Bible Commentaries
Ephesians 1

Verses 1-2

EPHESIANS: THE THEOLOGY
A LETTER TO THE SAINTS

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God's holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 1:1

When we open the book of Ephesians we are immediately introduced to the revelation of several mysteries long kept secret by God. Now in the last days these divine mysteries have been revealed to the apostles and prophets of the Lord. Paul speaks more about this in Ephesians 3:4-5, where he says, "In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets…" Now it is also plain that these mysteries are made available and clearly revealed to the church of God, yes, even to the least of God's saints.

Unfortunately, we Christians have not always troubled ourselves to understand these revealed mysteries. In addition, we sometimes, quibble, argue, doubt and even deny the glorious truths given us. Over the centuries our theologians have also been prone to much disagreement over the New Testament, so it is not at all surprising that they would disagree about Ephesians. There are some who even doubt that Paul wrote the book as here stated. These propose that it was written at a later date by a person writing under Paul's name. Such speculations do not do much for the faith of God's dear ones.

Admittedly, such things were done in the past. Yet, while we see many pseudonymous works appear before and after the Apostolic Era, there really seems to be no evidence of this type writing in the New Testament.^(F1) On two occasions Paul names himself as the author of the book (1:1 and 3:1). In addition, it is clear that Ephesians was indisputably accepted by the early church as a genuine letter of Paul.^(F2) Obviously, should Paul not be its author, we would have a book on our hands that qualifies only as a deceitful fabrication.

Here Paul calls himself an apostle. To be an apostle is to be sent forth, and in Paul's case the sending forth was from the Lord himself (Galatians 1:1). Paul was sent forth as an apostle to the Gentiles. We Gentile believers can thank and praise the Lord that he saw fit to include us in his great salvation plan before the earth was ever formed.

When Paul addresses the holy people or saints here (1:1) he is not speaking about pious stained glass figures in some cathedral window or perhaps someone who has been beatified by the church long after his or her death. He is speaking of real people – folks just like you and me. The believers in Ephesus were called "saints" because they were "set apart" by the sanctifying and saving work of the Redeemer. They were separated from the world unto God for his purposes even while they were still alive on the earth.

The root word in the Greek language for being a "saint" or being "set apart for God" is the word hagi. There are apparently two meanings to our being set apart or sanctified. First there is what theologians call "positional sanctification" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). This is something God does for us from the beginning, and it becomes effective when a person places his or her faith in Jesus. Second, there is the sanctification that continues as a process until the day we depart this life to be with the Lord.^(F3) This is a work carried on by the Holy Spirit who lives within us and it also includes the washing of the word of God on a daily basis as we see in Ephesians 5:26 and in 1 Peter 1:2.

Now we need to take note of a very important expression used in Ephesians and elsewhere in the New Testament. The oft-used phrase "in Christ" seen here (1:1) has been called the "cornerstone and foundation" of Paul's theology. It is said that this expression or its equivalent appears one hundred seventy-six times in the writings of Paul, appearing thirty-six times in Ephesians alone.^(F4) One writer claims that without doubt, the phrase "in Christ" is the most important expression in this letter.^(F5)

Over the years I have sought to better understand what "in Christ" is all about. Once in a Jerusalem sermon I illustrated it with a beautiful silver vase and with a lump of clay. In order to picture "in Christ" I placed the unsightly lump of clay, representing us with our sin, into the beautiful silver vase, representing Christ. No longer could the lump of clay be seen, but only the beautiful vase. That's the way it is with us Christians. Neither we nor our sins are visible any longer because we are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). God looks upon his Son and is well pleased with what he sees (Matthew 3:17; 17:5).

We observe that these holy ones or saints mentioned here are described as "faithful" (1:1). Faithfulness involves obedience, or some sort of fitting response to this great grace of God that is poured out upon us. Perhaps Paul illustrates this well when he speaks of the "obedience of faith" in Romans 1:5 and in 16:26. Obedience is really the other side of faith. But in line with the thinking of Ephesians, we see that our salvation, which includes faith, is not something of ourselves, but is also a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).

