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On a forum I own, we are doing a Bible study on Ephesians. We aren't too far into it but I thought I would post what I have so far. We have done 3 divisions so far (1:1-12, 1:13-23, & 2:1-10).
v.1 - Paul is acknowledging that he is not an apostle by his own will. It was by no choice of his own. This was God's will for his life and God's alone. "Free will" had absolutely zero to do with it. This is not to say that Paul performed his duty begrudgingly. It is only to say that it was not by his own choice. We also see it was written to the saints at Ephesus. Various (though not all) early manuscripts did not include "at Ephesus" leading us to conclude it was added in at a later date by translators and scholars.
v.2 - We see a very common opening of Paul's. He uses similar phrasing in the beginning of many of his epistles. One thing to notice is that he is saying it on behalf of God.
v.3 - Paul is giving praise to God for the many blessings He bestows upon us. It is no wonder we are told to be content in all things (Philippians 4:11) as we have already (past tense) been blessed with all things we will possibly need in this life.
v.4 - God chose us with a purpose. We are to be set apart for God. We are to be blameless. We are to be above reproach. We have a high calling indeed. While this may seem like a lot of pressure, we can rest assured that we were created for the very purpose of fulfilling it. God chose us before the foundation of the world to fulfill this purpose. However, we can know that we are not alone as we have the Spirit there to guide us.
v.5 - Many say that we chose God. Many others say that God only chose us because He first saw that we would choose Him of our own free will. Neither of these is true. Paul is very clear that, not only did God choose us and predestine us before the foundation of the world but, he also did so according to His own will. It was His purpose. It was His desire. Nothing suggests He consulted with us. Nothing suggests He "looked ahead" to see if we would comply and conform. It was all God. He alone chose. He alone predestined. He alone purposed. What exactly did He predestine us to? Well, not only was it to be blameless. It was also to be adopted into His family. He made us to become His sons. He made us to be joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
v.6 - Knowing what we do about God's sovereign plan in Creation and His Will for our lives, we should praise Him all the more. He has blessed us with everything we will need and it was all accomplished in Christ, the Beloved.
v.7 - We have been redeemed. We were once on the fast track to Hell as mankind but God, in His infinite Will, chose to rescue us; redeem us. Before the foundation of the world, He set in motion a plan involving the death of His Son that we sinners would be redeemed. Not only are we redeemed but we are adopted as sons (v.5). Everything we have is because of Christ alone. His blood redeems us and forgives our iniquity. Everything we have is in Christ and the fact that we even have Christ rests solely in God's good grace.
v.8 - We are not just sticking our big toe in the pool of grace. It says that God lavished His grace upon us. We are smothered and covered in the grace of God. Is it any wonder we are to be content? If anything, I say we are to be in debt. Thankfully, God does not think in human terms as I do. We swim in the unmerited favor of God at the cost of another.
v.9 - The mystery which Paul speaks of is God's union of both Jews and Gentiles. This was an unfathomable concept to the Jews of that time. The Gentiles were viewed as lesser beings while the Jews believed themselves to be God's chosen people therefore making them elite. The grafting in of the Gentiles was an amazingly difficult concept partially due to the discrimination of that time. However, this was no new plan of God's. It was His hidden Will all along which He was just now making known to the world. Christ was not an afterthought to save the world from sin. We already learned that God's plan was formed before the foundation of the world. Not only was it formed but it was also set in motion. He could have remained silent about it but it was His kind Will that He chose to share it with us when He did through His choosing and calling of Paul.
v.10 - This speaks of God's plan coming to fulfillment. It has already been completed in Christ but the chronological aspect of it still remains. There will come a day when all things will be perfect and we will see the new heaven and the new Earth.
v.11 - The inheritance we read of involves everything we have in Christ. Being joint heirs with Christ, we will receive all the heavenly blessings. We are not just slaves to God but also sons of God redeemed by the blood of Christ. We see that God's perfect Will encompasses everything from our devotion to Him to our inheritance in Him. Once again, nothing we have is because of our own choice, will, etc. It is all because of the perfect and sovereign Will of God alone.
