Bible Commentaries
Ephesians

A COMMENTARY ON

Ephesians

BY

DAVID LIPSCOMB

EDITED, WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES,

BY

J. W. SHEPHERD

GOSPEL ADVOCATE COMPANY

Nashville, Tennessee

1974

EPHESUS.

The city of Ephesus was in the first century the capital of the Roman province of Asia. It stood on the south side of a plain about five miles long from east to west, and three miles broad, with mountains on three sides, and the sea on the west. It was very early brought into intimate relations with Greece. It was famous for its trade, art, and science, but it was even more celebrated for the presence of the Temple of Diana, reckoned one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This was a building of the Ionic order of architecture, which had been burnt by Herostratus to gain immortality for himself, on the night of the birth of Alexander the Great (335 B.C.), but rebuilt in the course of the centuries at great cost. Contributions to its restora­tion were made throughout all Greece and western Asia. It was four hundred and twenty-five feet long and two hundred and twenty feet wide, and supported by one hundred and twenty- seven marble columns, sixty feet high, of which thirty-two were beautifully carved. It is now in utter ruin, and so is the city itself, not a living soul resides within its walls.

That Ephesus was admirably adapted as a center for evange­listic work becomes apparent when we learn its great advantages of location. It was on the line of communication between Rome and the East in general. It was one of the places where many side roads converged to feed the main route. From the north and the south coasting vessels brought travelers to the city on their way to Rome, or carried away travelers and officials who were going from Rome to their parts of the province. (Acts 19:21; Acts 20:1; Acts 20:17; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 4:12). Thus it was a regulation that the Roman governors under the Empire must land at Ephesus; and the system of roads was such as to make the city the most easily accessible from all quarters of Asia. Hence it was natu­rally marked out as the center where Paul should station himself in order to affect the great province; and thence Christianity radiated over the whole of the province (Acts 19:10), partly through the fact that the great number of provincials came to Ephesus for various purposes, and heard the word, and carried it back to their homes, partly through special missions, on which doubtless Paul’s helpers, like Timothy and others, were sent by him.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS.

From Acts 16:6 we learn that on Paul’s second missionary journey he was hindered by the Holy Spirit from speaking in Asia. This indicates that his purpose was, after passing through Phrygia and Galatia, to carry the gospel at once to the great continent of Europe. On his return journey he paid a flying visit to Ephesus (Acts 18:19), in company with his faithful helpers, Aquila and Priscilla, who remained there, apparently several years. At that time there was no church there. But as usual Paul went to the synagogue of the Jews, by whom he was well received, and invited to remain. This he could not do, but promised to return. (Acts 18:21). Some time after Paul’s departure, there arrived at Ephesus Apollos, who presented eager­ly, as he imperfectly understood them, the claims of Jesus, and while doing so, he learned from Aquila and Priscilla the real sig­nificance of the gospel he endeavored to proclaim. Shortly after­ward he went to Achaia and continued his earnest work for Christ.

In the spring of 54, Paul returned to Ephesus and joined Aquila and Priscilla. At that time he “found certain disciples: and he said unto them, Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit was given. And he said, Into what then were ye baptized? And they said, Into John’s baptism. And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus. And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And they were in all about twelve men.” (Acts 19:1-7). Their baptism was doubtless an important era in the history of the young church. As at Corinth, Paul began his work at Ephesus, in the synagogue. After three months strong opposition arose, but during that time he had gathered around him a band of faithful men and women. These he now separated from the synagogue, and secured a place of meeting in the school of Tyrannus. In this place he continued to preach without molestation for three years, a longer time than he had before spent in one place; and with great success. With Ephesus as a center, the gospel was proclaimed throughout the whole province. Asiatic superstition was confronted by the most wonderful miracles wrought by Paul. Certain Jews who attempted to use as a charm the name of Jesus were utterly confounded by the evil spirits they tried to exorcise. And many believers, con­victed by the manifested power of God, “brought their books to­gether and burned them in the sight of all. ... So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.” (Acts 19:18-20).

TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING.

The place was undoubtedly Rome, and it was written during the two years’ captivity which we find recorded in Acts 28:30, which would make the date about 62.

OCCASION OF WRITING.

It does not seem to have been called out by any special circum­stances, no event to have involved any distinctly precautionary teaching, but to have been suggested by deep love which Paul felt for the church at Ephesus, and which the mission of Tychicus, with an epistle to the Colossian church, afforded him a convenient opportunity to impress upon the Gentile Christians a just appre­ciation of the plan of redemption, as a scheme devised from eternity by God, for the manifestation of the glory of his grace; to make them sensible of the greatness of the blessing which they enjoyed in being partakers of its benefits; to lead them into the spirit of the gospel as a system which ignored the distinction be­tween Jews and Gentiles, and united all the members of the church into one living body destined to be brought into full con­formity to the image of Christ; to induce them to live as it became the gospel which had delivered them from the degradation of their condition as heathen, and exalted them to the dignity of the sons of God.

He therefore calls upon them to contrast their former condition as heathen with their present state. Formerly they were without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel without God, and without hope. But by the blood of Christ a twofold reconciliation had been effected—the Jews and Gentiles are united in one body, and both are reconciled to God, and have equally free access to his presence. The Gentiles, therefore, are now fellow citizens of the saints, members of the family of God, and living stones in the temple in which God dwells by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:11-22).

The Gentiles, therefore, are bound to enter into the spirit of this scheme—to remember that the church, composed of Jews and Gentiles, bond and free, wise and unwise, is one body, filled by one Spirit, subject to the same Lord, having one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is in, and through, and over all. They should also bear in mind that diversity in gifts and office was not inconsistent with this unity of the church, but essential to its edification. For the ascended Savior had consti­tuted some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pas­tors and teachers, for the very purpose of building up the church, through them as the channels of the truth and grace of Christ, the church was to be brought to the end of its high calling. (Ephesians 4:1-16).

They should not therefore live as did the other Gentiles who, being in a state of darkness and alienation from God, gave them­selves up to uncleanness and avarice. On the contrary having been taught by Christ, they should put off the old man and be re­newed after the image of God. Avoiding all falsehood, all dis­honesty, all improper language, all malice, all impurity and covet­ousness, they should walk as the children of the light, reproving evil, striving to do good, and expressing their joy by singing hymns to Christ, and giving thanks to God. (Ephesians 4:17 to Ephesians 5:20).

He impresses upon his readers reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ as the great principle of Christian obedience. He applies this principle to the binding obligations of husband and wife. The marriage relation is illustrated by a reference to the union between Christ and the church. Marriage is shown to be not merely a civil contract, not simply a voluntary compact between the parties, but a vital union producing a sacred identity. The violation of the marriage relation is, therefore, one of the great­est of crimes, and one of the greatest evils. Parents and children are bound together not only by natural ties, but also by spiritual bands; and, therefore, the obedience on the part of the child, and nurture on the part of the parent, should be as unto God. Masters and slaves, however different their condition before men, stand on the same level before God; a consideration which exalts the servant, and humbles and restrains the master. Finally, he teaches his readers the nature of that great spiritual conflict on which they have entered, a conflict, not with men but with the powers of darkness. He tells them what armor they need, and how it is to be used, and whence strength is to be obtained to bring them off victorious. (Ephesians 5:21 to Ephesians 6:20)

R.C. Bell Commentary on Ephesians

After Jerusalem first and Antioch second, Ephesus became the third center of Christianity. Read Acts 19, which is the best account, probably, of Satan‟s resistance (superhuman from beneath) to Christ‟s invasion (superhuman from above) of his usurped earthly domain, to learn about the founding of the church in Ephesus; next, read Paul‟s address to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:18-35), a few years later, with its prophetic warning of danger to the church from without and from within after his death, and its tearful appeal to them “to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood”; then, read Christ‟s own letter to Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) some third of a century after the church was planted, in which he is already grieved because despite their loyalty to doctrine, their good works, and their hatred of evil, their personal love for him was waned. His faithful warning that unless they repent of this insidious sin of ingratitude (which was to beset his church till he comes again), they will cease to be his church at all is cause for deep searching of motive by all who would be genuine Christians. These readings are good preparation for the study of Ephesians.

Salutation

The salutation comprising the first two verses, as if to make things doubly sure if possible, contains four sets of doubles. “An apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God” names God and Christ as the double source of authority; in “to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus” is found a duplicate designation for Christians; “grace to you and peace” is double, colossal blessing; and “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” names the double source of this twofold blessing. The salutation, being especially full and rich even for Paul, is in keeping with the marvelous reach, comprehensiveness, and “unsearchable riches” of the entire book.

The Calling of the Church

The second paragraph of Ephesians is one long, massive sentence on the subject of God‟s redeeming grace. It teaches that God in eternity, before he made the world and time, purposed “in the fullness of the times” to demonstrate his grace through his Son. It seems that God brought time, spanning the interval between eternity past and eternity future, into existence for a theater in which to work out his grace.

The drama of God‟s grace is not limited to earth. Inasmuch as discord and rebellion began with angels in heaven and later spread to earth, God‟s purpose is to restore harmony in both heaven and earth before time ends. Does not “To sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth” (Ephesians 1:10) involve this? Certainly, it is God‟s eternal purpose through Christ “to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heaven” (Colossians 1:20). Therefore, when Christ overcomes all angelic and human hostility, and when universal peace is restored in heaven and on earth, time with Christ‟s remedial kingdom having served its purpose may end. Then eternity may go on again as it was before time began. “Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God . . . that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).

Everything pertaining to the church lay in the mind of God “before the foundation of the world” as an unborn forest lies in the cup of an acorn. Nothing was left to chance. What long, large thoughts here, mind-stretching and heart-captivating! And is it not thrilling to know that God depends on his grace to “create a soul under the ribs of death” and to attain such glorious ends? Christianity has intellectual and emotional “length and height and depth” humanly inscrutable. No wonder Paul exalts, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) Paul’s magnificent anthem on God’s grace (Ephesians 1:3-14) shows that God exercises his grace in a three-tense program; namely, past purpose, present workings, and future consummation. This mighty song begins in the vast eternity past with God’s purpose, proceeds with his purpose throughout time, and enters eternity future with it brought to fruition. No other sentence in all the Bible involves more time, digs more deeply about the very roots of Christianity, or reveals more of the riches of God’s wisdom and grace. It sets forth Christianity as the masterpiece of God’s combined power, “wisdom and prudence,” and goodness. The sentence may be thought of as the first chapter of Paul‟s spiritual Genesis.

The Doctrine of Predestination

The Bible teaches that God before he created Adam knew that he would sin. Some say that God‟s foreknowledge deprived Adam of a choice, and therefore he was not responsible for his disobedience. But the Bible teaches that despite God‟s foreknowing man‟s sin, man is a responsible, guilty sinner when he disobeys God. Peter on Pentecost, although Christ was “delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23) convicted the Jews of crime in crucifying him. Neither Peter nor his hearers saw any inconsistency between God‟s foreknowledge and man‟s responsibility for his deeds. Foreknowledge is not causation. A farmer‟s foreknowledge that the wheat he sows will become bread, is not the cause of the bread. The doctrine that divine foreknowledge and human responsibility are consistent, cardinal truths so permeates the Bible throughout that to deny it, is to deny the Bible. Without it, God and man and Bible, as they are, would cease to be.

A Fallacious Difficulty Examined

If the relationship between God’s will and man’s will, involves intellectual difficulties, what of it? A man who thinks that what is above his reason is of necessity unreasonable is ignorant, proud, and foolish. “Upon what meat doth this Caesar feed, that he has grown so great” as to think he can revise God? Were he consistent, he would not eat bread until he knows all the mystery back of producing bread and of its becoming part of his body. A man who eats bread, mystery and all, should likewise believe, mystery and all, the revealed truth that God’s foreknowledge and man’s freedom of will are compatible doctrines. Holy men of God, knowing that omniscience and prescience are essential attributes of deity, even when God goes beyond their understanding, still believe and trust him. Things are not necessarily unreasonable because they transcend human reason. Mystery does not rob them of their merit and utility. Mark Twain said that, not the things in the Bible which he did not understand, but the things which he did understand were what bothered him.

Predestination Explained

This scripture in Ephesians says that God “fore-ordained” before he made the world. But foreordained what? Not that he would arbitrarily save some men and condemn other men, but that according to his prevision he would make provision to save all men by faith in Christ. Christ was “foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20) as the Savior of men. It was also foreordained that men in the process of being saved by Christ should become like him. “Whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). This shows that “the elect” are men who by faith will to elect God’s Christ as their Savior, and the “non-elect” are faithless men who will not to do so. Thus, the great Biblical doctrine of foreordination and predestination is stripped of all divine partiality and all fatalism that have through the centuries grown up around it. The simple truth, practical and practicable and adequate, is that God before time foreknew that sin would invade man‟s world, and that he already had his mind made up as to how he would deal with it. Tennyson, wrestling with this matter, humbly wrote:

“Our wills are ours, we know not how; Our wills are ours, to make them thine (Christ‟s)”

“. . .having foreordained us unto adoption of sons through Jesus Christ . . .which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved: in whom we have our redemption through his blood . . . according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:5-7). In these words Paul makes the transition from God‟s grace in purpose, which is the past tense in his three-tense program of redeeming grace, to his grace in bestowment which is the present tense. This present tense, the Christian Dispensation, spans the time between the inauguration of Christ‟s remedial kingdom on Pentecost and its “end when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God.”

Present Bestowment

From all eternity God foreknew that, after man was created, he would by sin break fellowship with him. He also knew that man by unaided efforts could never restore this fellowship—that the chasm between them could never be bridged from the earthly side. Consequently when Adam sinned, God promised him a kinsman bridge-builder from the heavenly side. In this prophecy God began to make known the manner in which his timeless purpose to redeem man was to be executed. From this fountainhead of prophecy, revealing that the Redeemer was to be the woman‟s seed (Genesis 3:15), an ever-increasing stream of prophecies and types flowed. In due time God disclosed that the kinsman Deliverer was to be a child begotten by the Holy Spirit and brought forth of a human, virgin mother, thus fusing God and man in one person (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35). In “the fullness of the times,” when God’s clock struck the hour set before time began, the God-man, the kinsman Mediator, “himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5) came to earth, according to God‟s endlessly unfolding purpose.

Apparently Adam understood this prophecy, for after receiving it, he “called his wife‟s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living (life)” (Genesis 3:20). Most of his posterity, however, have never believed that Christ, the seed of the woman, is man’s only hope, and that “in none other is there salvation.” Instead, they have built their religions on the constitutionally fatal error that sinners can and must do meritorious work to win the favor of an offended god, whereas Christianity begins with God‟s doing gracious work to win the favor of helpless sinners. God freely bestows his redemptive grace on dead men, because he actually loves them with a deep, tender, motherly yearning and really rejoices when they accept his eternal program and become fitted for its future glories.

Future Consummation

In the last three verses of this marvelous sentence, Paul makes the transition in God‟s program from present bestowment to future consummation. By mentioning the pre-Christian distinction between Jew and Gentile, he makes their being “one new man” in Christ, sealed “with the Holy Spirit of promise” strikingly effective. Observe the correlative workings of the Trinity: God‟s eternal counsel and election made operative in the blood of Christ, and the finished transaction stamped and sealed by the Holy Spirit. In another setting some ten years earlier, Paul, without elaboration, stated the great doctrines of this remarkable sentence: “God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).

The electrifying truth that “every spiritual blessing” we Christians now enjoy is but “an earnest (foretaste and pledge) of our inheritance unto the redemption of God‟s own possession” is an ever-springing fountain of hope, courage, and joy to Christian pilgrims on their wayfaring way through a world ruled over by the enemy unto their home “not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Of course, a risen, deathless body is included . in the redemption of God‟s people.

As sin ruined the whole triune man, body and soul and spirit, so God‟s redemption must restore the whole man. Saints, “spirit and soul and body,” are to be preserved entire (1 Thessalonians 5:23), “Unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:14).

Paul had no sooner ended his great sentence about the wonders of God‟s grace than he began a new one almost as long (Ephesians 1:15-23), dealing with human response to grace. With good psychology, Paul, after graciously commending the Ephesians for their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints (essential marks of all Christians), told them of his thanks to God for them and of his ceaseless prayers on their behalf.

Prayer

Paul was a man of prayer. He believed that when God created the universe with all of its marvelous interplay of physical and moral forces, he provided for prayer. Divine energies are released, and channels through which God may act are opened by it; instead of working separately it blends with and works with other forces. Paul knew the mind and method of God too well to be mistaken about prayers. The fact that he, a man of exceptional mental and moral powers, prayed so much is proof that prayer “availeth much in its working.” If prayer does not work, what is to be thought of Paul? Sensible, honest men just do not continue to fish a lifetime in water that contains no fish. God designed his world to operate in conjunction with human cooperation. He fuses both the prayers and the deeds of men into the final order of running his whole creation.

Consequently, prayer is not a miraculous or magical substitute for human effort. Paul, Moses, and all other men who pray most work most too. Men who believe the Bible have no doubts, despite mysteries on the human level, about the reality of prayer. When men realize that God can use laws with which they are acquainted, as he used the law of gravity for untold ages before men dreamed of its existence, they pray in faith and learn by experience that prayer works. And is not this enough? Is there a man so foolish as to refuse the benefits of an intricate machine that works because he cannot see how it works?

Paul’s General Prayer

That God “may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him (Christ); having the eyes of your heart enlightened .".(Ephesians 1:17-18). In this prayer Paul is not talking about the special miraculous knowledge of his day, but about the general spiritual understanding and discernment by which Christians still know Christ to be a real, living person. This intimate, personal acquaintance with Christ himself, which leads into perpetually increasing knowledge, appreciation, and appropriation of him as the very bread and light of life, so that studying the Bible and living the Christian life result in his becoming more and more a wise, practical revelation, is what Paul means by “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” It is a very different thing, not only from the miraculous gifts of the first century, but also from the prevalent academic knowledge about the Bible and Christ of the twentieth century.

Before a man can acquire this knowledge, the eyes of his heart must be enlightened. Since what the heart “sees” is the urge and ground swell of human activity, what a man loves, more than what he thinks, enters into his making. Christ gives the place of dominant, central power in his kingdom of love, “the vitamin of the soul.” Honest study of the Bible, confiding prayer, intimate communion with God, and, growing out of the moral sympathy and spiritual affinity between Christ and Christians, the rich, energizing emotional experience of being fused with Christ into an organism, animated by his Spirit and instinct with his life is, in Paul‟s sense, “the knowledge of him.”

Paul’s Specific Prayer

Paul prays that the Ephesians may know, first, “What is the hope of his calling”; second, “What the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”; third, “What the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19). This is Paul‟s prayer of the three “whats.”

Because there is no more bracing tonic for the human will than hope, Paul prays that they may consider the substance and worth of their Christian hope, which is to be consummated when they “shall see his face” in eternity. If they but see the contrasting emptiness and hopelessness of life without “Christ . . .the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), they can never, thinks Paul, go back to the Christ-less life.

Leaving the saint‟s inheritance in Christ, the prayer moves on to the second “what,” God’s inheritance in the saints. The truth that God has in his church “a people for his own possession,” “a heritage,” which he purchased at a piteous cost, and which is as precious to him as a goodly pearl of great price, should touch a Christian to the heart, the area in which Christianity works, primarily, and bring to his lips the questions: “What returns is God receiving on his investment in me? The eyes of my heart seeing that in his saints, evermore than in suns and stars, he has a medium through which to manifest his wisdom and goodness, how can I, who profess to be loyal to him and jealous of his honor, ever be false and grieve his great heart by disgracing his church?” With such masterly instruction and exhortation, Paul hopes to wed each Christian to Christ forever.

The Christian standard is so high that some decline the endeavor to be Christians. Others, trying and failing so often, become discouraged and quit. The third “what” of Paul’s prayer deals with this situation at some length. Men in Christ have access to God’s invincible power and need not suffer defeat and despair. The same “exceeding greatness of power” that raised Christ from the dead, enthroned him in heaven far above every other name, and “gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body,” resides in and empowers every member in his body. Men who abide in Christ cannot be defeated unless Christ is. In another connection, Paul distills these verses into, “The Lord hath power to make him stand” (Romans 14:4). Paul, personally, out of much experience with God‟s power, witnesses: “I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). And behold, what a powerful, vital man God‟s power made of him!

The first chapter of Ephesians closes with God‟s having executed his eternal purpose as far as the calling of his church into existence. The second chapter deals with the material he built into his church, and with its construction.