When the church "in Ephesus" is spoken of in this passage it introduces us to a rather perplexing problem. Apparently the identification of Ephesus did not appear in the oldest manuscripts of the book. It has been pointed out that the ancient and best manuscripts, Aleph and B (Vaticanus), do not contain the words "in Ephesus." These words were not present in Origen's copy, and the heretic Marcion even called the book "the Epistle to the Laodiceans" (cf. Colossians 4:16). As late as the fourth century Basil spoke of some manuscripts that had no name in the address portion.^(F6)

Many have concluded from this that Ephesians was a circular letter. It was sent by Paul with Tychicus at the same time he sent Colossians, and Philemon (Ephesians 6:21,22; Colossians 4:7-9; Philemon 1:12-24). Paul was in prison at the time that he sent these so-called "Prison Epistles" (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1; 6:20). All this information would date the letter of Ephesians to the period of around AD 60-62.

Churches receiving the "Ephesian" manuscript were expected to insert their names in the blank space left for the addressee. Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Roman Empire and the capital city of Asia. It was a city of great Christian influence and the logical point of entry that Tychicus would have taken into the Roman province of Asia. Thus, the letter soon became attached to the great city.

An interesting and supporting fact is that Ephesians is lacking the warm personal greetings that we usually see in Paul's letters. This is especially strange when we consider that Paul visited the Ephesians on several occasions. He paid a visit to the city on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19-21). On his third missionary journey he actually stayed many months in Ephesus making a total of three years there (Acts 20:31). Paul remained longer at Ephesus than he did at any other one place preaching the gospel.^(F7) Then, as he returned to Jerusalem from his third missionary journey, he met with the beloved Ephesian elders at Miletus (Acts 20:13-38). We know that Paul had many dear friends and associates in Ephesus so it is almost unthinkable that he would not send greetings to them, unless of course he was treating this manuscript as a circular letter.

Some commentators see a very close connection between Ephesians and Colossians and that the writer of Ephesians used much of Colossians. For instance, Ephesians consistently uses "church" in the universal sense found in Colossians.^(F8) It has been said that "75 of the 155 verses of Ephesians are found in Colossians."^(F9) It seems conclusive that Colossians was written first and Ephesians patterned after it.

Ancient letters commonly included prayers or thanksgivings in their headings. Biblical letters followed this pattern as we see here, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:2). As we consider the words "grace" and "peace," we note that it is always important that they appear in this order. In other words, we must have grace before we can have peace.^(F10)

In classical Greek, the word "grace" (charis) had reference to a favor given freely with no expectation of return. Such a favor was always given to a friend and never to an enemy. The Greek scholar, K. S. Wuest, comments, "Right here charis (χαρις) leaps forward an infinite distance, for the Lord Jesus died for his enemies (Romans 5:8-10), a thing unheard of in the human race."^(F11)

Verse 3

OUR PRESENT BLESSINGS IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS

Praise 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. Ephesians 1:3

This passage must be one of the most incredible scriptures in the whole Bible. It is wonderful news for poor, tattered and torn saints of God. What is being said here seems almost unbelievable. He tells us that "every" spiritual blessing in heaven is now available to us. We simply must take some time and focus on this important passage.

A few decades ago theologians began to speak of "realized eschatology," or the possessing of last things or eternal things at the present moment.^(F12) Paul is likely speaking here of this very thing. Even while we live on this earth we are able "in Christ" and through him to possess "every" spiritual blessing in the heavens. After all, heaven has nothing better to offer us than Jesus who is now fully given to us, and who is actually living within us.

So we see here that this great blessing is already available. It is not something we are waiting for or something we are hoping and praying will be given. In fact, Paul's Greek usage here "points to this blessing or prospering of believers as having occurred in eternity past."^(F13) We can conclude that by our position in Christ we are even able to participate and enjoy the benefits of the world's future redemption gained for us through Christ's atoning death.

The expression "in the heavenly realms" is a very prominent theme of the Book of Ephesians. We moderns through our technology can now have some faint understanding of what is possible for us in Christ. Today a person in a far off land, via computer, can speak with his or her own family members and actually see them as that one shares in the blessings of the home country.^(F14) . This is obviously only a bit of virtual reality when compared to the heavenly reality that we already experience in Christ.

