Ephesians Lesson 2

FACTS AND THOUGHTS

LESSON TWO -- EPHESIANS CHAPTER ONE, VERSES 1 - 14

"US AND YOU"


We now come to a study of the text itself of this remarkable little book we call "Ephesians." A quick overview of the First Chapter shows that it consists of only three sentences. They are: the first sentence, Verses 1 and 2; the second sentence, Verses 3 through 14; and the third sentence, Verses 15 through 23. There is a significance to this sentence structure, a significance which may be lost in some modern translations, which break up the long sentences into shorter ones. In simplifying they lose the total meaning of the longer sentence structure.
The first sentence (Verses 1 and 2).
Paul starts out by identifying himself and stating his qualification to write this epistle as he does. He is "an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God." Among the epistles Paul wrote to churches this is unique. Notice, first of all, that Paul does not associate with himself anyone else. It is not "Paul and Silvanus and Timothy" (I and II Thessalonians); "Paul ... and all the brethren that are with me" (Galatians); "Paul ... and Sosthenes our brother" (I Corinthians); or "Paul ... and Timothy our brother" (II Corinthians, also Philippians and Colossians). Only Romans does not name an associate; but in Romans Paul gave a multifaceted self-identification: ("a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.") By contrast to all these, Paul says only that he is "apostle by God's will."
In the clearest possible way, Paul would seem to be laying stress upon His divine call to apostleship. He wants no distracting additions to that fact. Thayer's lexicon defines the word translated "apostle" as "one sent forth with orders." Paul is thus not only stressing his authority as apostle to write this letter, but he is emphasizing the Divine source of the information he is about to impart. In Ephesians Paul uses the word "mystery" (musterion) more often than in any other of his writings. He is aware that he is about to divulge new information about God's great program for humanity: information vouchsafed to him by Divine grace to be delivered to God's people.
Right at the start, then, we are encouraged to look upon this little Epistle as one of special importance and worthy of our careful study.
In our previous lesson we considered the question as to the recipients of this letter. Was it to the Christian assembly in Ephesus alone, or was it a circular letter to many congregations in Asia Minor? Whatever the answer, in any case it was to "saints .... and the faithful in Messiah Jesus." Have you been "set apart" by God? Have you committed yourself to Jesus as your Saviour/Lord? If so, then this letter is personally directed to you.
Furthermore, in the twofold description of the recipients, we see both God's action and man's response in their position. "Saints" means those "set apart" in special relationship to God. This selection is God's action. Divine election is from God. On the other hand, the "saints" are also called "faithful." This is man's part, man's response, to God's action in setting them apart. Paul thus combines in this one verse both God's election and man's freewill. And they are not set forth here in opposition one to the other, but rather in combination and in cooperation the one with the other.
As an Apostle, Paul extends divine grace and peace, coming from both God our Father and from The Lord Jesus Messiah. "Grace" was a common Greek term of greeting, and "Peace" was a Jewish one. The Apostles combined both terms into a Christian greeting (sometimes with the addition of "mercy" between the two), but as here stressing that this was not simply a casual greeting but having a Divine source of blessing. Note especially the full name and title of Jesus: it is "Lord Jesus Messiah." The blessing comes from Him in His full panoply of titles: name (Jesus), rank (Messiah: Christ), and authority (Lord).
The Second Sentence (Verses 3 through 14).
This second sentence contains an interesting switch of pronouns, at once suggesting two parts to the sentence, implying a contrast of persons, and a very important clue to interpretation. In the early part of the sentence a great emphasis is placed upon blessings bestowed on "us" ("we"). But when we come to verse 13, the pronoun changes to "you" ("ye".) Moreover, it is quite evident that the "us" and the "you" are distinct, different, opposites. So we must ask, "Who are the "us"and who are the "you"?
We cannot simply say that the "us" are "us Christians," because the "you" are clearly Christians as well. Immediately we see that Paul had something further in mind. This writer has repeatedly asked the question, "who are the 'us'?," and is amazed at the way good Christian minds stumble over the problem. But one day he asked a friend who is both a Jew and a Christian, and immediately came the answer: "Israel."