“The Prince of This World”

In Eden, Satan hatched a successful rebellion to obtain the earth, as a revolted province from God, for his own domain. This chapter broadly gives man‟s state after millenniums under Satan‟s reign. He is “the prince” of all men who walk “according to the course of this world,” for he is “the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2) to motivate and direct them. Twice, Christ calls him “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; John 14:30); Paul calls him “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The majority of men are still “sons of disobedience,” and unknown to themselves, tools of Satan. Modern civilization with its scientific-humanism and disposition more and more to discard God as being no longer needed is, in Paul‟s sense, “this world.” Men who repudiate “this world” to accept Christ as Lord constitute the church. Humanity breaks down into these dichotomous groups—the church and the world. That saints may realize the depths from which they have been lifted and the incompatibility of these groups, Paul paints in this chapter an appalling picture of the devil-dominated world. Ephesians has been called, “The alps of the Bible.” It does contain a long, lofty mountain range of God‟s grace, but it also contains a vast deep of Satan‟s malice.

According to the Bible, Satan is an actual person with superhuman powers and resources, who works underground, achieves great success, and really challenges God. “The whole world lieth in the evil one” (1 John 5:19); that is, in, “The devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). He is not a discredited legend from an unenlightened past or a modern symbol. He is no myth or clown, but a discreative, mighty adversary to God and a most perilous foe to man. Satan is a bold, unflinching pretender, who even dared the attempt to win over to his side, as he did Eve, Christ, the rightful owner of the earth. Probably, only God himself knows more and does more than Satan knows and does. The modern, mellow, jocular unconcern toward him pleases him, but it is anti-Christian. “Be . . . the devil . . . walketh about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Judaism and Paganism are Failures

Being Jew or Gentile is beside the question of condemnation. “We (Jews) were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest (Gentiles)” (2:3). “But God, being rich in mercy . . . even when we were dead, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5). The emphasis Paul puts on God’s mercy and grace in human salvation makes sense in relation to the havoc wrought by Satan in man‟s personality. Human nature is so distorted and thrown off balance that man cannot right himself. God must redeem him from his sins and from himself by a spiritual birth from above. Those who remain “in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). Men, “Separate from Christ . . . having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:2) are not sick but dead. The spirit of a “good moral man” out of Christ is as dead as his buried body. Christ said, “None is good save one, even God” (Luke 18:19). Paul built David‟s, “There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one” (Romans 3:12), into his great argument for universal human condemnation. Salvation by character is an impossibility. “For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it (salvation) is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Man‟s obtaining his salvation on the condition of his own faith does not nullify God‟s giving it to him by his grace. When Paul mixed with the throngs of Christ-less men in Ephesus or Corinth, he saw them as dead men!

This helps explain his tireless energy and fiery zeal as a missionary to the heathen. God‟s creating his church out of such human wreckage glorifies his wisdom, goodness, and power; and shouts aloft “the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness” (Ephesians 2:7).

Paul teaches that sinners are justified only when in faith they use the way of free grace ordained by God to save them; that he does not accept men who try to earn justification by self-effort (See Ephesians 2:8-9). Is not spurning a gift an insult to the giver? Sinners are justified by God’s graces as the procuring cause plus their faith as the condition on which this cause functions. Man’s being justified on this contingency does not militate against God’s grace. In fact, justification "is of faith that it may be according to grace" (Romans 4:16). On any other ground, it could not be "the free gift" of grace. Faith and grace are correlatives, implying each other, whereas merit and grace are antipodes, mutually exclusive. Even Christians are warned that to mix the two is to fall "away from grace" (Galatians 5:4). Human merit and gospel grace are so contradictory everywhere that either disallows the other.

After Paul writes "not of (meritorious) works," he names another kind of works that is essential: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). It was in God’s original plan to deliver men by his free grace from Satan for his own service. They are not saved by, but unto good works; they must be "zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). The failure to distinguish between meritorious and Christian works has led to the inexcusable error that there is an inconsistency between Paul and James. James said, "Faith apart from works is dead" (James 2:26), meaning that faith in Christ which does not work for him is a dead faith. More inclusive Paul, who agrees perfectly with James about this fruit of faith, adds the basic truth that works apart from faith in Christ are dead, too. In this fuller teaching, he speaks of a kind of works utterly different from James’ kind, a kind that deals with, not the fruit, but the root of faith. Not a shadow of inconsistency exists between the apostles.

Creation of the Church

Christians in Ephesus and all Asia Minor, the first readers of the book of Ephesians, were mostly Gentile converts from heathenism. Using the wretched, hopeless state of heathendom as a background, Paul comes, in the last half of the second chapter, to the thesis of the book—namely, the one, organic, universal church. His teaching is that God’s covenant through Moses, which favored Jews above Gentiles, being provisional and having served its purpose in the divine economy, has been superseded, according to God’s eternal purpose, by the better Christian covenant, which, abolishing the distinction between Jew and Gentile, creates "of the two, one new man, so making peace; . . . for through him (Christ) we both have access to one Spirit unto the Father" (See Ephesians 2:11-12). Paul having in the first chapter presented the church under the figure of a human body of which Christ is head, here presents it as a temple of which Christ is "chief cornerstone," and in which God dwells. The magnificent temple of Diana, one of the wonders of the ancient world, which stood in their city, would make this figure very realistic and impressive to the Ephesians.

In this scripture, Christ is the maker and preacher of twofold peace. First, he reconciles men to God; second, he reconciles men to men. Christians are all "one new man," somewhat as Norman and Saxon, after striving vainly to conquer each other three centuries in Britain, finally coalesced into one new people, the English. Since neither Norman nor Saxon conquered the other, but both as such ceased to be, never again could there be feuds between them. Likewise, Jew and Gentile "fitly framed and knit together" in Christ became "one new man," each saint fused with every other saint into an organism sharing the life of Christ, "a habitation of God in the Spirit"— something never seen among men before. God’s creating of Jew and Gentile, with all their fanatic racial pride and exclusiveness, one harmonious church is the masterpiece of his redeeming wisdom, power, and grace. As there was better reason for two churches in Paul’s day than there has ever been since, at no time since has there been a reason for two. Every race, culture, and civilization, in God’s wonderful spiritual alchemy, may be "one new man," one body, one building, one church.

After writing, "For this cause . . ." with which Ephesians 3 opens, Paul breaks off. "For this cause" in verse 14 picks up the connection and introduces another of Paul’s great prayers. Apparently the prayer was in Paul’s mind when he started the chapter, but thinking of something else that would add value to it, he writes the intervening verses before going on with the prayer. Ample cause existed for the prayer at first, but the long expository parenthesis reinforces it. The cause for the prayer was that God had made all men in his church equal. After enlarging on this cause in the parenthesis, Paul proceeds with his prayer.

Paul’s Parenthesis

The parenthesis speaks of, "The mystery (secret until revealed by God) which for ages hath been hid in God," but "hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to-wit (namely), that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs . . . through the gospel" with the Jews. Since Moses and the prophets foretold that Gentiles would share the blessings of Abraham, and also that Jews would be cast off, these cannot be the secret. But that the law of Moses, which was a barrier between Jew and Gentile, was to be annulled as God worked out his purpose, in order that he in sovereign grace apart from law might "create in himself of the two, one new man, so making peace" (Eph 2:15) seems to be the "mystery," which, although in God’s mind from the beginning, was not made known to men till he revealed it to Christian apostles and prophets. Such a body was and is a new thing on earth—a new order of men, religiously. Before the church existed, all men were either Jews or Gentiles. But as men were called out of Judaism or paganism, respectively, into the church, individually, each was given a new name, Christian; collectively, they constituted the church, a new and third division of humanity. "Give no occasion of stumbling, either to Jew or to Gentile, or to the church of God" (1 Cor. 10:32). When God did reveal that he was annulling the law as a system of religion to make way for the gospel of grace, the Jews, unwilling for God to have his way, rebelled. In ignorance, arrogance, and prejudice they took Judaism to be God’s best and final form of religion, and in blind envy and fury tried to prevent his proceeding with his inevitable program by killing his Son. Even many Jews who came into the church neither really conceded the abrogation of the law nor gave full Christian fellowship to Gentile members. Is it now impossible for Christians to be mistaken, similarly, about the future of Christianity?

Men and Angels

"To make all men see the dispensation of the mystery . . .; to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God" (Ephesians 3:9-10). In these verses we learn that the church which fuses Jew and Gentile into "one new man" by preaching "the unsearchable riches of Christ," is the medium through which the many-sided wisdom of God is transmitted to both faithful and rebellious men and angels. Is it not illuminating to know that men and angels have a common interest in the marvels of Christianity, and that they together learn of the riches of God’s wisdom and grace by seeing them demonstrated in the church? That what concerns us has bearings elsewhere and gears us unto a movement that is older and larger than humanity? What can be more romantic and conducive to saint’s believing that "ministering spirits" (Hebrews 1:14) serve them than the angels hovering about at Christ’s Nativity, attending him in life and death, announcing his resurrection, and, as he ascended to heaven, foretelling his return to earth? What enlightenment to learn that "angels desire to look into the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow them" (1 Peter 1:12-13). Christ’s mission to earth created a problem for men and angels. Probably angels still have a problem about Christ‟s return, as men do; but it is conceivable that they, unwilling to let future events solve it, presumptuously disrupt their fellowship over something they do not know, and about which it is unnecessary to know.

The long parenthesis with which Paul prefaces his prayer in Ephesians 3 is largely about himself. He knows that the prayer will have more meaning when his readers better understand that he is the chosen of God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. God’s "wisdom and prudence" are shown in his selection of Cosmopolitan Paul for the difficult task of welding Jew and Gentile into "one new man." With his exceptional native endowment plus his Hebrew religion, Greek culture, and Roman citizenship, Paul must have been the best raw material on earth for God to use in forging his instrument to carry Christ to all men. Although Paul is in prison, he, inasmuch as Christians do not fight a losing war, closes this parenthesis on a note of triumph. Can saints write discouraging letters?

Paul’s "That" Prayer

Paul’s first prayer is built around three "whats" (Ephesians 1:18-19). This second prayer (Ephesians 3:16-19), built around three "thats," is, if possible, more comprehensive, elevated, and energetic. Paul prays God, "According to the riches of his glory" to grant Ephesian saints three tremendous things. To Paul nothing is too great or too good for God to do. Knowing that he was working with the grain of truth and reality, geared into eternal spiritual forces and verities, articulates with God, and that the whole universe was backing him, Paul, with a child’s trust and hope, asks superhuman things of God and expects superhuman answers. If a man can be measured by his prayers, Paul was a superlatively big man.

"All the Fullness of God"

Paul’s first prayer stresses "the exceeding greatness" of God’s power toward saints. The first "that" in this second prayer—"that ye may be strengthened with power through his spirit in the inward man"— continues the theme. The second "that"—"That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" is the very blood of saintly living. The third "that" is twofold: First, "To the end that ye ... may be strong to apprehend . . . and to know the love of Christ"; second, really the distillation of the whole prayer, "That ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God." This twofold "that" is related to the former "thats" as fruit to root. They involve it; of necessity it grows too, as they grow. Paul prays that Christians may live Spirit-enabled, Christ-indwelt, and God-filled lives. This prayer does not make sense unless man is a large being capable of holding much. That God in all his power, through Christ, in the Spirit, by faith takes up his fixed abode "in the inward man" to impassion and to enable from within is the great advance Paul’s second prayer makes over his first. These prayers are not to be "explained and argued" intellectually; no elucidation is possible or necessary. "There’s no other way . . . but to trust and obey."

If Paul in his first prayer feels the inadequacy of language to set forth God’s power, and piles up five synonyms in trying to describe it as exhibited in God’s raising and setting Christ as "head over all things" (taking a dead man and making him ruler of the universe), he feels it more in this prayer as his words, "to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge" and "filled unto all the fullness of God" stagger under their load. But most of all, he feels it in his doxology: "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be the glory in the church" (Eph 3:20, 21). Men may think of ages of blessedness and paradise of bliss, but God can go beyond even all their thinking. Paul is anxious that saints carry all the voltage of God’s almighty power they are capacitated to carry.

Men’s endless quest for power may cease only when they stop seeking within themselves and seek God’s filling. When they do this, God is convenanted to see that they are filled with true power and greatness. God’s whole universal, eternal, immutable system, however, turns on their cooperation. Both God’s grace, glory and power, and man’s sin, emptiness and death are full orbed in Ephesians. What a God! What an opportunity for man!

First, Calling of the church (Eph 4:1-3); second, Conduct of the church (Eph 4:6-9); third, Conflict of the church (Eph 6:10-20) is an alliterative outline of Ephesians. A backward glance at the first division recalls that God in eternity planned the church, and that Christ in time purchased it to be his instrumental body and a temple for God’s -habitation—a new institution on earth. This exalted creation and use of the church demand correspondingly lofty living on the part of the church. Consequently, Paul begins the second division of the book, "I therefore . . . beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called" (Eph 4:1). "Therefore" shows that the "walking" is the effect of the "calling." Emphasizing this relationship of cause and effect by using "therefore" and "wherefore" eight times in the next two chapters, Paul mightily exhorts Christians unitedly to live in keeping with their high calling.

"The Unity of the Spirit"

But as unity is a prerequisite to the worthy walk of a church, Paul considers it first in his discussion of conduct. By teaching men, praying for them, and pervasively influencing them, the Holy Spirit transforms cooperative men so that they share in his nature; then, he can dwell in them and use their yielded spirits and bodies in doing his work on earth. If Christ needed a body that he might accomplish his part in man’s redemption, is it incredible that the Holy Spirit likewise needs human bodies in continuing the same work? Such Spirit-born and Spirit-led men constitute the church. Of course, the church, called, organized, and animated by the Spirit, instinct with his new order of life, possesses a unity derived from the Spirit. Unregenerate men do not have the proper motivation and enabling to attain this unity. "For heavenly tulips on earth, the bulbs must be imported from heaven." But without this Spirit-given, organic unity, no organization can be God’s church. If a church loses this deep, constitutional unity, it ceases to be his church. This is the unity that Paul beseeches the Ephesians "to keep in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3) with diligence.

Seven Unifying Facts

Since this organic unity given by the Spirit, and by the Spirit only, is essential to the very being of the church, which cost God so much time, grace, and wisdom, Paul in the next three verses describes it by listing the seven unifying facts that comprise it. These unalterable, final facts demand either acceptance or repudiation. No other reaction is possible; a man who rejects even one of them is not to consider himself a Christian at all.

"One body." The church, the mystical union for which Christ asked his Father in the prayer, "That they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one" (John 17:22-23). "One Spirit." The third person in the divine trinity. Power centers in him as suffering does in Christ and grace in God. "One hope." Many elements enter into the Christian hope, but Paul in his writings, probably stresses "the blessed hope" of Christ’s return most of all. Nothing holds men together like a great common hope. "One Lord." "Christ, as a lamb standing in the midst of the throne," is placed at the center of these seven facts, suggestive of the truth that everything in the entire universe focuses in him. He is the key to all truth; all mysteries are uncoded in him. "The acknowledgement of God in Christ solves for thee all questions in the earth and out of it" (Browning). "One faith."

Attitude toward Christ is the same for all—the most learned, the most illiterate, the best, and the worst. A weak hand can take a gift as well as a strong one. Christians are all alike in their absolute commitment to Christ. "One baptism." Immersion of the body in water is what the Bible means by "baptism" unless a baptism of suffering, of the Holy Spirit, or of some other kind is specified. Sinners are saved "by grace . . . through faith," but not without water. In Paul’s time, there were no unbaptized people in the church. "One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all." One sovereign person, "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable" (1 Timothy 6:16). “A presence . . . and a spirit, that impels all thinking things, all objects of all thought, and rolls through all things” (Wordsworth).

Our last study closed with the seven facts that constitute the fundamental, common ground of the organic unity of the church. Order and unity are basic in all the work, both physical (Genesis 1:2) and spiritual, of "The Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us" (2 Timothy 1:14). Without this inherent unity, derived from the Spirit, there can be no church or Christian fellowship. The Spirit by his teaching, praying, indwelling presence, and supplementary work gives to the church as its birthright this unity, keeps it against perversion, and expects the church to keep its outward manifestation "in the bond of peace" and brotherly love. If it does not do so, the church becomes flagrantly incomplete and ineffective.

An Incomplete Local Church

The church in Corinth was "the church of God" (1 Corinthians 1:2); though it lacked the outward bond of peace and harmony, its organic unity was still intact. Since no church in this abortive condition can function properly, the burden of Paul’s letters to this church was that it might make its acquired conduct of a piece with its innate unity. And he gives the secret of this complete oneness, on the human side, when he counsels Christians to walk "with all lowliness and meekness, and longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2). These strange, new Christian graces dig the very ground from beneath human merit, self-importance, envy and strife over position and leadership and the love of fame, "That last infirmity of noble mind" (Milton). Where these graces prevail, the glory of all human pride lies in the dust, dead. And because the lowly minded are the like-minded, disruption of even outward unity among humble brethren, absolute in their commitment to the "one Lord," is impossible. But until pride, "the mother sin," the ruin of angels and of men alike, is slain (and it is slain only at the foot of the cross), saints cannot manifest their constitutional unity in worthy conduct. Where God’s "will is done, as in heaven, so on earth" can pride and worldliness remain?

Christ the Magnificent Giver

Under one central control, man’s body is an organic unity, but there is much diversity of ability and work among its members. "So also is Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12). Immediately after discussing the organic unity of the church, Paul takes up the diversity among its members (Ephesians 4:7-16). The importance of understanding the inter-relationship of these two is shown by Paul’s discussing the matter in several of his epistles. Because brethren have not always understood it, much discord and unworthy conduct have plagued the church, throughout the centuries until now, to its untold injury. The passage begins: "But unto each one of us (not a soul slighted) was the grace given according to the measure (size) of the gift of Christ." Adam Clark’s comment, "Grace may here signify a particular office . . . and the office is according to the free gift, each suited to the other," seems to represent Paul. In this passage Christ is the giver of five kinds of work, each kind accompanied by its corresponding opportunity and enabling "grace." He is said to give the men who fill the offices and do the work, "dividing to each one severally even as he will" (1 Corinthians 12:11). How can a brother who believes this envy a brother who may have a gift superior to his? Truly, Christ is a magnificent giver. Christians who say they have no gift, should cease repining and arise to "possess their possessions" (Obadiah 1:17).

In the beginning of the Christian era, Christ gave his church miraculous gifts, as needed. When the miraculously endowed apostles and prophets had finished their appointed task of founding and starting the church on its age-long crusade, a work that need never be repeated, they were discarded. Nevertheless, Christ, without miracles, continued to give his church, each succeeding generation until now, ever needed evangelists, pastors, and teachers. What more can Christ do for his church than he has done and is doing? He, who "according to the riches of his grace" and "unto the praise of his glory," long ago "gave himself for us" (Titus 2:14), and is still giving himself, has ever been and is now desirous of giving more than his people have ever been or are now willing to receive. If we are "miserable and poor and blind and naked" (Revelation 3:17), it certainly is not his fault.

Christ gives his church, evangelist, elders, and teachers "for the perfecting of the saints . . . till we all attain unto the unity of the faith . . . unto a full grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13). There is a twofold unity in this chapter. The unity of these verses is not the absolute, organic unity received directly from the Holy Spirit, treated earlier in the chapter, but a relative unity of fellowship, attained progressively by a process of growth. If this lofty goal of Christ-likeness at first thought discourages, let us rather be encouraged by the implied possibilities within our nature to rise to the energizing challenge. In truth, this goal is so high that its perfect attainment awaits Christ’s return; but the conduct of the church to be at all worthy of its high calling must show that the church is climbing upward toward this goal now.

Within the realm of organic unity, Christians are one, because all, born of the Spirit, share the divine nature and life; but within the realm of relative unity, they may safely differ, and of necessity do differ. The church has a divine, living, fixed core of fundamental, common truth surrounded by a rich variety of individual differences. Unity in Christ is a symphony of many instruments under the harmonizing direction of the Holy Spirit. Like the unity of a human body or of a tree, it is organic unity in diversity. Conformity and regimentation in secondary matters leave no room for independent study and individual growth, or for mutual edification. Externally enforced uniformity in such things is vicious in its tendencies, for it makes dependent, ignorant slaves to creeds and human authority. Within the Christian brotherhood, saints learn to make decisions of this nature in the light of partial knowledge, to allow for honest differences of judgment, and to give and take without being contentious. Otherwise, truth and unity of fellowship are both jeopardized.