We Christians must now stretch ourselves and begin to operate in the spheres of human and divine, visible and invisible. We are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20); with our names written there (Luke 10:20); and our Father is also located in heaven. Therefore as Colossians 3:1ff mentions, it is important that our attention and affection always be centered on heaven and upon heavenly things.^(F15) All this may bring about a great struggle in our lives if we allow it. In one sense, "Christians always have a double life and a double address."^(F16) Some writers have mentioned this underlying tension as being a struggle between the "already" and the "not yet." It is a tension between what we already enjoy in Christ and what we still have not fully attained. However, we should rejoice in the fact that for real believers the "already" now far outweighs the "not yet."^(F17)

Much later, in the Book of Revelation, we are surprised to see that in the last day there will be a large number of overcoming saints who will rise up and fully grasp that which we see here in Ephesians. We learn that they will face the Antichrist. We also learn that they will even have a part in casting Satan down from his heavenly position (Revelation 12:11). The secret of their success is that they will learn to partake of the power and blessings of heaven even while they live out their lives upon earth (cf. Revelation 3:21; 12:5; 14:1-5).

Verses 4-5

CHOSEN BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ… Ephesians 1:4-5

Paul now continues to deal with the great mystery that has been hidden with God for ages. That mystery is now fully revealed and waiting for all of us to understand it. It is the mystery of being "in Christ" or "in him." We have already spoken of this briefly but Paul wants to go deeper. Up to this point I fear that the church has not understood this mystery very well. For instance, even as a pastor I once looked upon the position of being "in Christ" as a sort of goal that mature believers should seek to attain. Obviously, I had woefully misunderstood this expression. The glorious truth is that our position of being "in Christ" or "in him" is something we believers had before the world was ever formed. Yes, we were already chosen "in him" before there was a world (cf. Matthew 25:34). This glorious fact should greatly encourage us in our sometimes pitiful efforts at Christian living. So far as God is concerned our salvation is finished in Christ. It is a "done deal." Truly it was finished and even sealed before the world was formed.

In this passage we also see that we are "…to be holy and blameless in his sight…" (1:4). This is likely not just a reflection of sanctification but also a reflection upon the great doctrine of justification. Through justification God has declared us "blameless," "not guilty," and "acquitted" of all our sin. In Romans 5:18 we read, "Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people." In 2 Corinthians 5:19 it is said "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them…." Hebrews 10:14 goes on to make plain that by the one sacrifice of himself, the Lord has made us perfect forever. This "forever" justification is made effective in our lives the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. However it was a fact in God's mind eons ago.

The popular theologian, Dr. J. I. Packer, says, "Justification is decisive for eternity, being in effect the judgment of the last day brought forward."^(F18) Paul sums it up another way in Romans 8:30, "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."

There is no question concerning when this blamelessness and holiness originated. It originated before the foundation of the world. Although it was obviously God's intention to change the moral character of his people, yet in this verse he is not speaking of our achieving this moral perfection but of God crediting it to us.^(F19)

All this mystery is based upon God's foreknowledge. In Romans 8:29 we read, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters" (cf. John 6:37).

Here we cannot escape the mysterious Christian doctrine of election. There are obviously many views on this subject and folks of faith are prone to heated discussions concerning it. The writer and Bible teacher, Warren Wiersbe, reports what he once heard a seminary professor say, "Try to explain election and you may lose your mind. But try to explain it away and you may lose your soul!" This same writer also remarks that this glorious election is not something that we are to publicize among unbelievers. He regards it rather as a "family secret" that belongs to the saints of God.^(F20)

Verses 5-6

PREDESTINED AND ADOPTED!

he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will – Ephesians 1:5b

We see here that we were predestined to be adopted (cf. Romans 8:29). It is likely that the adoption mentioned has reference to the Roman custom and not to the Jewish one. In such adoption the person received all rights and privileges of the family into which he was adopted. This was without reference to any merit on the part of the person being adopted.^(F21) The popular commentator, Barclay, adds concerning this adoption:

