The Weekend, August 15 –
As we come to the weekend in our reading thru the New Testament in a year, we also come to a new book – the book of Ephesians. For this weekend, we’ll read Ephesians 1:1 – 23. After reading the Scriptures, please return here for some more thoughts.
Ephesians is a welcome relief from the two Corinthian letters, and Galatians. If you thought, “did Paul ever have a good letter”? The answer is, “yes.” The letter to the church in Ephesus is not written to correct any church disorder, but to encourage this church. Paul had spent several months in Ephesus, and during his stay, he also evangelized neighboring cities (Acts 19:10). Look back at Acts 20:16-38, when Paul met with the Ephesian elders to see how the church and Paul shared a mutual affection for each other.
Ephesus was a capital city for the Roman province of Asia, and today, the ruins of Ephesus are on the Western edge of Turkey. Ephesus contains one of the seven wonders of the world – the temple of the goddess Diana. Paul’s preaching of the Gospel turned many of the Ephesians to Christ and brought down the wrath of the traders dependent on the worship of Diana (Acts 19:17-41). There are several elements of Ephesus’ life that appear in Paul’s letter to the church. This letter, and Colossians, are very similar in style and tone, suggesting that Paul wrote them back to back. It is common knowledge that Paul wanted his letters to be copied and sent to other area churches.
Ephesians can be divided in half. The first half, chapters 1 – 3, are primarily doctrinal and theological, full of praise to God for salvation, the new life God has given us in Christ, and the mystery of the church, the new community he has created for us. The end of chapter 3 is one of the most beautifully written doxologies in all of Scripture. The second half of Ephesians, chapters 4 -6, are primarily practical. While the first half is doctrinal, the second half reminds us that faith is practical, to be lived out in everyday life. It is a letter equally balanced between doctrine and duty.
The opening verse is very familiar to us now. Paul uses a standard greeting by telling them who is writing to them and his authority to do so – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus” (1:1). We’ve seen this form of greeting in the previous letters. Paul writes to them as “saints” – holy ones. They are not holy because of their own character and efforts, but because of God’s grace – “Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:2). Every Christian is a “saint,” and it is because of the grace of God that came from the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross – thus, “in Christ Jesus.” The phrase “in Christ,” or as in this case, “in Christ Jesus,” is Paul’s most favored way of referring to how we relate to the Godhead. Dr. John Stott said it this way:
“To be "in Christ" is to be personally and vitally united to Christ, as branches are to the vine and members to the body, and thereby also to Christ's people. For it is impossible to be part of the Body without being related to both the Head and the members. . . . According to the New Testament—and especially Paul—to be a Christian is, in essence, to be "in Christ," one with him and with his people.
During my school days, I was taught by teachers to avoid run-on sentences. Well, Paul missed that class. From Ephesians 1:3 – 14, Paul writes out the “blessings” of the Gospel in one long unending sentence. I would urge you to reread this. He speaks about the Trinity’s work in salvation.
Praise goes to God the Father (vss. 4 – 6), “who chose us “in Him” before the world began, and predestined us for adoption, according to his will, and to the praise of his glorious grace” (1:4-6).
Praise goes to the Son, Jesus Christ (vss 7 – 12), who has “redeemed us through his blood, which is the means for forgiveness of our sins” (1:7). In Christ, God has made his wisdom and will known. His plan is the restoration of all creation (1:9 – 10). In Christ, “we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to his own will” (1:11). It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what God’s purposes are, both for us personally, and for the restoration of all his creation (1:12).
Praise goes to the Holy Spirit (1:13-14), who the Father has “sealed (us) with the promised Holy Spirit, (and) who is the Father’s guarantee of our inheritance until it is acquired” (1:14). The Holy Spirit is God’s down-payment on his promise to us of redemption and eternal life in Christ Jesus.
We cannot help but see the joy Paul feels in rehearsing the work of God in salvation. Salvation is “in Christ,” and we obtain, through Jesus, everything we need for living out the life of Christ. The Blessings Paul speaks of are due to one person and one alone – God. It is God’s grace that is given, and God’s glory that is revealed. It began in eternity past, before the foundation of the world (1:4), and it will be completed in eternity future (1:9-10). We don’t have to wait for something additional to be done before we live with God’s assurances. We have a lot to learn, but we have everything from God to learn it - we have it right now. What should we do? We received his grace as we “heard the word of truth”...and “believe in him” (1:13), just keep doing that.
After this long doxology, Paul tells them that he is giving thanks to God for them (1:15-16), and praying for them (1:17 – 22). Even Paul’s prayer for them is rooted in the work of the Triune God – “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” (1:17). In specific, Paul wants “...the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what the hope to which he has called you is, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (1:18). The glorious inheritance is the subject of the verses that follow. From 1:19-23, Paul distills the teaching on the resurrection and enthronement of Christ Jesus. In Christ’s resurrection, a pattern exists for our own resurrection (1:19). Christ Jesus ascended to the Father’s throne and took his place at the honored Kingly position of the “right hand of the Father” (1:20). Therefore, Christ Jesus has all authority, and his rule is over all powers and dominion (1:21). Christ is head of the church (1:22), which is His body (1:23).
Christ’s riches are passed along to us. His glory, his power, his authority, and divine rule are also ours. There’s a great pattern here for our prayers - first Praise, then thanksgiving, then petition. When we think we can handle life on our own, we fail to see the enormous difference between our humble human thinking and the sovereign thought and will of God. God is at work in us! God is at work through us! It is all happening because God has given us his Spirit as a guarantee. When all of this begins to settle into us, the “eyes of our heart are opened”, and everything about the purpose of living is to believe, and to put our faith and trust entirely in Christ.
Richard Coekin sums this up practically very well:
“Calvin summarised such biblical prayer as ‘digging up the treasures’ promised to us in Scripture. And it will become our happy experience that God often delays giving us the things he has planned to give us until we ask for them in prayer so that we realize that he is looking after us because he loves us.
Imagine two young men who leave school to train as apprentice-managers in a paper mill. One is the adopted son of the general manager and the other is the son’s friend from school. When they start work, the general manager hands them both the company business plan to read and warmly invites them both to come and talk to him at any time. “Come and chat about what we’re doing whenever you want—my door is always open to you,” he says.
At first, both young apprentices regularly pop up to the general manager’s office, but gradually the friend becomes disillusioned and stops bothering. The son asks his friend: “Why don’t you visit Dad’s office anymore?” “There’s no point,” says the friend: “He ignores all my suggestions, and every time I ask him for more holiday he says ‘no’! I suppose he does whatever you want because he’s your dad!” “Oh no,” declares the son: “I don’t ask him to do what I want! I’m new here, but he’s been running this business for ever—he knows what he’s doing! And I don’t ask for more time off, because I know he mustn’t treat me differently from the other workers!” “So why do you keep going up to his office?” asks the friend. The son replies: “Well, I ask for help to do my job, and I want him to know that he has my support—and I suppose I just like being with him!” The friend replies sullenly: “That’s because you’re his son and one day you’ll run the business with him”. “Yes, perhaps you’re right,” smiles the son.
As sons and heirs of our heavenly Father, we don’t pray to get God to fit into our plans, but to give ourselves to fit into his! So what should adopted children of the General Manager pray for each other? Paul says he asks the Father to give them deeper knowledge of three things they already have in Christ: to know God better (1:17), to know the hope to which he has called them (1:18), and to know the incomparably great power he has committed to getting them there (1:19).
That’s the key, “to know God and the power of his resurrection.” By the way, I waited til now to tell you – Paul wrote this entire book from a Roman Prison where he awaited death!
Peace
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