Protracted Babyhood

"That ye may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrines, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error" (Ephesians 4:14). In this verse Paul names the malady that retards spiritual growth. In a similar strain, he writes Christians in Corinth that they are still carnal babes, given to childish jealousy and strife. And although the Hebrew brethren have had ample time to be grown up, they are still babes, needing milk. That protracted babyhood was prevalent in the church of the first century, is clear. (Is it less prevalent in our twentieth century?)

But why so much arrested development? According to this Ephesian verse, clever, crafty teachers of error, playing with the souls of men and using their art to seduce Christians and to adulterate Christianity, counteract true teachers. However, in writing to Timothy, Paul makes unstable Christians at least equally responsible with false teachers for lack .of progress in the church: "Preach the word . . . for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts (desires); and will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:2-4). There are those, who "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7)—that is, professed truth seekers, never becoming firmly fixed in the conviction that Christ is "the way and the truth"—are forever looking for something new, even new revelations from God, because they doubt the finality of his revelation in Christ. Such can never grow up, but are doomed to be children perpetually, "carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men." These two classes—silly seekers with itching ears and shallow teachers with itching palms and swollen egos— are between them accountable for the many vagaries, fables, and cults in Christendom today. Designing, false preachers and teachers, and double-minded, half-converted members have ever plagued the church of our Lord. "Can the blind guide the blind? Shall they not both fall into a pit?" (Luke 6:39).

After diagnosing protracted childhood in the church as the fruit of false teachers and fickle Christians, Paul prescribes the remedy: "Speaking truth in love may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ; from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:15-16). Christians in growing up into Christ, become progressively more identified with him, more incorporated with him into one body of which he is both head and heart, and more and more instinct with his life. Such is the heavenly goal to which Christians are called. Surely, we have plenty of room in which to grow.

"Speaking Truth in Love"

Redemptive truth draws a line between the church and the world. Then, brotherly love binds the church into "one flock." When men at Christ’s call come out of the world into his church, they receive from him a new and vital oneness with himself. This oneness is so total that he and his people have but one and the same nature. Inevitably, it follows that, "As he is, even so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). That is, as long as Christ is rejected by the world, so are Christians. And as my hand and my foot, because my head with which they are incorporated into one organism correlates and uses them both, trust ari3 aid each other; just so the members of the church, because Christ lives in and through them all, love, trust and help one another. Christianity, which is the masterpiece of God’s wisdom, grace, and power, enables Christians to live "knit together ... in the bond of peace"—something fallen humanity has never been able to do by its own efforts. Saints who speak truth in love cannot compromise with the world or disrupt their fellowship over trifles. The church must never lose her direction and goal. However, with worldliness rampant in the church and with love of brethren deficient, it is to be feared that Christians do not feel the importance of these two cardinal principles of Christianity. Near 125 A.D., Aristides wrote the Emperor, Hadrain: "The Chris- tians know and trust God . . . They love one another ... If anyone among them is needy, and they do not have food to spare, they fast two or three days, that they may supply him with necessary food . . . Because of them there flows forth all the beauty that there is in the world . . . Truly, this is a new people and there is something divine in them."

"Something Divine in Them"

No doubt, the pagan’s "something divine in them" explains this "new people" better than he knew. Our verse says that the church is "fitly framed and knit together." That is, each member is rightly placed and mutually related, without deficiency or redundancy; it also says that each member according to his measure contributes to the building up of the church in love. And how does it account for this perfect organization and unique achievement? Each Christian is personally joined to Christ, which "joint supplieth" all needs. This juncture with Christ is the source of everything, "Something divine in them," indeed! Christ’s, "I am the vine, ye are the branches . . . apart from me ye can do nothing" is the simplest and best statement of this constitutional, Christian truth. In nature, the union of branch and vine is not superficial; the branch grows out of the very heart of the vine. The church, like the Bible and Christ, combines divine and human elements. Of all the countless weaknesses that have shown up in the church over the centuries, all are attributable to the human element—none to the divine. Since Pentecost, Christ has been "straitened" only in the church. For twenty centuries, nations have risen and fallen, religions have been born and buried, but the church lives on; she has defeated constant attacks from without and repeated betrayals from within—these things all prove her divine element. Is it not passing strange that Christians are foolish and "slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken" to teach them that they still need divine, personal help as they did in becoming Christians in the first place?

After teaching that if Christians are to walk worthily of their calling, to detect false teaching, and to grow up in truth and love, they must humbly and unitedly, welcome Christ as an indwelling person to work out his will in them and through them to others, Paul, in the second half of Ephesians 4, continues his exhortation for worthy Christian living.

A Clean Break With the World

In a paragraph of eight verses (17-24), Paul insists on the utter incompatibility between unregenerate and regenerate men. According to him, they have no fellowship at all, for the former ends when the latter begins; they are mutually exclusive as are darkness and light. Before Jacob finally went back to Bethel (God’s house) to dwell, he hid the foreign gods, possessed by his household "under the oak which was by Shechem" (Genesis 35:4). When these Ephesians themselves who practiced magical arts became Christians, they burnt their books of sorcery (Acts 19:10). This paragraph shows that when men accept Christ, many things must be buried or burned. They "put away . . . the old man . . . and put on the new man." Christians being no longer "alienated from the life of God," leave off their ignorance, vanity of mind, darkness of understanding, and hardness of heart. No portion of the Bible draws the contradiction between fleshly and spiritual men more fully, or portrays the depraved, wretched, natural man in more colorful terms than Ephesians does.

Man’s Nadir

The last item in this description of humanity without God, "being past feeling gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness," descends to the depths. Inasmuch as Christianity has its origin in God’s heart and makes its decisive and final appeal to man’s heart, when men get "past feeling," they are beyond God’s moral reach. All Christians, like Matthias, successor to Judas, are chosen by their hearts (Acts 1:24). The human heart is the arena in which God and Satan continue their world-old struggle for the ownership of mankind. When Adam sinned, his capacity to feel shame and unworthiness before God was the human ground of God’s further dealings with him. When men’s hearts become so "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" that they are past feeling, they are indeed hopeless—hopeless as beasts, and more beastly. Because man is more than animal, when the animal in him dominates his higher nature, he is capable of sinking below the animal level. To call the conduct of shameless, reprobate men down through the ages "beastly" is to slander beasts. As long as a man can feel deeply enough for his conscience really to hurt, let him thank God and take courage, because even yet there is hope.

Men of today need to realize that their vaunted education and science can neither present nor correct this appalling waste of human life. With shame for crime and for the breakdown of common decency growing less and less, and the failure of human wisdom to cope with the conflicting interests of the nations becoming more and more manifest, why cannot unchristian men see that they are so "darkened in their understanding" "that their hands cannot perform their enterprise?" (Job 5:12). Why should Americans think they are immune to the destruction that has overtaken all godless civilizations of the past? That men professing themselves to be wise should unconsciously become fools and invite God to take them "in their craftiness" is the grand irony of human history.

Do all Christians see the need of this clean break with the world? If so, why so much worldliness in the church? If so, why do we not pay more attention to Paul’s triple exhortation to the Corinthians? "Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers . . . Come out from among them . . . Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 6:14 to 2 Corinthians 7:1). When we do this, God promises to be our Father and to make us his "sons and daughters." Christ advised, not paring the nails of an offending hand, but cutting off the hand.

Particular Sins

Following the foregoing paragraph on general fundamentals of worthy behavior, Paul closes the chapter with a paragraph of equal length dealing with four particular sins, which still vex the church and grieve "The Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us" (2 Timothy 1:14). First, falsehood among the brethren, who are all parts of Christ’s body, "each for all and all for each," is as dangerous and senseless as my eye misleading my hand into harm. Second, anger is legitimate sometimes, but since it gives Satan an opportunity and hatches sin when brooded upon, it must be banished before the set of the sun. As fire from flint, it should be hard to kindle and quick to go out. "He who goes to bed angry has the devil for a bedfellow." Christians therefore should not be angry with others even momentarily, unless they love them. Third, thievery is to be cured by the thief’s cleanly breaking with dishonesty and going to work that he may have to give to others. And fourth, idle, worthless speech is to be crowded out by gracious, edifying speech. Observe that good supplants evil as in the spring new leaves on some trees push off old leaves that have clung to them all winter. Christianity never ends with negatives.

Next comes a moving exhortation not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, who seals us as God’s possession until our redemption in Christ culminates in the resurrection of our bodies at Christ’s coming. Were not the Spirit a person, he could not be grieved. Were he not a person who cares, he would neither be grieved nor pleased with us. The pollution of his temple, our bodies, grieves him.

The chapter closes with a list of six vices—all expressions of ill-temper belonging to the old man— which saints are happy, because they cannot do it by mere self-effort, to let the Spirit, in his own way, push out of their lives to make room for the peculiarly Christian virtues: kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness of each other "even as God also in Christ forgave you." Could an appeal be more tender and strong? Are we "kind one to another" in heart? If so, it will show up in our words, deeds, and manners.

In Ephesians 5, Paul continues to insist that what God has been doing for Christians from past eternity puts them, if they are not to be infamous ingrates, under imperative obligation to live in return sober, godly lives.

Weakness of Non-Christian Religions

Many religions teach moral principles, but have no power to get them practiced. Though Buddhism, Mohammedanism, and pagan philosophies preach much morality, they lack provision for its realization. I have read that when the Roman moralist, Seneca, Paul’s contemporary, heard that Paul taught noble living, and that Paul actually practiced his teaching, he said: "Ah, if Paul does that, he really has something." And Judaism? It, too, lacks power to get its supreme moral and ethical code obeyed. It cannot be God’s final dealing with the problem of sin. His eternal program provides something better to follow.

Power of Christianity

If Paul lived as he taught, and Seneca did not live as he taught, why the difference? Paul answers: "I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). Adam knew good and evil after he fell, but in the fall he had lost the power to do good or to avoid evil. By restoring this power to Adam’s race in Christianity, God overcomes the fatal weakness of all other religions. "With men this (the power to regulate self) is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). That is, men have never been able to devise a social order with which to conquer their flesh; but with God’s order, they may do so. It is as impossible for men to live Christian lives before they are born of the Spirit as it is for them to live fleshly lives before they are born of the flesh.

What is the nature of this Christian power? After God himself in grace had done the groundwork on earth, Christ came to earth that he as suffering man might add to the vital human touch (suffering men do not easily forget those who suffer with them), and finally the Spirit on Pentecost, bringing to a climax all that had preceded, with a burst of power inaugurated perfected Christianity. And only as a Christian can fallen man gear into God’s power and be enabled to live as he thinks he should live. He has two master helps: Gratitude to God for delivering him from condemnation and the indwelling Spirit to enable him to win over the habit and power of racially acquired and individual sin. Not until Christians utilize both of these uniquely Christian aids can they be perfect as God is perfect. These two are not luxuries for favored saints, but necessities for all saints. Christians who are not more spiritual than ancient Jews could be are not using all the power to which they have access. Probably the unused power of the Holy Spirit exceeds the unused power of atomic energy. Only God knows how much this loss of power has crippled and is crippling his church. Saints, independent of this superhuman power, can no more grow up "into the fullness of Christ" than aliens independent of God’s power as it applies to them can become Christians. God is an exact economist and gives to both only what is necessary.

Is it not a perversion of the gospel and a falling away from grace for Christians to try to do in the power of the flesh what the Bible teaches must be done in the power of the Spirit? According to Galatians 3:3-5, precisely this, rather than committing odious sins, is "falling from grace." The constitutional promise of the Old Covenant was the coming of the Messiah; the constitutional promise of the New Covenant is the coming of the Spirit to take up residence in the temple of God. In due time God kept both promises. "Because we are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6). "If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9). Is it not as great a sin and as big a mistake for a Christian to refuse Christ’s Spirit as it is for a sinner to refuse his blood? If it is fatal for an alien to reject God the Son, why is it not as fatal for a Christian to reject God the Spirit? Do not both reject God the Father? Can the gospel produce Christians who are up to God’s eternal standard with its climatic power reduced?

"In the Power of the Holy Spirit"

The Bible often personally connects grace with God, suffering with Christ, and power with the Spirit. Christ says to his apostles just before Pentecost: "Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you" (Acts 1:8). Paul tells the Ephesians he is praying that they may be "strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man," and that they may avail themselves to God’s ability to bless them beyond their conceiving, "according to the power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:16-20). Paul declares that he preaches "in the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:19). And he prays that the Roman saints "may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

The Lord without working miracles "hath power to make him (a weak brother) stand" (Romans 14:4). As God chooses to work in nature without the miraculous, but not without the mysterious and the supernatural, so he chooses to work in Christianity. "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth" (Mark 4:26). No more in religion than in nature is God limited to miracles. As the surf-waves along the beach, before they flood the beach, must be backed up by the non-miraculous tide, so fallen man must have the non-miraculous "renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5) before he becomes a Paul.

"Imitators of God"

"Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, even as Christ loved you" (Ephesians 5:1). An exhortation to live as God lives and to love as Christ loves! "It is by no breath, turn of eye, wave of hand" that this exhortation can be realized. The "old man" may be trained to imitate God outwardly in some things, as parrots may be trained to talk as men talk, but such imitation lacks reality and life. Only "beloved children" who are "born anew" with the nature of their Father can climb this lofty peak. The exhortation necessarily implies the truth set forth in this paper. Only Spirit-born and Spirit-enabled men need consider it; it is not intended for others. "Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).

The second half of Ephesians is a long exhortation to move Christians to "walk worthily of" their eternal calling. Observe how this half of the book with its "therefores" leans back on the first half. Paul knows that after Christians appreciate "the glory of God’s grace" and "the unsearchable riches of Christ," exhorting will be effective. To lead saints into deeper understanding and appreciation of the goodness of God, as Ephesians does, is a far better way to keep dancing, drinking, fornication, and such like out of the church today than is melodramatic preaching and writing about these sins.

Belial and Mammon

"But fornication ... or covetousness, let it not be named among you . . . nor filthiness, nor foolish talking or jesting" (Ephesians 5:3-4). The closely allied sins of fornication and covetousness, "the lust of property," grow out of trying to fulfill life by means of fleshly gratification. In the Bible and in life they are often found together. Milton describes Belial: "Than whom a Spirit more lewd fell not from heaven, or more gross to love vice for itself"; and Mammon: "The least erect Spirit that fell from heaven ... his looks . . . always downward bent, admiring . . . heaven’s (golden) pavement." Both fornicators and covetous men are idolaters, "whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly . . . who mind earthly things" (Philippians 3:19). Idolatry is possible without images.

"Foolish talking"—senseless prating and frivolous chatter of dull men. "Jesting"—smutty jokes and wanton banter of clever men. Christ’s "idle word" suggests an idle boy sauntering about without direction and purpose. None of this indecency and aimlessness, bred and augmented by idleness and evil company, befit the earnestness and elevation of Christians, who must not "wound modesty.’’ How few the grains of gold in the sand that streams through our lips; how easy to throw our brains into neutral and let the tongue idle on. "Oft-times the best command of language is silence."

This passage contains a warning against "empty words." Wicked men invent false reasons to justify "the works of the flesh." Knowing nothing of Christian temperance and moderation, they say such natural propensities as sex and the acquisition of wealth cannot be sinful; they argue, since Christians are under grace, not law, and since God’s grace is sufficient to cover all sins, they may continue to sin with impunity. But all such imposing on God’s good ness and turning his grace into lasciviousness, Paul blasts with: "Let no man deceive you with empty words; for because of these things (all moral filth) cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 5:6).

Darkness Becomes Light

The change that becoming a Christian makes in one’s life is again vividly portrayed. It is transition from darkness into light, without twilight. "Be not ye therefore partakers with them; for ye were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord: walk as children of the light (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth) . . . and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them . . ." (Ephesians 5:7-17). When Christians come out of the darkness into the light and, exhibiting the triad, "all goodness and righteousness and truth (sincerity)," live clean lives, they need make little special effort to avoid compromising economical, social, or religious entanglements with those who remain in the darkness, for darkness cannot abide in light. The world, with its life "alienated from the life of God," has no use for Christians who challenge its way of life, and consequently will avoid them rather than the other way round.

Christians cannot be indolent and neutral, merely harmless, but, realizing that to kill time is to injure eternity, they wisely work and are aggressively positive, "redeeming the time." They should never be unemployed nor triflingly employed. And as darkness is overcome by light in the physical realm, so moral darkness, made manifest and shown up in its true colors by the searchlight of Christianity, is recognized for what it is, and is overcome. This scripture characterizes saints and gives them their work and purpose in the world.

"Filled With the Spirit"

From the time of ancient Troy, the inhabitants of Asia Minor had been a lighthearted, convivial race. To Ephesus, the capital of Asia Minor, Paul writes: "Be not drunken with wine . . . but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). This sociable people, who had once found excitation and animation in wine and carnal fellowship, are now to find these things in the Holy Spirit and spiritual fellowship. As vegetation and animals change with altitudes, so coming to Christ lifts men to higher levels where "old things are passed away; behold, they are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). From the fact that instead of "filled with the Spirit," a companion verse, Colossians 3:16, has, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly," some have concluded that the Holy Spirit and the word of Christ are the same thing. Inasmuch as it is impossible for Christians to be filled with the Spirit unless they are full of the word, too, the two expressions mean, practically, the same thing. It does not follow, however, that the Holy Spirit and his sword, which is his word (Ephesians 6:17) are identical any more than a soldier and his sword are identical. As a soldier supplements his sword with other weapons to do things a sword cannot do, so the Holy Spirit, for the same reason, supplements his sword.

Instead of teaching that the Holy Spirit and the word are the same, or even that the Spirit dwells in the word, Ephesians 3:16 teaches that the Spirit dwells in saints to strengthen them with power in the inward man. And Romans 8:26 says: "The Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered." The manner of the Holy Spirit’s inward working transcends the power of language to describe, for it cannot be put into words at all. Be it known, however, that the Spirit never works in contradiction to, but always in conjunction with his written word. Do men live and die as Paul lived and died, unless they believe a superhuman power that overcomes sin and death works within him? We miss too much when we forget that the power of Christianity, from Pentecost onward, comes to focus "in the power of the Holy Spirit," as he strengthens the inward man down to subconscious depths. The Bible is not God.

To Ephesian saints, Paul’s contrast between Christianity and heathenism in life and worship must have been very realistic. Their former elaborate, drunken, licentious feasts, honoring heathen gods and goddesses, in which abominable rites were practiced in the name of religion, had been given up for simple, sober, spiritual singing and thanksgiving. Inasmuch as music, a tonic to mind and heart, is so closely allied to behavior, his exhortation, "Be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always" (Ephesians 5:18-20), with divine penetration digs down to the roots of society. Even pagan Plato long before had said that to change the music of a people was to change their morals.

In studying the subject of Christian music, this scripture is pivotal. The Greek Catholic church, which should know Greek, never believing that "psallo" in this passage authorizes instrumental music in worship, has never used it even until now. To use it when the New Testament here, nor elsewhere, authorizes it is to show lack of faith in and respect for God’s wisdom and authority. In principle, to use it is to start back through Protestantism and Roman Catholicism to ancient, sensuous heathenism. Christian worship must be spiritual in its nature, not sensuous. God knows how to safeguard his church against worldliness.

Subject One to Another

In the next twenty verses, Paul discusses three phases of "subjecting yourselves to one another" (Ephesians 5:21): wives in subjection to their husbands, children to their parents, and servants to their masters, respectively. Wine makes men boastfully self-important; it foments licentiousness, discord and strife, and is a troublemaker generally. Operating in reverse to all this, submission reduces the friction of life and promotes peace and comfort. Unnecessary trouble arises when somebody in home, business, or religious life, instead of being subject to others, in non-essential things, contentiously stands upon his own "rights."

Two Great Mysteries

The last paragraph of Ephesians 5 reveals that God’s eternal plan for his church begins to take form in the creation and marriage of Eve. It reveals also that Eve is a type of things to come. The mystery of the creation of Adam’s wife from his opened side is a prophetic representation of the greater mystery of the creation of Christ’s bride (his church) from his pierced side. The similitude of these two mysteries is so complete that Paul in discussing them often steps back and forth from one to the other. His immediate objective is to show the balanced parallel that wives should be subject to their husbands as the church is subject to Christ, and that husbands should love their wives as Christ loves the church.