When the adoption was complete it was complete indeed. The person who had been adopted had all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family and lost completely all rights in his old family. In the eyes of the law, he was a new person. So new was he that even all debts and obligations connected with his previous family were abolished as if they had never existed.^(F22)

It is the good pleasure of God's will that we be adopted as his sons. This adoption has very little to do with our modern idea of adoption since it pictures the person as being placed in the position of adult sonship.^{huiothesia (υἱοθεσια ), from tithemi ( τιθεμι ), "to place," and huios ( υἱος ), "an adult son." Thus, the word refers to the act of God placing these selected-out ones as adult sons."">(F23)}

We must understand that this adoption, election and predestination are not based upon our goodness or even upon our future good works. We are certainly not able to brag about our worthiness to receive this position. The great reformer, John Calvin, says of this glorious predestination, "If men should evade every other argument, election shuts their mouth, so that they dare not and cannot claim anything for themselves."^(F24)

As we see here, when we truly get a grasp on what God has done for us, there is nothing left for us to do but to praise the Lord who has made it all possible.

In response to all that God has done we will want to agree with Paul that grace is truly glorious and praiseworthy, as it is said, "to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves" (1:6). This freely-given grace makes heaven and earth rejoice (Revelation 5:12-14). This abundant grace should make us want to give glory to our Father, as the Westminister Shorter Catechism has it, "What is the chief end of man?" "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."^(F25)

Verses 7-9

REDEMPTION AND FORGIVENESS

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace… Ephesians 1:7

When we speak of redemption in the Bible we necessarily speak about blood. Blood was very sacred to the Jewish people of Bible times. In Israel, blood was reserved only for sacrifice, and the sacrifice of animals was a sort of virtual reality picturing a greater sacrifice that was to come in the future. God remarks on the importance of the blood by saying, "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life" (Leviticus 17:11).Virtually all sacrifices required the blood of slain birds and animals. Hebrews 9:22 develops this by saying, "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

In Psalm 40:6-8, the Bible speaks of the true reality or the all-sufficient offering of Christ in these words, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire – but my ears you have opened – burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, 'Here I am, I have come – it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.'" Here the Lamb of God is saying to his Father that he is ready to make the eternal sacrifice for the sin of humankind. Indeed, he did make that sacrifice on Calvary as he shed his precious blood. That blood was shed forever and is available to this very day as a covering for our sins. Very much in line with the thinking of Ephesians, we see in Revelation 13:8, that this Lamb was slain from the creation of the world. By this we realize that God solved the sin problem long before it ever began.

Thus Jesus has made the necessary blood sacrifice for us and we have redemption through his blood as stated here. We can now enter into fellowship with God by believing and accepting this sacrifice for ourselves.

Unfortunately, today much religion has become a bloodless thing. We now have a bloodless Judaism, and surprisingly a near bloodless Christianity. In the Christian world the whole idea of blood sacrifice has all but disappeared in the last two or three generations. A recent quote from a feminist theologian, Delores Williams, illustrates this trend. She says, "I don't think we need folks hanging on crosses and blood dripping and weird stuff"^(F26) We have almost quit singing and preaching about the blood and the cross. This modern and postmodern trend is troubling since it is only the blood of Jesus that takes away our sins.

The forgiveness mentioned here is the word aphesis, which means "cancellation" of sins. Other similar Greek words used by Paul are charizomai (pardon) in Colossians 2.13 and paresin (passing over) sin as in Romans 3:25.^(F27) As Psalm 103:12 says, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

What a great and splendid salvation the Lord has given us – "that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding" (1:8). Some may think it unwise for God to do such a thing but here the scripture says that God did it with all his wisdom. In other words, God knew what he was doing.

Ephesians assures us the secret is now out. Paul says of God that "he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ…" (1:9). The mystery God has revealed is unlike the many ancient "mystery religions" or even the secret societies we have today where only a chosen few are initiated. This mystery is available for all Christians to fully understand and enjoy.^(F28) 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 states that although this mystery has been hidden for ages (cf. Romans 16:25) it is now revealed to each of us through the Holy Spirit who lives within us. The mystery is that Christ is to be the head of everything.

