Exploring Ephesians #1 - All Spiritual Blessings #1

Text: Ephesians 1:1-6

Thesis: To examine the blessings of God the Father, which includes His electing us to be

             saved in Jesus Christ.

Introduction:

(1)   Many commentators have expressed their appreciation for this wonderful book (e.g., “queen of the epistles,” “one of the divinest compositions of man,” “there is no portion of the New Testament equal to this”).

(2)   Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul.

(a)    “None of the epistles which are ascribed to St. Paul have a stronger chain of evidence to their early and continued use than that which we know as the epistle to the Ephesians” (Lewis 123).  The external evidence is overwhelmingly strong.

(b)   However, based upon internal evidence, some have concluded that Paul didn’t write Ephesians (e.g., impersonal character of Ephesians, language & style, similarity with Colossians, theological emphases of Ephesians).

(c)    Nevertheless, these claims have been sufficiently answered by Peter O’Brien and Harold Hoehner.

(3)   Ephesians was written to several churches, one of which was Ephesus.

(a)    ‘In Ephesus’ is omitted in several early mss (e.g., p46, Sinaiticus, Vaticunus).

(b)   Marcion suggested that it was written to the Laodiceans.

(c)    Many commentators believe that the letter was a circular letter and that Ephesus was the chief city.

(4)   Ephesus was written in A.D. 60 from Paul’s Roman house arrest.

(5)   The theme of the books is “the church in the eternal purpose” (Malone 7).

(6)   An outline of the books could be:

-          The calling of the church (1-3)

-          The conduct of the church (4:1-6:9)

-          The conflict of the church (6:10-24)

(7)   Let us begin our study of this rich epistle by first noting Paul’s greeting and the first part of his opening doxology.

Discussion:

I.                   Paul’s Opening Greeting (vv. 1-2)

A.    In verse 1a., Paul emphasizes his apostolic authority.

1.      The word ‘apostle’ (Gr. apostolos) literally means one who is sent, a messenger.

a.       In some places, the word is used in this general sense (e.g., in reference to Barnabas, James, et. al.).

b.      However, in several places, the word is used to refer to the office of an apostle.

(1)   In order for one to be qualified to be an apostle, he had:

(a)    To have been with the Lord during His earthly ministry

(b)   To have witnessed the resurrected Jesus (Acts 1:21-22)

(2)   Paul only met one of these qualifications.

(a)    He would state that he was born out of due season (1 Cor. 15:8).

(b)   The Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus and selected him to be an apostle (Acts 9, 22, 26).

c.       This is why Paul can claim that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ; i.e., because it was by the will and grace of God.

2.      Paul continually had to defend his apostleship.

B.     In verse 1b., Paul addresses his audience.

1.      First, he calls them saints (Gr. hagiois), which basically means ‘one who is set apart for God’s service.’

2.      Second, he states that they are ‘faithful in Christ Jesus.’

a.       ‘Faithful’ may refer to: 1) A person who is proven to be faithful or     2) A person who places his/her faith in someone/something.

b.      These people have placed their faith ‘in Christ Jesus.’

(1)   This phrase or a variant is used 27 times in Ephesians.

(2)   No doubt, Paul desired to stress the one in whom to believe.

C.     In verse 2, Paul greets his audience.

1.      First, he uses the Greek greeting ‘grace’ (Gr. charis).

2.      Second, he uses the Hebrew greeting ‘peace’ (Gr. eirene; Note: this word is closely akin to the Hebrew shalom, and it “signifies spiritual prosperity and completeness” [MacArthur 3]).

3.      H. Hoehner notes that grace is the cause of God’s work and that peace is the effect of God’s work.

II.                The Beginning of the Doxology (v. 3)

A.    Verses 3-14 form a single, long sentence in the Greek of 202 words.

B.     It seems to be a doxology as “it recites what God has done and is an expression of worship to honor Him” (NIV Study Notes).

C.     In verse 3, Paul begins this doxology by stressing that God is to be praised because He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ.

1.      ‘Spiritual blessings’ “refers to all that God’s Spirit brings to enable life” (Snodgrass 46).

2.      ‘In the heavenly places’ (Gr. en tois epouraniois) is used 5 times in Ephesians (1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12) and seems to refer to a location, an unseen realm of reality.

III.             The Blessings of God (vv. 4-6)

A.    First, God chose us to be saved (v. 4).

1.      “God chose a class of people – the people who accept Christ as Lord and Savior” (Boles 203).

2.      “People become elect only in the Elect One – Christ” (Snodgrass 49).

3.      God’s choice in this matter occurred before He made the world.

4.      The purpose of making this choice was that we would become like Jesus (cf. Rom. 8:29; i.e., holy and blameless – the idea of sanctification).

5.      ‘In love’ may be attached to the end of verse 4 (i.e., coupled with love; UBS) or it may be attached to the beginning of verse 4 (i.e., God’s attitude toward His people; NIV, RSV).

B.     Second, God adopted us as sons (v. 5).

1.      ‘Predestine’ (Gr. proorizo) means “to set out boundaries in advance” (Scmidt 5:452).

2.      ‘Adoption’ “signified entry to a privilege position” (O’Brien 102).

3.      God did this because He so desired.

C.     Third, God freely bestows His grace upon us in the Beloved (v. 6).

1.      The reason that we have been adopted is because of God’s glorious grace.

2.      God continues to bestow this same grace upon who are in ‘the Beloved,’ which is a title for Jesus (cf. Matt. 3:17).

Conclusion:

(1)   Fact: God wants us to be saved.

(2)   Fact: Those who will be saved are those who are in Jesus.

(3)   Question: Are you in Jesus?