(Ephesians Part 1): Written to the church in Ephesus, the Roman capital of Asia.
Ephesians 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Where it says, "by the will of God," it is literally through the will of God. It wasn't Paul's will or choice. It was by God's will that he be commissioned as an apostle.
The term "in Ephesus" is not found in the older manuscripts. It's blank, which causes us to conclude along with the style of the letter that this letter was a circulation letter which began in Ephesus. Everything in the book of Ephesians applies to every believer. So, it's not to a specific problem or issue in the city of Ephesus. This is a presentation and an establishment for every believer in Christ.
Please notice what he calls them. He says to the saints who are in Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. The words saints and faithful have one definite article for both words. The definite article is the word "the." So, saints and faithful describe the same people. The word saint means to be set apart. It is a position, not a performance. Once the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Christ comes into my life, I am set apart. And that's what the word saint means. And that whole process is called sanctification which is the verb form of the adjective saint.
Now the word faithful is an adjective that describes people who are consistently under the persuasion and influence of God's faith. Remember that faith is given to us by God. So, to the saints in Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, not to Him, but in Him!
Ephesians 2:2 - Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, and secondly, according to the prince of the power of the air, which is Satan, the spirit that is now working, or energizing in the children of "the" disobedience:
There's a definite article with the word obedience. It is the specific disobedience, the disobedience to God. So, the prince and power of the air is energizing the children of disobedience, the same way it did us.
Ephesians 2:12 - That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
That phrase "without God" in the Greek is ATHEOS where we get the word atheist from. ATHEOS is a compound Greek word, A=Without, and Theos=God. Every person that's not saved is an atheist. They're without God! A person can believe in God, they can go to church religiously, they can read the bible and look and act like everyone else in the church and still not be born of God's Spirit. That person is still considered an Atheist by the literal definition of the word.
Ephesians 2:14 - For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
For he is our peace, and it is interesting that the word peace here has the definite article. He is the peace. Peace is a person, not a feeling. The word itself, EIRENE, it means to be united. When you're at peace with somebody, you're at one with them.
Ephesians 1:10 - That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
That in the dispensation, the explanation of this mystery, it gives us a little introduction. We won't get the mystery until Chapter 3 Verse 6. That in the dispensation of the fulness of times, God might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Right now, there is a sifting process going on. Christ has been set above all things. There are those who are lining up with Christ and submitting to Him, and there are others who are not. God's plan is to make one body, one group worldwide, past, present, and future, who will be called up to Christ. He's picking out for Himself a people for Himself.
The word dispensation means administration. You've probably heard that doctrine too, the doctrine of dispensation. OIKONOMIA is the Greek word for economy. That's the Greek word that's used here for this dispensation. So, he says the reason why God has made the mystery of His will known at this time is so that He can gather up, in the future of ministration, in the fullness of times, that is when everything's been fulfilled, that He might gather together in one, all things in Christ both in heaven and upon the earth.
Ephesians 1:17 - That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you, literally, a spirit of wisdom and revelation, literally, in the full knowledge of him:
Ephesians 1:7 - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
In whom (that is in Christ), we have redemption through his blood, that is, the forgiveness of sins. So, redemption equals the forgiveness of sins. And this again is on the basis of according to the riches of his grace;
According to the wealth of God's grace, He provides this for us. The word redemption means to purchase out of the marketplace. They used to line up slaves down at the markets, and people would come down specifically to get a slave. They would buy one. They would purchase him out of the marketplace.
That's what redemption means. Not only do we have forgiveness of sins, but that forgiveness comes through His blood, and it was through His blood that He purchased us. Some believers either forget, or don't realize what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, which you have from God, for you were bought with a price. He owns us. We've been purchased. That's why when we get to Verse 14, when the Holy Spirit seals us, He's waiting for the day that He comes for His possession. You see, He bought us. He owns us!
Ephesians 1:8 - Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
The word prudence means insight. He has given us the ability to see and understand spiritual things. It's interesting that the word prudence gives us understanding. Many believers have understanding, but wisdom is the application of that understanding.
In other words, I can train my mind to memorize the bible where if you just mention a word that is found in the bible, I would start quoting scriptures. But that's not necessarily wisdom. Wisdom is to be able to see and know and have the realization of that truth working in your life. It's not something we claim. It's something that's going on! He abounds towards us in wisdom and insight.
Ephesians 1:2 - Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The normal greeting by Paul, Grace be to you, and peace. Grace (CHARIS) is the greeting to the Greeks, peace (SHALOM) is the greeting to the Jews. But it's not the human greeting. He's saying grace and peace to you from God. May God's grace and God's peace be with you, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Before I continue, I would like to share with you that Ephesians 1:3-14 in the Greek text is all one sentence. And that's a very important piece of information in deciphering some of the things that we wrestle with from this text.
Ephesians 1:3 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
He says blessed be, and notice the word "be" is in italics. Usually when it is a present statement of fact, the writer will leave the verb out, indicating to us that the word "is" is meant in the text blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The word blessed (EULOGEO) is where we get our English word eulogy from. And it literally means to speak well of someone. There are different meanings for the word blessed. For instance, in Matthew Chapter 5 in the Sermon on the Mount, all of those principles begin with the word blessed or bless-ed. That's the word MAKARIOS and it means to be filled with the fullness of something.
This word blessed used here means to speak well of. What he's saying is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is well spoken of. You'll notice that when we find ourselves in difficult times, we begin to question God, even to His face.