This is indeed an astonishingly fruitful study that, according to the attention given it, yields more and more treasures. As Adam was lonely and incomplete until God gave him Eve, of his own body, to meet his need, so Christ after sin despoiled heaven and earth had a sense of loss and incompleteness until God gave him "the church, which is his body, the fullness (completeness)" of his instrument "to reconcile all things unto himself . . . whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens" (Colossians 1:20). As "Adam was not beguiled," but chose rather than to give Eve up to suffer and to die with her, so Christ, "who did no sin," chose from all eternity to identify himself with his church in suffering and in glory. The inviolable oneness of Adam and Eve is typical of the mystical, spiritual oneness of Christ and his church. Christians are "added to the Lord" (Acts 5:14) and become his body. Christ from heaven said to Saul, who was persecuting his church, "Saul, why persecutest thou me" (Acts 9:4). When we are tempted to speak or write harshly to or about a Christian, should not the truth that Christ considers it as done to him personally shock us into frozen silence? "If we endure, we shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12).

Yes, God so ordered the mutual relationship between Adam and Eve as to prefigure the mutual relationship between Christ and his bride on earth and in heaven. The language of Tennyson’s saint as she meditates upon her eternity with Christ, "One sabbath deep and wide . . . the bridegroom with his bride," puts this beautiful truth into beautiful words. When we think on these things and come to realize what "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27) really means for time and eternity, our whole lives will take on new meaning and worth.

Idealism Is Realistic

The true idealist is the only true realist. Paul’s Christian idealism and other-worldness is the only feasible way to improve this world. He knows that the way to have better homes is to get husbands and wives to understand the sacred place and honor God gives marriage and home. After this epistle was read in the church at Ephesus would not indifference, unkindness, bickering, fornication, adultery of the heart, and divorce grow less within its homes? Paul knows too that as the church improves it will spread. The fact that earnest Christian missionaries set a high value on the influence of their own Christian homes in propagating Christianity among heathen peoples today corroborates the wisdom, power, and reality of Paul’s teaching and exhorting.

Christian marriage is a threefold mating: biological, mental, and spiritual. And a Christian home is a place for husbands to learn to exercise authority graciously and wives to submit becomingly. It does not behoove two Christians, welded into one for life, as they pledge in their marriage vows, for the purpose of making a Christian home, the most heavenly achievement on earth, for the husband to exercise despotic authority or for the wife to yield slavish submission. When things go wrong in the home of worldlings, they have little recourse but alienation and divorce. If misunderstandings arise, as well they may, in the homes of Christians, they should be thankful for an opportunity to learn humility, patience, forgiveness, and love—all qualities they must learn somewhere, some way, sometime before they enter heaven.

Imagine the first reading of this epistle in the assembly of the Ephesian church. A letter from their loved and trusted apostle, who was a prisoner in far away Rome, was a memorable event. Tensely, every member listened to every line. As the reader came to the passage naming husbands and wives or parents and children or masters and slaves (likely many were slaves), how agape with interest each respective group drank in every word of its special message! Did some earnest husband speak right out: "Brother, please read that again"?

Children and Parents

Into the discussion of this theme, Paul crowds much truth that is vital to human well-being. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise), that . . . thou mayest live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:1-3). This passage takes for granted that Christian parents will have their children obey them as God’s representatives (think of that, parents) until they are old enough to obey God directly. Then, says Paul, it is right by the fundamental law of humanity and by the written law of God that children continue to obey their parents "in the Lord." "Remember the sabbath day" and, "Honor thy father and mother"—that is, remember God and parents—the only positive commandments in the Decalogue, are so closely allied that Leviticus 19:3 runs them together: "Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father; and ye shall keep my sabbaths." The Jew who broke either of these commandments paid with his life.

The time may well come when parents no longer want their children to obey them, but Christian children, as Joseph did, will honor their parents, living and dead. Never can their parents say with King Lear: "Ingratitude, thou marble-hearted fiend . . . How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!" The attitude of children toward their parents is a test of their attitude toward God. Respect for age and reverence for God go together. Observe that Paul quotes with approval God’s recipe for longevity, namely, the honoring of parents. Is it not well to remember, too, that China, with her oldest civilization on earth, has, even without the written law of God, always honored parents?

Parents and Children

"And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Men and women who are unwilling to assume "the happy tribulation of parenthood" should not marry. Prolonged willful sterility perverts God’s will as expressed in nature and in his word from the beginning. In nothing, at any time or in any place, can his flawless will be circumvented without frustration and loss. Husbands and wives are naturally expected to become parents, and are responsible for nurturing their children.

Since only God knows the biological and social heritage of babies, the psychological process that takes place in the soul of all growing children, and all the abysmal physical, mental, spiritual mysteries that go into the making of men, he only is able to give mankind perfect guidance. Hence, when God offers men the family as the social institution perfectly adapted to their exceedingly intricate needs, they should profoundly appreciate his gracious, infallible help and use it with utmost confidence and diligence. Parents who fail to do so challenge the wisdom and the goodness of God, and perpetrate the deepest possible wrong against their children. When the family is misused, it breaks down.

This verse (Ephesians 6:4) convicts fathers who shirk their part in the family program and leave it all to mothers. The fixed responsibility of fathers in this program under Moses is continued in Christ. And because they are more likely to resort in haste to the much easier expedient of crushing authority instead of prayerful instruction and prudent discipline than are mothers, fathers are warned against provoking their children to resentment. A faithful mother said she thought the reason God made mother love so strong was that mothers without it could never bear up under the stress and burden of -rearing a family. Indeed being good parents is a most difficult thing. Eli was a good high priest and David was a great king, but both were poor fathers. Mothers, think on Christ’s tender appreciation of his mother, and of his solicitous provision for her, even from his cross. True mothers are "in the sight of God of great price" (1 Peter 3:4).

Master and Slaves

This topic concludes Paul’s threefold discussion on "Subjection." That Christianity, which levels things and makes all men brothers, and the pagan institution of slavery, which divides men into two antagonistic classes—masters and slaves—are mutually exclusive is self-evident. But as great social changes must begin with thoughts and feelings, the inevitable clash between the two does not take the form of a sudden, violent upheaval; rather, it is a powerful, quiet, inner way of life that comes from God to enlighten and change the nature of men. Christianity lights an unquenchable time fuse among men, which must eventually destroy all the wrongs of earth. It is the only answer for the seething race feuds, the flooding waves of crime, the stubborn struggle between capital and labor, and all the wars—in brief, the only answer for all national and international disorders around the globe. Earth’s problems are ever essentially the same, and Christianity is ever the sovereign panacea for them all.

In the meantime, before the complete triumph of Christianity, to the measure that its ameliorating principles spread among men the life of individuals, institutions, and races improve. In the matter of slavery, for instance, let both master and slave but "practice the presence of God," as Paul here teaches they should, and behold the marvelous result: the labor becomes easier to the slave, pleasing to the master and slave, for God determines their treatment of each other. Christianity is not competitive but cooperative. Even leaving eternity out of consideration, when men reject God’s way of life in Christ for them, they in one act commit both their greatest sin and their greatest error. God’s wishes and man’s needs being identical, both are served, or neither is served. How majestically profound and sublime in its simplicity and infinite efficacy is Christianity! Judged by its heavenly fruits, truly it is born of God.

The calling of the church is God’s gracious work, the conduct of the church is man’s grateful work, and the conflict of the church is Satan’s malicious work. The first eight "Studies in Ephesians" deal with the calling, the next nine with the conduct, and now comes the conflict of the church.

"Your Adversary the Devil"

(1 Peter 5:8)

The devil and Christians are irreconcilable foes. Since he is incorporeal, Christians can know him only as the Bible reveals him. Judging by the fullness of this revelation, students of the Bible conclude God deems it imperative that Christians, who must "resist the devil," know about his existence, purposes, and tactics. Without divine instruction and aid, obviously, God thinks they will be unable to resist him. Indeed, before meeting an enemy in battle, one needs to know his objective, resources, and plans. Consequently the Bible gives Satan’s origin, his earthly activities, and his destiny.

Satan’s Origin

In pronouncing the doom of the kings of Babylon and Tyre, Isaiah 14:12-20 and Ezekiel 28:11-19, respectively, portray a larger figure than these kings. The world and the being described extend beyond earthly limits and human experiences and capabilities. These passages teach, I think, that God made a mighty angel and gave him a place of dignity and trust in the government of heaven until in pride he broke faith and appropriated his gifts to his own use and self-exaltation. Whereupon God said to the rebel: "Thou hast sinned . . . therefore I have cast thee to the ground." This is the being who later on earth became "the old serpent, he that is called the devil and Satan" (Revelation 12:9). "How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star! . . . how art thou cut down to the ground, that didst lay low the nations!" (Isaiah 14:12). Both 2 Peter 2:4 and Judges 1:6 speak of angels that lost heaven because they sinned. Does not Paul allude to Satan’s pride and fall when he writes Timothy not to appoint as elder, "A novice lest being puffed up he fall into condemnation of the devil" (1 Timothy 3:6)? Upon the return of the seventy, exulting that demons were subject to them, surely Christ had in mind Satan’s fall from heaven when, as a warning against the danger of pride, he said to them: "I behold Satan as lightning fallen from heaven" (Luke 10:18).

According to Biblical usage, godless men, Satan’s understudies, are sometimes identified with him much as David is often identified in the Psalms with Christ. In speaking to the twelve, Christ said: "One of you is a devil" (John 6:69). When Peter offered the satanic advice to Christ that he must not die, Christ said to him, "Get thee behind me Satan" (Matthew 16:23). When men become tools of Satan, is it not fitting to identify them with him? It little becomes men who are so ignorant of the mysteries of life, especially the life of spirits, to think that mind cannot mix with mind. Who can explain the marvels of animal instinct? The Bible teaches that Satan as well as God permeates human spirits. If it does not explain the method, what difference does it make to men of the faith?

Satan’s Earthly Aims and Activities

Is it unreasonable that God created man to take the place left vacant by the fallen angels? Soon after man’s creation, in any event, Satan began to render him unfit for that place. His effort in Eden henceforth is the earthly aspect of the earlier feud between him and God in heaven. All the Bible except its first two chapters and its last two, supported by all uninspired history, shows his unbroken success in corrupting the far greater part of the succeeding generations of men. Mark Twain said that anybody who could command such innumerable multitudes of men through the ages must be an interesting personality, and he wanted to meet him.

After Satan as usurper had held sway over the earth for some four thousand years, "God sent forth his Son, born of a woman," to challenge his illegal reign. He knew the issue between him and Christ and tried, using Herod as his understudy, to destroy Christ in the cradle. He, as Christ was readying his rule to restore the world to its rightful owner, did his utmost in the great temptation in the wilderness to beguile Christ as he had done Eve in the beginning. Though utterly defeated, he continued to dog Christ to the cross.

The resurrection completely broke Satan’s power and greatly increased God’s power. A fantastic metaphor of the early church that God baited a hook with the flesh of his Son, and that Satan, thinking to be rid of his foe, gobbled the bait down to find that he had swallowed the fatal hook, holds much of the essence of Christian doctrine. Though Satan’s power of death has been brought to naught and a suspended sentence hangs over him, he is still permitted for God’s allotted time to be "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and to walk "about seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He is still "a terror" and spreads great confusion among men. He makes "the world as a wilderness." His only adversary is the church. Were it out of the way, his rule would be universal. This is the secret of his bitter, endless conflict with the church. As he knows he cannot win in open, fair war, he resorts to many wiles and artful devices. His chief strategy is deceit. He works best under cover, sows tares in among the wheat while men sleep, and "fashioneth himself into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). God has so fully revealed him and his many devices and stratagems that there is little excuse for Christians being beguiled by him.

Satan’s Final Destiny

Christ’s complete, final victory over his wily antagonist, the great pretender, according to Revelation 20:10, is absolutely certain. How much more time God’s eternally fixed schedule is to consume in accomplishing this "consummation devoutly to be wished," he has not seen fit to reveal. Is it possible, brethren, that time and detail, because of their secondary importance are purposely left in the background that all emphasis may be thrown upon Christ the person who effects the victory? "Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil . . ., walketh about" (1 Peter 5:8).

"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Probably Paul’s experience when he planted the church at Ephesus (Acts 19) is reflected in this scripture. In this city given over to magic, exorcism, and the superstition of Diana, "God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul," an example of which is expelling evil spirits by Paul’s handkerchief being taken to men possessed by them. These special miracles were needed to counteract Satan’s special activities in this great, unutterably wicked city. If God allows the agents of Satan to work miracles as he did in the case of Pharaoh’s magicians, and as he will again (Revelation 13:13-15), indeed he will have his servants work greater miracles to confound their enemies. Certainly, for some reason Paul is more keenly conscious of, and is brought more fact to face with organized, spiritual opposition in a realm inhabited by both men and demons in Ephesians than in any other letter. In this matter he agrees with Christ who also taught that Satan’s kingdom possesses order and unity, for, said he, were it divided, it could not stand.

"In the Heavenly Places"

The phrase, "In the heavenly places" is found in Ephesians five times, but not elsewhere in the Bible. From the first three passages in which it occurs, we learn that Christ sits "in the heavenly places" at God’s right hand, dispensing "every spiritual blessing" to Christians, who are said to sit with him. The other two passages (Ephesians 3:10 and Ephesians 6:12), put Christ’s adversary with his "hosts of wickedness"; that is, "The prince of this world," whom Christ said he would "judge and cast out" (Jno. 12:31), also "in the heavenly places." Paul has already said in 2:2 that men before they become Christians walk "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience." The phrase seems to mean, therefore, the battlefield where the forces of Christ and the forces of Satan met and wrestled somewhat as Jacob and an angel wrestled at the Jabbok. It includes, then, the earth and the region of air up to the throne of God. (We need to remember that this matter transcends human searchings, that revelation is our only source of information, and that we should be happy to learn anything God puts into his Book).

The Bible throughout abundantly supports this view. Fallen Satan and at least some fallen angels range the earth and the heavens. According to Job 1:6-19, Satan, after "going to and fro in the earth," presented himself before God, along with the sons of God, to get permission to "sift" Job. After receiving this permission, he returned to earth to afflict Job. It is revealed in 1 Kings 22:19-23 that God on his throne surrounded by "all the host of heaven" gave "a lying spirit" leave to enter into godless Ahab’s false prophets to lead him to his death in battle. According to 1 Chronicles 21:1, "Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David against Israel," thereby causing the death of seventy thousand Israelites. Of course such things are always Satan’s joy for "he was a murderer from the beginning ... is a liar" (John 8:44), and hence hates life and truth. Zechariah 3:1-2, is a revealing scripture. It shows Joshua the high priest interceding for Jerusalem before Jehovah "and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary" as accuser of Jerusalem. Finally, for an illuminating glimpse of the wrestling between the forces of God and the forces of Satan "in the heavenly places," and of the interlocking of the work of angels and of men in God’s government of his universe (see Daniel 10). The archangel, Michael, and another angel of high rank take the side of the Jews against two angels called "the prince of Persia" and "the prince of Greece," respectively, in the international struggles of these three peoples a few centuries B.C.

What could Cyrus the Great and Alexander the Great know about God’s being their generalissimo, and about some angels being for and some against them! Men live in a world of which the most important things can be learned only by faith. Knowing that all "these things were written for our learning" (Romans 15:4), we can better understand our Christian warfare today. By faith we know that God "maketh his angels winds, and ministers a flame of fire," and uses them as "ministering spirits, sent forth to do services for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:7; Hebrews 1:14). This knowledge gives us patience, comfort, and hope, for no matter what happens among men around the earth, no matter what demons side with Communism or Catholicism, God still reigns to the eventual destruction of all "the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" both angelic and human. Can we be thankful enough for the written word of God? Do we study it enough? How much do we even read it?

The Christian Armor

Paul opens the discussion of this topic by insisting that Christians in their wrestling with Satan will need "the exceeding greatness of his (God’s) power to usward" (Ephesians 1:19); will need to "be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might"; will need "the whole armor of God." Then Paul in an extended metaphor names six items of a Roman soldier’s armor and tells what they stand for in the armor God furnishes his soldiers. Finally, he names prayer in the spirit, which gives set and effectiveness to the whale armor. No Christian "can please him who enrolled him as a soldier" without constant communion with him and referring everything to him. In the classic wrestling match between Hercules and Antaeus, it was useless for Hercules to throw Antaeus for he always arose from mother earth renewed in strength after a fall. But when he held Antaeus aloft, he easily strangled him. When Christians in their wrestling with Satan allow him to break their union and communion with Christ, they are easily vanquished.

This final "study" in Ephesians deals mainly with the organic, universal church. As God works out his eternal program, the humanly impossible task of getting Jew and Gentile, who had been dead together in sin, "alive together with Christ ... to sit with him in the heavenly places," "fitly framed and knit together" for love and life . . ., and "builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit" is a marvelous demonstration of his infinite wisdom, grace, and power to harmonize incongruities, "so making peace." In this treatise on the one, inter-racial church, Paul rises above the personal and the local. He says nothing about the organization and government of local congregations. As Galatians settles the question of Christian freedom for all time, so Ephesians settles the question of Christian unity for all time. The fact that both of these books (each with its special, cardinal, Christian doctrine) are still needed as much in the twentieth as in the first century is sad evidence of how little Christendom, despite its professed fidelity to the Bible, actually follows it. The spiritual elevation of Ephesians with its loftiest peak, "The riches of his grace," is hardly equaled elsewhere in the Bible. Its atmosphere is calm and clear, its sky bright and sunny.

Christ Creates His Church

In the prologue of John’s gospel, there are two divine creations—a physical and a spiritual. Concerning the former: "All things were made through him (Christ); and without him was not anything made that hath been made" (John 1:3). Concerning the latter: "They that were his (Christ’s) own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:11-13). What a privilege to have such unmerited good news to believe! What a calamity if man were so constituted, as some say, that he could not believe!

Man has nothing whatsoever to do with either the planning or the making of these two creations. He had as well try to make a world as to try to make a church. His part in each is the precious opportunity of accepting what God freely provides, of cooperating in confident faith and strict obedience, and thus of becoming a fellow-worker with God unto the blessed increase. In neither does success depend upon noble blood, nor strong, natural character to will and to run ("the will of the flesh"), nor human organizations and institutions ("the will of man"). Human pedigree, individual intellectual and moral excellencies, and ecclesiastical system and priestly craft all combined cannot give "the right to become children of God."

The church is more than a humanly-wrought association of believers. It is a brotherhood of divinely-regenerated men and women, who by the authority of one Spirit are "all baptized into one body," and are "all made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13). All such believers are "added to the Lord" (Acts 5:14). That is, Christ through the Holy Spirit from within, incorporates them with himself into a living organism of which he is head and they are the body. Christ and Christians share the same nature and life, as all parts of the fleshly man share the same blood. These "things . . . entered not into the heart of man," but "God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). Spiritual Christians believe and experience all this, and live in its power. But, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged" (1 Corinthians 2:14). As a man, upon becoming a father, though all arguing beforehand cannot make him know the affections of a father’s heart, knows them after his child is born, so the natural man can know spiritual things only by being "born of water and Spirit" unto the realm of spiritual things. Fallen man cannot understand and live the spiritual life until he comes into possession of it by this spiritual birth. If a man can live a Christian life without becoming a Christian, why did Christ come to earth, die, rise, ascend to heaven, and send the Holy Spirit to inaugurate the church on Pentecost?

There is much fundamental, common truth in the three great analogues of the church (body, temple, and bride) in Ephesians, nevertheless, each analogy has its own particular truths. First, "The church, which is his (Christ’s) body," shows forth on earth the glories of her head, who is enthroned in heaven. Through her, Christ contracts, speaks to, and acts upon the world spiritually. Second, the Holy Spirit as the resident, executive member of the godhead, dwells in the church to vivify and employ her as his living, redemptive organ among the children of men around the earth. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you" (1 Corinthians 3:16). Third, the church is "espoused ... as a pure virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2), which espousal is to be followed at the Bridegroom’s coming by "the marriage of the Lamb and his wife (who) hath made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7), "that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).

For all this present and future to be realized however, the church must reproduce both Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection in her life. This twofold life is a risen life in union and communion with her risen Lord and a crucified life in relationship to the world. The church is committed to this living-dying life in her baptism: "We are buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life." In their conversion, men are delivered unto a "form (pattern) of teaching" of the dead and risen Christ that molds them into his likeness (Romans 6:4; Romans 6:17). This is Paul’s "always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:10). The church is now identified with Christ in his rejection by the world, but when her marriage is come, she will then be identified with him on his glorious throne, thenceforth "in the ages to come" (Ephesians 2:7). No other creatures are so blessed in the present or can be so blessed in the future as are members of the church. Reader, are you "espoused ... as a pure virgin to Christ"? Can you afford not to be?

