ‘cancelled the law of commandments in the form of regulations’.  It is easy to imagine that this says Jesus ‘cancelled the law’, and it seems that Paul’s letters generally describe the ‘law’ as superseded by God’s ‘grace’.  Now, every passage of Paul’s writing that mentions this subject should be examined carefully, because the way Paul uses words to convey this reveals a complex message.

In writing this letter, Paul was aware that Jesus said that He had not ‘come to abolish the law but to fulfil it (Matt 5:17), and yet he criticised laws about cleanliness and Sabbath regulations frequently in His ministry.  Paul was a Biblical scholar before he was a Christian, and so he knew full well that when Jesus criticised these details of the law, the ‘regulations’ he dismissed were not the moral or practical laws set down in the Old Testament.  He would have nothing to do with the thousands of intricate regulations set out by Jewish scholars to interpret what is found in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.  This is why Paul says very carefully that Jesus cancelled the law ‘of commandments in the form of regulations’; he did not say that Jesus cancelled ‘the Law’, meaning the moral law of God as found in the revelation of God of the Ten Commandments.  The Ten Commandments are regarded as the foundational moral code of God, built into the fabric of the world and humanity.

Secondly, Paul knew that as we have already seen, what Jesus did on the Cross meant that the sacrifice of His death was now sufficient to render the majority of laws in Leviticus concerning sacrifices for atonement, that is, all the sacrifices defined there.  Speaking generally, if we remove all the laws relating to sacrifice for atonement from Leviticus, we are left with the great ‘moral code’ of Leviticus 19, which has as its conclusion ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.  We are also left with a multiplicity of regulations concerning sex, health and common cleanliness that most people consider as valid for today, even if they need a certain amount of interpretation (such as including the ‘foreigner’ and looking after the poor).

It is not an accident that today, most Christians remember the law in terms of the Ten Commandments, the holiness laws of Leviticus and the social laws of the same book that can still be interpreted for the world of today.  In His person (or as Paul said, ‘in His body’), Jesus met all the laws of God for gaining access to Him for all people, and the remaining laws of the Old Testament are a defining statement of God’s moral code embedded within His creation.  With this discernment, we can interpret God’s laws from the Old Testament for today.

Ephesians 2:11-16 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

This passage of Scripture is an amazing text, describing the unique work of God in Christ to bring unity to His people, a feat thought impossible, yet it was achieved.  I often write in these devotions about the unity of God’s people because the issue is raised frequently in Scripture.  When I speak to people about it, I find that most people will quickly agree that our unity in Christ is important, but they see no possibility of Christian unity today, even in a formula of words or statement of faith.  In addition, most newly formed churches see no need to be a part of the existing ‘World Council of Churches’ which is united as ‘a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour’ (1961 declaration) because of the way that this organisation is perceived to have made compromises on issues of faith.

All this is sad, but there is little gloom amongst Christians about the lack of visible unity; most believers think it all irrelevant, and this is the problem.  Just as in Paul’s day, when many Jewish and Gentile Christians could not see how centuries of enmity could be overturned, people today do not perceive that it is possible for there to be any unity amongst God’s people.  Neither do they recognise their own sin in ignoring Jesus’ command that we ‘love one another’ (John 13:34f.).  Our passage today makes it abundantly clear that God’s intention is that His people should be one, and it speaks about how God achieved this in the early days of the church.  However, I suggest that because we have lost the heart to seek ways of being united as God’s people on earth (as a prelude to our unity in heaven), our churches are under judgement because they are not ‘in the Lord’s will’ in this matter.  Consequently, our prayers for renewal and blessing are hindered not because of any plan by God to wait for another time, but by our lack of desire to have the heart of the Saviour and be united in Him.  We imagine that somehow, we can all do what we think is right and please Christ!  In the light of this scripture, we must surely question ourselves.

We should never take for granted the power of this world-changing truth about what Jesus has done for us.  Since the earliest days of the church, the love of God has been made available to all people by His Holy Spirit, and as the early disciples and apostles discovered (in the ‘Acts of the Apostles’), the Spirit came upon all kinds of people throughout the known world to prove that Jew and Gentile had become one in Jesus (2:14).  The Holy Spirit will lead us into God’s unity, probably in new ways we have not yet perceived, and by leaders we have not yet known.  However, I am certain of one thing, which is that God will indeed unite His people in worship, mission and service, and he will seek to do it in this world because the spread of the Gospel throughout the world depends on our working together in Him.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. How much understanding is there between Jews and Christians today?  Do you know of any Messianic Jews where you live?
2. Why does the Bible speak so much about the unity of God’s people in Christ, and why is this an important scriptural theme?
3. In what ways can we promote peace between Christians in the midst of our many arguments?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Make a list of the churches where you live, and do your best to find opportunities to visit them and get to know them better.  You may see them at the best or their worst, and remember, anyone visiting your own church will experience the same!  At the end of your visits, talk to others in your church about what you have found.
• Pray for the unity of God’s people, and pray that the Lord will bring to His people a heart to follow the Scriptures and the will of God, that His people might be one.

Final Prayer

I praise Your holy Name, Lord God, because I can turn to You and find peace.  In the midst of my confusion You are my truth, in the midst of my uncertainty You are my rock, and in the midst of my despair You are my Saviour.  Give me wisdom to honour You in every circumstances of life, so that all I do may be to Your praise and glory: AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 2:17-22

Ephesians 2:17-22 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Here, Paul drums home the message about Christian unity, with two great illustrations.  Firstly, it is like a family with many members, and secondly, it is like a building built on the foundations of Christ and apostolic teaching.  But what do we really think about Christian unity?

In yesterday’s passage, we read about the unity of God’s people in Christ.  Paul wrote to the Gentile Ephesians to explain to them that Jesus had broken down the barriers between Jew and Gentile (2:14f.); He proclaimed one message of salvation for all, without exception.  If we find it difficult to relate to first century divisions between Jew and Gentile, Paul’s message is the equivalent today of proclaiming that Catholic and Protestant are saved by Christ alone, and there is but one Gospel for all.  This may be controversial, but I am convinced that Paul would not flinch from this. Here in today’s passage, he continues to urge those who believe to accept their unity in Christ; he describes God’s people as, ‘fellow citizens’ (2:19), ‘members of God’s family’ (2:19), ‘a holy temple ... built together’ (2:22), ‘held together’ (2:21), ‘with Christ Himself as the cornerstone’ (2:20).  Nearly every sentence contains phrases that illustrate or stress the unity of God’s people in Christ.

Of course, one of the reasons for the growth of the early church was that it was united; it was not one church for Jew and another for Gentile, or come to that, one for the followers of Paul and another for other parties (see 1 Corinthians 1,2).  As far as Paul was concerned, God’s people were to be united not in principle, but in practice, so that without the distractions and misunderstandings created by a divided church, the Gospel message would be distinct and undivided.  Our passage today does not ask God’s people to understand their ‘unity in Christ’ either philosophically or theologically, rather, it glories in God’s work and in its inclusiveness.  It says that all may draw near (2:17,18), no one need be an outsider (2:19), and all who  have faith in Christ are to be built into one ‘dwelling place for God’ (2:19-22).

Now at the beginning of our passage, Paul says that Christ came and preached ‘peace’.  But what does this mean given that Jesus Himself said, ‘do you think that I came to bring peace on earth?  No, I tell you, but division’ (Luke 12:51).  Jesus also said ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (Matthew 15:24f.) implying that His message was for some and not others. On this basis, some have argued that Jesus was a divisive figure and we should not expect the church to be united.  Unfortunately, this is to misunderstand Scripture, and we must sort this out.  When Jesus said that He would bring division on earth, He spoke about the division between those who believed in Him and those who did not.  Invariably, Jesus referred to His followers as one united group, and as we have seen elsewhere in our studies (see the study for 2:1-10), His last and most passionate prayer was that all His disciples might be ‘one’ (John 17:11f.).

In addition, if we study the Gospels we will find that although Jesus travelled mainly in Galilee and Judea, and at times worked exclusively through His own disciples (who were Jews), some of the most intriguing and challenging stories about faith within the Gospels come from Jesus’ interaction with Gentiles.  Examples of this are the faith of the Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:26f.), of the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5f.), and of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1f.).  Jesus certainly preached first to Jews, but there is no doubt that He also spoke to others (Mark 11:17, Luke 2:10), so that all might be saved (John 3:16f.), and as Paul says in Romans, that all might have ‘peace with God’ (Romans 5:1).