v.12 - The "first to hope in Christ" refers to believing Jews. They were the first ones to hear about Christ and place their faith in Him.
v.13 - This goes right along the lines of Romans 10:14 & 17 regarding believing coming through faith. Faith comes by hearing the word. Those who believe with saving faith are promised eternal life. Verse 13 tells us that we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. In Paul's day, letters would often be sealed by the sender. This sender would put his ring in hot wax. When the wax dried, it would leave the impression of the insignia on the ring. This certified that the sender was who he said he was. Using this analogy, Paul tells us that God leaves His seal on us. We are forever His and the Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 6:19) is from Him. As the common theme has been, this promise extends to the Gentiles as well. Salvation is not only for the Jews but for all on the basis of faith.
v.14 - Many forget the first part of this verse and only pay attention to the last part. They say that salvation is not yet ours and that, while agreeing that it cannot be lost, only say so because they feel you cannot lose what isn't yet yours. This view completely flies in the face of Scripture.
Salvation is described in many ways in Scripture. It is said to be past, present, and future. To cling to just one is an erroneous view. In the same way, to say it is only past tense or only present tense in also wrong. The only way to reconcile the 3 tenses is to find out how they all work in perfect harmony.
For instance, the above verse clearly states that we have already been saved. However, the perfect tense used tells us the author meant, while we are already saved, there are ongoing effects. Salvation is a completed act. There is nothing left to accomplish nor is there anything left to be given. It is finished. However, the effects of this salvation are ongoing in the life of the believer such as in the form of continual sanctification until the time of glorification. These are where the other 2 tenses come in and Ephesians 2:8, while speaking in the past tense, ties them all in perfectly.
We are already saved. It is something that already belongs to us. We have been saved already. During our Christian walk, we are continually being saved from this world and from the effects of sin in the form of the above mentioned sanctification. In the end, upon the coming of the perfect, we will be saved once again (in the form of glorification) from the trappings of this world as we enter into our rest with the Father.
Again, salvation IS a completed act. There is no denying this. However, there is much more to this. Knowing the above, we can now see that the inheritance which is yet for us to obtain is not referring to salvation. It is referring to the glory which is to come (Romans 8:18). The Spirit within is only the first fruits of what is to come upon glorification (Romans 8:23).
v.15-16 - We are all called to love one another as Jesus loved us (John 15:12). Paul, having knowledge of this kind of love being shown, was thankful toward them and continued to pray for them.
v.17 - Anything that is revealed to us regarding God is only done so by the Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 2:10). Paul was praying that The Spirit would show the people His Truth that they may see Him for who He is and that the mystery of the Gentiles being grafted in would be revealed in full.
v.18 - Once again, Paul prays that the Spirit would make known the mystery of the Gospel and that the guarantee of our salvation and calling would be understood. While the first born son would receive the inheritance of the father, we are receiving an inheritance from God Himself as joint heirs with Christ.
v.19-20 - God's glory is unfathomable. He is all powerful. Not only is God all powerful but He works His power in us, the believer. This is the exact same power God used in the resurrection of Christ. God's power is present in all things and all things are held together by His power.
v.21-22 - It was this very power that placed Jesus above anything else on Earth and in Heaven. Christ is the head of all things. This is the model which will be eternal. It was the case back then, is the case now, and will continue to be the case in the future. Satan has already been defeated.
v.23 - The Church is the body of Christ. While he is the head, every part of the body is important. When the Church is functioning as it is intended, Christ's glory can be fully made known. Our entire purpose in life is to bring glory to God and this is achieved when we work together as Christ's Church; His body.