Verses 10-12

THE DIRECTION OF ALL CREATION

to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:10

It is a common teaching of many philosophers today that our world is heading nowhere. They tell us that all is vain, empty and meaningless. Our philosophers probably got this idea from their precursors, the Greek philosophers of long ago. It was their concept of history that it was going on in a meaningless cycle.^(F29) Such is not the biblical idea of things. "It was a common Jewish belief that history was moving through many stages to its climax, when everything would be put under God's rule."^(F30) In other words, history is going somewhere. In fact, it is all "coming to a head" and that head is Christ.

We see this most clearly in Daniel's vision of the system of Gentile world governments. It is particularly in Daniel where we see the idea of the coming kingdom developed.^(F31) Daniel pictures the four Gentile world empires, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome, as they came into being. This corresponds precisely to the time that the sovereign nation of Israel disappeared from the stage of world history (586 BC). We have now spent the better part of three millennia under the control of godless Gentile world governments. We can know from Daniel that all these governments will fall in the last days, and that they will all fall at the same time (Daniel 2:35). Thus all the godless principles of these governments are still around and are affecting us. They will continue to do so until the end of the age.

Daniel makes clear that these governments are all experiencing a continual devaluation as time goes on. They devalue from gold to silver to bronze and finally to a mixture of iron and clay. At last they will be headed up by the grossly evil Beast or Antichrist. At this low point, a rock from the mountain (Zion) will crash into this evil system and totally destroy it. The rock (Jesus) and his government will then grow into a great mountain filling the whole earth (the kingdom of God). At this time of heavenly victory the government will be gained by Christ. He will become the head of everything. Surprisingly, when this happens he then shares this great authority with his dear saints (Daniel 7:18). The Bible says that they shall reign forever and ever. We see that all this glorious kingdom development will be put into effect when "the times reach their fulfillment" (1:10).

Thus we learn that all things in heaven and in earth, will ultimately be gathered together in Christ. Some have referred to all this as "cosmic reconciliation." As this plan progresses, all divisions will be done away with in Christ. This includes the deep divisions that have separated Jew and Gentile in the past. It even includes the division and alienation of humanity from God. It includes the alienation of earth from heaven.^(F32) Paul in Romans 8:18-22 remarks concerning this:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Thus there is a divine plan and there is only one plan. All things in heaven and earth will be brought into alignment with that vast plan. This is why we were chosen and predestined (v. 11), that we might be laborers together with God in his great plan. All this information should certainly change our perspective on life. We Christians have a part in God's eternal plan. We can help bring other lives into conformity with that plan. Is there anything more important than our laboring together with God in his plan?

Here in verse 11 we see the words "In 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…" This brings into focus for the first time something we will see a lot in Ephesians. It is likely that the "we" used here and in the next verse refers to the Jewish believers and the "you" in verse 13 refers to Gentile believers.^(F33) We thus understand that there are two distinct people groups in the divine plan. There are Jews and Gentiles. The rift between these two groups in Bible times was often so great that there was almost no crossing it. However, we will see in this book that the sacrifice of Jesus has bridged this gap, making it possible for these two groups to have unity and peace. This is a big step in God's plan for cosmic unity and restoration. Indeed it is a step so big that many Christians are still struggling with its implications even to this day.

This great plan of God has all been enacted "in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory" (1:12).

Verse 13

GENTILES INCLUDED

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Ephesians 1:13a

God's great plan of salvation was first extended to the Jews exclusively. In Deuteronomy 7:6 God says to Israel, "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession." We see just how special this choice is in Psalm 147:19-20, "He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws."

Of course this sovereign divine choice of Israel was not just made so God could play favorites with people. It was made for God's redemptive purposes so that his salvation could go out to people all over the world. Here we see this salvation now arriving to all Gentile people. We note that salvation comes as people hear the word of the Lord, the gospel of salvation. All this is spoken of in Romans 10:17, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." Now through the preaching of the gospel "we" (the Jews) can be expanded to include "you" (the Gentiles).