Our passage today adds to Scriptural pictures of God’s purpose to unite His people.  Paul describes the unity of Jew and Gentile as like being in God’s ‘family’ (2:19).  Some Bible versions avoid the word ‘family’ here and instead say ‘members of the household of God’ (2:19 see notes below).  But the Greek here means family, no more, no less.  Is it that the phrase ‘members of the household of God’ is an excuse for Christians today who are estranged from each other, and they dare not use the word ‘family’ because it suggests a deeper commitment than many would want to have.  But God wants all His people to be His ‘family’, and His heart is broken when His children have nothing to do with each other.

Paul’s last illustration of Christian unity is that of a building.  He uses it here and also in Romans 15:20, 1 Corinthians 3:10f, 1 Tim 6:19, and 2 Tim 2:19.  He describes the church’s foundations in the governing ‘cornerstone’ of Christ and also the apostles’ teaching (2:20).  He then describes the church as built on that foundation into a ‘holy Temple’, that is, a dwelling place for God Himself!  So when God’s people are built together in Christ and the apostolic faith, God dwells in them (2:22)!  And God does not dwell in multiple houses, He dwells in one!

There is no mistaking the challenge of these Scriptures, which explain the Gospel and tell us that God wants His children to respect His wishes and be united in Him.  Why should we not do all in our power to please Him?

Ephesians 2:17-22 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• How did Christ preach to those ‘far’ and ‘near’ to give access to God (2:17,18)?
• What does Paul mean by being a ’member’ of God’s family (2:19)?
• What does the illustration of the building tells us about the unity of God’s people (2:20-22)?

Notes on the translation of the passage

V18 ‘through Him all have access’  

You will find that many Bible versions have ‘through Him both have access’, meaning both those near and those far, as in the last verse.  The Greek word ‘amphoteroi’ does indeed mean both, but in the sense of including both options, this means ‘all’, hence my translation. 

V19 ‘strangers and outsiders’ 

I have used the term ‘outsiders here because the Greek word means something like ‘beyond the tent’, which is close to our term ‘outsider’.

V19 ‘members of God’s family’  

You will find that most Bible versions have ‘members of the household of God’.  However, the work used refers to family members; relatives that is, and not servants or maids.  This is how the word is translated in 1 Tim 5:8, and the passage here benefits from this idea of a close sense of family belonging.

V20f. ‘as the cornerstone ...’  

The ‘cornerstone is not simply a stone on a corner, it is the first stone of a building to be laid, the setting of which determines the rest of the structure and its stability.

How did Christ preach to those ‘far’ and ‘near’ to give access to God (2:17,18)?

When Paul said, ‘He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near’, those who were ‘far off’ can be identified as the Gentiles and those who were ‘near’, the Jews; but when did Jesus ‘preach’ to Gentiles?  The answers are not straightforward.  We immediately think that Paul meant Jesus was the one preaching, but the rest needs some thought, because there are several options.

The first suggestion commonly made is that the preaching in verse 17 means the preaching of the evangelists of the early church.  These evangelists spoke ‘in the name of Jesus’, and so it is just possible that in saying these words, Paul was referring to Christ’s speaking through the evangelists of his own time.  This suggestion is reasonable, but the passage hardly leads us to think this is the right way of reading it, and it is far easier to keep with Jesus Himself being the one who preaches.

If you read what other authors say about this passage, you will find that many are dismissive of the suggestion that Jesus preached during his life to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.  They say Jesus preference to keep within Jewish regions of Galilee (see above), and was preoccupied with being the Messiah of the people of Israel (see Matt 16:16 etc.). 

Because of this, some link this passage with the text in Matthew’s Gospel which says that between Jesus’ death and His resurrection, Jesus was seen together with the raised ‘bodies of the saints’ (Matthew 27:52f.), and the tradition that Jesus preached to those in the Jewish ‘place of the dead’, called ‘sheol’.  However, there is nothing in Scripture to can tell us that Jesus preached to Gentiles at such a time, and even ‘sheol’ is a Jewish concept, and certainly not Gentile.

We are left with what Paul said, which is that Jesus preached to Gentiles as well as Jews in His lifetime.  But where can we find this in the Gospels?  In order to answer this, we must dismantle the preconception that Jesus’ ministry was entirely focussed on the Jews.  There is no doubt that Jesus spent His time with Jewish communities and came as the Messiah of the Jewish people, but as a consequence He open the Kingdom of heaven to all believers.  However, we can hardly turn a page of the Gospels without finding Jesus interacting with Gentiles.  Many of those he healed or spoke to were Gentiles; the Centurion’s servant (Matt 8:5), the Canaanite woman’s daughter (Matt 15:21f.), and the woman at the well (John  4:1f.).  Indeed, when Jesus returned from Tyre and Sidon, he went to the Decapolis, the Gentile region of Galilee (Mark 7:31f.), and the feeding of the four thousand was done for an astonished Gentile crowd (Mark 8:1), not the Jewish crowd who had witnessed the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:33).  Jesus had more contact with Gentile people in the few years of His ministry than most Jews had in a lifetime!

In the light of this, it hardly seems necessary to challenge the plain meaning of our reading.  By the standards of the day, Jesus had already broken down barriers between Jew and Gentile by word and deed.

What does Paul mean by being a ’member’ of God’s family (2:19)?

I have already made comments (above and in the translation notes) about the translation of the word ‘family’ in verse 19, and the fact that Paul spoke about a sense of belonging within God’s family.  Verse 19 says more than that, however.  It says that the Gospel for the Gentiles is a transformation from exclusion to inclusion, a complete change of identity from being outside of the heritage of God’s people to become one of the ‘chosen’ people of God.  It is a dramatic change reflected to this day in the amazing stories we hear of the conversion of people who have heard the Gospel and find their lives changed from ‘darkness to light’.

There are two markers for belonging mentioned by Paul.  Firstly, he mentioned citizenship.  We saw in yesterday’s passage (2:12) that Paul hinted at the privilege of a free ‘citizenship’ of Israel, a generous offer from God to all who responded to Christ by faith.  Here, Paul reinforces this offer to all Gentiles, using the language of equality; ‘you are fellow citizens with the saints’; in other words, they become not merely people with special privileges, but they will have the status of ‘saints’, the only status of all those who have accepted Christ by faith.  It is tragic that in Christian history we have reserved the word ‘saints’ for those who have attained a special status of holiness in human eyes rather than in God eyes, because this completely defeats the scriptural intention for the use of this word.  Over and over again the New Testament says that all God’s people are saints, without qualification except that of the love of God and faith in Christ Jesus as His Son.

As soon as we explain ‘sainthood’ in these terms, it is obvious that there can be no ‘true’ division amongst God’s own people.  We are all part of God’s ‘family’, and if there are defects within it which mean that some of us do not speak to each other, then this is a blight on us and the way we see ourselves and organise our fellowship while on this earth.  It needs to be said loud and clear, and repeatedly; the way we structure our church life does not reflect the truth of God’s Kingdom or the reality of the body of Christ.  Neither does it bears any resemblance to the building described next in this passage as the ‘dwelling place of God’.

What does the illustration of the building tells us about the unity of God’s people (2:20-22)?

The second half of our reading is the description of the church as a building.  This is one of the most comprehensive of such descriptions found in the New Testament (for the others, see above), because it mentions all the basic building elements; ‘cornerstone’, ‘foundations’, ‘structure’, and the final completed building, here described as a ‘temple’ (2:21) as the dwelling place of God ‘in the Spirit’.  Christ is the cornerstone, the first stone laid from which defines the positioning of all the remaining stones in a building.  The foundations are the ‘apostles and prophets’, a carefully constructed phrase found only in Ephesians (also in 3:5), which ties together the historic tradition of the prophetic ministry of delivering God’s Word, with the emerging role of God’s apostles, sent out into the world to preach the Gospel to Jew and Gentile alike.  The structure is the assembled people of God in churches throughout the world; and in the days of Paul, there would typically be ‘one church’ to one city, even if the people within that church outgrew the numbers who could meet in one home.  The result was a ‘holy Temple in the Lord’, and a dwelling place for God.  The passage also indicates that Paul saw this building as something in process; the ‘entire structure’ (2:21) was dynamic, it was a growing thing, and it was ‘being built together’ (2:22).

