Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians

Introduction

Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul around 62 AD. At this time he was in a Roman prison essentially under house arrest. After his 3^rd missionary journey, he had returned to Jerusalem and run afoul of the Jewish power structure due to his drift from orthodox Jewish practice. Running for his life, he sought protection as a Roman citizen and thus began a long foray through the Roman judicial system ending in Rome.

Ephesians was probably written as a general letter designed to be copied and readdressed to all the churches in Asia Minor. Paul had spent 3 years in Ephesus during his 3^rd journey and was well acquainted with the Ephesian Christians. The letter does not address particular people or a particular problem. Rather it seeks to deepen their faith through encouraging an understanding and application of doctrine and the copious use of praise and prayer. It is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago.

Chapter l

Chapter 1 opens with a typical salutation, contains a one sentence enumeration of the blessings from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (verses 3-14), and concludes with a one sentence prayer (verses 15-23).

Salutation

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: ²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

· apostle -  (apostolo) a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders

· saint – (agio)  most holy thing , set apart

· faithful – (pisto) – trustworthy -  in the NT one who trusts in God’s promises

· grace -  (cari) -  that which affords joy, pleasure, delight

· peace  (eirene) - a state of national tranquility

The salutation in verses 1 and 2 is in the standard letter writing style of the 1^st century Koine Greek and typical of Paul. In New Testament terms an apostle was one of the few who had actually been directly chosen by Christ and Paul was granted this status by virtue of his Damascus road experience. “By the will of God” is Paul’s way of saying that his call was not of his own doing. n fact, it represented a 180 degree departure from his chosen path. Acts tells his story. He was confronted by Christ and overpowered. He became what he was by the will of God..

The words “in Ephesus” are not found in many of the ancient texts leading to the speculation that the letter was intended as a general letter to many congregations. As regards Ephesus, in particular, it was not an easy place to remain faithful but the church there had done so. “In Christ” is the state of being a Christian and leading the Christian life. All of Paul’s writings seek to explain what these 2 words mean. “In Christ” is used 9 times in verses 1-14, 25 times in Ephesians, and about 130 times in the New Testament. Peace is a translation of the Hebrew “shalom” which implies a sense of national tranquility (i.e. freedom from war) while “grace” carries not only its secular Greek meaning of “favor” but also the theological concept of “unearned favor from God” well defined by this time in Paul’s prior epistles.

Blessings From The Father

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

· praise  (eulogeto) – blessed, praised, to render good words

· blessed  (eulogeo) -  to praise, to invoke blessings, speak well of

· every (pa) – all, some of all types

We praise God because He has blessed us. Note the connection between praise and blessing in the Greek. The Jewish tradition looked for God’s blessing but these were most often expected in material ways in the here and now. Paul prepares us to examine what awaits us after we are united in Him.

⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love

· chose (eklegomai) to pick out by name

· holy (agio) – saintly, set apart for God

· blameless (amomo) – without spot or blemish

Here we go…. God named us individually, before the earth was formed, to be set apart and ultimately stand before God without spot or blemish. “In Him”, as we will see in the coming verses, is to be “through Jesus Christ”.

⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will, ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

· predestined  (proorizo) – to predetermine, to mark out the boundaries beforehand

· adoption as sons  (uioqesia) adoption as sons

· his pleasure and will (eudokia)- kind intention, good will, benevolence

· praise (epaino) commendation, praise

· glory (doxa) – opinion, in NT always a good opinion worthy of praise

According to His pre-creation plan, we were carved out of the masses, and “adopted as His sons”. This implies all the rights and privileges as were we a biological son. This is not gender specific. It is used 5 times in the New Testament, always in the context of becoming “children of God” and in the Greek is a FEMININE noun.

God did this intentionally as part of a well worked out plan. It was made possible by Christ’s atoning work on the cross and is given to us as a free unearned gift.

It is all “to the praise of His glory”. God has done this for us that we might respond with thanksgiving and glorify Him. “To God be the glory” and, “let His name be magnified” are the thoughts behind “to the praise of His glory” and it will be used by Paul over and over. It must be noted that throughout both the Old and New Testaments God is never portrayed as being humble or shy. He demands respect for who He is and thanks for what He has done. Since, our chief end is to glorify Him, we are expected to respond to His generous and unmerited grace with continuous praise and prayerful thanks.

Blessings Through the Son

⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

· redemption -(apolutrosi) a releasing effected by payment of ransom

· forgiveness (afesi) – pardon of sins, letting them go as if they had never been committed

· lavished (perisseuo) – since of overflowing

· understanding (fronesi) – insight, knowledge of the will of God

Redemption (apolutrosi) is a slave trading term. It means to buy from another and then set free as opposed to (agorazo) buying a slave and keeping a slave. “In Christ” we are set free from our slavery to sin. Forgiveness (afesi) is really a pardon. It implies not only a freedom from punishment, but more beautifully, it will be as if our sins were never committed at all. We will be without the spots, scars, and blemishes of sin. God gave this in overflowing amounts because it was His intentional plan, the result of His wisdom, and His insight.

⁹And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

· mystery (musterion) – secret made known to the some and not others

· purposed -(protiqemai) - to display publicly

Paul says that the soon to be revealed mystery will be made known to the Godly and the ungodly will never understand. God did it because He wanted it done and not for any other reason. “Purposed” as translated here is the Greek protiqemai, which means to display publicly, so Christ is the public personification of His plan. And what is the plan and when will it take effect?

¹⁰to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

To get through this, let’s first look at verse 10 in the NASB translation which follows the Greek more closely.