v.1 - Before the regeneration of the Spirit, we are dead. Though we may be alive physically, we are spiritually dead. Because of this, we are incapable of serving God. We are at war with Him and hate Him (John 3:20). Everything in our nature is rebellious toward Him because of this state of death. Though we may not be as bad as we can be in extent, by our unregenerate nature, we are completely separated from God and lost in our sin. We are sinful because we are dead.
v.2 - We were not always saved. There was a time in our lives where we were just a dead as any unregenerate person. During this point in our lives, we walked in darkness (1 John 1:6). We followed the desires of the prince of the power of the air; Satan (John 8:44). There was a time when Satan worked through us as he continues to work today in those who remain disobedient to God.
v.3 - While we were in that unregenerate state, we gave in to our carnal desires. We were bound by them. Our spiritual deadness compelled us to sin yet our mind made the deliberate choice. The children of wrath is an interesting term. It is saying that all of mankind is born to wrath. We are the offspring of wrath. Who's wrath is it? It is God's wrath. This is the amazing part of God's grace. We all deserved Hell because of our sin. We were spiritually dead and, therefore, deserved the wages of sin which is death. Romans 9:22 speaks of God patiently awaiting the destruction of the vessels of wrath which He prepared. However, Romans 9:23 tells us God's patience is solely because He is making His glory known to those whom He has prepared beforehand to be saved; His Elect. Anyone who is saved right now is only saved because God chose them before the foundation of the world. He took us off the fast track to Hell and demonstrated his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). We were once children of wrath but we have since been washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Corinthians 6:11).
v.4 - Many like to paint a picture of God's love. They cling to quotes like, "God is love" while forgetting about every other aspect of Him. While it is true that God is love, His love is not dependent upon how much we do for Him. We cannot earn His love or "good graces." God's love is completely based on His own mercy and Will (Deuteronomy 7:7, Romans 9:18).
v.5 - Though we were once dead, the regenerate man has been made alive in Christ. We have been set free from the bondage of slavery to sin. Though we were dead and gave God absolutely nothing of ourselves, He chose to regenerate us and make us alive. It was not because we won a talent show. It was not because we did our good deed for the day. It was because we were actively rejecting God and He chose to have mercy on us and show us the Light. It was by God's grace alone that we have been saved. Part of being made alive in Christ is following the things of God (Colossians 3:1-2).
v.6 - Though we may not physically be in Heaven yet, it is a promise that awaits us. We have been made joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and we will inherit the kingdom of God with Him.
v.7 - The whole purpose of salvation is not to save men but to glorify God. It is to show the riches of His grace so that, in eternity, we will sing His praises and bow at His throne (Revelation 7:10-12).
v.8 - The thought of being saved by grace alone is not really a majorly disputed concept. However, once the thought of how firm the word "alone" is, things start to get sketchy. Many will say that God gave them the gift of grace and that they chose to have faith in Him. This idea does not jive with Scripture. Scripture tells us clearly that not only is grace a gift of God but faith is as well. Philemon 1:29 tells us that the ability to believe has been granted. Acts 13:48 tells us that only those who had been appointed to eternal life believed. In fact, faith is the gift being spoken of in 2:8. Our faith is not dependent upon an inner action of our own doing but upon the Will of God and the deliverance of His gift. Furthermore, to say that grace is the gift being referred to here does not make any sense. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. There is no need to declare that it is a gift because the very definition of grace makes it so. However, in the unmerited favor of God, He has chosen to bestow a gift upon us; faith.
v.9 - We have no room to boast in our salvation. We did nothing to save ourselves. Our salvation is rooted in God's plan, God's Electing decree, God's mercy, God's Son, God's gift of faith, and God's promise to preserve that which is His. If any of us are even thinking of boasting, we can only boast in the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:17) for He has done it all.
v.10 - We have been created by God with a purpose. Everything in creation, from the beginning of time, centers around Christ. We were created to perform good works but, more importantly, we were created in Christ. Before the foundation of the world, God decreed that He would send His Son in order to reconcile His Elect unto Himself that we might perform good works and glorify Him.