We have no problem understanding this passage today, only relating to it!  The picture combines the idea of unity with an underlying sense of diversity, and the entire structure is be ‘held together’ (2:21) by Christ, and the dynamic of the construction indicates that He is constantly working on His building.  We can relate to this, because we can easily perceive that the church of God is not a perfect thing, but growing and becoming what God wants it to be.

However, this illustration challenges us to ensure that what we do is built from the cornerstone of Christ.  What does this mean?  The cornerstone was not just an object at the bottom of a building to which we must be connected if we want to a part of the church.  The function of the cornerstone in the building was to align the structure and set its defining properties; its size and shape was related to the structure to be built, and it was always set in place by the one in oversight of the building.  In our illustration, this is God Himself.  To have Christ as the cornerstone means the He alone sets our place in His Kingdom and gives us our roles and our tasks.  We do not decide these things for ourselves.  He gives them to us.

The second defining feature is the foundation of the prophets and the apostles.  We forget too easily that the New Testament urges us to be founded on these as well as being ‘set’ in Christ.  The prophets of scriptural times interpret the Old Testament as Scripture, and without them, our view of God’s word is incomplete.  People often say that we understand the Old Testament through the New; however, what the New Testament says is that if we want to understand the Old Testament, we must go to the prophets; Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the rest.  They enable us to understand the history of God’s covenant people, the laws of God, and God’s intent to guide His people.  In addition to this, we are founded on the work of the apostles, the Gospel of the twelve disciples, changed by the Spirit from working men in Galilee to God’s agents sent into the world with a unique message to convey (Matthew 28:19).

All these are our reference points as God’s people; not the world, not our wills, not our own history, nor our understanding of the future, but the Word of God conveyed through Christ and through prophets and apostles

Ephesians 2:17-22 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

The best way for us to respond to Paul’s vision in this passage is to take hold of what it says and welcome it.  The church may not be where it ought to be, but as God’s people, we can always move to where God wants us to be; all we need to do is follow the guidelines set before us.  Most of God’s people understand that the church is made up of both a unity and a diversity of people.  We are not all the same, but we are called to be united as members of God’s family.  This means that although we can list hundreds of institutions, denominations, organisations, churches, associations and fellowships under the heading of ‘diversity’, we need to honour God’s call to us to head towards finding more ways to demonstrate our unity!  In most places I have been, the number of institutions, organisations etc. that come under this heading of ‘unity’ or ‘unified’ is either very small or nonexistent!  Surely, our task under God is to rectify this!

When I have said this, some have objected, pointing out that this passage says that the building in this scripture is a dwelling place for God ‘in the Spirit’.  By this, they suggest that an unseen ‘spiritual’ unity of God’s people is possible that cannot be demonstrated in the world, and this is sufficient for God.  I disagree.  Unfortunately, this is a misperception of what the word ‘spiritual’ means.  Scripture never uses the word ‘spirit’, or ‘spiritual’ to refer to things that are not seen; the Spirit of God can be felt and seen (tongues of fire, the ‘spiritual gifts’); and God, who is Spirit, came to earth in visible earthly form as a baby, in order to show Himself to the world.  Without this, we would have no ‘salvation’!  I would also add that if ‘spiritual healing’ were to have no effect in the world, neither seen nor felt nor experienced, then it is not the ministry of healing that Christ evidently performed in the world!  In other words, I suggest that there is no such thing as a purely ‘spiritual’ unity of God’s people that we should not seek to make ‘real’ and demonstrate in the life of God’s people.

Our job is to show the unity of God within this world by doing things together with other Christians and breaking down barriers.  Paul would not have written this letter to the Ephesians in this way unless God had created a church in the first century that actually demonstrated to the world that the division between Jew and Gentile could be broken down.  He did it, and because He did, God’s people were able to preach and witness effectively in their own age.  We should aim to do the same.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. What are the essential characteristics of the church to which you belong, and how do they reflect the ministry of Christ?
2. Is it possible represent our membership of the whole body of Christ in some way within our churches?
3. To what extent is it valuable to talk about the church today as a ‘Temple’, which is holy to the Lord?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• The church at its best is a glorious thing, the very centre of the life of God’s people, and a place where the Lord God loves to be with His people.  Does this describe your own church?  What would be needed for your church to be a place where people feel the presence of Christ?
• Pray for God’s people to be  built up into a building that gives Him a dwelling place on earth and give Him glory within the world.

Final Prayer

When we are unsure of ourselves, Lord God, encourage us by Your presence.  May we see Your compassion in the deeds of others, hear Your words in their speech, and feel Your love through their care.  May we then find hope in others, in ourselves, and in You.  AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 3:1-6

Ephesians 3:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Paul defends his ministry, but urges his readers to accept his testimony of the truth of the Gospel.  They, the Ephesians, are amongst the first people in the Gentile world to hear the Gospel and know of the benefits of God’s grace!

The first two chapters of Ephesians form a magnificent prayer of praise to God for His work in salvation and redemption.  The letter continues now with a chapter that is almost wholly a description of Paul’s commission to preach the Gospel.  As we read on, it becomes clear that much of this chapter was written by Paul to defend himself against the accusation that he was neither an apostle nor one of the original ‘Twelve’.  But just as in his other letters, he comes alive when defending himself and his ministry, and the whole chapter is full of inspiring verses and phrases.  Here, for example, he writes famously about being a ‘prisoner of Christ Jesus’ (3:1), and he speaks of the ‘mystery’ of the Gospel ‘made known to me by revelation’ (3:3).  Then, as if to summarise all we have read previously, Paul also insists that the Gospel is for all people; he says, ‘the Gentiles have shared blessings ... through Jesus Christ’ (3:6).

Paul begins the defence of his ministry by pointing out that his letter is written in prison, and he regards his imprisonment as part of what he must suffer in order to proclaim the Gospel (3:1,2).  He does not start by writing for help, as we might think natural.  To be incarcerated in a Roman prison was a cruel act of barbarism; people were put into little more than barred caves, with no amenities.  A primitive bucket might be available for waste and food was minimal unless it was provided by someone outside the prison.

Yet despite these conditions, Paul had the spiritual courage to write pastorally to the Ephesians, and give the impression that he bore this treatment gladly, as a ‘prisoner of Jesus Christ for the sake of you Gentiles’ (3:1).  For Paul, these conditions served as a tool to illustrate his being bound to Christ and the Gospel, a call that he gladly pursued for the benefit of those to whom he wrote.  He appealed to his readers; did they not already know that God had set him apart to bring the Gospel to them whatever the cost (3:2)?  And did they not already know the story of his special revelation from Jesus Himself, of the ‘mysteries’ of the Gospel, and His ‘special responsibility’ to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (3:2,3)?  Paul seems to be appealing to his readers to remember sermons he had preached encompassing all these things.

But for a moment, we must look further into Paul’s imprisonment.  Where and when was Paul held?  I have already offered some opinions about this in the first few studies of this series.  Nevertheless, despite the many different opinions about this put forward in recent times, I remain convinced that Ephesians was written by Paul in his more mature years.  I reckon that he wrote as a prisoner in Rome, held pending his trial before the Emperor, and at a point in his life just after we leave his story in the book of Acts. Such a scenario is the best explanation of Paul’s words here.  He appears content, as he seems at the end of Acts, that he is doing the right thing for Christ and for the Gospel, and he asks those who have known his ministry to recall his efforts on their behalf and agree that the Gospel he has preached is true.

Yet despite his circumstances, Paul does not want his first readers, let alone us, to spend time thinking about his imprisonment; he wants us to perceive that all things serve God’s purposes for those who are committed, like himself, to God’s work.  He asks the Ephesians to read again what he has written about the Gospel in the earlier part of his letter, and he believes that the glorious prayer of chapter 1 will ‘enable you to discern my understanding of the mystery of Christ’ (3:3,4).  Paul’s conviction is also an appeal to us to read this letter now, and allow the Spirit to reveal the mysteries of Christ.

In verses 5 and 6, Paul continues to emphasise to the Ephesians the immense privileges they enjoy.  They were some of the first people ever to hear the Gospel and hear the preaching of apostles!  God had worked through previous generations amongst His people, the Jews, but remained almost completely unknown to others, to Gentiles.  If the people in Ephesus who first read this letter had lived in previous generations, they would not be the recipients of this extraordinary revelation of the Gospel, something that was bursting with unbridled energy on the Roman world.  To them, it had ‘now been revealed’ through the ministry of Paul, the other apostles, and prophets of God (3:5), and God’s ‘Good News’ in Christ Jesus had broken out of Judaism and was now freely available to all, ‘through the Gospel, the Gentiles have shared blessings ...’ (3:6).  Subsequently, through Jesus Christ, all God’s people were a ‘shared body and a shared participation in the promise’ (3:6).  Paul was unashamed of the Gospel and unrepentant of any charge against him that he had preached Christ!