You Are Saints

Ephesians 1:1-2

Who are you and why are you here? It is easy to lose track of our identity. We start trying to find our identity in all kinds of places. Some will try to find their identity in their work. We often speak this way where we will say that we are a mechanic, a teacher, a salesperson, and so forth as if that is who we are. Some try to find their identity in their appearance. We are too thin, too fat, too tall, too short, too athletic, or too unhealthy as if our appearance defines who we are. We often will view our identity based on what has happened to us. We are unmarried, divorced, rejected, unhappy, broken, defective, hurt, or sad as if these things create our identity. Who are you really? What is your true identity? For quite some time brother Dee Bowman would end his sermons on his gospel meetings telling his audience to know who you are and where you are going. But do we know who we are? I fear that we do not because the world has placed so many lenses on us to define us and we wear so many hats and have to be so many things to so many people that we have forgotten who we are. If we do not know who we are, then we do not know our purpose and we do not know what to do. In this series we are going to find our true identity as described by God. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus and he wanted them to know who they were because of what God had done for them. Peter O’Brien says the purpose of the letter to the Ephesians is identity formation (Pillar New Testament Commentary, 57). Clinton Arnold, a commentator and scholar, declares that one of the purposes of this letter is “to affirm them in their new identity in Christ as a means of strengthening them in their ongoing struggle with the powers of darkness” (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary, 45).

The overarching point that we are to see concerning who we are is that our identity is in Christ. Notice the frequency with which Paul says this phrase. “In Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1), “in him” (Ephesians 1:4), “through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5), “in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), “in him” (Ephesians 1:7), “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:9), “in him” (Ephesians 1:10), “in him” (Ephesians 1:11), “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:12), and “in him” (Ephesians 1:13) occurs twice here. The repetition in these first few verses shows us the intention to identify us in Christ. So we are going to consider our identity in Christ. We are going to learn about what Christ has made us to be because of his glorious grace.

You Are Saints

Paul begins his letter to the Christians in Ephesus. Keep in mind that Paul is not writing to Christian superstars or scholars. This letter was written to ordinary Christians. But notice what Paul calls them: the saints who are in Ephesus. Now when you hear the word “saint” what do you think of? It is interesting how the world has distorted the idea of a saint. We may think of people who are super-righteous. We sometimes use the word to speak of a person who does an undeserved generous act. We will say that person is a saint. Sometimes the apostles are called saints. Some old Bibles would read, “The Gospel According to Saint Matthew.” You might have driven by some church buildings that have the name of a saint on its building, though you have never heard of that person.

Today we hear the most about being saints from the Catholic Church. This process began as Catholics who were martyrs under the Roman persecution were revered as saints. Over the next few centuries sainthood was extended to those who had defended the faith and led pious lives. However, this new definition caused the number of saints to increase to ridiculous numbers. Around 1234 it was decided that only the pope had the power to determine who could be a saint, which would stop the problem of so many people becoming saints. In the 1600s the steps to sainthood were formalized. (1) Be a catholic. (2) Be dead for at least five years. (3) The bishop of your diocese must begin an investigation of your life. (4) A tribunal is held to determine if the exercise of your Christian virtues are considered heroic. (5) If so, you are honored with the title “Servant of God.” (6) The bishop sends your case to the Vatican. (7) The Vatican investigates your life. (8) If the judgment is found favorable, you will be given the title “Venerable.” (9) A miracle must be attributed to you, verified after your death. (10) The Vatican investigates the validity of the miracle. (11) If your miracle passes investigation, the pope will give you the title “Blessed.” (12) Now you need another miracle attributed to you after you have been given the title “Blessed” because people were praying for your intercession. (13) The Vatican investigates the validity of the miracle. (14) If your miracle passes investigation, the pope will give you the title “Saint.”

Now is that what these Ephesians Christians are that Paul is writing to? Obviously not. Paul is not writing to dead Christians. Paul did not speak of a fourteen step process to become a saint. A saint is not something you do. Being a saint is not because you have accomplished something great. It takes only one thing to be a saint: belong to Christ. To be a saint simple means that we are people who are set apart. That is all this word means. Paul is writing to people who are set apart because they are in Christ and not in relationship with the world. The nation of Israel was the perfect foreshadow. They were a people set apart for God, not because of anything they had done, but because God chose them. They were a separate people who lived in the world but did not belong to the world. They belonged to God. Our identity is not tied to this world. We do not belong to this world. Our identity is in Christ and we belong to God.

We have been called to be people who belong to Christ. Turn to Ephesians 4:1. Chapter 4 is recognized as the key division of the book. It is easy to see why. Notice verse 1. “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Chapters 1-3 are describing for us what we have been called to and chapters 4-6 teach us how to walk worthy of that calling. You have been called to be saints. You are called to be God’s possession in Christ.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14 ESV)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

Paul tells Titus that Christ made us to be a people for his own possession so that we would be zealous for good works. Peter writes that we are a people for his own possession so that we can proclaim the excellencies, virtues, glories, and praises of him who called us. You and I are called to be saints, set apart from the world to belong to Christ with the distinct purpose of zealously desiring good works and proclaiming the greatness of God. This is what it means to be a saint. We are saints drawing people to the glory of God.

You Are Faithful

There is no such thing as an unfaithful Christian. A Christian by definition is someone who is faithful. A person who is not faithful to Christ is by definition not a Christian. We are people who exercise faith in Christ Jesus. We believe in Jesus and have put our life in his hands completely. We trust Jesus no matter what happens to us in life. No matter how much prosperity and pleasure we enjoy or how much pain and suffering we endure, we trust Jesus. This shows us that being faithful means that we continue to obey Jesus. We do what Jesus says, not the world. We hold on to the faith (the scriptures, the revealed word of God) that has been delivered to the world. The faith is our anchor for faith. Paul stated this point another way when he wrote to the Romans.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17 ESV)

The Christian lives by faith. The Christian does not live by sight. The Christian lives his or her life completely believing in the plan, purposes, and care of God. Paul quoted from the prophet Habakkuk when he taught how Christ is the revealing of the righteous faithfulness of God. When Habakkuk was told that his people were going to be invaded, captured, and killed because of their sins, God’s answer to Habakkuk when Habakkuk did not understand was, “The righteous live by faith.” The faithfulness of God generates our faith in him. Our faith in God does not come from empty space. Our faith comes from the precious promises of God who cannot lie and keeps all he has purposed. The book of Ephesians is going to describe for us great and precious promises concerning who we are and what God has done for us which are to build our faith. I look forward to explore these faith-building concepts in our upcoming lessons from the book of Ephesians. If you need your faith filled up, read this letter to the Ephesians. Look and see the calling to which you have been called. You have identity in Christ. You have been called to belong to God. You are his people. You are his possession. Therefore your life has meaning and purpose that goes far beyond any explanation found in this world. Your purpose is far greater than leaving the planet better for those who come after you. Your purpose is more than mere self-improvement. Your purpose is more than keeping the human race going by having children. Your purpose is more than making a better you. Your purpose is more than being a pilot, mechanic, or teacher. You have been called by God to live for Christ. Seek Jesus today.

You Are Chosen

Ephesians 1:3-4

The apostle Paul is writing to the Christians in Ephesus so that they may know who they are in Christ. We began this series asking the question about our identity. Who do you think you are? In our last lesson Paul taught us that we are saints, which means we are set apart from the world and called into relationship with Christ. Christians are also described as full of faith or faithful. The life of the Christian is shown in complete trust in God for all things and in every area of life. This leads us into the next picture of who we are in Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (Ephesians 1:3-4 ESV)

Blessed Be God

Notice that Paul begins with praise for the Father. The Father is worthy of praise and honor. All commendation belongs to the Father. Notice that Paul is blessing the Father because the Father has blessed us with everything spiritual blessing found in the heavenly realms. We praise God because he has benefited us with every spiritual blessing and every spiritual benefit necessary for our spiritual well-being. We are so easily earthly focused. Paul wants us to see the riches of the blessings that we have. The blessings that we truly need are not cars, wealth, and possessions. Our spiritual well-being is on the line. We are condemned sinners in the hands of the God who judges justly. We are worthy of God’s wrath upon us for our disobedience. But praise be to God that he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that provides for our spiritual well-being. God is blessed because we are blessed right now with every benefit that comes from God. We must put our eyes to the spiritual realms and see what the Father is bestowing upon us. Therefore, our highest response to all this must be to hold our gifts up to God in praise and thanksgiving. I want to notice something very important. Our blessings reside in Christ. These blessings are not found outside of a relationship with Christ. Becoming saints is critical for without being in relationship with Christ, then we are not blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

We Are Chosen

Notice that this is the first blessings in Christ from the heavenly places that we have received. “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world.” The picture of being chosen is powerful. Everyone wants to be chosen. No one wants to be passed over or ignored. Most people have experienced being passed over in school, passed over at work, passed over in dating and more. It is a wonderful thing to feel that you are chosen. You have been selected.

The imagery of being chosen comes from the Old Testament. Israel was chosen by God. Listen to how Moses describes the selection of Israel in Deuteronomy 7.

“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8 ESV)

There was nothing that Israel did to warrant their selection as God’s people. It is amazing when the choosing comes despite your abilities. I remember in high school that we would play various sports throughout the year. I was fairly athletic and played decently. But I wore glasses and so the presumption was that you were not very good. So it was not unusual that I would get chosen toward the bottom if the captain who was selecting didn’t know my abilities. So when the captain knew me, I would get selected fairly early on. When I didn’t know the captain, I wouldn’t get selected until toward the end. So one time we are lining up and the PE teacher selects two captains. I didn’t really know either of them. So I knew that I was going to be near the bottom again, watching people who could not play as good as me get picked first. But something amazing happened. I was picked first. I remember thinking that I heard the kid wrong. But he had said my name. Here is the point: there is gratification when you are chosen based upon your abilities. But there is something inexplicably amazing when you are chosen out of the goodness of someone’s heart and not based on your abilities.

This is what God did with Israel. God simply said, “You are my people” and therefore Israel was set apart from the world to be his people. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Deuteronomy constantly repeat that it was nothing in the people of Israel that caused their election. They were not chosen by God for who they were or what they had done. They were simply chosen by God. Notice how the words of Deuteronomy 7 strongly parallel Ephesians 1:3. Paul says that we were chosen to be a holy and blameless people. Moses says the same to Israel that they are a holy people to the Lord, chosen to be his treasured possession.

Before the foundation of the world. Notice when Paul said this choosing occurred. Paul says that “we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world.” This tells us something critically important. This is why I know our election cannot be based on our actions. God chose us before the creation. Before the worlds were established we were selected. Before anything was ever made and before any human walked the earth, God says that he chose us in Christ. How could God choose us by our actions? Not only had we not been created yet but God would tell that there is no human who is righteous. This is a powerful message. God chose us like he chose Israel. There is nothing inherently good about us that deserves God’s attention to us. Those who are in Christ cannot look at themselves and think that there is any room for boasting.

Can you imagine if I, after being selected first by the captain by his own gracious choice, decided to act arrogantly and look down on those who were still in line? What a fool I would be! My thought process should be that I do not deserve to be chosen and deserve to still be standing in line with the rest of the them! We cannot and must not take the election of God as some sort of point for boasting. In fact, this is why God elected in this manner — so that there would no room for our boasting. God did not choose us because we were moral or good or that God needed us. This statement proclaims that majesty and goodness of God.

Before anyone was made, God decided that he was going to have a people that would belong to him. God was going to have people who would be set apart for him. Election means that the existence of the people of God can be explained only on the basis of God’s character, plan, and action, not on some quality in the people who are chosen. The initiative is always based on God’s grace. Before the foundation of the world were laid, God had determined that all who believed on his Son should be saved.

So what does it mean to be chosen? I suggest to you that there is a very important answer that can be easily overlooked. The answer is found by looking to the scriptures to see how God elects. God chose a people (Israel) to be his from the beginning. This is how the scriptures discuss “choosing” (Deuteronomy 4:37; Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 10:15; Deuteronomy 14:2; Isaiah 14:1; Isaiah 41:8; Isaiah 49:7; Isaiah 65:9; Ezekiel 20:5 – chosen but none but Joshua and Caleb made it). I will read with you a few of these passages so you can see how God describes his election.

For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. (Isaiah 14:1 ESV)

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:8-10 ESV)

There is clearly a corporate dimension to God’s election. God does not say that he is selecting one individual but a whole body of people that God calls the offspring of Abraham. God would have compassion and choose to have a people again, a new Israel. Isaiah pictures people from all over the world joining themselves to this new body of people (Isaiah 14).

It was God’s intention to create for himself a people perfectly conformed to the likeness of his Son (Romans 8:29-30). What is important to consider is that Israel’s election had no direct bearing on their personal salvation. Was any person who was an Israelite saved from spiritual destruction simply because God chosen them to belong to Israel? While the Jews thought “yes,” Jesus and the apostles taught the answer to be “no.” Paul carefully argued that not all of physical Israel belong to the spiritual Israel who were in relationship with the Father (Romans 9:6-7) and that not all of Abraham’s children were spiritual children of the Father (Romans 4:11). Election did not negate the necessity for a heart response to that calling. One of the best examples of this truth is found in the wilderness wanderings. The men of war consisted of 603,550 men. Yet only two men, Joshua and Caleb, were granted access to the promised land and did not perish in that desert. The people were elected by God, but few showed themselves to be the offspring of Abraham. In the beginning, only the people who had the heritage of being Israelites had access. But even though Israel was elected by God, many of them were not truly God’s people. Then God made a promise to open the doors of access to the whole world to belong in relationship to him. But our election calls for us to continue in faith toward the one who called us.

Chosen To Be Holy and Blameless

Notice how this fits what Paul goes on to teach. He does not end the sentence that he just chose people. Notice that he chose us to be holy and blameless before him. God has not elected us to remain sinners. The process does not stop with election. God has not selected us to continue in sin. God has called us to be holy. Israel was called to be holy and blameless and now we are that chosen people (Deuteronomy 18:13; Exodus 19:6). Therefore, the test of our election is the holiness of our lives. We do not belong to the elect if we are not living holy lives before him. Notice that the apostle Paul, in a parallel text, makes the same point to the Colossians:

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23 ESV)

The apostle Peter said the same as well.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:10-11 NIV)

The apostle Paul instructed the Corinthians in the same manner.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV)

We have been called/elected/chosen to be holy and blameless before him. This happens by continuing firmly in the faith and not shifting away from the gospel which called us. So let me summarize what I believe Paul is describing for us as we put all of these pieces of information together. God decided that he was going to have a people that were distinct from the world. He made that decision before the creation of the world that he would choose to have a people that belonged to him. There was nothing we could do to initiate that calling. God decided before you were created to have a people who belonged to him. The purpose of these people is to be presented before him holy and blameless. We cannot boast in this because God decided to have a people in spite of ourselves. Our actions simply are an affront to God, not a cause for him to save us. Continuing in the faith and living differently from the actions of the world shows that we have been chosen by God. This is what made Israel the true Israel. Only when they acted according to God’s will and separated themselves from the world were they recognized as the people of God. When they did not, as Romans 2:25 declares, they became just like the world and lost their privileges. We have the privilege of being blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We have been called to a glorious relationship in Christ and have been given everything we need for spiritual life and reconciliation. You have been chosen by God to be holy and walk with him blameless. What will you do with your calling? Do you know who you are? Do you act like you have been chosen? What a glorious picture to know that God has elected a people to be his own. No person deserved this wonderful treatment by the Father. Will your heart respond to God’s call to walk with him?

You Are Predestined

Ephesians 1:5-6

What is your destiny? It is a question of the ages. This is a question that comes to fortune tellers to Chinese cookies. People want to know if they have a destiny and, if so, what that destiny is.

In our first couple of lessons we learned that our new identity in Christ is that we are saints, full of faith, and chosen by God. Paul continues to describe for us some of the spiritual blessings from the heavenly places that we have received in Christ now. The next identity that Paul lays on our lives is that we are predestined.

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4-6 ESV)

Predestined

The word “predestined” means what it sounds like — “to decide beforehand, mark out beforehand, to determine beforehand.” God decided in advance. We noted in our last lesson that God chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Before the world was ever created, God decided that he was going to have a people for himself. Verse 5 explains this idea with a little more detail. Election shows God’s free will to decide that he was going to have a people. Predestination focuses on the fact that God determined to adopt us into his family through Jesus.

I want us to stop and think about this statement for a minute. People want to know the purpose of their lives. People want to know what we are supposed to be doing. Why are we here? God has a purpose for you and every human being before you were ever created. That purpose is to be adopted as his children through Jesus Christ. Our destiny is to enter the family of God so that we might become children of God. God created you to belong to the family in Christ. It is interesting to me that we seemed to be wired this way. There is something within us that wants to belong to something. We want to belong to family. We look to belong in school. We look to belong at work. We want to be incorporated with a group. I believe God gave us the local church so that we could belong spiritually now to something that will build us up and strengthen us. We were predestined to belong to Jesus. That is what you have been called to. God chose us to be in Christ and decided to bring us into relationship with himself through adoption. To state this another way: God determined in advance that those who are in Christ would be his people.

Adoption

Paul says that we were predestined for adoption as his children. Consider the powerful image of adoption. Adoption carries so many significant truths. First, the one adopting pays a great price. I know of many Christian families who have adopted in this country and the cost was around $10,000 after all the paperwork and legal fees. Adoption is not free. Adoption comes at a cost. The cost for our adoption to become children of God was the blood of Jesus. His blood is the means that secured our adoption. The highest price that could ever be conceived, the death of the Son of God, was what was necessary to adopted us. Second, the one being adopted cannot will the adoption to happen. There are thousands of children who desire to be adopted. But just because they desire to be adopted does not mean they can be adopted. Children in orphanages can want to have parents, but that does not do anything. In the same way, we can desire to be children of God all that we want to, but it does not do anything. If God did not want to adopt us sinners as his children, then we could not have been adopted. Third, adoption means you are part of a new, permanent family. There is nothing temporary about adoption. You are given all the rights and privileges of the family. It is as if you are born into the family by blood once you are adopted. God signed the adoption papers for you with the blood of Christ. Your identity is secured in this new family. Before we could do anything, before we even existed, God chosen to adopt us.

The Basis of Adoption

Why did God do this for us? Why would God choose to take sinners and adopt them to become his children? Notice the beginning of the sentence which is found at the end of verse 4: “In love he predestined us for adoption.” The basis of our adoption is his own love for us. Can we begin to see and try to understand the depths of God’s love for us? Can we try to get our minds around the idea that God is acting for us like a parent on the basis of love? God’s love for you is deeper than you have for your own children. Oh, how I wish we could see the love of God for us so that we would be holy and blameless before him, turning away from sin. Can you imagine an adopted child to the adopted parent, “You don’t love me!” But the parent chose you! The parent decided before you were met that he was going to adopt a child and the parent selected you! How can anyone ever think that you are not loved for God has chosen you to adoption. I think we sin because we forget the great amount that God has for us. Listen to how the apostle John proclaimed this desire for our hearts.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1 NIV) Do we see this love?

The second reason God predestined us for adoption was because of “the purpose of his will.” I think the NKJV has a good reading, “according to the good pleasure of his will.” Our adoption was the plan of God and that plan came from his own good pleasure. This is what God desired to do and God accomplished that will. Salvation is not some accident or afterthought on the part of God. His purpose and desire always was to draw humanity to himself. God wanted you to be his child.

To The Praise of his Glorious Grace

Now, what is this all about? What is God’s purpose in doing all of this? Why has God chosen us to be holy and blameless? Why has God predestined us for adoption? Verse 6 contains the ultimate reason. All of this was done “to the praise of his glorious grace.” God did this to cause believers to praise the Father who is full of glory for his grace which he bestowed on us in Christ. This is all for the glory of God. Paul said it this way to the Thessalonians:

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 ESV)

I want you to notice how strongly Paul wants us to understand that this is our purpose. Not only does verse 6 say that God did this to the praise of his glorious grace, but notice verse 12. Notice that God acted so that we “might be to the praise of his glory.” Notice verse 14, “to the praise of his glory.” What are all of these spiritual blessings for? They are for the praise of his glory. What does God want you to do? God wants you to praise his glory that is seen through his grace. Being chosen and predestined before we were created shows the grace of God. His grace is to cause us to praise him. God chose you so that you would praise his glory. God predestined you to adoption so you would praise his glory. God did all of this before the creation of the world so that you would not praise yourself, but would praise his glory. God did this so that you would love him, seek him, honor him, and be filled with zeal for him.