Ephesians 1:1-12 said:
v.1 - Paul is acknowledging that he is not an apostle by his own will. It was by no choice of his own. This was God's will for his life and God's alone. "Free will" had absolutely zero to do with it. This is not to say that Paul performed his duty begrudgingly. It is only to say that it was not by his own choice. We also see it was written to the saints at Ephesus. Various (though not all) early manuscripts did not include "at Ephesus" leading us to conclude it was added in at a later date by translators and scholars.
v.2 - We see a very common opening of Paul's. He uses similar phrasing in the beginning of many of his epistles. One thing to notice is that he is saying it on behalf of God.
v.3 - Paul is giving praise to God for the many blessings He bestows upon us. It is no wonder we are told to be content in all things (Philippians 4:11) as we have already (past tense) been blessed with all things we will possibly need in this life.
v.4 - God chose us with a purpose. We are to be set apart for God. We are to be blameless. We are to be above reproach. We have a high calling indeed. While this may seem like a lot of pressure, we can rest assured that we were created for the very purpose of fulfilling it. God chose us before the foundation of the world to fulfill this purpose. However, we can know that we are not alone as we have the Spirit there to guide us.
v.5 - Many say that we chose God. Many others say that God only chose us because He first saw that we would choose Him of our own free will. Neither of these is true. Paul is very clear that, not only did God choose us and predestine us before the foundation of the world but, he also did so according to His own will. It was His purpose. It was His desire. Nothing suggests He consulted with us. Nothing suggests He "looked ahead" to see if we would comply and conform. It was all God. He alone chose. He alone predestined. He alone purposed. What exactly did He predestine us to? Well, not only was it to be blameless. It was also to be adopted into His family. He made us to become His sons. He made us to be joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
v.6 - Knowing what we do about God's sovereign plan in Creation and His Will for our lives, we should praise Him all the more. He has blessed us with everything we will need and it was all accomplished in Christ, the Beloved.
v.7 - We have been redeemed. We were once on the fast track to Hell as mankind but God, in His infinite Will, chose to rescue us; redeem us. Before the foundation of the world, He set in motion a plan involving the death of His Son that we sinners would be redeemed. Not only are we redeemed but we are adopted as sons (v.5). Everything we have is because of Christ alone. His blood redeems us and forgives our iniquity. Everything we have is in Christ and the fact that we even have Christ rests solely in God's good grace.
v.8 - We are not just sticking our big toe in the pool of grace. It says that God lavished His grace upon us. We are smothered and covered in the grace of God. Is it any wonder we are to be content? If anything, I say we are to be in debt. Thankfully, God does not think in human terms as I do. We swim in the unmerited favor of God at the cost of another.
v.9 - The mystery which Paul speaks of is God's union of both Jews and Gentiles. This was an unfathomable concept to the Jews of that time. The Gentiles were viewed as lesser beings while the Jews believed themselves to be God's chosen people therefore making them elite. The grafting in of the Gentiles was an amazingly difficult concept partially due to the discrimination of that time. However, this was no new plan of God's. It was His hidden Will all along which He was just now making known to the world. Christ was not an afterthought to save the world from sin. We already learned that God's plan was formed before the foundation of the world. Not only was it formed but it was also set in motion. He could have remained silent about it but it was His kind Will that He chose to share it with us when He did through His choosing and calling of Paul.
v.10 - This speaks of God's plan coming to fulfillment. It has already been completed in Christ but the chronological aspect of it still remains. There will come a day when all things will be perfect and we will see the new heaven and the new Earth.
v.11 - The inheritance we read of involves everything we have in Christ. Being joint heirs with Christ, we will receive all the heavenly blessings. We are not just slaves to God but also sons of God redeemed by the blood of Christ. We see that God's perfect Will encompasses everything from our devotion to Him to our inheritance in Him. Once again, nothing we have is because of our own choice, will, etc. It is all because of the perfect and sovereign Will of God alone.
v.12 - The "first to hope in Christ" refers to believing Jews. They were the first ones to hear about Christ and place their faith in Him.