Yes, it is Israel who are the "us" recipients of the blessings enumerated in verses 3 through 12. As we were reminded in the first lesson of this series, Paul was himself a Jew, and so he used the pronoun "us." But Paul himself has also said that not all Jews are so included. Potentially yes; in practice, no.
In another place Paul himself wrote that "they are not all Israel, that are of Israel." (Romans 9:6). But the Gospel went first to the Jews, from the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:5ff) and for a considerable period of time; until at Caesarea Peter used one of the "keys" (see Matthew 16:19) to preach to the Gentile centurian Cornelius, (Acts Chapter Ten,) and so the Gospel was opened to the Gentiles. On the other hand, Paul, commissioned by God as "Apostle to the Gentiles" (Galatians 2:7), made it his practice in every city to visit the Jewish synagogue (if there was one) first. But when the Jews rejected his message, Paul noted that they did "judge themselves unworthy of eternal life" (Acts 13:46; see also Acts 18:6), and so then he went to the Gentiles.
It was, it seems, the intent of God that all Israel was chosen of God to be the primary recipients of His blessings. But some Jews, by their unbelief, took themselves out of true Israel and made themselves forfeiters of this grace. They were "broken off" (Romans 11:17); but the ones remaining are known as a "remnant." -- In fact, to take the thought further, the blessings of God upon Israel were not to be hoarded by them, but they were to become a channel of blessing to the Gentile world. This many of them did not do.
The spiritual blessings for Israel: They were "chosen in Messiah before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him" (Vs. 4). From the covenant with Abraham and through the entire Old Testament this choice was made evident.
They were "foreordained .... unto adoption as sons through Jesus Messiah unto himself." God told Abraham that "in Isaac shall thy seed be called," (Genesis 21:12), and Paul interpreted saying "And to thy seed, which is Messiah" (Galatians 3:16). And again God said, "Israel is my son, my first-born." (Exodus 4:22).
When Paul further wrote that "in Whom" (i.e., Messiah) "we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses" (Vs. 7), we remember that Paul also wrote that the Gospel was "to the Jew first" (Romans 1:16). The message of repentance went first to Israel, as Peter said on Pentecost: "For to you is the promise, and to your children." (Acts 2:39).
Paul further wrote of God "making known unto us the mystery of his will" (Vs. 9), obviously referring back to his own words in Romans 11:25-26, when he wrote of "this mystery .... that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel."
Then we have in Verses 10 and 11 a promise of fulfillment of the great plans of God. This is an allusion to the great theme of Ephesians, which will be developed in the middle of Chapter Two and following. And Israel is to have a great place in the future plans of God, as Paul made evident when he wrote that "we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Messiah." (Vs. 12). Clearly, then, this whole passage refers to (the believing remnant of) Israel, ever in the forefront of God's thinking. Note the confirmation that this promise refers to Israel in Paul's words: "we who had before hoped in Messiah."
In this passage is to be noted the frequent statement "in Messiah." (The word "Christ" has its root in the Greek word we may transliterate as "Christos." It means "the anointed One." As such, it is the equivalent of the Hebrew word we may transliterate as "Meshiach" or Messiah, also meaning "the anointed One." Although Paul wrote in Greek, he thought as a Jew.) Sometimes instead of "in Messiah" we have "in Him"; "in the Beloved" and later on in the Epistle "in Jesus" and "in the Lord." Some readers may be thus challenged to make a list of all the times this expression "in ---" is used in the entire Epistle. It is one of the great emphases of the letter. All the blessings to Israel are "in Him." By rejecting Him, the great mass of Israel rejected the true blessings of God. "His own received Him not"; but that remnant of Israel were those who "received Him," and to whom therefore "gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12). It is this remnant of Israel, among whom Paul counted himself, that was the recipient of the blessings of Verses 3-12.