Now think about why this should bring about our praise. We stand outside of a relationship with Christ. We are not in his family and we have no reason to belong to his family. We do not deserve to be in his family because we have broken the Father’s laws. We have no portion and no access to God. But through Christ we now have full legal ownership and rights to the family.

9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:9-11 NIV)

Can you believe that Jesus calls us family, brothers and sisters, and is not ashamed to do so? Have you had family members that you were ashamed of because of their actions? What have you done that you are ashamed of? What have you done that you think God is ashamed of you? Through Jesus he is not ashamed to be in the same family as you! What a great privilege adoption provides for us. God had predetermined that he would bring humans into his family, call them his sons and daughters, which Jesus as our brother. Oh, the depths of God’s love that are displayed so that we would praise his glory because of his grace toward us. This privilege is only found in the Beloved, that is, in Christ.

Conclusion

Why are you here? What is your destiny? You are to be to the praise of his glory. God elected you and predestined you to adoption so that you would bring praise and honor to him. All that we do is to be for the praise of his glory. His grace is poured into our lives to display his glory. It was God’s purpose to decide beforehand that he would adopt humans to be his children.

In our last lesson we made the connection to Israel’s election in the Old Testament scriptures. God elected Israel to be his people. But the people to not obtain the promise because they lacked the faith that is required to belong to his elect people. God also adopted Israel. The apostle Paul in Romans 9:4 says that Israel was adopted. Paul is showing us that we are the new Israel. We are the new people of God. We are the fulfillment of God’s promises that he will have a people to praise of his glory. What will you do today to the praise of his glory? What will you say to the praise of his glory? You’ve been adopted. How will you praise him now?

You Are Redeemed

Ephesians 1:7-10

We are continuing to look at Paul’s description of who we are in Christ. Remember that the key phrase that we see throughout this first chapter of Ephesians is “in him” or “in Christ.” Our identity is found in Christ alone. Our worth is found in Christ alone. In our last lesson from the book of Ephesians we learned that we were predestined to adoption. God has called us into his family which would only be accomplished through Jesus. We are starting to learn that we have a problem. The need for adoption means that we were without a family. Adoption means we were separated from God. We are not children of God naturally but must be adopted. In the same way the next description about our identity reveals there is an issue with us that God has chosen to correct.

Redemption (Ephesians 1:7)

God tells us that through Christ we have redemption. We have been redeemed. Redemption has a picture of setting something free. Particularly, this word was used of setting someone free from a debt and was even used of setting a slave free. Someone has a debt and redemption is the setting free from the debt through a payment. So the picture for us is that we have a debt that we cannot be released from by our own actions. Our debt is sin. This is the problem that faces humanity that God has to teach us. We have a monstrous debt before the Lord because we all have committed sin. Not only having we committed sin, but we have committed numerous sins. This is why we do not read about Jesus in Genesis 3. God needed to spend thousands and thousands of years teaching us this critical truth: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Sin is accruing a debt.

Our sin deserves our physical death. We see this from time to time in the scriptures. We read about God killing Nadab and Abihu, Uzzah, Korah, Ananias and Sapphira, and others. God killed them for their rebellion against God. God tried to show this to the world by animals needing to be killed when sins were committed. God commanded for sacrifices for sins to be made. Animals were slaughtered and offered on the altar to God to show us that the wages of sin is death. No one deserves to live because we have committed sins against our Creator. But this is really not the weight of the meaning of redemption.

Sin has accrued a debt so that we are separated from God and cannot have a relationship with him. The scriptures call this “death” as well. It is spiritual death. Our sins isolate us from God. God is holy and pure and it not able to be relationship with anything that is wicked, evil, or dark. We must consider the extreme holy character of God for this to be true. Paul says in Romans 6:6 that we are “enslaved to sin.” God has decided to pay a price to set us free from that debt. I want us to stop right here and consider how great your debt is? It is so easy to forget the quantity of our debt. We have debts in life. We receive bills every month telling us our debt. These papers tell us how much we owe. How many bills do you have toward God? If every sin was a bill in the mail, how high a stack of bills would you owe God? Redemption is trying to teach us about the enormous, insurmountable debt we have with God.

Forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7)

These debts need to be forgiven. The debts are so great that there is nothing we can pay. There is nothing that we can give. We are completely helpless. We are completely hopeless. There is nothing you can do that will deal with the debt. We like to believe that there are things we can do that will fix the debt. We start talking about being good people and not doing bad stuff as if that will have any fixing of the debt. Think about the problem in our own legal system. Can a murderer fix his sin by never murdering again? Will this work with the judge if you simply try to never kill again? Is that a sufficient answer? Of course not. There is nothing we can do with this debt before God. All your good deeds cannot overcome or repair the sins we have committed. There is not one debt we can repay to God. We are hopeless, helpless, and without strength to do anything (cf. Romans 5:6). Do you know who we truly are? We are debtors. We are serious debtors with nothing to pay our debts.

So here is the good news. This is what the gospel is for the world. In Christ we have redemption. What does that mean for us? Verse 7 tells us that it means our debts have been forgiven. Redemption results in the canceling of our debts, obligations, and punishments that are due to us. God has cancelled our sins and necessary punishment that goes with those sins.

With His Blood (Ephesians 1:7)

What did God pay to redeem us from our debt? Verse 7 tells us that the redemption took place through his blood. The blood of Jesus is the price paid to forgive our trespasses against God. This is why we love Jesus so much! In the death of Christ, God came powerfully to rescue his people from the death, punishments, and debts that stood against them. This is why Jesus is central to everything we do and must be central to our lives. You can see how we insult the Lord when we take the gift of redemption and wonder how much we must do for him. You can see the slap in the face when we choose to do what we want to do and live according to our own comforts and desires. When we cannot be bothered with the commands of God, when we cannot be bothered to worship God, when we are not willing to give everything to love our Lord, you can see how insulting this is. It is unthinkable. All I can say is that we just don’t get it. You are swimming in debt. But God has forgiven your debt through the high price of Jesus’ death.

The Wealth of His Grace (Ephesians 1:7-8)

I love that Paul keeps telling us why God did this. God paid the debt with the blood of Christ because this action accords with the wealth of his grace. The present blessing of the forgiveness of sins results from the abundance of God’s grace. Redemption simply shows how good God is. Redemption shows how much God loves people. Notice in verse 8 that God lavished his grace upon us. His grace is pictured as being in abundance, being poured out over and above. His grace is pictured as fully sufficient. God gives overflowing grace. God did not hold back any of his grace. Our debt is never greater than his grace. Our sins are never more than his forgiveness. His grace is always sufficient. His forgiveness always removes the debt. We need to hear that hope and rest in that hope. Our hope is in his grace. This is why the last screen I put up on the projector is that phrase: “Our hope is in his grace.” Our hope is not in ourselves. Our hope is not in our good deeds. Our hope is not in having the least amount of sins. Our hope is completely in his grace for his grace is sufficient to cover our sins. Paul said it this way to the Romans: “But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20).

The Blessing of Wisdom and Insight (Ephesians 1:8-9)

But there is another great blessing in Christ. Remember that Paul began this letter by telling us that God is worthy of praise because he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Here is another one of those blessings. God has made known to us the mystery of his will in all wisdom and insight. God not only forgives our debt, but gives us what we need to understand him and his will and to live life according that will. We can understand God’s will. Paul will explain how that came about in chapter 3. It is not the purpose of Paul to explain right now how we can understand the mystery of God’s will. Paul wants to know that it is possible. We can come to know God.

All Things In Christ (Ephesians 1:10)

These things have a glorious purpose. God has forgiven our trespasses and made known his will in all wisdom and insight to us. God delighted in laying out his plans, first to redeem his people and second to reveal to them the mystery of his will. All of this was according to his purpose in Christ. God’s delight and God’s glory are always for our good. This was all part of God’s glorious plan. What was the purpose? The purpose was “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” God redeems people in order to gather all things to himself. Before God made the heavens and earth, he developed a long range plan for humanity. Christ is the focal point of that plan. All things are summed up in Christ. Everything, whether on earth or in heaven, come together in Christ. Every being in heaven and earth is to willfully and joyfully submit to Christ.

Conclusion

God promised to his people that he would come to save them. Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah. “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22 ESV) You are redeemed! That is the good news of Jesus. If you belong to Jesus, you have your mountain of debt forgiven. What does it mean to you that your obligations, debts, and punishments have been forgiven? What will be your response to Jesus?

You Are Heirs

Ephesians 1:11-14

The apostle Paul concludes this section of praise to the Father for pouring out his spiritual blessings by describing the great hope we have in Christ for an inheritance. We have been studying this long sentence of Paul from verses 3-14 where Paul is describing our identity in Christ. Your identity is bound up in the blessings God has poured out through Jesus. But we come now to another glorious picture of who we are in Christ and the great blessings that come from this identity.

Obtained An Inheritance (Ephesians 1:11)

In our last lesson we learned that we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. The debt of our sins has been paid. You can either pay for your sins or you can let Christ pay for your sins. Our redemption and debt removal has caused us to be an heir of God’s inheritance. We are obtaining a portion of God’s inheritance. It is important to not think of the inheritance as heaven. It is easy to read about receiving an inheritance from God and think that the author is speaking about our hope for heaven. But that is not the point of this text. We need to look back into the scriptures and the promises of God to understand what Paul means when he says that we have obtained an inheritance.

But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day. (Deuteronomy 4:20 ESV)

For they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm. (Deuteronomy 9:29 ESV)

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance and divided the human race, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the people of Israel. But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob, His own inheritance. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9 HCSB)

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. (Psalms 33:12 NIV)

I want us to see that being God’s people was the inheritance. Israel was regarded as the Lord’s inheritance and portion. What made Israel special over the Gentiles? God’s relationship with Israel was made them special and distinct. God would provide, protect, defend, and bless Israel in ways that the Gentiles would never experience. However, the scriptures show Israel being set into slavery because of their disobedience and lack of faith. But through Christ people can have the privilege of being God’s inheritance. How do we have this inheritance? It was not by our actions again. Notice that verse 11 declares that we have been predestined to this inheritance. God was going have a people who would be his possession that he would bless and they would praise him. All of the blessings of God have been restored. You are his chosen people. You are his valuable possession. Your joy and hope is not in you but in God who values you. You belong to God and that means something glorious. God has made it possible through the cross for us to belong to him. No one questions God when it comes to this. Everyone likes to question God and his goodness. But no one stops to think about how God can look at us with our mountain of debt of sins, forgive us, and make us heirs of his glorious inheritance. No one! God has solved a problem for us. We must stand in awe of this truth. We cannot lose sight of the beauty of belonging to God, being the people of God, God is with us, he is our God and we are his people. Our sins make this impossible but with God all things are possible.

The First To Hope In Christ (Ephesians 1:12)

Let’s look at what this accomplishes by examining verse 12. God made us to be his inheritance “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” For the first time the apostle Paul speaks of the two different groups: the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians. He will talk about this distinction more in chapter 2. But those who were “the first to hope in Christ” are the Jews who we read about hearing the gospel in the first nine chapters of the book of Acts. The gospel message was proclaimed first in Jerusalem and Judea. The message was to first go to the Jews. Through Christ, the Jews are able to receive this inheritance. But notice what this was to cause: so that they would be to the praise of his glory. The Jews, who were shown in the scriptures to be violators of God’s covenant and lawbreakers, are now put into a relationship with the Father and made heirs of God’s blessings and promises through the death of Christ so that their lives would be to the praise of God’s glory.

You Also (Ephesians 1:13)

Now, are the Gentiles left out of the inheritance? Are Gentiles excluded from being heirs of this great inheritance and having the blessings of God dispensed to them? Look at verse 13. “In him you also….” The Gentiles, who were previous excluded, are now also included in these promises through the death of Jesus. Notice Paul says that you also “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Is Paul describing something different? Is this a different blessing being described to the Gentile Christians? Not at all and there are many reasons why. First, Paul said “you also.” What Jewish Christians have received so also the Gentile Christians have received. Second, the Holy Spirit is the “guarantee of our inheritance.” The inheritance is what we have been talking about in this section. Go back to verse 11: “In him you have obtained an inheritance.” Paul is declaring that Jews and Gentiles have equal access to this inheritance. You also are able to be counted as God’s chosen people and prized possession.

How Do We Obtain This Inheritance? (Ephesians 1:13)

Paul does not leave us to wonder how the Ephesians came to access and participate in these glorious blessings. Go back to verse 13. Paul begins, “when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” The word of truth is the means to your salvation. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). It is the gospel that will produce your salvation. Deep faith comes from hearing the word of Christ. True, saving belief will only come from hearing the voice of God. The gospel must be your power. The gospel must be your strength. The gospel must be central to your life. This is why every sermon is from the word of God. This is why every study is examining the scriptures. The word of truth is what saves us. Studying anything else is a vain pursuit. I was at a church on vacation that for its Sunday morning Bible study in the auditorium was studying the movie, Courageous and applying to the principles found in the scriptures. Friends, this is studying the wrong thing. I do not care how spiritual a movie or book may be, we do not study C.S. Lewis or Tolkien, or some other writer. God’s word is the only word that gives life. His word is the only word that saves. His word must be all that we want to hear and believe.

The Down Payment (Ephesians 1:14)

Now what does it mean that we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance? Notice that the scripture says in verse 14 that this is the down payment (HCSB, NET) or pledge (NASB, NRSV) or deposit (NIV) of our inheritance. This is the first installment of the full inheritance to come. So what is this talking about? I submit to you that this is speaking of the same thing we read about in the book of Acts.

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:38-39 ESV)

Think about what we have just studied from the scriptures about the inheritance. Israel was God’s inheritance. They were his prized possession with all the privileges and blessings of being his people. However, they lost this inheritance because of their faithlessness and disobedience. This is what Peter is promising to those who will come to Christ. Acts 2:38-39 says that your sins will be forgiven and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when you are cut to the heart, repent, and are baptized. This is the fulfilling of the great promise of God. People could now be God’s inheritance again and receive the blessings and privileges of God through Jesus. The apostle Paul taught the same truth when he recounts his conversion to Jesus.

15 “And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 ‘But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ (Acts 26:15-18 NASB)

Paul was sent to the Gentiles to open their eyes. Notice the three purposes Paul recounts. First, to turn the Gentiles from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Second, that the Gentiles may receive the forgiveness of sins. Third, to receive an inheritance. Peter said they would receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul said they would receive the forgiveness of sins and an inheritance. The gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 1:13-14 is the obtaining of the inheritance. You are now God’s inheritance. You are God’s people. You are able to access and receive the blessings and privileges of being a child of God. You are now an heir with Christ. You are also part of God’s redemptive plan.

Now here is the amazing part of this sentence: this is only a down payment. All that we have in Christ right now: you are saints, you are faithful, you are chosen, you are predestined, you are redeemed, and you are heirs are only the down payment. These things are the first installment. Access to the Father and all the blessings in Christ are just the first taste of all that God will give us when Christ returns. Friends, there is so much more to come when Christ returns.

Now what is this knowledge supposed to do in us? Notice how verse 14 ends: “to the praise of his glory.” The Jews have been brought in and obtained the inheritance to the praise of his glory (1:12). The Gentiles have been brought in and obtained the inheritance to the praise of his glory (1:14). God has brought you into his inheritance and made you belong to him so that you would live to the praise of his glory. When we glorify ourselves we are stealing glory away from God. Why was Moses prevented from entering the promised land? Yes, it is because we struck the rock rather than speaking to it as God commanded. But listen to God’s words: “Because you did not believe in me, to show my holiness before the eyes of the Israelites…” (Numbers 20:12). We must live to the praise of his glory, displaying God’s holiness and grace in our lives. He has made you an heir. You are part of the glorious inheritance. Live to the praise of his glory.

What God Wants You To Know

Ephesians 1:15-23

The apostle Paul has spent the first part of his letter to the Ephesians telling them who they are in Christ. Paul has described the many spiritual blessings that are found in Christ. You are chosen, adopted, redeemed, and sealed. Paul now moves forward in this section to describe to us what God wants us to have and what God wants us to know. So we will look for these things as we read the rest of Ephesians 1.

What God Wants You To Have (Ephesians 1:15-18)

Paul begins by praising the Ephesians Christians for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints. They are exhibiting the vertical relationship of Christianity: love and continued faithfulness toward Jesus. They are also showing the horizontal relationship of Christianity: love toward all the saints. These are two important statements, neither of which can be neglected. You cannot be faithful to Jesus and not love the other Christians. Nor can you love other Christians rightly and not be faithful toward God. Christianity hangs on these two principles: to love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor. We are called to live beyond ourselves. We are called to live for Christ and for one another. Paul praises them and declares that he has heard of their faithfulness to Jesus and the love for the saints. This causes Paul to pray continually for the Ephesian Christians with thanksgiving to God. But listen to what Paul wants God to give these Christians.

“…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened…” (Ephesians 1:17-18 ESV)

Most of the translations read “spirit” with a lowercase “s.” I believe this is correct. It does not make sense for Paul to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. We just read in Ephesians 1:13-14 that they already had been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. God does not hold something back at salvation. Are we to suggest that there are extra requirements of spirituality that when met God will dole out these blessings that have been held in reserve and are excluded from others? Paul already said in Ephesians 1:3 that they have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Nothing has been excluded. Every believer receives the Spirit, unless this is a reference to miraculous spiritual gifts. But this answer does not work either because he will tell these Ephesians in the third chapter that all of them can understand the mystery of Christ when they read Paul’s words. So the lowercase “s” is the way to read this. Paul is praying that God will give them a spirit or disposition of wisdom and revelation.

So what does Paul mean? Paul is identifying something very important. The problem is not that God is withholding blessings. The problem is not that we lack blessings for we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. The problem is that we lack the insight and wisdom to understand these blessings from God. You have come to Christ. Now you need to learn what he has in store for you. Paul is praying that they are going to have “good eyes” when they read what he is writing. He wants them to read in such a way so that God’s glory and will is revealed to them. They must have a disposition of wisdom. They must have a spirit of revelation. They must be ready to receive the word with insight and perception.

This is what Paul means when he says that the result is “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened.” I don’t want you to read my words with dark eyes. I don’t want you to read with darkened hearts. I want the eyes of your heart to be enlightened. The eyes of your heart will be enlightened when you take God’s word with a spirit of wisdom and insight. Notice that this insight is found in the knowledge of him. Paul is calling for these Christians to not just know the facts. He is calling for a deeper knowledge and truly experience their Lord. I can know facts about the president. But I do not know the president at all. You can know facts about Jesus but that does not mean you know Jesus at all. Knowledge, truly knowing, requires mutual knowledge and mutual exchange. Think of it! These are Christians and Paul is praying for them that they will not be dull in the reception of the word. He is praying that they will gain more and more insight into the knowledge of the Lord.

Here is the warning: don’t be dull readers. These words of God mean something. Every word has a purpose and meaning for us to examine. Do not just roll over the words. Otherwise, the knowledge of the Lord becomes boring and academic. It becomes stale and dry. Read with a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Read with perception. Read with insight. Listen to every word from God. Slow down and meditate on one verse and just let it soak your heart. Let the light of Christ pour into your heart. Let God turn the light bulb on in your mind and heart. Paul is telling Christians that we need our spiritual faculties awakened. We can lose that spirit of wisdom and revelation. Wake them up and pray to God to wake them up!

What God Wants You To Know (Ephesians 1:18-23)

Paul wants our hearts enlightened so that we can know three things. Again, Paul wants us to truly know these things. He does not want us to know these things factually but experientially. Only with the eyes of our hearts opened will we be able to truly know these things. This is what God wants us to know.

(1) To know what is the hope to which he has called you.

God wants us to have an expanded awareness of the full implications of God’s calling in our lives. You need to know the hope that God has called you to. We have slowed down over the first 14 verses of this first chapter so that you could know the hope you can been called to. The hope to which we have been called is not to come in here on Sunday, sing four songs, let some guy yell at you, and go home trying to be better people. That is not the hope we are living under in this calling. We need to know the hope to which we have been called so that we will praise the Lord for what he has done and live to the praise of his glory. We live to the praise of his glory because we have a new hope. You have been redeemed by God. You have been chosen by God. You have been adopted by God. You have been made heirs by God. You have been sealed by God. Paul says that he wants you to truly know these great things. You have been called to partake in the salvation of God and belong to God’s family. We were a people who had no hope because of the debt of our sins. But our glorious God has given us hope. Because we are called into God’s family we have hope and you have been called to live in the light of that hope.