The sheer energy and conviction of Paul’s writing here is a witness to us, centuries later, and the power of the Gospel message has not dimmed.  As we read this great letter, we cannot but be challenged to take hold of ourselves, our faith, and accept the challenges ahead.  If Paul could keep his head high for the proclamation of the Gospel while imprisoned in Rome, then surely, so should we.

Ephesians 3:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• What does Paul mean by the ‘special responsibility of God’s grace’ (3:2)?
• What is Paul referring to when he speak of a revelation he ‘earlier wrote briefly’ (3:3)?
• Why has God revealed His plan to ‘holy apostles and prophets’ (3:5)?
• What does Paul mean by using the word ‘shared’ three times in verse 6 (3:6)?

Notes on the translation of the passage

V2 ‘the special responsibility of God’s grace’  

‘Special responsibility’ is the way I have chosen to translate a Greek word (‘oikonomian’) that usually refers to someone’s personal task or responsibility within the running of a household.  Paul uses this phrase to describe his ‘call’ from God.

V5 ‘in the way that it has now been revealed ...’  

In most Bible versions, you will read this; ‘as it has now been revealed ...’  If you read the whole sentence, however, it is easy to lose track of what Paul is saying.  I have used the phrase ‘in the way that’ instead of ‘as’ (a simple expansion of the Greek words used here) to bring out the meaning of the sentence, which is that God has revealed something now that was not evident before.

V6 ‘the Gentiles have shared blessings, shared body and shared participation of the promise’  

This phrase reads quite differently in the various Bible versions, because it is hard to put the clear meaning of the Greek into English.  I have attempted to capture what it says by the threefold use of the word ‘shared’, which is a distinctive feature of the original Greek of this sentence.

What does Paul mean by the ‘special responsibility of God’s grace’ (3:2)?

Of course, Paul’s ‘special responsibility’ was his well documented call to take the message of the Gospel to the Gentiles, as explained above.  When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he wrote to a church he had founded and some of his readers knew him.  Now if this letter was written years later in Rome, as many suggest, then he would have assumed that a number of those who read his letter would not have known him personally, hence his cautious comment in verse 2; ‘now you surely know about ...’.  He hoped that those who knew him in Ephesus would have told newer Christians about him, but he could not be sure.

Whilst reading for this study, I found that a number of books on Ephesians assume that if Paul wrote the letter, he was writing only to people he knew (and not also to the Christians who had been converted since his presence there).  The authors of these books go on to suggest that Paul’s cautious comment here at the beginning of verse 2 is evidence that Paul was not the real author of Ephesians; for they cannot understand why he would write in such a way to people he knew.  Their assumption is wrong because it does not account for the growth of the church, and it is very sad that such a conclusion could been drawn!

If you read the ‘translation notes’ above, you will find that the phrase describing Paul’s call, the ‘special responsibility of God’s grace’ comes from a Greek word with a distinct meaning.  In normal Greek it is used mostly to describe household duties or chores, and two things are worth noting.  Firstly, every responsibility in the running of a household is ‘special’, for every task needs to be done for the house to run smoothly.  Secondly, the word was used at times for the general management of a household, and whichever meaning you choose, it adds meaning.  On the one hand, Paul did not want to elevate himself above others who worked for God’s church.  On the other hand, his role was indeed fundamental in creating a unified church in the early centuries, and this unity meant that the church, and the Kingdom of God, grew rapidly.

What is Paul referring to when he speak of a revelation he ‘previously wrote briefly’ (3:3)?

We have already commented (above) about Paul’s special sense of call, so his comment suggesting that he wrote about this previously, and ‘briefly’, may mean that this is what he was speaking about earlier in the letter (1:9 – see above).  Alternatively, if Paul wrote this letter (as I believe), then he was conscious of repeating himself not just in Ephesians, but perhaps also in other letters; Galatians 2:1,9, 1 Corinthians 15:51, Colossians 1:26f. 1 Timothy 3:16.

Sometimes, we think about ‘revelation’ as a special event in which the Lord makes a personal appearance to deliver a message.  This can sometimes happen, and Paul did speak about receiving the personal call of God to go to the Gentiles in such a way.  This should not blind us to the fact that scripture itself gives plenty of evidence of people receiving revelation in other ways.  For example, Acts 18:6f. describes how Paul was led to this same decision by a sequence of events.  He was forced to take action and ‘wipe the dust from his feet’ at the synagogue in Corinth, saying ‘from now on I will go to the Gentiles’.

Paul’s move to take the Gospel to the Gentiles was so radical in its day, it is not surprising that although he was called by Jesus to do it, he needed other experiences of life to teach him its truth, and he also wrote about it frequently.  His comment that he ‘previously wrote briefly’ about it demonstrates the truth of this powerful call.

Why has God revealed His plan to ‘holy apostles and prophets’ (3:5)?

Paul’s comments about God’s ‘holy apostles and prophets’ in verse 5 are interesting.  Paul does indeed say that although the mysteries of the Gospel were not fully revealed to people in the past, they were now revealed through Christ to the apostles and prophets of the early church.  However, there is a little more to the verse than this, as we can see by looking more closely at what Paul meant by ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’. 

The name ‘apostles’ was given to the disciples after they were commissioned by Christ to share the Gospel throughout the world (Matt 28:19), a group to which Paul was added because of his special revelation from Jesus.  Because of the high esteem in which they were held, the early church seems to have used the term exclusively for the remaining twelve disciples and Paul.  Consequently, later generations used the term ‘mission’, or ‘missionary’ (the Latin word for the Greek ‘apostle’, meaning ‘one who is sent’) to speak of people who were commissioned to go out and preach the Gospel, leaving the word ‘apostle’ for the famous disciples (and Paul).

The prophets of the Old Testament, of course, only received glimpses of the full work of God in Jesus Christ, and even the great prophet Isaiah never described the complete work of God for salvation through Jesus.  The truth was this; since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit had come on all God’s people with power, and prophets arose in the church according to the work of the Spirit (see Acts 11:12, 13:1, 15:32 etc.).  The work of the prophet remained the same, which was to speak the Word of God when moved by the Spirit, but the gift was unrestricted to special people.

For these reasons, it is understandable that Paul would call both the apostles and the prophets of the early church ‘holy’, but not in any special sense.  They were the means God used to convey His Gospel and His Word, but they were not the only people who were holy or the only people God used to do His will.  The adjective describes the fact that apostles and prophets were set aside by God for a task.  The New Testament sometimes uses the word ‘holy’ to describe all who are saved (e.g. 1 Cor 1:2, Eph 1:4, Col 1:22 etc.), so we should think of the word ‘holy’ as a common adjective in the life of the church, not a special one!

What does Paul mean by using the word ‘shared’ three times in verse 6 (3:6)?

The translation of verse 6 is explained in the notes above, and the triple use of ‘shared’ in this translation replicates the Greek word structure.  It is difficult to overemphasise the importance of this verse, because it gives us an important insight into the mystery of the Gospel itself, and one that is often forgotten.

In Colossians 1:27, Paul says this, ‘To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory’.  So here, Paul describes the mystery of God as the presence of Christ; ‘Christ is in you’.  There is no more powerful message than this, but what comes next builds upon it.  In his years of ministry, Paul preached this message many times.  However, as he did so, he had to face churches that were split and divided over issues; Jews and Gentiles fought each other, and churches (e.g. at Corinth) were at odds over all manner of issues.  So in later years, Paul expanded what he had to say about the ‘mystery of God’, adding the important truth found in Jesus’ prayer in John 17, where Jesus asks that His followers might ‘be one so that the world might believe’.  Paul therefore preached the classic Gospel message of the revelation of God in Christ and Christ alone, but here (3:6), he added the essential scriptural message that all God’s people were one in Him.  Most specifically (for this was the most contentious issue of his day), Jew and Gentile Christian were one in Christ.