The place of believing Gentiles is next included by Paul in verse 13. "You" ("ye") also received a guarantee of a place in God's great plan. We who are Gentiles and have believed on Jesus "were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." God has placed His mark on us, declared thereby that we belong to Him. This is for us a pledge, a guarantee, that God has great blessings to come for us. The seal of having the Holy Spirit is thus, as it were, a "down payment" of greater things to come.
It is not only a pledge to us of future blessings, but also it is the assurance that as God's possession we are to be claimed by Him not only in spirit (as today), but in body --- in person, when He shall receive us into His presence as His own property. In fact, His praise and His glory will not be complete until that is finally accomplished.
Now what were the means by which this pledge was guaranteed to us? Several steps are here stated. First, "ye .... heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation." Paul on another occasion said that "the gospel .... was preached in all creation under heaven." (Colossians 1:23). And when it was preached to the "Ephesians" they "heard" it. Sometimes we hear without hearing. "It goes in one ear and out the other." But really to hear means to absorb the word, take it to heart, and apply it to oneself. This, says Paul, his original readers had done, as was made evident by the next step. They "also believed," and that belief was "in Whom" (i.e., in Jesus).
By Paul's twice stating "in Whom" in this one verse, he is emphasizing that the belief is not in a creed, a body of belief, but in a Person. Properly to grasp the fullness of the expression "in Him" is a primary requisite to interpreting this Epistle and especially to applying its blessings to ourselves.
Finally in the "salvation process" as here outlined by Paul, comes the "sealing" by the Holy Spirit. This means that God, through His Spirit, has placed His own mark, or seal, upon those who have believed. It is God's personal guarantee of the coming completion of our redemption. Thus it is written, "He Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Messiah." (Philippians 1:6).
Note, then, the several steps: (1) the word was preached; (2) the Ephesians heard; (3) they believed "in Whom (Jesus)"; (4) they "were sealed."
The question then is, have you believed "in Him"? Have you so turned to Him and so committed yourself to Him as to ask Him to place His stamp of ownership upon yourself? If you have not as yet done so, it is imperative that you do so right now. Otherwise it is of little use for you to go on studying this Epistle, for you cannot apply the blessings to yourself. They are not for you. But if you have so turned to Jesus, let us now go on to see what further things Paul has to say by way of teaching from God.
The Third Sentence (Vss. 15-23)
Having now established that there has been a company of those "who had before hoped in Messiah," i.e., the Remnant of believing Israel, and that there were "ye also," a company of Gentiles who also had subsequently believed "in Him," Paul now expresses his prayer for them. It is a very significant prayer, and merits our careful attention to its contents. This will be an important part of our next weeks' assignment.
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW, STUDY, AND DISCUSSION
1. In studying the lesson material for this week, what new or deeper understanding have you learned? How do you think you can apply it to your own life?
2. Verses 15-23 constitute Paul's statement of his prayers for the Ephesians. For what things does he pray, (from verses 17 to 19)? List them. How do you think they might apply to you?
3. In Verses 20ff he speaks of the things God wrought in Messiah. He lists at least four. What are they?
4. In 2:1-3 Paul tells of the sorry condition of all people outside of Messiah.: a. Can you define the difference between "trespasses"
and "sins"?: b. We are told that temptations come to us from our
flesh, the world about us, and Satan. When our way of life is according to these temptations, what is the two-fold result?
5. In 2:1 Paul says his Gentile readers had been "dead." If you were to try to explain this Scripture to a child, how would you explain what Paul meant by his readers having been "dead"?
6. In 2:4 we have "mercy" and "love" mentioned, and in verse 5 we have "grace." What do you understand to be the difference between "mercy" and "grace"?
7. In 2:4-7 Paul states that God has given to all in Messiah three present blessings and a future promise. What are they?
8. If you have not yet memorized 2:8-9, try to do so now. If you already know these verses, try to memorize 2:4-7.


--- Norman L. MacLeod Jr.

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