(2) To know what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

Second, we are to know the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. We looked at this in the last lesson. We are God’s inheritance. God wants you to know the wealth and richness of what it means to be God’s inheritance. Know what it means to be the people of God. We must appreciate the value God places on us as part of his inheritance. We cannot begin to name all the riches of being God’s people. But let us consider a few rich blessings. Being in God’s family means that we will see Jesus face to face. It means that we will be in the presence of God. It means that we will be in the comfort of God. It means that we will be joined with the disciples of Jesus who have gone on before us. It means rest from our labors. It means every pain in this life will be resolved. It means seeing the reward of all we have been striving toward. Being the people of God just has no end to its vast wealth and blessings to us. We are valuable to God because he purchased us in order to inherit us. We look for Christ’s return when he comes to get his saints. God doesn’t need us. God wants us.

(3) To know what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.

God wants you to know his power. How much power does God have? Notice how his power is described. It is the “immeasurable greatness of his power.” You need to know how exceedingly great and incomparable his power is. We need to recognize the enormous power of God. But it is not us sitting back and wondering about the ridiculous amount of power God has. Notice carefully what Paul says. That power is directed toward us who believe. God wants you to know the immeasurable greatness power that is being directed toward our lives! You need to know that God is using his power to protect you and keep you from the attack of Satan and from the powers of this world.

How do we know that this power is effective in our lives? Paul says that we have observed this surpassing power when Jesus was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of God. God’s power is seen in that Christ was exalted to the highest position possible and placing him over all things. Christ shows his total victory. He cannot be defeated. He has power far above all other powers. But notice that his authority is for our benefit. Notice verse 22 carefully. God put all things under Christ’s feet and gave him. God gave him to the church (us) as head over all things. The church has authority and power to overcome all opposition because he is our leader and head. He is Lord of all. We are filled with and filled by Christ.

Conclusion

How do you get to know someone? Can you read biographical information or historical data about him? These things will help you know a lot about the person, but you will not know him. God wants us to know him, not to know about him. If you want to get to know someone then you have to spend time with that person. There are three glorious things that God wants you to know for your walk with him. But we need to pray for and seek to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation. I am asking you to desire the word of God. I am asking you to desire soaking on God’s word. Without that spirit, you will not enjoy studying God’s word, nor Bible classes, nor worship, nor preaching, or anything else that is tied to God. You will not come to love the Lord the way he wants you to because you have not experienced this deep knowledge of him. Let the knowledge of the Lord change your life. Know the hope to which you have been called. Know the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. Know the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us as seen through the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus. Let yourself experience the joy and wealth of knowing Christ. Make it your goal to get to know him.

You Are Saved

Ephesians 2:1-7

The first word in the second chapter of Ephesians is “And.” Why would there be a chapter break in the middle of a thought? We must not start the second chapter as if it is completely disconnected from the first chapter. Rather, it is directly connected. Therefore, we must remember what Paul has been teaching in the second half of the first chapter. Paul has prayed for these Ephesians Christians that they would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened. Paul wants them to have spiritual perception and their spiritual senses awakened so that they would know the hope to which they were called, the riches of his glorious inheritance, and the immeasurable greatness of his power (Ephesians 1:18-19). Paul is describing where the immeasurable greatness of the Father’s power is seen. It is first seen in the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus (Ephesians 1:20-21). Chapter 2 of Ephesians describes where else we see the immeasurable greatness of his power. It is through this power that we will understand another aspect of who we are in Christ.

The Old Condition: Dead To God (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Paul wants his readers to know who you are and your condition. You were dead. Do we know this? Do we appreciate this? I hope we have begun to grasp the significance of this after reading the first chapter of Ephesians. For us to be redeemed means that we were previously enslaved to sin with no hope of freedom. For us to be adopted means that we were previously separated from God with no rights or relationship to God and his family. For us to be heirs means that we were previously separated from the blessings of God, a covenant relationship with God, and were not part of his kingdom at all. The apostle Paul presses this image even deeper. You were dead. This is a serious spiritual condition. The dead have no power to bring themselves back to life. This is the significance of being dead in our trespasses and sins. You have no life and no power to be set free from this condition. This is not an accident. Paul emphasizes this by saying “trespasses and sins.” It is not that there is something fundamentally different between the two words. The point is that you did this to yourself. You walked in your own trespasses and your own sins. No one did this to you. You did it to yourself. You only have yourself to blame for being dead in your sin. You cannot look at your parents. You cannot look at your friends. You cannot look at God. God did not do this to you. You did this to yourself. You cannot look at anyone but yourself.

Here are the things that make us dead. As we already noted, you walk in sin and trespasses. Sin is what is the rule for your life. The ways of God are not the rule, but sin is the rule. This is further pictured as “following the course of this world.” This means that we are living by and following the standards of the world. We are only concerned with the activities and values of this present age and not concerned with God and eternal values. We are following the prince of the power of the air. Do you know what we are doing when we follow the values of the world? Do you know what we are doing when we live by the standards of this present age? You are following Satan! You are not being smart. You are not being wise. You are not “with the times.” You are not a modern thinker. You are following Satan. Satan is the ruler of this age. To conform to the ways and the thinking of this world is to conform to the ways of Satan. He is the one now at works in the sons of disobedience. What we see in this world is governed by Satan. Look carefully at what Paul says. Paul says that Satan is the one who is working in these people. Satan is behind the evil ways in government. Satan is behind the evil ways in your neighbor. Satan is behind the evil ways in you. We should know this to be the truth. What do the scriptures say happened when Judas betrayed Jesus?

Now by the time of supper, the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Him. (John 13:2 HCSB)

Who put that idea in his heart? Satan did. Am I the only one who has had sinful ideas and sinful thoughts and wondered where in the world that came from? Satan did it. He is attacking you. He is putting these ideas in you. The world acts on these ideas. Satan is at work in the sons of disobedience.

So what is the problem? We act on those thoughts just like the world does. Notice in verse 3, “Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh.” We are obeying our passions. We are obeying our desires. We are obeying our thirsts. This is walking in sin. This is living life by the ways of Satan. Verse 3 tells us that we are carrying out our own desires rather than God’s desires. Sin is to not follow the desires of God. Now consider how Paul ends this. “And were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” Without God, we choose the wrong path. We are children of disobedience. We are children of wrath. We are simply worthy of wrath. We are destined to wrath. We are deserving of wrath. We are dead and we are doomed.

The New Condition: Alive With Christ (Ephesians 2:4-6)

“But God…” These are the two greatest words. What is the immeasurable greatness of his power? “But God made us alive together with Christ.” Paul said that the immeasurable greatness of his power was toward us. Here is how that power is working toward us. We were dead but God made us alive with Christ. Why did God do this? Why did God exert the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us? First, because he is rich in mercy. God has a wealth of mercy. This action is in accordance with his character. God did not act out of character when he did this. This is who God is. He is rich in mercy. He is not occasional in his mercy. He is not sporadic in his mercy. He is rich in his mercy. Second, God did this because of his great love with which he loved us. His great love is what caused the action of mercy toward us. Even though we were dead in our sins, God acted mercifully because he has great love for us. The power that raised Christ from the dead raises us from death to life.

“By grace you have been saved.” God acted out of his own generosity and not out of any obligation. Who saved you? You did not save yourself. God saved you. You cannot save yourself because you are dead in your sins. There is nothing you could do to change that outcome unless God is first rich in mercy. We must add this language to our vocabulary: God saved us. Read these first seven verses again. What does the text say that we did to contribute to this salvation? Nothing except that we walked in sins and needed saving. That was our contribution to the matter. We are by nature children of wrath. That is all that we offer in this picture. Notice the wording that drives home that God did this without our power. Ephesians 2:5 says he made us alive. You have been saved. You have been raised up and have been seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6). You did not make yourself alive. He made us alive. You did not save yourself. He saved you. You did not raise yourself up from the dead. He raised you. You did not seat yourself with Christ. He seated you with Christ. All past tense and all done by God’s power, not our own. What an amazing God! Rather than being dead, God has made us alive and placed us in a position to receive every spiritual benefit and blessing. We deserve wrath and he gives us life and mercy.

Why Did God Do This? (Ephesians 2:7)

Verse 7 tells us why God did this. “To show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” The surpassing wealth of God’s grace must be put on display. God wants to show for all future ages and for all eternity the depths of his grace. Sinners who deserve nothing but God’s wrath become the trophies of God’s grace. We are a display case for the amazing grace of God. This is a show of kindness toward those who are located in Christ Jesus. Those who are joined to Jesus are the recipients of this wealth of mercy and grace.

Understanding these things should cause worship to explode from our hearts and from our mouths. This should be the fountain that pours from our heart rivers of joy and desire in God. This is what drives us to serve the Lord. This is what drives us to obedience. This is what changes everything about how we live. We are saved by the mercy and grace of God. Live for God.

You Are God’s Workmanship

Ephesians 2:8-10

The apostle Paul has been proclaiming the amazing spiritual blessings found in Christ. We were dead in our sins because of our own actions. We were following our own passions and desires. We were following the course of this world. We were carrying out the desires of our body and mind. We were deserving of wrath and destined to receive wrath. But God made us alive together with Christ. We see the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us through the resurrection of Christ (Ephesians 1:20) and through making us alive, though we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5). All of this is to remind us that we were dead but God has saved us. Now Paul is going to teach us that God has a purpose for our lives because he saved us.

You Are Saved By Grace Through Faith (Ephesians 2:8)

I think it should cause us to pause when we see Paul repeat this point in such a short amount of space. Go back to verse 5 where Paul says, “By grace you have been saved.” In verse 8 Paul is compelled to say it again to us. You have been saved by grace. It is a point that apparently is easy to forget. It is worth Paul repeating because we forget that we stand where we are only by the grace of God. God delivers people who are dead in sins and eternally separated from him through Christ. We do not deliver ourselves. In fact, notice that Paul presses this into our minds in verse 8. “And this is not your own doing.” Some translations say, “This is not of yourselves.” It is important to ask what the “this” is referring to. Some want to teach that faith is what Paul is referring to. Therefore, your faith is not of yourselves, but is the gift of God. However, the scholars point out that this cannot be the case because Greek gender is wrong to be referring back to faith (Hoener, 342). Instead, the “this” refers to salvation by grace. This deliverance does not come from inside of us. We did not activate this salvation. We saw this in the first chapter. Before the foundation of the world God chose us to be holy, blameless, and adopted to be his children. Before any person was created God prepared a means of deliverance from our sins so that we could be in relationship with him.

But in Ephesians 2:8 Paul adds an important component. We are saved by grace through faith. There is a requirement on our part. There is a condition given to the world for deliverance for sins. If you want to be saved by grace, there must be the response of faith. We know this when we move forward in this letter by Paul. Turn to Ephesians 4:1 where Paul urges his readers to walk in a manner worthy of the calling. These first three chapters of Ephesians are describing the calling we have been given. The final three chapters describe how to walk worthy of that calling. Paul wants to emphasize the necessity of faith while at the same time pressing the fact that salvation’s origin is God, not humanity. But still there must be the response of faith.

But what does it mean that we are saved by grace through faith? What is God asking us to do? In the most simple definition, faith is about trust. God wants us to trust him. Trust is an interesting thing. We like to think that we trust someone. But the only way we exhibit trust is by doing what they tell us to do when we are unsure of the results. Trust is not found through agreement. Trust, true faith, is forged when I don’t believe what you are telling me or I am at the very least uncertain about what you are telling me to do, but I do it anyway. This is where we stand before Christ. Being saved by grace through faith means that I will trust in the Lord to such a degree that I will do anything he asks. There are so many actions that God asks us to do that show tremendous faith in him. From turning the other cheek to putting the interests of others ahead of ourselves, we see that the Christian life is a life of faith. We are exposed to this from the very first steps. Listen to how the apostle Peter explains baptism.

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 3:21 ESV)

We are appealing to God for a good conscience. We are asking God for the cleansing of our souls. What about baptism makes sense that this is how to appeal to God for a good conscience? Baptism, along with everything God commands us to do, requires faith. The apostle Paul said the same thing to the Colossians.

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:11-12 ESV)

Notice that the apostle Paul says that baptism is an expression of faith. It is our faith in the powerful working of God. God raised Jesus from the dead, and through baptism we are expressing our faith that God is raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. For by grace you have been saved through faith. This salvation is a gift from God that looks for the response of faith.

Not A Result of Works (Ephesians 2:9)

Verse 9 contains another wonderful truth. This salvation is not a result of works. Friends, we really need to hear these words. We are so ingrained to seek a salvation by works that it is difficult to mentally rely on the grace of God. This faulty wiring is exposed in a number of ways. At a funeral, what is the comfort we want to rely upon? I have a friend whose father just passed away. The majority of the comments are about his good works. We look to something tangible for such a moment. Every funeral tries to proclaim the good works of the individual to justify hope in the afterlife. But there are lots of people who die who have done great works! This cannot be the basis of our hope.

We also see this reliance on works in our own lives. Many times we can feel uncertain about our salvation. Why do we doubt our salvation? Usually because we are trying to look to our own works of righteousness, trying to be good enough to deserve salvation. Then Christians become miserable, being uncertain whether they have “done enough.” But we cannot do enough. We cannot be good enough. The words of verse 8, “not a result of works,” become the place where our soul can rest. Your salvation does not rest in your good works but in your faith in Jesus. The cross is the work to look to for hope. We put our faith in Jesus’ dying work, not in ourselves. As Paul has just shown us, faith in Jesus acts. Faith is always active, as James points out in his book (James 2:14-26). But as soon as I look to my works for salvation, I am not trusting in Jesus anymore. I am trusting in myself. We must stop trying to save ourselves. We must stop worrying about our past sins. What does it mean that we are saved by grace? It means that you are saved in spite of your actions. By definition you and I do not deserve this salvation. So we must stop looking at our actions as if somehow we can show that salvation is deserved. Look at the rest of verse 9. God does not want us trusting in ourselves. He does not want us boasting in ourselves. Our trust is in Christ and the cross. We rest in the grace of God. “Not a result of works” gives us hope and comfort to look to the grace of God and not ourselves.

We Are His Workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)

We now come to a statement of our identity. We are God’s workmanship. The word translated “workmanship” was a word used in those times for the work of a craftsman. God determined that we would be made by him in Christ for good works so that we would walk in those good works. Good works is why we are here. These good works do not save us, as Paul already carefully pointed out. These works are the evidence that we are God’s workmanship. God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are not saved for our own benefit. We are not saved to live a self-centered life. We are saved to serve Christ. We have been created by God with great intention. We are created for good works. We are created to walk in good works. We were not created to walk in sins and trespasses. We were not created to follow the course of this world. We were not created to carry out the desires of our body and mind. We were created for something more glorious — crafted by God for good works. Each of us has an important job description given by the eternal Creator. You are not salesman. You are his workmanship. You are not here for your earthly occupation. You are here for good works. Every good work we do is simply fulfilling our God-given purpose.

What was your television made to do? What do you want your television to do? Do you want to your television to be a table? Do you wish that your television was a rug? The television was made with a purpose and our only desire is for our television to fulfill its purpose. We would not be happy if the television because upset with its purpose and tried to be a pillow instead. The television brings us joy when it does what it was made to do. We bring joy to the Father when we simply do what God has created us to do. God saved us and he wants us to do what he created for us to do in the first place. You were created to walk in good works. You are God’s handiwork. You are his workmanship. God has constructed you to be something so useful and valuable to him. Do not despise that purpose. Be what you are supposed to be. This is why you are on this earth. You are saved for good works. God’s joy is that you rejoice in fulfilling your purpose to love and serve him.

You Are Reconciled

Ephesians 2:11-22

In the first ten verses of Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul describes what God has done for us through Jesus. We were dead but God made us alive. But this is not the end of the story. There is so much more and the rest of chapter 2 teaches the continuing blessings found in Christ. In Ephesians 2:11-22 the apostle Paul teaches us about our new position corporately. We have been brought into salvation (Ephesians 2:1-10). But we are not left alone. The scriptures never speak of having a personal relationship with Christ, as if all that matters is you and God. This conveys the false idea that you can just keep to yourself and be good with God. We have been brought into salvation to be united with other believers. The scriptures regularly speak of the corporate relationship that we have. To appreciate what we have, we must first understand where we came from.

Where We Were (Ephesians 2:11-12)

Paul begins with the call to remembrance. Twice he says that we must remember in verses 11 and 12. We need to know what it means to be a Gentile. You were called “the uncircumcision” by the Jews. This slanderous term was used to speak of them as sinful heathens. Verse 12 goes on to explain five privileges that the Gentiles did not have before Christ. These disadvantages are to be remembered so they can fully appreciate the many spiritual blessings.

First, you were without Christ. There was no hope for a Savior to save them. There was no basis for them to look for a Messiah. In general, the Gentiles knew nothing about the anticipated Messiah nor did they care to learn. The Christ belonged to Israel. The Christ is first and foremost the king of Israel. The Gentiles had no part in Christ. There was no ability to belong to the coming Christ.

Second, you were excluded from the citizenship of Israel. Israel was the privileged community chosen by God as the recipients of the promise. The special privileges of God came to Israel, not to the Gentiles. Specific blessings were not poured out to the Gentiles.

Third, you were strangers to the covenants of promise. The plural “covenants” is unusual in the scriptures but likely refers to at least the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. The Gentiles had no relationship or access to the covenant God made with Israel. The Gentiles were not entitled to the benefits of the covenant community.

Fourth, the Gentiles had no hope. Without access to the covenants and promises, there was no hope to live under like Israel lived under. The Gentiles are outside the sphere of God’s people and covenant and there was no hope directly given to them that this condition would ever change. They did not share in the hope of salvation. They did not share in the hope of being able to have a relationship with the Lord.

Fifth, the Gentiles were without God in the world. The Gentiles were ignorant of the true and living God and did not believe in him (cf. Galatians 4:8). There was no way for the Gentiles to have a true relationship with God. Gentiles were pagans, believing in many deities and devoted themselves to their worship. Israel had the relationship with God. The Gentiles did not have such a relationship. Throughout the Bible we see that the greatest privilege for a people is to be near to God and the greatest curse is to be banished from his presence.

What God Did In Christ (Ephesians 2:13-18)

Verse 13 should be as powerful to us as verse 4. The first three verses of chapter 2 declared our sinfulness and our expectation of wrath. But God intervened. Such glorious words! Verse 13 acts in the same way. You were separated, without hope, and without God. “But now in Christ Jesus” all of that has changed. In Christ Jesus a dramatic change has occurred. Now you have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Jesus is the meeting point with God for all of humanity. Notice that we are not brought near by becoming Jews. We are brought near to God because of the blood of Jesus. We see the high cost of bringing us close to God — Jesus’ death. Paul is announcing the seemingly impossible: the Gentiles who were excluded from the promises of God have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Jesus is our peace. Notice that it is not that Jesus simply brought peace. He himself is our peace. The “he himself” is emphatic. It is not simply the message he proclaimed or the message proclaimed about him. It is he himself. Jesus is our peace. The first aspect of the peace in Jesus is in that he creates peace between Jew and Gentile believers by making them both one people. There were two groups of people but in Christ they have now become one people. The division between the two is broken down by his flesh. What caused this separation? Paul identifies it as “the law of commandments expressed in ordinances.” Paul is referring to the Law of Moses. It was the Mosaic regulations that caused the division to occur. The ordinances found in the Law of Moses are what set Israel apart from the world (feasts, sacrifices, food laws, etc). Christ has abolished the Law of Moses, the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments. The law lost its power and is now rendered inoperative by Christ. Now there is one people in Christ and under his covenant. A new race has been formed. In verse 15 this group is called a new humanity or new people. In verse 16 this group is called “one body.” Back in Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul called this one new body, “the church.” This is why there is peace. The Law of Moses is now the old law, rendered inoperative by the cross, so that we can now belong together as one body, one people, one group of saved people, the church.