This is why Paul speaks so forthrightly in this passage about ‘shared blessings, a shared body and a shared participation in the promise through Christ Jesus.’ (3:6).  Here, Paul uses the language of the Old Testament when he says ‘shared blessings’, recalling the blessing of God on Abraham and David and their descendants.  He also evokes his famous picture of the church as the ‘body’ of Christ, in which all the ‘members’ play their part, not independently, but dependently (as in 1 Corinthians 12).  He then adds the fundamental Old Testament theme of the eternal promises of God found in Jesus Christ; all God’s people share this unity.

Ephesians 3:1-6 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

Our conclusion must be that the unity of God’s people is indeed part of the message of the Gospel.  It is not some ‘add on’ to church life.  If Jews and Gentiles are called to share ‘blessings, body and promise’ (3:6), then all God’s people today are called to do the same.  It is not a notion to be put to one side as if God will sort it out because we can’t.  It is a message that is consistent with the whole of scripture and requires our active concern and earnest intent.  I will not emphasise the point further because those who have read these studies will be used to discovering that this theme occurs in scripture with great regularity.  Each of us must respond to it with understanding and seek to fulfil what our Saviour and the whole of Scripture requires of us, which is to be ‘one in Christ’.

Another application of this passage of scripture concerns our understanding of God’s call.  Here, Paul speaks at least about his own call, and the call placed on all God’s people to know the truth of Christ and demonstrate the unity of Christ.  Now, I once heard a very notable Christian leader comment that he did not understand ‘all this talk about call’.  He went on to say that it was only necessary that people were saved, and if he did his job well as an evangelist, then people would be saved.  He asked ‘what else is required?’  Unfortunately, such an attitude does not reflect scripture.  The Word of God frequently tells us that all who are called by God are called for a purpose, and each child of God has a task to do in the Kingdom.  No one is saved as some kind of ‘fodder’ for the Kingdom of God, with nothing special to do except live a good life on earth and in heaven.  God has plans for this world, and He works through people.  The clear evidence of scripture is that each one who is saved has work to do in the Kingdom, and this is what we mean by our individual ‘call’.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. Read through this passage as a group one verse at a time, and ask each other any questions that arise.
2. Do you believe, in principle, that the ‘Gospel’ necessarily includes the call for all God’s people to be one.
3. Discuss what is meant by ‘shared blessings, a shared body and a shared participation in the promises through Christ Jesus’ (3:6)

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Find a Christian from another church and discuss what you have found in this passage of scripture with them.  If possible, try discussing this with as many other people as possible, and gauge their reaction to Christian unity and the Gospel.
• If possible, find a Bible dictionary or concordance, and look up the word ‘mystery’ in both the Old and New Testaments.

Final Prayer

Jesus, Saviour of the World and redeemer of all humanity; forgive our foolishness and help us find all truth in You.  Guide us in our response to other Christians, particularly those with whom we tend to disagree, and bring us to a place where we can be tolerant of others under Your authority.  Help us we pray, Lord Jesus; AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 3:7-13

Ephesians 3:7-13 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Here, we read about the greatness of God’s plan of salvation, which spans all time and is ultimately more important than anything else.  Those who confess faith therefore need never be discouraged, for God has everything in His hands.

In this passage, Paul boldly claims that the Gospel he has preached to the Ephesians has been given to him by God Himself (3:7), and he enthuses over this awesome revelation of the Gospel (3:8).  He urges the Ephesians to appreciate the full significance what God is doing in their midst, because this is the first time in human history that God’s eternal plan has been made available to all people (3:8,9).  He also writes about the place of the church in this eternal plan of God (3:10,11), and he begs the Ephesians to think of what happens to them and to him in this light (3:12,13).  Everything, including his own sufferings, are for the glory of God who has done such great things!

Towering above this whole passage is Paul’s appreciation of the sheer magnitude of God’s eternal plan and the limitless resources of God’s favour and grace.  He speaks of this first when describing his sense of amazement that he should be given the task of taking the Gospel message to the Gentiles (3:7,8), but goes on to describe God’s plan with superlatives.  He speaks of the ‘limitless riches of Christ’ (3:8), and after this, the ‘vast extent of God’s wisdom’ (3:10).

People in every generation have their own ways of describing greatness, and these words may not convey the same ideas today as once they did.  But we should pay attention to what Paul says, for when he describes the riches of Christ as ‘limitless’, he means that God’s love and saving grave are sufficient for all.  There is enough salvation for every soul who comes to Him in faith, from every place and from every time on the planet.  Then, when he talks of the ‘vast extent of God’s ‘Wisdom’, he means that God’s plan, together with all the features of His saving grace are huge, and beyond our understanding.  They are certainly sufficient for our needs, and if we have faith in God, then we touch into this enormous potential and this comprehensive plan for the whole world.

In Paul’s day, just as they do in every generation, people tended to live their own lives.  Sometimes out of a need to be secure, people prefer to live with what is familiar and shun the wider world beyond their immediate experience.  The message Paul brings us here is that as servants of Christ, God’s people become a part of God’s great salvation plan for the whole world, and they should therefore see all things in this light.  He was able to rise above his sufferings for the sake of the Gospel, and he invites everyone of faith who reads God’s Word to do the same.

Writing this, Paul was aware of the great divisions between the Jewish world and the Gentile world, a division that Christ came to break down (3:6).  We cannot read Ephesians and ignore the frequent references to Jew and Gentile (here in verse 8), for Paul, himself a Jew, had been led to be an ‘apostle for the Gentiles’, as he confesses here in verse 8.  For this reason, Paul strove throughout his ministry to keep Jewish and Gentile Christians together in the one church.  It was an exacting task, and the story of his journey of faith from the Jewish synagogue to Gentile homes is set out wonderfully in the book of Acts. 

As far as Paul was concerned, God was big enough to embrace both peoples within His salvation.  We therefore should believe that God is able to include every race and kind of people in His salvation plan.  For Him there is no division between Black and White churches, between Protestant and Catholic, and so much more.  Moreover, God wants this to be made known to the ‘rulers and authorities in heavenly places’ (3:10), so that these heavenly powers can know that God is at work and drawing all things to their conclusion in Christ.  When we maintain our divisions, for whatever earthly reason, we prevent God doing His heavenly work of salvation and reconciliation.

Now, our passage is dominated by the contrast between Paul’s humility and the glorious nature of the Gospel.  On the one hand he speaks in superlative terms of the Gospel, but confesses his lowly status as a ‘servant’ of the Gospel (3:7), indeed ‘the very least of the saints’ (3:8).  He says something similar in two other letters (1 Cor. 15:9 and 1 Tim 1:15).  Some have accused Paul of too grandiose a sense of his own importance due to the forthright dogmatic instructions found in his letters, but this is a hard judgement.  Paul always justifies what he says, and passes on what has been revealed to him, as here (3:7f.).  However, God had called him to preach nothing less than His universal plan of salvation for all people and the whole world, and it is extraordinary that God should give this task to a man who had opposed the Gospel, as Paul did before he was converted.  But that is the nature of God’s grace and the reason why it is so powerful.  God transforms His enemies into His advocates.

There is so much at stake, for just as there is only one God who created the world, there is only one Gospel of salvation that makes peace with God and this passage captures the magnitude of this.  Paul speaks about a ‘mystery’, hidden ‘in God’ since the beginning of creation (3:9).  So the salvation offered to us in Christ is no accident of history, it is intended by God, and the Christian preacher today must copy Paul by preaching this great Gospel as a humble servant, and all of us should stand in awe of what God is doing in our midst.

Ephesians 3:7-13 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• A comparison between this passage and 1 Corinthians 15:9
• Wisdom, Creation, God’s mystery and plan
• The role of the church in God’s plan
• Paul’s appeal to the Ephesians in verse 13

Notes on the translation of the passage

V9 ‘to reveal to everyone’  

For complex reasons, it is not at all certain that the word ‘everyone’ is part of the original text.  However, I have left the word in because the literary evidence for it presence is 50/50, but its inclusion fits the theological theme of the passage which is the universal message of the Gospel.

V9 ‘the purpose of this mystery’ 

 The word ‘purpose’ translates the Greek ‘oikonomia’, generally meaning a task or work to be done.  In this sentence, ‘purpose’ indicates the intent of God to do something through revealing the mystery of His grace.  Other versions of the Bible have ‘the administration of this mystery’, or ‘the plan of the mystery’, and it is difficult to understand what this means in English.

