Gentlemen,
I am overwhelmed by the task of trying to pull “the goodie” out of Ephesians. It has many real challenges to, and applications for our everyday lives and just a quick read reminds me of how badly I often botch life. How can I hope to live up to the standard of God? I know all about grace and often believe that I am trying God’s patience with my daily failures.
Pray for me and help me to grow and get better at highlighting for discussion all the meaningful lessons to be learned from this powerful little book of the bible. When looked at through a microscope word by word, you lose the overall meaning, but to elevate it to a higher level, you gloss over a whole lot of important things embedded in every word. Is it simply poetry or are key concepts and phrases repeated because they are really important an applicable in many ways?
Is the prayer at the end of chapter 1 simply a prayer, or is it another example of how we should pray (like the Lord’s prayer)?
I would appreciate your prayers and your grace as I struggle through this.
Ephesians 1 New International Version (NIV)
Unity in Christ
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
v. 1, 2 What is important in the introduction and greeting? That Paul, himself, has written this letter? That Paul calls himself an apostle? That the church at Ephesus has been faithful? That he will be discussing Grace and peace? Or is it just a standard, polite, “Hello” to old friends?
Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
- V3 What does it mean to be blessed in heavenly realms?
- V4 ..chose us .. before the creation of the world …There’s that pesky election issue again…
- V5 …a lot of important words meriting discussion – predestined, adoption (heirs? Romans 8:17), sonship.
- V5 Does, “in accordance with his pleasure and will” mean that his reasons for choosing his sons has no other criterion? (also appears in V9 as good pleasure)
- V6 introduces grace – which he has freely given us. Why was he writing to the Ephesians about grace? Is this to remind them about what they have been given or is it to tell them that others (all others?) can be beneficiaries of God’s grace)
- V6 The phrase “To the praise of his glorious grace” is introduced here and used again in similar form in verses 12 and 14. What is Paul trying to get at here?
11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
- V – 12 Talks about “we.” The Bible Project piece says that the “we” are the first Jewish believers and then, starting in verse 13 talks about “you” bringing in the Gentiles.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
- As Paul goes into the thanksgiving and prayer portion (V 15 – 23) of this chapter, he gets very expansive “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every name that is invoked – to all people not only in the present age….him who fills everything in every way. It seems to both try to help them understand the vastness of God’s love and power that overrides everything else – as encouragement to be steadfast, as a charge to win others to the faith or as comfort that God has control of it?
- V15 talks about all God’s people. Were the Ephesians a particularly loving group reaching out to all? Is that what Paul was talking about?
- V18 What is the “hope to which he has called you?” Is all this descriptive language to thank God for all he offers us in Christ and to assure us of his power and dominion over everything as a comfort? …as a reason why we should follow him?
On a larger scale, many think that Ephesians is one of the great books (the big 3 or big 5 among Psalms, John, Romans) and yet it is a very short little book. What do you think about its significance? It scares the heck out of me. It is a plan for life that seems impossible to live up to. Then it talks about grace and that God has an endless stream (V8 “lavished on us”) of grace for us. I, for one, thank God for his grace and his love every day. I can’t wait to get to the “whole armor of God” section. I need to polish my breastplate of righteousness, sharpen my sword of the spirit and generally tune up all of my pieces of armor which, too often, remain in my coat closet rusting away.