(Ephesians Part 1): Written to the church in Ephesus, the Roman capital of Asia.
Ephesians 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Where it says, "by the will of God," it is literally through the will of God. It wasn't Paul's will or choice. It was by God's will that he be commissioned as an apostle.
The term "in Ephesus" is not found in the older manuscripts. It's blank, which causes us to conclude along with the style of the letter that this letter was a circulation letter which began in Ephesus. Everything in the book of Ephesians applies to every believer. So, it's not to a specific problem or issue in the city of Ephesus. This is a presentation and an establishment for every believer in Christ.
Please notice what he calls them. He says to the saints who are in Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. The words saints and faithful have one definite article for both words. The definite article is the word "the." So, saints and faithful describe the same people. The word saint means to be set apart. It is a position, not a performance. Once the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Christ comes into my life, I am set apart. And that's what the word saint means. And that whole process is called sanctification which is the verb form of the adjective saint.
Now the word faithful is an adjective that describes people who are consistently under the persuasion and influence of God's faith. Remember that faith is given to us by God. So, to the saints in Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, not to Him, but in Him!
Ephesians 2:2 - Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, and secondly, according to the prince of the power of the air, which is Satan, the spirit that is now working, or energizing in the children of "the" disobedience:
There's a definite article with the word obedience. It is the specific disobedience, the disobedience to God. So, the prince and power of the air is energizing the children of disobedience, the same way it did us.
Ephesians 2:12 - That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
That phrase "without God" in the Greek is ATHEOS where we get the word atheist from. ATHEOS is a compound Greek word, A=Without, and Theos=God. Every person that's not saved is an atheist. They're without God! A person can believe in God, they can go to church religiously, they can read the bible and look and act like everyone else in the church and still not be born of God's Spirit. That person is still considered an Atheist by the literal definition of the word.
Ephesians 2:14 - For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
For he is our peace, and it is interesting that the word peace here has the definite article. He is the peace. Peace is a person, not a feeling. The word itself, EIRENE, it means to be united. When you're at peace with somebody, you're at one with them.
Ephesians 1:10 - That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
That in the dispensation, the explanation of this mystery, it gives us a little introduction. We won't get the mystery until Chapter 3 Verse 6. That in the dispensation of the fulness of times, God might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Right now, there is a sifting process going on. Christ has been set above all things. There are those who are lining up with Christ and submitting to Him, and there are others who are not. God's plan is to make one body, one group worldwide, past, present, and future, who will be called up to Christ. He's picking out for Himself a people for Himself.
The word dispensation means administration. You've probably heard that doctrine too, the doctrine of dispensation. OIKONOMIA is the Greek word for economy. That's the Greek word that's used here for this dispensation. So, he says the reason why God has made the mystery of His will known at this time is so that He can gather up, in the future of ministration, in the fullness of times, that is when everything's been fulfilled, that He might gather together in one, all things in Christ both in heaven and upon the earth.
Ephesians 1:17 - That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you, literally, a spirit of wisdom and revelation, literally, in the full knowledge of him:
Ephesians 1:7 - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
In whom (that is in Christ), we have redemption through his blood, that is, the forgiveness of sins. So, redemption equals the forgiveness of sins. And this again is on the basis of according to the riches of his grace;
According to the wealth of God's grace, He provides this for us. The word redemption means to purchase out of the marketplace. They used to line up slaves down at the markets, and people would come down specifically to get a slave. They would buy one. They would purchase him out of the marketplace.
That's what redemption means. Not only do we have forgiveness of sins, but that forgiveness comes through His blood, and it was through His blood that He purchased us. Some believers either forget, or don't realize what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, which you have from God, for you were bought with a price. He owns us. We've been purchased. That's why when we get to Verse 14, when the Holy Spirit seals us, He's waiting for the day that He comes for His possession. You see, He bought us. He owns us!
Ephesians 1:8 - Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
The word prudence means insight. He has given us the ability to see and understand spiritual things. It's interesting that the word prudence gives us understanding. Many believers have understanding, but wisdom is the application of that understanding.
In other words, I can train my mind to memorize the bible where if you just mention a word that is found in the bible, I would start quoting scriptures. But that's not necessarily wisdom. Wisdom is to be able to see and know and have the realization of that truth working in your life. It's not something we claim. It's something that's going on! He abounds towards us in wisdom and insight.
Ephesians 1:2 - Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The normal greeting by Paul, Grace be to you, and peace. Grace (CHARIS) is the greeting to the Greeks, peace (SHALOM) is the greeting to the Jews. But it's not the human greeting. He's saying grace and peace to you from God. May God's grace and God's peace be with you, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Before I continue, I would like to share with you that Ephesians 1:3-14 in the Greek text is all one sentence. And that's a very important piece of information in deciphering some of the things that we wrestle with from this text.
Ephesians 1:3 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
He says blessed be, and notice the word "be" is in italics. Usually when it is a present statement of fact, the writer will leave the verb out, indicating to us that the word "is" is meant in the text blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The word blessed (EULOGEO) is where we get our English word eulogy from. And it literally means to speak well of someone. There are different meanings for the word blessed. For instance, in Matthew Chapter 5 in the Sermon on the Mount, all of those principles begin with the word blessed or bless-ed. That's the word MAKARIOS and it means to be filled with the fullness of something.
This word blessed used here means to speak well of. What he's saying is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is well spoken of. You'll notice that when we find ourselves in difficult times, we begin to question God, even to His face.
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