V9 ‘who created all things’  

If you read the ’Authorised Version’, you will find that it adds here the words ‘through Jesus Christ’.  There is no doubt that God made the world through Jesus Christ, because other texts with Scripture say this (see John 1:1f., for example), however, none of the early Greek manuscripts of the New Testament contain these words.  They appear to be an unexplained addition to the Latin ‘received text’ used by the translators of the Authorised version.

V10 ‘the vast extent of God’s wisdom’  

This phrase is difficult to translate, and many Bible versions say ‘the manifold wisdom of God’.  The Greek word says, literally, ‘the many various forms of God’s wisdom’, so I think it best to try and convey the idea not so much of variety but the sheer range and extent of His wisdom.  God’s wisdom is vast, but it is not varied in the sense of being different for different people or circumstances, and the translation given here avoids this implication.

V12 ‘We have assurance in Him ...’  

The beginning of this sentence is difficult to translate because most of this text is but one sentence in Greek, and it does not read well in English.  The Greek reads ‘in whom we have the assurance ...’, but this translation allows us to break the sentence at the end of verse 11 and still make sense of verse 12.

A comparison between this passage and 1 Corinthians 15:9 (and 1 Tim 1:15)

At the beginning of this passage, Paul describes being a ‘servant of this Gospel’ (3:7) and ‘the very least of all the saints’ (3:8).  What he says here is similar to what is found in two other letters, and these are quoted below:

Last of all he appeared also to me, as to one of untimely birth.  For I am the least of the apostles, one who is not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But I am what I am by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:8-10)

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)

It is important to look at these two texts because they indicate that Paul was inclined to make comments about his own sense of worthlessness from time to time (you can find other examples in other letters).  Though he did this because he undoubtedly felt the pain of one who had been a former persecutor, he also knew that this personal testimony had a purpose.  It enabled him to appeal to almost anyone to receive the Gospel, for if he could receive it as a fierce opponent of Jesus, then anyone could.  Saying this also enabled Paul to appeal to his readers not to elevate him too highly.  There are comments in Peter’s second letter, even in the early days of the church, that the writings of Paul were regarded as God’s Word (2 Peter 3:15,16).  It was therefore essential for Paul to show that he was no more or less of a saint than anyone else.

There is one other important reason for looking at this confession of Paul.  Literary analysts have examined the manner in which Paul describes himself as ‘a servant of the Gospel’, and they say that it is not as self deprecating as similar examples in other letters.  This has been taken as evidence that Paul did not write the letter to the Ephesians.  This is an important point of issue in the scholarly world, and I would suggest that the many different comments Paul makes about himself in his letters shows simply that he spoke about himself according to the train of thought in each letter.  To draw such a conclusion is rather presumptuous.

Wisdom, Creation, God’s mystery and plan

As Paul began to describe the full extent of the Gospel in verses 9, 10 and 11, he used all these four words as an Old Testament scholar who knew Scriptures well.  ‘Wisdom’ was a property of God, present at Creation (according to Proverbs 8:22-31), describing the vast knowledge of God in governing all history and all human activity and interaction.  This is why the book of Proverbs embraces the entire range of human understanding of the world, and of family and social relationships.  The logic of the book of Wisdom is simple, God has made everything that exists, so we must go to Him to understand both the world in which we live and also how we relate to it individually and how we relate to each other.  We also gain knowledge about ourselves by accessing the wisdom of God.

I write about this because wisdom is not spoken of much today, but it is an important aspect of God’s nature and His salvation plan.  Here in this passage, Paul speaks of the salvation plan of God as a revelation of God’s mysterious wisdom in all its ‘vast extent’ (3:10); it was hidden in Old Testament times and has now been revealed in Christ.  Because of this, Paul describes God’s plan of salvation as universal; he says that God created ‘all things’ (3:9), and he talks about salvation as the ‘limitless riches of Christ’ (3:8).  Salvation starts in the heart of God at Creation, and it is now the responsibility of God’s people on earth to proclaim it universally.

It is therefore a great tragedy that Christians are divided about what this all means today.  A significant number of Christians believe that God’s plan of salvation is only relevant to those He has pre-determined and already chosen to be saved.  The idea is derived from two New Testament texts that speak about God ‘choosing beforehand’ those who will do His will (Romans 8:29,30 and Ephesians 1:5,11).  These two texts speak exclusively about the Christians of the early church who pioneered the faith of Jesus Christ and took it into the world, and it is very sad that they have been used to suggest that God in Christ has only died to save certain people, and not others.  This text and many others throughout the Bible, make it clear that God’s plan of salvation is universal and available to all.  The fact that some do not accept God’s offer is a tragedy, and scripture does not say that everyone will be saved; nevertheless, the offer of salvation is open to all.  This is what is meant by the ‘limitless riches of Christ’ (3:8)

The role of the church in God’s plan

In the New Testament, there are many places where the church is mentioned, meaning the gathered people of God who have responded to Christ by faith.  The word is used mostly in an incidental way, where Paul, for example, greets the ‘church at Corinth’ (1 Cor. 1:2).  There are not many scriptures that speak about the church in depth, what it is, or how it should function.  One exception is 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, which define the church as the ‘body of Christ’ and comment on some practices of church worship.  This text is another exception, because here, Paul describes the church as being responsible for proclaiming this message of salvation not just to other people on earth, but to ‘the authorities in the heavenly world’ (3:10), and ‘according to the plan He has carried out in Christ Jesus’ (3:11).

What does this mean?  We are used to the idea that the church should be involved in proclaiming the Gospel by word and deed, worshipping God and serving others, but Paul speaks here of what appears to be a spiritual rather than an earthly task.  When Paul wrote this letter, the ‘rulers and authorities of this world’ were commonly thought to be the powers that ruled what happened on earth through empires, nations and governments.  Paul and the early Christians would not accept that the heavens contained any other ‘gods’ (as other people of their day believed), they only believed that there were other rulers and authorities, some of which were evil and demonic, and these affected what happened on earth.  It is easy to turn up our noses at such ideas, but we should be careful.  It is all too evident that evil exists even today, when nations, organisations and individuals seem so capable of evils such as genocide or monstrous fraud affecting the life of everyone on the planet, and more.

The simple consequence of this text is this.  We must accept that although the church has a clear obligation to announce the Gospel on earth, it must also do heavenly battle in the name of the Gospel against evil.  We must fight against powers of darkness that affect our world in whatever way we chose to define them or speak about them.

Paul’s appeal to the Ephesians in verse 13

At the very end of our passage, Paul asks his readers ‘not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you ...’ (3:13).  What does this mean?  We know from other letters of Paul that he endure great suffering whilst travelling around the Roman Empire on his various missions (see 2 Cor 6:4f. and chapter 11), and Paul was also in prison when he wrote this letter (3:1, 4:1).  Paul did not advocate seeking pain suffering or difficulty, but he did accept the teaching of Christ that His disciples would suffer for the Kingdom (Matthew 5:11f. etc.).  For him, the endurance of suffering was evidence of the glory of God at work in the world!

Yet still, many Christians fall when the subject of suffering comes up.  Some believe that with faith, suffering will cease because the work of Christ heals the soul and brings peace; but the truth is that Christ does indeed heal the soul and bring peace but this does not stop anyone suffering in this world.  Some preach a Gospel of prosperity, which says that if you do what God requires, He will give you blessings on earth; but the truth is that the Gospel promises eternal blessings and God’s help to deal with this life.

None of us can escape the reality of life, and suffering is a part of it.  When we suffer for our faith, then like Paul, we should encourage each other because this suffering is a sharing in Christ’s glory.

Ephesians 3:7-13 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

This passage of scripture contains a great many treasures.  For example, the idea of being a servant of the Gospel (found in verse 7) is important, because the Greek word for ‘servant’ also means ‘minister’.  With this in mind, our passage identifies the preaching of the Gospel, however it is done, as the primary task of one who would be a ‘minister of the Gospel’.  Then, towards the end of our passage, verse 12 speaks about the ‘assurance’ we may have that we are saved (sometimes translated ‘boldness’).  Today, when challenged, many Christians have considerable doubts about aspects of faith, and some will quickly slip away from the church if things do not work out as they would like, or suffering comes.  If the church fosters such faith then it fails in its task, for true faith is faith with assurance.  We do not come to Christ to get spiritual help for a good life, we come to Christ to be saved for all eternity, and by His grace, God grants that we may know this with certainty.  When this happens, we surely know it!