(NASB) ¹⁰with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

· administration (oikonomia)- the oversight of other’s property

· fullness (pleroma) – that which has been filled

· times (kairo) – the decisive epoch waited for

· summing (anakefalaiomai) to sum up, condense

The gist here is that a long period of time (epochal in length) must run its course. The Greek word oikonomia implies not ownership but oversight, so all of God’s creation is to be placed under the authority of Christ. And what exactly will that consist of? The word anakefalaiomai in Greek implies summing or condensing and we are talking about all things in heaven and on earth. Perhaps all of creation and its history will come under the direct, hands on, control of Christ. No bureaucrats wanted, no intermediaries needed. Human comprehension limits our understanding so the plan still remains a partial mystery, but one thing is sure. At that point we will be perfectly “in Christ” and that is a comforting thought indeed. This is exactly what Paul wants to convey.

¹¹In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹²in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.   

· chosen (kleroo) to choose by lot

· first to hope (proelpizo) – pro=before , elpizo=to hope, earlier hope

In verse 11, we have a ringing endorsement of God’s sovereignty. Everything that has been done and will be done is solely in conformity with His will.

In verse 12 and 13, an apparent distinction is made between Jews (we) and Gentiles (you). At the time of this epistle, Christianity had evolved to the point that it had lost much of its connection to Judaism. The view towards Mosaic Law had changed drastically, temple rites had no place, and redemption came through faith in Christ who had been decisively rejected by the Jewish hierarchy. It is true that the Jewish nation had been chosen since Abraham to be “God’s People” and they had looked towards the Messiah. But, it was a very different Messiah that they awaited. So the “first to hope” was unlikely to be the Jewish nation as a whole.

It seems more plausible that Paul was making a distinction between the earliest Christians (i.e. the disciples, Paul, and the earliest converts, etc.) most all of whom were Jewish and the more recent and more numerous Gentile converts. Perhaps, he was subtly discouraging a tendency towards elitism in the former group or a feeling of being second rate in the latter. Unity is an implied theme of this epistle and it seems reasonable to read this as, according to Paul, the earlier Christians have no advantage over the new.

The election of both groups occurred at the same time (before creation). Their actual conversion occurred when the “Good News” reached them and they were overtaken by the Holy Spirit. Thus all stand equal “in Christ”.

Blessings from the Holy Spirit

¹³…. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession to the praise of his glory.

· deposit (arrabon) (of Hebrew origin) – a pledge, a partial payment

· redemption -(apolutrosi) a releasing effected by payment of ransom

· inheritance (kleronomia) inheritance (from choosing lots)

· possession (peripoiesi) a lay-away

In verses 13 and 14 Paul speaks of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the process of conversion, many new believers feel an energizing power on the heels of their leap of faith. Now, Paul hangs some theological meat on that experience. He speaks of a transaction between us and God. In the future, we are headed for glory where we will stand before Him sin free. For now, we are given the presence of the Holy Spirit as earnest money awaiting the future completion of the deal. Until then, we have been laid away awaiting that time when He will claim us as His full possession.

Intercessory Prayer

¹⁵For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Paul knew the Ephesians (and the other churches in Asia Minor) well. He had been with them for 3 years some years earlier and given the active travel through the region doubtlessly had more current information about their activities. He commends them for their faith in Christ and their brotherly love for one another. As mentioned earlier, it was not a easy place to do either.

¹⁷I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

· spirit (pneuma) - the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides

· know (epignosis) – to be thoroughly acquainted with, experience  

· revelation (apokaluyi)- laying bear, a disclosure of truth, instruction concerning things before unknown

Paul speaks of God as the Father Christ, the Father who is worthy of our praise. Now Paul asks that the reader may be given the rational ability to finally comprehend by personal experience with God, His plan for us and the power of His presence. The word “know” (epignosis) implies to have knowledge based on personal contact and interaction as opposed to just hearing about Him.

¹⁸I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe…..

· eyes (ofqalmo) the eye, metaph. the eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing

· know (eidenai) - to perceive through the senses, behold

· power (dunamis) inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature

Here the word “know” (eidenai) means to perceive. We are to become more aware of the hope that we have been chosen to partake of, despite our dismal earthy circumstances. This includes all the blessings listed earlier and the fact that because we are God’s inheritance (having been laid away), we will one day be with Him in glory. He reassures us that God’s power (dunamis), from which the word dynamite derives, is more than sufficient for the tasks at hand.

¹⁹ ….That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²²And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

· fills everything (pleroo) - fills fully so nothing is wanting

· church (ekklesia) - an assembly of citizens called out from their homes

Paul gives examples of the power that God has already shown and clarifies Christ’s position in the new Heavenly order. Christ is the Head of the church, which is His body, and thus He fills the church with blessings (His spirit) and fills it fully.

Notes on Chapter l

Paul wants the Christian to Know:

· God experientially

· The hope of salvation through election.

· That we are “laid away” for a future with God.

· The great power of God that impacts the believer.

Thoughts on Predestination

Being “pre-chosen” and “pre-destined” are controversial concepts in our Post-Modern liberally leaning world. A century ago this concept would have been almost universally accepted.

Paul must have observed, as we have in other areas, that when he preached the gospel to a room of strangers, all seemingly of the same background and training, some responded with joy and sought immediate baptism while others scoffed at his words and sought to have him imprisoned. It must have seemed that some were pre-primed to receive the message and others were not. Election pure and simple it would seem.

However, it is clear that Scripture calls on us to make wise and God pleasing choices in our personal lives. This implies that we are free to make these choices. Yet, it is abundantly clear that God made choices concerning our eternal salvation apart from our free will and it pleased Him to do so. Trying to claim that He fore knew what our free choice would be as a way out just doesn’t pass Scriptural or logical muster. So there you are.

It has been wisely suggested that we leave this to friendly discussion and await a final answer that can only be found beyond human limitations. Amen