We have been speaking so far of the great doctrines of election and predestination. One might think that with such doctrines the church would be able to relax into a sort of determinism regarding salvation. Obviously this is not to be the case. The English scholar and pastor John Stott remarks concerning this, "Let no one say, therefore, that the doctrine of election by the sovereign will and mercy of God, mysterious as it is, makes either evangelism or faith unnecessary."^(F34) God in his great love and foreknowledge gives humanity the free will to either accept or reject his offer. Of course there are no surprises in the kingdom of God. God has known from the beginning those who would accept and those who would reject his grace. The Bible says, "God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his…'" (2 Timothy 2:19).

Paul assures these new Gentile converts, "When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit," (1:13b). This is a seal that every believer must have. The seal that God gives us believers stands for several things. It stands for security (Matthew 27:66; Ephesians 4:30), for our authentication and approval (John 6:27), for our certification of genuineness (John 3:33), and for our identification of ownership (2 Corinthians 1:22; Revelation 7:2; 9:4).^(F35)

We see in scripture and especially in the Book of Revelation that terrible times will come in the last days. To prepare his dear people for such times the Lord seals them in their foreheads (Revelation 7:3). This seal reminds us of how Noah was sealed in the ark. The Bible says that Noah's ark was sealed both without and within (Genesis 6:14). He was so protected that God destroyed the whole world with Noah and his family still in it. We learn that in a similar sense the Hebrew children were sealed and protected in Egypt. We see in Exodus 9:4 and 11:7, that they and their animals were protected and delivered from the great plagues that fell upon the land. God made a difference between his people and the people of Egypt (Exodus 8:23). They were also later kept safe from the death angel. They were sealed by the lamb's blood.

Perhaps it is for such reasons that Paul later warns us in Ephesians, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30). Obviously, it is the Holy Spirit given to us who is our seal and our down payment.

Verses 14-16

THE DOWNPAYMENT MADE

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession – to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:14

The deposit guaranteeing our inheritance is here called the arrabon. This was originally a Hebrew word that seems to have come into Greek usage through ancient Phoenician traders. In the Modern Greek language it is still used of an engagement ring. Of course in ancient trade arrangements it was seen as a deposit, a pledge, a down payment securing the eventual purchase.^(F36)

Apparently this same ancient word is still used in Modern Hebrew. In Israel when an apartment is leased it is necessary to find a couple of guarantors or arravim. These insure that the renter will make good on all his promises. Such a thing is necessary in Israel due to the great demand upon real estate and because of the extremely high prices.

The basic idea of the arrabon is that it is more than an earnest. It is actually a sample of what is coming in the future.^(F37) We can understand by this that since the deposit itself is spiritual, the rest of our inheritance will also be spiritual in nature. The Bible says that "God is spirit" (John 4:24). The totality of our heritage is of a spiritual nature and in the spiritual realm because God is spirit. Just as Paul challenges us in Ephesians, we simply must gain a set of spiritual eyes or "eyes of the heart" so that we might see and appreciate this heritage.

The expression "God's possession" used here (1:14) reminds us of some of the special language God uses regarding his people Israel. As we saw earlier in Deuteronomy 7:6 God says of Israel, "…The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples… to be his people, his treasured possession." The word's "treasured possession" is the Hebrew expression "am segulah." It is a phrase still heard in Israel even until this day. We see the word "segulah" used again of Israel in Malachi 3:17, "'On the day when I act,' says the LORD Almighty, 'they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.'" In 1 Peter 2:9, we see that this special favor accorded Israel has now been showered upon the saints of the New Testament, including Gentiles, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

With these things in mind Paul has not ceased giving thanks and praying for the church, thanking God for the faith and love of his new people the Gentiles. "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers" (1:15-16). Apparently it was Paul's practice to pray diligently on a daily basis for all the churches, even for those Gentile churches he had never visited (2 Corinthians 11:28; Colossians 2:1).

