Book of Ephesians:
At approximately the same time that the apostle Peter wrote his first epistle, (1 Peter), the apostle Luke wrote the book of Acts. And the apostle Paul, (still under house arrest in Rome), wrote the books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philiemon – often referred to as the ‘prison epistles.’
What is now known as the biblical book of Ephesians, was a letter that he wrote to the church of Ephesus, (where Paul had previously worked his ministry for 3 years).
The letter was also circulated afterwards, to all the other churches in ‘Asia Minor,’ now known as modern-day Turkey.
In it, Paul writes of how to gain spiritual growth by aiming for unification in the church, in thought and in action.
And, through understanding the depth of what Christ has done for us, and how to live as Jesus would have us conduct ourselves. That is then, by emulating Jesus and learning of God’s master plan for His children.
Furthermore, we must have faith in the fact that Satan will attack, but in the end, Christ prevails for us.
Paul begins with a blessing:
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So, we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. Eph. 1:3 – 6. NLT
We see then that we believers are chosen and predestined by God, before time itself began.
For what? To be blessed (in present tense), with all the heavenly / spiritual gifts invested in us through Jesus. In what form? As adopted sons and daughters in the Kingdom of God. And He does so with great pleasure because it brings Him glory.
His Son is the redemptive source for our transformation into holiness and blamelessness:
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ – which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth. Eph. 1:7 – 10. NLT
Furthermore, because we are unified with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Eph. 1:11 NLT
All these blessings are rendered to us in preset time. Everyone requires redemption if they are seeking a life that is everlasting.
Jesus purchased ours with His blood. In that redemption, we are washed clean of sins, and we are gifted with the understanding of God’s will, in His previously mysterious plan, of bringing the entire universe under the good stewardship of His Son. All of this is fortified when we remain in God’s word.
We are God’s inheritance. He has a wonderful plan for us, and nobody but ourselves can unravel that plan (by rejecting His Son).
However, if we accept our Savior and walk our best walk in faith, our plan remains intact:
…you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Eph. 1:13, 14. NLT
Redemption is offered to all peoples. Those who choose Jesus are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Then, the entire universe knows that we belong to Jehovah.
That seal is an assurance that God will redeem His faithful (‘purchased possession’), those who are now cared for by His Son, who, continues to reveal more of Himself and the nature of His calling. We see it here through Paul’s prayer:
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called – his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Eph. 1:18 – 20. NLT
Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else – not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. Eph. 1:21 – 23. NLT
God made His Son the head of the church. As a member of the church, you are part of the body of Christ.
You can rest in the hope of your assured promise of salvation – leading to your resurrection and entry into eternal life.
And You can see how much God loves you and covers you with His mighty power – demonstrated at its zenith by the resurrection of Christ. That same Jesus reigns above all things in this world, our eternal home, all things good and evil.
You can see how much God loves you and covers you with His mighty power – demonstrated at its zenith by the resurrection of Christ. That same Jesus reigns above all things in this world, our eternal home, all things good and evil.
How great is your transformation in Christ? Well, let’s look at who you were before that took place:
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil – the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. Eph. 2:1 – 3. NLT
And who are you now?
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
So, God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are unified with Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:4 – 7. NLT
God loved you even before He helps you clean up the mess that you made of your worldly life.
When you choose Him, through Jesus, He yanks you away from the clutches of Satan, and from the death (through sin) that he had in store for you (eternal damnation).
You are no longer a member of those ‘dead in their disobedience’.
Instead, you are removed by the love and grace of Jehovah, who restored your life and brought you into His Kingdom. And it was all His doing:
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Eph. 2:8 – 10. NLT
You cannot earn salvation. It is gift from God because you were obedient and exercised your faith, which makes you eligible for His salvation.
Out of your salvation you do good works. You’ve a vital role in advancing the Kingdom of Heaven, which Jehovah will reveal to you.
Another gift of salvation is the unification of all peoples:
But now you have been unified with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us.
He united Jews and Gentiles into one people, when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Eph. 2:13 – 15. NLT
God’s intent was for there to be only one church, with Christ as its head; and for it to welcome all peoples who make Jesus their Savior.
If you are a member of that church, you are now on God’s team:
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. Eph. 2:19 – 22. NLT
This is not to infer that the Gentiles are becoming Israeli, it is that the Jews and Gentiles are now combined into a new people, in the spiritual temple of the church of Christ.
You have a heavenly citizenship. Being that you are a vital spiritual member of Christ’s church, it would behoove you to find a physical church to be involved with.
Why? Because it’s imperative to hang out with ‘like-minded’ Christians, to strengthen each other’s faith and hold one another’s accountability in our God-walk.
They preach the word of God in a proper church. And God did say that the best way to strengthen one’s faith, was to hear the spoken Gospel. (See Rm. 10:17)
Church is also a great place to bring people who are still struggling in the ways of the world, so that they can be immersed in the corporate love of God. You are the Love Church.
To be continued…
Goodnight and God bless.