Ephesians 1:13-23 said:
v.13 - This goes right along the lines of Romans 10:14 & 17 regarding believing coming through faith. Faith comes by hearing the word. Those who believe with saving faith are promised eternal life. Verse 13 tells us that we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. In Paul's day, letters would often be sealed by the sender. This sender would put his ring in hot wax. When the wax dried, it would leave the impression of the insignia on the ring. This certified that the sender was who he said he was. Using this analogy, Paul tells us that God leaves His seal on us. We are forever His and the Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 6:19) is from Him. As the common theme has been, this promise extends to the Gentiles as well. Salvation is not only for the Jews but for all on the basis of faith.
v.14 - Many forget the first part of this verse and only pay attention to the last part. They say that salvation is not yet ours and that, while agreeing that it cannot be lost, only say so because they feel you cannot lose what isn't yet yours. This view completely flies in the face of Scripture.
Salvation is described in many ways in Scripture. It is said to be past, present, and future. To cling to just one is an erroneous view. In the same way, to say it is only past tense or only present tense in also wrong. The only way to reconcile the 3 tenses is to find out how they all work in perfect harmony.
Ephesians 2:8a said:
For instance, the above verse clearly states that we have already been saved. However, the perfect tense used tells us the author meant, while we are already saved, there are ongoing effects. Salvation is a completed act. There is nothing left to accomplish nor is there anything left to be given. It is finished. However, the effects of this salvation are ongoing in the life of the believer such as in the form of continual sanctification until the time of glorification. These are where the other 2 tenses come in and Ephesians 2:8, while speaking in the past tense, ties them all in perfectly.
We are already saved. It is something that already belongs to us. We have been saved already. During our Christian walk, we are continually being saved from this world and from the effects of sin in the form of the above mentioned sanctification. In the end, upon the coming of the perfect, we will be saved once again (in the form of glorification) from the trappings of this world as we enter into our rest with the Father.
Ephesians 2:5 said:
Again, salvation IS a completed act. There is no denying this. However, there is much more to this. Knowing the above, we can now see that the inheritance which is yet for us to obtain is not referring to salvation. It is referring to the glory which is to come (Romans 8:18). The Spirit within is only the first fruits of what is to come upon glorification (Romans 8:23).
v.15-16 - We are all called to love one another as Jesus loved us (John 15:12). Paul, having knowledge of this kind of love being shown, was thankful toward them and continued to pray for them.
v.17 - Anything that is revealed to us regarding God is only done so by the Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 2:10). Paul was praying that The Spirit would show the people His Truth that they may see Him for who He is and that the mystery of the Gentiles being grafted in would be revealed in full.
v.18 - Once again, Paul prays that the Spirit would make known the mystery of the Gospel and that the guarantee of our salvation and calling would be understood. While the first born son would receive the inheritance of the father, we are receiving an inheritance from God Himself as joint heirs with Christ.
v.19-20 - God's glory is unfathomable. He is all powerful. Not only is God all powerful but He works His power in us, the believer. This is the exact same power God used in the resurrection of Christ. God's power is present in all things and all things are held together by His power.
v.21-22 - It was this very power that placed Jesus above anything else on Earth and in Heaven. Christ is the head of all things. This is the model which will be eternal. It was the case back then, is the case now, and will continue to be the case in the future. Satan has already been defeated.
v.23 - The Church is the body of Christ. While he is the head, every part of the body is important. When the Church is functioning as it is intended, Christ's glory can be fully made known. Our entire purpose in life is to bring glory to God and this is achieved when we work together as Christ's Church; His body.