This passage of scripture therefore challenges God’s people to hold on to and preach a full Gospel with a universal message of God’s grace.  It also tells us to make this Gospel effective not just on earth, but in the heavens.  How do we do this?  To a certain extent, what we do on earth has eternal and heavenly consequences, but I believe that here, Paul means more than this.  He expects us to battle prayerfully and practically against the evils of our day that dominate the lives of people throughout the world, whatever their origin, perhaps form politics, war or the problems of our planetary environment.

We should never lose sight of the one great theme of this passage, however, which is the greatness of God’s grace both in saving us and in using us to proclaim His Kingdom both on earth and in heaven.  We offer the whole of our lives in response to this grace of Christ.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. Discuss how people become preachers of the Gospel today, and whether those who preach in our pulpits do indeed preach the Gospel.
2. What does the eternal plan of God’s salvation mean to you?  Is it possible for any one of us to grasp the full extent of God’s plan?
3. What is ‘assurance’, and how do we find it if we are uncertain and lack confidence in our faith?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Pray, and explore the idea of the church’s responsibility to declare the Gospel ‘in heavenly world’ (3:10).  How can anyone be effective in such witness and testimony?
• Go through the text and write down the different theme of faith you can find within it.  Pray about each one and consider how they affect you and how you live your life.

Final Prayer

All glory to You, God of all joy and happiness.  Bless us today in the good things of life, and help us overcome the problems of suffering and be confident in Your love.  May we radiate the happiness of those who are at peace with themselves and with You, and may we declare with every part of our being that You are the One who ‘makes the difference’ to our lives!  AMEN

Bible study for Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14-21 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Review

(consult Dictionaries)

Paul concludes the first half of Ephesians with a powerful plea to his readers to appreciate the benefits of Christ’s grace and love, and to give Him the glory ‘in the church’.

This is a truly wonderful passage of scripture, and it comes halfway through Ephesians and at the end of chapter 3.  Overall, the first half of the letter contains a beautiful description of the Gospel and the saving work of God, and it reads rather like an address, perhaps even a sermon.  The second half is quite different, and as soon as we read chapter 4, we will find that its tone is quite different.  Paul changes into ‘teaching’ mode, offering all manner of advice about how to put the Gospel into practice.

Why then does Paul write like this?  Many of his letters are split between a first half explaining the Gospel itself and defending his preaching, and a second half containing the ‘meat’ of his teaching; other examples are Galatians and Philippians, and also Romans.  The reason may be because of the need for Paul to stamp his authority on the letter he was writing.  In the second half of the first century AD, a considerable number of letters and documents were written claiming to be from one or other of the apostles, and it was essential for people to know the difference between authentic and false.  The first half of Paul’s letters may well have contained words and themes that Paul’s readers knew from hearing him preach; they were his ‘hallmark’ of preaching, and served to authenticate the letter.

So what does Paul say here in these verses?  To begin with, I need to point out that my translation differs considerably from that found in other Bible versions.  In common with the rest of Ephesians 1-3, the original Greek of this passage is made up mostly of one long sentence, with the glorious themes rolling from one into the other.  But it is far easier for us to understand what Paul is saying to us if we split it up into three sections.  The most obvious dividing point is to be found at the end of verse 19, for the last two verses are clearly a prayer of praise to God, separate from what has gone before.  They make up what we might call a ‘doxology’, which is a brief, self contained expression of praise and thanks to God.  The distinctive feature of this doxology is its emphasis on God’s limitless power and His never-failing glory in Christ; and not surprisingly, it has become a favourite of the church throughout the centuries.

Now the bulk of our reading today is found in verses 14 to 19, which are best understood separated into two sentences, with the break halfway through verse 17.  This is different from what you will find in other Bible versions, which do not break the sentence here, and which are difficult to read.  This is unfortunate, because the more we can understand Paul’s glorious praise of God, the more we will be blessed.

The first part of our passage is found in verses 14 to 17, in which Paul prays for his readers, in Ephesus, and ultimately for us.  He describes God’s people as a family, whose identity comes from the Father (3:14).  In this light, all human categories of nation, race, wealth, sex, age or class become irrelevant, for God sees each as the individual He has made. Today, we easily forget God’s involvement in our creation, largely because children are mostly conceived within a ‘planned’ family.  Nevertheless, conception itself remains a profoundly mysterious work of God, for although science observes this in part, it cannot account for our individuality or our ‘spirit’, by which each one is a sentient and spiritual individual (Genesis 2:7).  The true destiny of the human spirit is to find strength in its Maker, by means of the Holy Spirit (3:16) and sustenance from Christ, by means of faith (3:17).

Verses 14 to 17 say even more, by describing the church as a family, which is not created and directed by human will, but comes under the authority of the Father.  Because of this, it is at its best when its members humble themselves and give Him free reign to work in their midst by His Holy Spirit (3:16,17).  This is a timely warning to those who seek to create new churches, who gather people together to worship God and call it ‘church’.  We should be careful to know the difference between doing this and being being so moved by God’s Spirit that churches spring up from the work we are called to do by the Father.

Verses 17 to 19 is Paul’s prayer that his readers appreciate the full magnitude of God’s grace in bringing His plan of salvation into effect.  Today, we are ourselves overcome by the enormity of God’s grace in saving us, but in Paul’s day, we may add the sense of amazement that the first Christians had in knowing that they were among the first to hear this message in all human history (as we read yesterday).  Nevertheless, Paul urges all God’s people to dwell on the amazing and awesome love of God (3:18), and he indicates that we will best be able to do this when we are indeed ‘together with the saints’, that is, a part of God’s church, according to His will (3:18).

The love of Christ lies at the very spiritual heart of the universe, and this is why Paul is able to praise God for everything that He is doing amongst His people, the church.  Of all the great ‘doxologies’ within Scripture, this one (3:20,21) more than any other, offers praise to God for His work through His people throughout the generations.  We who stand at the cusp of history’s wave do well to praise God for what He does through us, for He is bringing His plan to fruition even now; having swept through history and looking forward to all that is to come.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Going Deeper

(consult Dictionaries)

• Notes on the translation of the passage
• What does it mean to be ‘strengthened in the inner being through the Spirit’?  (3:16)
• What is Paul saying about the true nature of love in verses 17 to 19?
• What do the words ‘far exceeds’, and ‘fullness of God’ mean here? (3:19)
• In what ways does the ‘doxology’ give praise to God? (30,21)

Notes on the translation of the passage

V14 ‘... before the Father’ 

In the Authorised Version of the Bible, you will find the following words added to this verse, ‘the father of our Lord Jesus Christ’.  Since the days of the translation of the Authorised version, ancient papyri have been found that indicate these words have been added later perhaps by a scribe.  They are not present in the earliest available manuscripts of Ephesians.

V17 ‘Being rooted and grounded in love ...’  

If you were to read different versions of the Bible, you would find that they all come across rather differently.  I explain the way that this message of Paul fits together in my notes, but what Paul wrote contained no punctuation, so each translator has to try and place full stops within the verse in a way that will help us make sense of it.  I have started a new sentence here (‘Being rooted and grounded in love’) because Christ’s love is the next subject of what says, so it seems right that the sentence should start with it.

V19 ‘indeed, to know the love of Christ that far exceeds all knowledge ...’  

As previously, the way in which this Greek sentence fits together is awkward, but I have followed the logic of maintaining that this part of the text is exclusively about Christ’s love.  I have translated this clause as being like an additional thought to what is written in the previous verse about the ‘length and breadth (etc.) of Christ’s love, because in my view, this is the only way to make sense of what Paul has written.

What does it mean to be ‘strengthened in the inner being through the Spirit’?  (3:16)

Verses 14 to 16 are deeply moving.  Paul’s prayer suggests that we return to God as the source of life and the only one who can fully understand each individual.  As with most of us, Paul knew about a certain amount about his own background, for example, he was born a Jew and a Pharisee.  People tend to know something of ‘who they are’ in terms of ancestry and the nurture of the years, and today, people can research their background and ancestry.  However, God knows much more.  To go to the Father is to seek the most radical and complete form of ‘self understanding’.  The modern quest for self knowledge and self understanding will be achieved when people do what Paul did, and come in prayer to the Maker, touching once again the ‘riches of His glory’ from which they were gloriously made.

More than this, Paul kneels ‘before the Father’ in order to pray not just for self understanding but also that the Ephesians will do the same, and gain a greater understanding of themselves through Him who is love.  By being ready to submit everything to God in prayer and selfless praise, they will stand ready to receive the blessing and strengthening of the Father, and the strengthening of the ‘inner being’.  Instead of ‘inner being’, Paul could have used the word ‘soul’, ‘heart’, or ‘body’ at this point, but each of these would have been suggestive of his other teaching, distracting his readers from what he was saying.