Verses 17-18

TURNING THE LIGHT ON

I 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. Ephesians 1:17

The Book of Ephesians is a book of prayer in that "more than any other New Testament epistle, it has the character and form of prayer."^(F38) It is therefore not surprising that Paul inserts a lengthy prayer at this point. He also prays later.

When we observe how Paul prayed for people we realize how shallow our own prayers have become. Often when we pray, we quickly go down our prayer list saying something like this, "God bless Joe and Suzy Doaks; God bless John and Mary Smith, and on we go. Paul didn't pray that way. He prayed for people that the eyes of their spiritual understanding would be opened. When Paul prayed spiritual things happened. Christians grew to the measure, stature and fullness of Christ and triumphant Christian churches sprang up everywhere.

We Christians must remember that we are grafted into the old olive tree of Israel (Romans 11:17-18). We remember that the olive tree is the tree of oil, of light and thus of revelation. This ancient tree visually represents the spiritual heritage into which we are grafted (cf. Zechariah 4:1-3; 11-14).

Thus, through Jesus we have been placed into the revelation tree. The True Light is now shining. It is a shame that sometimes we seem to have so little of this revelation. Unfortunately, the Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…" This is surely a picture of our society and world today.

When I was a small child I used to wonder why some church buildings were abandoned and the roofs were falling in. Now I understand that these churches simply ran out of revelation. If there had been revelation, people would have driven for many miles to attend those small country churches. Let us think for a moment about what revelation did for the early church. In order to do this, let us use our imaginations a bit.

Perhaps one day in a certain early church a young man stood up and said, "Brothers, the Lord has given me a revelation." The brothers may have said, "That's wonderful Paul, please share it with us!" Paul may have proceeded with that excited group, "Brothers, you may not believe this, but the Gentiles are going to become fellow heirs with us Jews in the gospel" (cf. Ephesians 3:2-6). We can imagine that Paul may have been greeted with a frosty and embarrassed silence. One of the Jewish elders may have finally cleared his throat, then stood up and chided Paul with words something like these, "Brother Paul, now you have just gone too far." But had he really gone too far?

Can we even imagine what the last two thousand years would have been like had Paul not received and acted upon this glorious revelation? Because of it the early Jewish church exploded into the Gentile world and the gospel has now gone out to all nations, even coming to each of us.

In our churches today we do not need new programs. We need a new revelation from God. We need to pray for each other just as Paul prayed here that our spiritual eyes might be opened and that we might receive that life-giving revelation.

Here Paul also stresses the importance of our understanding the hope that is given us. He says, "I 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…" (1:18a). We are living in a hopeless world. Our pagan philosophers have drained almost every drop of hope out of our society. Everywhere around us we see cynicism, pessimism, depression, and increasing suicide. We are surrounded by a sea of hopelessness. We must remember that the Christian message is one of hope. We Christians enjoy the hope of eternal life, the hope of a bodily resurrection, the hope of Jesus' appearing or the "blessed hope," and even the hope of a glorified church. There is also the hope of his calling as we see here. There are many more elements of hope in our lives because of Jesus. We see in Romans 15:13 that we are to "…overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

In 1954 the young aspiring American evangelist, Billy Graham, was able to visit Sir Winston Churchill. Of course, Churchill was Prime Minister of Great Britain, a hero of World War II, and a leading world figure. But Churchill was very despondent concerning his future hope and hope for the world in general. He asked the young evangelist, "Do you have any hope?" In answer to that question Graham pulled his New Testament out of his pocket and responded, "Mr. Prime Minister, I am filled with hope." Graham then began to recount the gospel of hope to the famous Prime Minister.^(F39)

Then Paul goes on here to use a very strange and interesting expression when he prays for us to have spiritual eyes to see "…the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people" (1:18b). How amazing that part of the riches of his inheritance is in people! If we really understood this statement we should never again be able to look at our fellow saints the same way as before. They are part of our heavenly treasure. They are precious! After all, the scripture does say, "God… you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name" (Psalm 61:5). Psalm 16:6 also says, "…surely I have a delightful inheritance."

