An introduction to Paul's letter to the Ephesians. We consider an outline of the epistle, the main themes of the letter to the Ephesians and the structure of the letter. We note the division of the letter into doctrinal and practical sections and the the rich treasure trove of blessings which are ours as 'blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.' Part of our systematic study through the letter to the Ephesians.
Notes on Ephesians chapter 1 verses 1 to 3:
Ephesians – Ephesus from a natural perspective was a strange place to send this letter to!
Ephesus was a place of:
- Pagan Temples
- Pagan gods
- Pagan statues
- Artemis
- Cult of Caesar
- Physical altars and temples
The letter to the Ephesians was spiritual:
- His people become His temple / building.
- God indwells His people!
This new way was not so much a RELIGION as a RELATIONSHIP with the one true and living God and that was counterculture and revolutionary!
Such was the impact of the gospel at Ephesus!
- Chapters 1 to 3 – Doctrinal
- Chapters 4 to 6 – Practical:
These 2 main sections are joined together by the prayer of 3:14-21, the keystone of the Ephesian letter.
Some of the old preachers used to remind us that practice is dependant upon doctrine. There is probably nowhere else that this is so clearly seen as in the letter to the Ephesians. It is evident in the very structure of the epistle. The concluding three chapters of practice rest in the first 3 verses of doctrine.
4:1 – illustrates the connection between doctrine and practice quite clearly!
Or:
- God’s Plan of Adoption – chps 1 to 2
- The Privileges of Adoption – chps 2 to 3
- The Practice of Adoption and Salvation – chps 4 to 6
No nation rises higher than its gods!
If your god commits:
- Murder
- Incest
- Theft
- Adultery
- Drunkenness
- Capricious
- Cruelty
- War
If these are your gods, then you really don’t have much to walk worthy of, your standards aren’t very high.
Bring that to a contemporary setting; if you believe that life has no meaning, no purpose, no destiny and that no one is in control, that we are but the random products of a million chemical reactions and accidents, you may rightly as the question; ‘what is the point to it all?’ From thence it is but a small step to despair and oblivion!
“Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ” (1:1)
Some struggle with the teaching of Ephesians chapter 1:
- Election
- Predestination
- God’s choice to salvation
Some do their best to evade the clear and simple teaching of this chapter:
- Arminianism – God chooses those whom He foreknows would choose Him!
- Corporate election – God chooses the means of salvation, ie Christ but not those who are to be saved. God chooses Christ and we choose to be in Christ.
We really don’t need the whole bible to disprove these ideas and establish the principle of Divine, sovereign, personal, individual election to salvation.
We just need one book – Ephesians.
We just need one chapter – Ephesians chapter 1.
We just need one verse – Ephesians chapter 1 verse 1!
God clearly did not choose Paul because Saul would choose God!
God did not clearly appoint the means of salvation and leave Saul of Tarsus to find Christ! That is a million miles away from the events recorded in Acts 9. Not only did Saul ‘not seek after God’ (Romans 3:11) but Saul actively rebelled against God and rejected Christ (Acts 9:13).
Paul’s apostleship is “by the will of God” as all salvation and calling is “by the will of God”.
“to the saints, to the faithful in Christ Jesus” (v1)
“The Saints”
- Holy ones – set apart for God
- What God makes us
- We do not make ourselves saints
- God does that
- What God does for me!
“To the faithful”
- What we do for God
Consider John chapter 6 “will you also go away?”
Consider Luke chapter 17 and the 10 lepers and only 1 returns.
There were many faithful in the New Testament:
- Timothy
- Epaphroditus
- Paul
- John
- Priscilla and Aquila
I believe it is a terrible tragedy when we claim what God did for us as Saints and then deny and reject what we are to do for God as “faithful”.
In Ephesians faithfulness to God in Christ is very much with the setting of the church:
- Playing our part in His body as members
- Being part of the temple in worship
- Gifts God has given to us (4:1-16)
- Walk in chapters 4 to 6
Verse 3: “blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
Consider the Flor del la Mar, sunk in 1511 off of the coast of Malaysia, full of stolen treasure from the Sultan of Malaca. It contained gold, silver, precious stones valued today at about £2 billion. It is yours for the taking. Problem is, that treasure is as far down as our treasure is up! How do we get to it?
Dr J Stewart Gillespie