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The doctrine of the Church is taught in Ephesians
1:1 – 4:13 and right living and righteousness are the main themes for the
remainder of the epistle. The beginning emphasis is the supremacy of the
Church of Christ as God’s predestinated, foreknown plan, His eternal purpose
and manifold wisdom.
Predestinated is like going to school where the
plan and rules are outlined from the beginning. You must have a grade of 70%
to pass the course. What gives you this minimum grade is not works of
righteousness we have done but being in Christ. Following our baptism into
Christ we are to remain in a state of believing obedience. This does not
mean we will be perfect and never sin again but rather we will repent and
confess our sins for the remainder of our life.
Ephesians Chapter 1
Eph 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:
Ancient written form had the authors name first.
Opposite of today where our signature on a letter is last. Paul affirms his
apostleship and states it is by the will of God.
Every Christian
was called a saint (holy one) in the early
Church. The article
“the” is not found in the Greek therefore the
sentence should read: “ … to the saints which are at Ephesus faithful in
Christ Jesus.” So saints are those who are faithful in Christ Jesus or
sanctified. Cf: I Corinthians 1:2 Note “in Christ” a term used over 30 times
in the book of Ephesians and found through out the New Testament. How do we
get in Christ? Cf: Romans 6:3-6 & Galatians 3:27.
This is the common New Testament greeting that God
will bestow unmerited favor and peace upon them. Grace (in Greek charis) is
the common Greek gentile greeting while peace (in Hebrew shalom) is the
common Jewish greeting.
Blessed is the word we get eulogize from it means
praise. All spiritual blessings means all blessings came from God, He
withheld none. ‘In heavenly’ means The Kingdom of Heaven or The Kingdom of
God which is the church of Christ.
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love:
Chosen us does not mean He has chosen us and
rejected others but rather God chose a plan which is to have a people for
Himself which is the Church of Christ cf: Titus 1:2. Holiness is the proof
that we are in Christ or in Him.
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will,
Predestinated means that God foreordained the plan
that the church should be made up of those people adopted as His children.
God is sovereign and this plan made up the pleasure of His sovereign will.
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Adopting us as children results again unto His
praise who made it all possible in the beloved, the church.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
We are sold into bondage to sin, Christ redeemed or
bought us back from sin and the price He paid to buy us back was His blood.
Cf: I Peter 1:19
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in
all wisdom and prudence;
His wisdom and prudence is fully shown in His Grace
and Mercy.
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery
of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself:
Having made known to us, all of His adopted
children, the mystery which is something beyond human comprehension until it
is revealed.
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the
fullness 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:
Fullness of time is the last age beginning at the
birth of Jesus cf: Galatians 4:4. It is also known as the last days, cf:
Hebrews 1:1-2, or the last dispensation. The mystery is that He has gathered
together all things, both Jew and Gentile. They are gathered together in one
family and united as a body under one head which is Christ, who is over all
things, angels and humans.
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Inheritance, cf: I Corinthians 2:9, is everlasting
life which fits in the predestinated plan that the church is made up of His
adopted children. This was brought about by God’s own power working
throughout the ages, cf: Genesis 3:15, 22:15-18, II Samuel 7:12-16, II
Timothy 2:8, Galatians 3:16 & Galatians 3:26-29.
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his
glory, who first trusted in Christ.
The ‘we’ is the Jewish believers who first trusted
before the Gentiles came to know of Christ and His church.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after
that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise,
The ‘ye’ is Gentiles who trusted and became
believers. By trusting, obedience, or faith, God sealed us with the Holy
Spirit of promise. Cf: Acts 1:4 & 2:38-39. Just like a calf is branded as
proof of ownership. A seal is placed upon a document to authenticate the
document and the Holy Spirit is placed upon us to authenticate our adoption
as His children.
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the
praise of his glory.
Earnest money is a down payment to seal a bargain.
The Holy Spirit is a small part of the future whole that God gives us as
proof that we have been adopted as His children. The final redemption is our
resurrection from the grave and the purchased possession are the children
purchased by Christ’s blood.
Eph 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of
your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Paul has been updated about the church in Ephesus.
He left in the Spring of 57AD and he is writing this book some 4 to 5 years
later in about 62AD.
Eph 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you,
making mention of you in my prayers;
Because he had received such a good report, he is
giving prayerful thanks.
Eph 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:
The Father is the source of all glory. The spirit
of wisdom was one of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Cf: I
Corinthians 12:8. Knowledge is to know, wisdom is to put into practice what
you know. The revelation is God’s plan for redeeming mankind in Christ Jesus
which is also known as the church, or the church of christ.
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what
the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Cf:
I John 1:5. ‘Know’ is to have a full understanding of the hope of His
calling which is everlasting life. The riches are the heavenly inheritance.
Cf: Colossians 1:27.
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding
greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working
of his mighty power,
Power in Greek is krat-os meaning vigor, strength
and dominion. The great knowledge of everlasting life, our glorious
inheritance.
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he
raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in
the heavenly places,
If a dead Savior can save us from our sins, how
much more powerful is a living Savior seated in the heavenly places at God’s
own right hand making intercession for us in the Kingdom of Heaven, the
church. Cf: Psalms 110:1-4, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 8:1 ff and Mark 16:19.
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power,
and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this
world, but also in that which is to come:
Far above all kings, princes, magistrates, and
Angelis tic beings, either good or bad.
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under
his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to
the church,
Christ has been given all authority and power cf:
Matthew 28:18. Christ is made the head of the church, not just the ruler,
but the head of the body, which gets life from the head.
Eph 1:23
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
The church is His spiritual earthly body living and
united in union with the head. The fullness of Him is the visible
manifestation of the fullness of Him living from the dead and fills all in
all with His glory, majesty and power.
The last four verses describe Christ’s glorious
resurrection.
His exultation to God’s own right hand.
His supreme dominion over all things.
His being the head of the church, which is His
body on earth.
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