Ephesians 2:1-10 said:
v.1 - Before the regeneration of the Spirit, we are dead. Though we may be alive physically, we are spiritually dead. Because of this, we are incapable of serving God. We are at war with Him and hate Him (John 3:20). Everything in our nature is rebellious toward Him because of this state of death. Though we may not be as bad as we can be in extent, by our unregenerate nature, we are completely separated from God and lost in our sin. We are sinful because we are dead.
v.2 - We were not always saved. There was a time in our lives where we were just a dead as any unregenerate person. During this point in our lives, we walked in darkness (1 John 1:6). We followed the desires of the prince of the power of the air; Satan (John 8:44). There was a time when Satan worked through us as he continues to work today in those who remain disobedient to God.
v.3 - While we were in that unregenerate state, we gave in to our carnal desires. We were bound by them. Our spiritual deadness compelled us to sin yet our mind made the deliberate choice. The children of wrath is an interesting term. It is saying that all of mankind is born to wrath. We are the offspring of wrath. Who's wrath is it? It is God's wrath. This is the amazing part of God's grace. We all deserved Hell because of our sin. We were spiritually dead and, therefore, deserved the wages of sin which is death. Romans 9:22 speaks of God patiently awaiting the destruction of the vessels of wrath which He prepared. However, Romans 9:23 tells us God's patience is solely because He is making His glory known to those whom He has prepared beforehand to be saved; His Elect. Anyone who is saved right now is only saved because God chose them before the foundation of the world. He took us off the fast track to Hell and demonstrated his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). We were once children of wrath but we have since been washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Corinthians 6:11).
v.4 - Many like to paint a picture of God's love. They cling to quotes like, "God is love" while forgetting about every other aspect of Him. While it is true that God is love, His love is not dependent upon how much we do for Him. We cannot earn His love or "good graces." God's love is completely based on His own mercy and Will (Deuteronomy 7:7, Romans 9:18).
v.5 - Though we were once dead, the regenerate man has been made alive in Christ. We have been set free from the bondage of slavery to sin. Though we were dead and gave God absolutely nothing of ourselves, He chose to regenerate us and make us alive. It was not because we won a talent show. It was not because we did our good deed for the day. It was because we were actively rejecting God and He chose to have mercy on us and show us the Light. It was by God's grace alone that we have been saved. Part of being made alive in Christ is following the things of God (Colossians 3:1-2).
v.6 - Though we may not physically be in Heaven yet, it is a promise that awaits us. We have been made joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and we will inherit the kingdom of God with Him.
v.7 - The whole purpose of salvation is not to save men but to glorify God. It is to show the riches of His grace so that, in eternity, we will sing His praises and bow at His throne (Revelation 7:10-12).
v.8 - The thought of being saved by grace alone is not really a majorly disputed concept. However, once the thought of how firm the word "alone" is, things start to get sketchy. Many will say that God gave them the gift of grace and that they chose to have faith in Him. This idea does not jive with Scripture. Scripture tells us clearly that not only is grace a gift of God but faith is as well. Philemon 1:29 tells us that the ability to believe has been granted. Acts 13:48 tells us that only those who had been appointed to eternal life believed. In fact, faith is the gift being spoken of in 2:8. Our faith is not dependent upon an inner action of our own doing but upon the Will of God and the deliverance of His gift. Furthermore, to say that grace is the gift being referred to here does not make any sense. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. There is no need to declare that it is a gift because the very definition of grace makes it so. However, in the unmerited favor of God, He has chosen to bestow a gift upon us; faith.
v.9 - We have no room to boast in our salvation. We did nothing to save ourselves. Our salvation is rooted in God's plan, God's Electing decree, God's mercy, God's Son, God's gift of faith, and God's promise to preserve that which is His. If any of us are even thinking of boasting, we can only boast in the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:17) for He has done it all.
v.10 - We have been created by God with a purpose. Everything in creation, from the beginning of time, centers around Christ. We were created to perform good works but, more importantly, we were created in Christ. Before the foundation of the world, God decreed that He would send His Son in order to reconcile His Elect unto Himself that we might perform good works and glorify Him.