In order to see some of the treasures God has given us we have only to look around us. The following story is related concerning the wealthy publisher, William Randolph Hearst, who collected art treasures from all over the world:

One day Mr. Hearst found a description of some valuable items that he felt he must own, so he sent his agent abroad to find them. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had finally found the treasures. They were in Mr. Hearst's warehouse. Hearst had been searching frantically for treasures he already owned! Had he read the catalog of his treasures, he would have saved himself a great deal of money and trouble.^(F40)

Today we search for all kinds of blessings and treasures but some of the greatest treasures may be sitting in the church pew near us. Unfortunately, today many of these bountiful spiritual blessings remain hidden from our eyes. We must refocus our lives to see and appreciate spiritual things. Indeed it is spiritual truth and sensitivity to that truth that really blesses people.

Verses 19-23

POWER APLENTY

and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength… Ephesians 1:19

Wow! Do we really believe this? Do we have our spiritual eyes open enough to see this great mystery? This mighty power of God is part and parcel of our heritage in Christ. It too is already given to us in him. Because of this it has been said that "there never needs to be a 'power shortage' in the Christian life."^(F41)

What a collection of "power" words we have in this verse. First we have the Greek word dynamis from which we get 'dynamite' and 'dynamo.' Then we have energeian, from which we get 'energy.' Next, we have the word kratous, or power that overcomes all resistance. This is a power that leads to dominion. Finally, in this same power-packed verse Paul uses the word ischyos, which has more to do with the idea of strength and might.^(F42)

We see that this great power is the same power "…which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…." (1:20). In our wildest imagination can we picture a thing like this? The same awesome and glorious power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at God's right hand in heaven is available for us to help us live our daily lives here on earth (cf. Romans 8:11). It was this great power that enabled us to believe and gave us new birth in Christ. It is also this great power that shields us until the day of redemption (1 Peter 1:5). The same power will someday raise us believers from the dead and give us new and glorified bodies.

The coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus brought the most dazzling and incredible power display this world has ever seen. When John the Baptist was once wrestling with doubt he sent some of his followers to question Jesus and verify whether or not he was the coming one. Jesus did not give a direct answer to John. Instead, "Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor" (Matthew 11:4-5). This power display was to be proof enough to John that Jesus was really the expected one and that the kingdom had come. In fact, much of Jesus' ministry, possibly a third or more, was spent in doing these power works. Jesus particularly cast out numerous demons and he presented this as proof that the kingdom of God had indeed come to earth (Matthew 12:28).

The really astounding thing is that Jesus expects his followers to participate on a regular basis in these same power displays. He once said to his followers, "As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:7-8). Alas, today we try to preach the gospel message but the evidence of God's glorious power confirming it is often missing from our presentations.

We see that through this great power God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his own right hand in the heavenly realms (1:20). What a display of power before angels and principalities. Not only was Christ raised from the dead and lifted up to a heavenly position but he was seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. The position at the right hand of God is a position of favor and authority. Ephesians goes on to state that he was seated "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come" (1:21).

In Philippians 2:9-11, Paul also expounds upon this position of power and authority that belongs to Jesus, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus is above all powers, all angels, all principalities, all demonic forces, and above everything else in the universe. All belongs to him and indeed by his powerful word he holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). Abraham Kuyper, the great Dutch statesman, theologian and reformer, once remarked, "there is not a thumb-breath of the universe about which Christ does not say, 'it is mine.'"^(F43)

Absolutely everything is placed under his feet. God is in the process of seeing to it that all enemies in the heavens and in the earth come bowing to him. In Psalm 110:1 it is written, "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'" We must try to grasp how high the exaltation of Jesus really is. Not only is he the Lord of everything but it is also said, "And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church" (1:22). Indeed he speaks further of the church, "which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (1:23). From Jesus the church receives light, life and intelligence. We believers are complete in him and filled full with his grace and gifts. The church makes up his visible fullness on earth. The church is the first evidence, the living proof that God is actually bringing all things together under the headship of Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:10).

The church shares everything with her Lord (Ephesians 5:30). The life of the church is his life. She shares his crucifixion, his glory, his fellowship with the Father, his fullness of the Spirit, his glorified manhood. She has membership in his body and his flesh.^(F44)

CHAPTER 2