The truth is that the human spirit can only be renewed by the breath of the Spirit that created it.  We all have many experiences and feelings about our lives, our family members, and what has shaped us.  We accept and live with some of this, but it can be a matter of great struggle.  Standing before our Creator, however, we can have confidence in Christ that our God can deal with everything, even rebuild or remake us.  He can heal our minds, our feelings, our bodies or our memories, and so much more.  All things become possible through Christ, because through Him, we have access to the Father by the Spirit. 

As a matter of interest, this passage is one of the few places in scripture where God is described in terms of the Father (3:14), the Son (Christ Jesus – 3:17) and the Holy Spirit (3:16).  Here, these are not doctrinal entities, but a real Christian experience of God; where the Lord God is received openly by His people in prayer, as ‘Father, Son and Holy Spirit’.  Only the whole revelation of God can completely strengthen and heal the human condition.

What is Paul saying about the true nature of love in verses 17 to 19?

When we realise the depth of what Paul is describing here (3:14-17), we can understand why he turns immediately to the theme of ‘love’.  Paul consistently teaches that love is the very nature of God, shown through the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus (see 1 Cor 13, for example).  To come before the Creator empty in heart and mind, is to stand openly in need of the one thing He longs to give us and the one thing that will heal, repair and strengthen us, and that is His love.

Paul begins this part of his prayer; ‘Being rooted and grounded in love, I pray that together with all the saints, you will be able to fully comprehend the breadth, length, height, depth ...’ (3:18).  But there, the sentence stops, broken off as Paul’s mind thinks of yet another way of expressing what he has to say (in the next verse).  If you read all the verses (17 to 19), it is obvious that Paul is speaking about ‘the love of Christ’.  However, because he does not actually say these words in verse 18, no translator can place them in the verse, although it is obvious to all who read the Greek text that this is what Paul means.

Nevertheless, Paul’s phrase in verse 18 about the extent of God’s love has captured the imagination of Christians for generations; that ‘you may be able to fully comprehend the breadth, length, height and depth ...’.  Before the world of mathematical analysis and our understanding of ‘three dimensions’, Paul described the full extent of the world by speaking of the two obvious ‘dimensions’ of the earth; that is the general extent of the world that stretches out around us, its ‘breadth and length’.  Added to this, he described the two ‘dimensions’ that separate the earth and the heavens; that is, ‘height and depth’.  The message is obvious.  The love of God is as universal as God Himself with the whole of His creation including heaven and earth.  Just as Paul said in his letter to the Romans;

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38,39)

What do the words ‘far exceeds’, and ‘fullness of God’ mean?  (3:19)

There are some who believe that wherever the word ‘fullness’ (Greek ‘pleroma’) appears in Paul’s letters (as it does here in verse 19), this indicates the influence of ‘Gnosticism’ or Greek ‘mystery’ religions upon Paul.  Then, together with other parts of Ephesians we have already studied (3:3f.), these small references have been said to imply that the letter cannot have been written by the apostle, who would have had nothing to do with the words of such paganism.  Such literary arguments however cannot be proven one way or the other; they are pure supposition, because there is not enough evidence of the use of the word in the first century to draw such conclusions.  Moreover, such ideas are profoundly unhelpful to our understanding of Ephesians, because they draws our eyes away from what these words can mean for those who read them with the intent to discover God’s Word, as written by Paul.

After breaking off from his expression ‘the breadth, length, height and depth ...’ (3:18), Paul used two other phrases to express the supreme and universal nature of love, which is the very character of God.  Firstly, he said that it ‘far-exceeds all knowledge’ (3:19).  The Greek word used for ‘far-exceeds’ means quite literally ‘covering completely over’, as if speaking of a tent covering that stretches over an entire tent dwelling.  You will find that other translations of the Bible describe the love of God here as ‘all-surpassing’, or ‘far in excess’.  However, the Greek word tells us that God’s love does not just extend beyond all knowledge, it is like a covering that truly protects us, and more than this, it does not just exceed our knowledge, it even protects what we do know of ourselves and of God (our ‘knowledge’ – 3:19).

Lastly, this prayer of Paul ‘that you may be completely filled with all the fullness of God.’ (3:19) expresses the inexpressible and asserts the impossible, at least in this life!  However, it is indeed our destiny to know all things, to be filled with love, to find complete forgiveness, to be content with all things and be complete and ‘full’ when God’s Kingdom comes in glory!  It seems that it was Paul’s aim to lift the sights of his readers higher, so that they aspire to the greater things of God even whilst they live, and he speaks to us.  We will never be completely filled with the fullness of God’ in this life, but one day, we will, and what glory there will be!

In what ways does the ‘doxology’ give praise to God? (30,21)

Little wonder, therefore, that Paul turns to give praise and glory to God at this point in his letter.  The doxology is not, as some suggest, Paul’s first attempt to end the letter before realising afresh that he had a further message to give (recorded in the rest of Ephesians!).  It is a natural conclusion to this part of the letter.  Neither does it conveniently speak of all the ‘persons’ of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit’, for as we have already noticed, Paul has already done this in our passage (see verses 14 and 15).

The doxology captures the heart of the entire first three chapters of Ephesians, which is a magnificent prayer of praise to God. It catches the clear theme of these chapters, which is the overflowing generosity of God, and it does so with a wonderful phrase that is worth remembering.  This is because it powerfully summarises God’s characteristics and His generosity in Christ; ‘Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine by means of the power at work within us’ (3:20).  This is the God, says Paul, who is our Saviour, and ‘to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus ...’ (3:21).

This is only a small point, but Paul urges that glory be given to God ‘in the church’.  I am well aware of the deep unhappiness many people have with the church today, to the point of many deciding that they do not care to live with it.  Some feel that the complexities of being part of a community of people are intolerable, even Christian people, as are the compromises and challenges to be faced in order to live at peace with others.  Unfortunately, this is a modern social trend used by the devil to pull people away from the true unity of God’s people, and the heart of God longs for His people to live together at peace in His church.  In this way, the church gives glory to God on earth, indeed, one of God’s greatest desires, according to Scripture, is that His people give this witness on earth so that more may come to know Him.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (get text)   Study links:  / Review / Going Deeper / Discipleship /

Discipleship

Application

This passage is a challenge to all God’s people, because it speaks deeply about the life of prayer.  It describes Paul’s prayer that God’s people may know the full extent, measure and protection of His love, and it gives prise to the Almighty for His supreme generosity in love.  It also suggests that the Lord loves the prayers of His people not just individually, but together, the prayer of His people the church, ‘throughout all generations’ (3:21).

The passage illustrates how we may know ourselves most fully and be strengthened for the life of faith through returning to our God in prayer.  It also assumes that people who have come to know the Lord find it natural to pray and that they know the presence of the Lord Jesus in their hearts.  His prayer or ‘doxology’ is an example of the overflowing of the human heart in praise to God that illustrates his theme.  Even though Paul undoubtedly has issues to deal with in the church at Ephesus, and as we will find out later, he needs to speak forthrightly about key issues of faith to them, his heart is bursting with praise to God.  It is certainly my experience that when God’s people turn from their own contentions and strife to give the Lord glory and praise, then the earthly issues by which they are divided pale into a less significant light.  Real prayer accepts that nothing is more important than the love of God, and real prayer accepts that all things are possible through Him who loves us.

Questions (for use in groups)

1. After studying this passage, discuss what it teaches about God’s people and prayer
2. What are the main characteristics of God revealed in this passage, and what do they mean for us now, in our own day.
3. In what circumstances would the words of the ‘doxology’ (3:20,21) be appropriate, given that they do not represent the ‘Trinity’ of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Ideas for exploring discipleship

• Ask yourself the question, ‘How does Christ make me strong?’ over a number of days.  As you do this, read the passage over several times.  The Lord will reward the honest seeker for truth.
• Write down a form of prayer along the lines of Paul’s prayer, summarising what he says, and making this easier to use in either a church or a personal setting.

Final Prayer

Bless us this day, Lord Jesus.  Bring praise to our lips and open our hearts to offer You the highest praise our hearts can offer.  Speak through spiritual tongues which transport us to the throne of grace and into the presence of Almighty God Himself, and may our praises be worthy in His presence; AMEN