The second aspect of peace is also important to notice. Not only are Jews and Gentiles reconciled into one body as believers, but we are also now reconciled to God. Jews and Gentiles both needed a way to at peace with God. Verse 16 points out through Christ nullifying the Law of Moses he is able to reconcile us both to God. Both Jews and Gentiles needed peace with God. Gentiles needed peace with God because they were far off and had no relationship with God in the first place. The Jews needed peace because God had brought them near and given them the Law but they broke that covenant. We need peace with God. The first three verses of chapter 2 told us that we are children of wrath. Ephesians 2:11-12 reminded us that we were separated, alienated, strangers, without hope, and without God! But Jesus came and preached peace to all (Ephesians 2:17). Jesus did not preach peace by saying everyone is okay just as they are. He preached peace by declaring that everyone needs to come to him to be reconciled to God. The cross became the defining moment so that the Law could be nailed to it. Jesus’ death, his blood which we remember every Sunday, established a covenant of peace rather than a covenant of hostility. This is the message the apostles are preaching, according to Paul and Peter. Peter says that the message God sent to Israel was the message of the good news of peace through Jesus (Acts 10:36).

Ephesians 2:18 tells us that it is equal access to the Father. There is no special privilege to one group over the other. Paul has been clear that there are not two groups but one. Any doctrine that teaches otherwise, suggesting one group has a greater status or privilege, is completely false! The one body receives equal access and equal privilege to the Father. It is the same Spirit, one Spirit, for equal access and equal reconciliation.

Who You Are (Ephesians 2:19-22)

There are three images that are used in this section to describe who we are through the blood of Jesus. The first image is that we are fellow citizens. Now we are no longer strangers. We are not outsiders anymore. The idea is that we were foreigners without any rights. I saw this many times when living in San Diego. Americans would take day trips to Mexico. Everyone wants to go to Tijuana and I don’t know why. But there was a problem with going there that most did not think about. Being an American has no power there. You are a foreigner. You are in another country and you are not afforded the rights given to Americans here when on Mexican soil. So many had difficulties getting back across because of this. Being of another nationality does not afford you any privileges here. In fact, it prevents you from enjoying the rights and privileges that we experience here. This is the idea. You were foreigners. You have no rights or privileges to the kingdom of God. But now you are citizens. Through Christ you now belong, with full rights and privileges. You are citizens with the saints. You are on equal footing with the saints of the past like Abraham, Moses, and David.

Not only this, you are members of the household of God. This is the second image of who we are in Christ. The church building is not the household of God. Together as Christians we belong to the household of God. You are full family members with God as your Father. There is no greater household to belong to in life. There is no better family to be joined to. We had no access to God at all. Now we belong to God’s house through the blood of Christ. This calls for us to look at one another differently as well. We are the family of God. We are joined together and must love one another and act toward one another like family. This family is the most important family that we have. We must not only see our responsibility to one another as family in God’s house, but desire to be joined together. In Ephesians 4:16 Paul describes how we as the body are to be joined and held together. It is a privilege that we have been brought together in Christ. We must not see our time together as duty but a joy. Yet too few see the joy of joining ourselves together as family.

The third image of who we are and what we belong to is a holy temple. When Gentiles became Christians they were immediately placed on a firm foundation. The foundation of this glorious house to which we belong is the apostles and prophets. We are built upon them because it is their writings and teachings through the Holy Spirit moving them to speak and write the very words of God that we have responded to. This is the access we have in the one Spirit to the Father. We will talk more about this concept in the next lesson. The basis of this whole structure is Jesus. Jesus is the cornerstone. He is the stone by which every stone in the foundation and structure must be aligned and measured. Jesus is the most important stone in the whole building. We are joined into a holy temple. The temple was the place where the presence of God dwelled. He was not actually in the temple, but the temple represented that God was there, blessing his people, providing for his people, and protecting his people. Verse 22 makes the point explicitly clear. We are built together into the dwelling place for God. God was far away to the Gentiles but now he is with you.

Being a temple to the Lord is not a self-centered concept. I think this has happened in teaching about the temple far too often. The point is not that this is an individualized idea where we stand independently because we are a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Remember that the point is that we are joined together corporately. Paul is telling Gentiles who they are together in Christ. The temple is not a selfish concept but is the place where God and humanity meet. The temple was the place where the people could turn to God. The temple was the place where they could offer their sacrifices to God. The temple was the place where people repented and moved closer to God. Friends, we together collectively are to be that temple. We are to be the place where people come and meet God because he is with us. We are to operate in such a way so that the world will meet God through us. It is an indescribable privilege given to us that we are built into a holy temple to the Lord. The world needs to find God through us and everything we do is to reveal God, draw people to God, and point people to go to God. What we do must reflect our love for Christ and represent ourselves as a temple to the Lord.

Conclusion

We were completely separated and excluded from God, his covenants, and his promises. But now through Christ he has made us fellow citizens in this glorious kingdom. God has made us family in the household of God, with all the privileges and rights of family members. God has made us a holy temple to the Lord, showing the world the glory of Christ and drawing the world to him. You are reconciled to God. You have been given a glorious life purpose with that reconciliation. You are built on Christ. Grow into the temple of God.

You Are To Display God’s Wisdom

Ephesians 3:1-13

Everyone loves a mystery. We have mystery books and mystery movies. Everyone wants to know the answer to a mystery. Mysteries that go unsolved give cause for speculation and conjecture. Everyone wants the resolution to a mystery. God had a mystery also. For thousands of years God possessed a mystery that many longed to know but were unable to know because it had not been revealed to them. As we begin our study I want to give you an outline for our text. Paul is going to tell us how we can know the mystery (Ephesians 3:1-5), what is the mystery (Ephesians 3:6), the ministry of the mystery (Ephesians 3:7-9), and what is our purpose in relation to the mystery (Ephesians 3:10-13).

How To Know The Mystery (Ephesians 3:1-5)

Paul begins in Ephesians 3:1 to state a prayer on behalf of the Gentiles. But before he enters this prayer, he starts down another valuable road concerning this mystery. It seems that in verse 14 the apostle Paul returns to what he started in verse 1 as he restarts his prayer to God on their behalf. Rather, Paul says that the Ephesians know why he is doing what he is doing. You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me. Paul says that he was given the responsibility as a steward of the gospel of grace to extend the message of God. In the Colossian letter he describes this stewardship as making the gospel fully known. Now this message he calls a “mystery.” A mystery was made known to Paul by revelation. In Ephesians 3:5 Paul says that this mystery was not revealed to people. No one else received this revelation of the mystery of the gospel. No one else was given this revealing from God. The mystery of the gospel was revealed to the holy apostles and prophets by the Holy Spirit. Please note this truth that the apostle Paul is declaring. God is not revealing the mystery of the gospel to humanity by directly speaking to them. God is not directly revealing his will to Christians. God revealed the mystery of the gospel through the Holy Spirit to the apostles and prophets. In fact, consider that this is what made one an apostle or prophet: receiving direct revelation from God.

So how are we to know what we must do? How are to learn the gospel? How can we know the mystery that God has finally revealed? Carefully read verse 4. “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ.” Paul says that you can have his mind (this is what the word “insight” is getting at). You can have the same knowledge as Paul. You can have the same mind as Paul concerning this mystery of the gospel. How? Paul says when you read his words. The Holy Spirit revealed the mystery of God to his apostles and prophets and when you read you also can understand the mystery. We must feel the weight of what Paul is saying. God is not revealing himself to you or to me. He already revealed himself to his apostles and prophets. Those apostles and prophets who received the stewardship of God’s grace wrote those words down so that all people for all generations could read and have the same insight into this revelation. Now go back to Ephesians 1:20 where Paul is praying that the Ephesians Christians would have a spirit of wisdom so that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened. How would this wisdom and enlightenment come? When you read with that spirit of discernment and wisdom you will have the eyes of your heart enlightened. This is why the writer of Hebrews could powerfully declare that the Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). These words will enlighten your heart and illumine your mind.

What Is The Mystery (Ephesians 3:6)

In verse 6 Paul explicitly declares what this mystery was that has now been revealed to the world through the apostles and prophets. The Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. The mystery is the message of the gospel. How would God save the world when there was only one chosen people, Israel, who had miserably failed in living by the glory of God? Ephesians 2:11-22 explained how God did it. Jesus would nullify the covenant of hostility that separated Jews and Gentiles and create a new body of people, so that all who belong to Jesus, regardless of race, would be reconciled to God and saved from their sins. Paul summed this mystery up in Colossians 1:27 — “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The good news of salvation and reconciliation was not revealed to humanity, but to God’s special servants which we can fully understand when we read what they wrote. This puts all people on an equal plane. No Christian is greater than another. What I am giving to you when I teach is not by special revelation by God but by diligently pouring over the Word of God and declaring to you what I have read. Read and you can understand the gospel. There is no other mechanism and there is no other way. If there is, then God foolishly wasted his time having the apostles and prophets write and preserve these words.

The Ministry of the Mystery (Ephesians 3:7-9)

The apostle Paul goes on to say that this is not a message they could sit on. They became stewards of the grace of God to preach. Paul does not describe his effort to preach to the world as a duty or chore. Paul calls this “the gift of God’s grace.” It was a gift of grace given to Paul to be able to share the gospel message to the Gentiles. This is not a task. This is a joy. It was an honor to Paul, an honor that he says he did not deserve. He calls himself the least of all God’s believers and unworthy to proclaim this mystery of grace. Notice what Paul is preaching. Paul called what he is writing down and preaching “the mystery of Christ” a couple verses ago. Now Paul calls this “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Paul says he is telling the world about the incomprehensible riches of Christ that has now been revealed. When you read what the apostles and prophets wrote, you can know the unsearchable riches of Christ! Now what is the purpose of all this? Are we to read the words of the Holy Spirit so that we can be smarter? Are we to read the words of the Holy Spirit so that we can have an extra jewel in our crown in heaven? Are we to read because God likes to give out homework? Does all of this terminate on us?

The Purpose of the Mystery (Ephesians 3:10-13)

Notice that verse 10 begins, “So that.” Paul now gives the reason for all of this. Paul is proclaiming and writing down the mystery of Christ, the gospel, the unsearchable riches of Christ, to the Gentiles “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” God has entrusted the gospel message of reconciliation to the apostles and prophets who wrote it all down so that we would understand when we read so that the church… The church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). The church is not something that does not include you. Notice that Paul goes back to a corporate concept, not an individual concept. We, together as the body of believers, will do something. This mystery does not terminate on us. The gospel message of reconciliation was proclaimed so that each of us together as the body of Christ, the church, would display the manifold wisdom of God. We are displaying the staggering depth and vastness of God’s wisdom. What God did by his grace in reconciling us to himself was to display his wisdom to all creation, even the heavenly places. Did you notice that? This is so that the wisdom of God would be displayed “to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” We are displaying God’s vast wisdom to all creation, including the spiritual realm. God has revealed his will to change your life and reconcile you to him to display his own glory and wisdom to all creation. This was the eternal purpose of God accomplished through Jesus (Ephesians 3:11).

Conclusion

How can we display the wisdom of God to the rulers in the heavenly places? A transformed life that comes from faith in Jesus is certainly the starting point. We show the wisdom of God when we renounced the wicked ways of the world and strive to avoid sinful living. We show the wisdom of God to the creation when we love others as God has called us. God revealed his will to us by the Holy Spirit through the apostles and prophets so that we would display his wisdom. This is our purpose. When we read his words, we are to become so different that it shows God’s wisdom to creation. When we remain unchanged and do not desire worship and do not desire holiness and do not desire fellowship, then God’s wisdom is not on display. In fact, such actions blaspheme God’s wisdom. Therefore:

• ·    You can know the mystery of Christ, the gospel message of reconciliation. Desire to learn the message. Desire to know it because it was not clear before God revealed it to his apostles and prophets. To know God does not mean looking for some kind of miraculous experience. God told you how you can know what was revealed to the apostles: read what the apostles and prophets wrote. God’s grace has allowed us to be full citizens in God’s kingdom and full family members in God’s house. We must want to know more about what this means for our lives.

• ·    God revealed his mystery of the gospel so that together we would display his wisdom. Our lives must be changed individually and our lives must be radically altered for fellowship and love for each other. We must show we are body of Christ to the world and to the heavenly places so that they become in awe of the wisdom of God.

• ·    Don’t lose heart. Don’t let your suffering or the suffering others stop you from fulfilling your purpose to display God’s wisdom. Not sure you can perform your purpose? Look at verse 12. “In Christ we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” We have boldness and access to the throne to ask for strength and help for transformation by God’s grace. God’s wisdom is shown when God takes our sinful, weak hearts and turns us into strong followers of Jesus by faith. God is glorified when he takes our wrecked lives and shows his glory through us.

You Are Strengthened

Ephesians 3:14-21

In these first three chapters the apostle Paul has been teaching his audience who they are. He wants Christians to understand their new identity in Christ. We have learned that we are saints. We are full of faith in Jesus. We are chosen by God before the foundation of the world. We are predestined by God for adoption. We are redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus. We are heirs, obtaining an inheritance when we heard the word of truth, living to the praise of his glory. We were made alive, though we were dead in our sins and trespasses. We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. We are reconciled to God in one body so that there is no longer Jews or Gentiles, but simply Christians having equal access to the Father. In our last lesson we learned that we are to display God’s wisdom, showing all creation how good and wise God is. Paul concludes his description of our identity in Ephesians 3:14-21 by teaching that we have been strengthened in Christ. God wants you to know that you have strength. We can feel so weak in our Christian walk but God wants you to know the strength that is accessible to you.

The Prayer for Strengthening (Ephesians 3:14-16)

Paul returns to his prayer that he seems to have started in the first verse of chapter 3. The prayer is a continuation from chapter 1 where Paul declared that he did not cease to remember these Christians in his prayers. Paul said that he was praying that they would know the “immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19). So Paul returns to his prayer for these Christians, desiring that they would be “strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” From the riches of God’s glory, Paul prays that God would strengthen these Christians with power. Notice that the goal is not physical strength but spiritual strength. It is your inner being that is being strengthened. He is praying that God would making them spiritually strong. Do you want spiritual strength? Do you want to be strong in the Lord? This strength can be given to you by God through the Spirit. What a prayer that we must pray regularly for ourselves and for one another!

Now consider why this is so important. In chapter 1 the apostle Paul’s prayer was that they would know this power in Christ. With the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will be able to know the hope you have, the riches you have, and the power toward us. Paul continues that he does not simply want you to know it, but to do something with that knowledge. That knowledge is supposed to strengthen you. We know what God has called us to and now Paul prays that you will be strengthen and enabled by the Lord to live it and be transformed. Earlier in chapter 3 Paul taught that when you read what he and the apostles and prophets wrote, you would have the same mind, insight, and knowledge as them. That knowledge will strengthen you. This reminds us that the word of God is not mere words on the printed page. This is the Holy Spirit working in our lives. This is why the author of Hebrews could declare the word of God is living and active and has the power to cut to the deepest parts of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

The Result of Strengthening (Ephesians 3:17)

In verse 17 the apostle Paul tells us the result of this strengthening. Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith. Christ is to make his home in your heart. Christ is the very center of your life. Your life will be deeply rooted in him. Christ must become the controlling factor in our attitude and in our conduct. Our inner being is being strengthened by God through the Holy Spirit resulting in the deep indwelling of Christ in your heart through faith. Notice the two images that Paul uses to communicate this idea: “Rooted and grounded in love.” Being rooted carries and agricultural image and being grounded or established carries an architecture image. This is your strength. You will be stabilized in your life like a strong tree rooted into the ground or like a powerful building properly established. Trees are amazing. In our strong winds those trees still stand. They are rooted properly to be able to withstand any force that comes against them. When a building is properly established and constructed it is able to withstand great forces that come against it. In San Diego it was always humorous to me when an earthquake would hit and the tourists would get on the news and talk about how this tall hotel building was shaking and swaying. The reason it is humorous was that if the building did not sway like it was built to do, it would have collapsed. Built properly and rooted properly, buildings and trees are prepared to handle external forces.

In the same way, our foundation is the love of God. We are rooted and grounded in love. The first three chapters have poured out an amazing picture of God’s love for his people. He chose us, predestined us, adopted us, inherited us, blessed us, saved us, reconciled us, and strengthened us. The eyes of our hearts are enlightened to know the hope, riches, and power so that Christ will be the foundation of our lives. Christ will dwell in our hearts. I should not have to make this point because I think we see that Christ dwelling in us is a metaphor. Jesus the person is not actually inside of you, of course. The metaphor pictures Christ as the center of our lives, controlling our lives, and changing our lives. When this strengthening with power comes, it will stabilize your life, causing you to be firmly rooted in Christ. This is the only way I have survived the trials in my life and it is the only way we will continue to survive the fierce attack of our common enemy, Satan.

The Reason for Strengthening (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Why do we need this strength? Paul explains further in verse 18. Paul has prayed this so that we “may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Now consider who Paul is writing this to. He is not writing to unbelievers but to Christians. Paul is praying for God to strengthen them because we can let down our guard and spiritually coast through life with no intensity for Christ. We can forget that our lives are to be controlled by Christ. Christ is to be at the very center of our lives, deeply rooted in our hearts.

Paul prays why this is so important. We need to know the love of Christ. Paul wants us to have the strength to comprehend the dimensions of the love of Christ. I want you to get your mind around the love of Christ. I want you to know the depths of Christ’s love. I want you to know the heights of Christ’s love. I want you to know the length of Christ’s love. Okay, Paul. What is the height, breadth, length, and depth of Christ’s love? Look at Ephesians 3:19. Christ’s love is immeasurable. Christ’s love is incalculable. The love of Christ is so vast that we cannot begin to comprehend it. But Paul says that I want you to have the strength to try to understand this love.

Why do we need to try to understand the vastness of this love? So that “you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” We will not live as God’s holy, chosen ones until we try to comprehend the love and mercy of Christ. We cannot begin to be followers and lovers of Jesus until we try to know the love of Christ. We immediately slip back into foolish and sinful living when we forget the love of Christ. We stop desiring Jesus when we forget his love for us. We stop following Jesus under the weight of Satan’s trials and temptations when we forget the love of Christ.

Paul has prayed that you would have enduring spiritual strength. The result of that strengthening by God through the Spirit is that you will be rooted and grounded because Christ is at home in your life, the very center of your life. You should desire this strengthening and pray for this strengthening so that you may know the love of Christ because that will be the catalyst to transform your life to the fullness of God. You can be transformed. You can have a radically new life. You can be strengthened by God through the Spirit. You can be rooted and grounded in love. You can have strength in your inner being. Don’t believe it? Listen to how Paul concludes this thought in verses 20-21.

The Power for Strengthening (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). God can do this through his strength. He not only can do what he ask, he can do all that we ask. In fact, he can do “above all that we ask.” He can do abundantly above all that we ask. The power is seen that God can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask.” If this was not enough, he can do well beyond all that we ask or think! This strength can happen through the power of God. Hoener writes that this is one literal translation: “To the one who is able to do beyond everything, very far in excess of that which we ask or think.”

Now read the rest of this verse. Where is this exceedingly abundant power at work? The power of God is at work within us. God can do far beyond what you can ask or imagine. His power can change your life. His power can transform those habits, vices, sins, and make us to be what God has called us to be. You have a glorious identity in Christ. His power can change everything about you. Will you let God change your through his Spirit to strengthen your inner being? God can do it and this is our purpose. God’s strength is greater than your sin. “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.” God’s glory is to be seen in us, the body of Christ, the church. Live for the glory of God.

Walk Worthy of the Calling

Ephesians 4:1-3

Paul has written this letter to the Ephesians and God has preserved it for our reading so that we would learn who we are. God wants you to know who you are. You have an identity and that identity has been given to you by God. You have been called to a great calling. You have been called to something more than mundane living on this earth. Chapter 3 told us that we are to display God’s wisdom and glory. This is what we have been called to do. We are chosen, redeemed, predestined, adopted, heirs, saved, and reconciled so that God would be glorified and his wisdom would be on display. Ephesians 3:21 summarizes the calling. That God would be glorified through us (the church) and through Jesus for all generations forever and ever. God being glorified is our calling.

Walk Worthy (Ephesians 4:1)

Our purpose is that God is glorified by people for all generations. Therefore, Paul urges us “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” If our purpose is to display God’s glory and God be glorified through us, then there is a particular way to live our lives for this calling. We do not get to be a Christian and act how we want to act or do what we want to do. That is not our calling. This walk is our response to all that God has done for us, which we read about in the first three chapters of Ephesians. We are to live lives reflecting this new identity. You have been called to something great and glorious. Walk worthy of it! In chapter 2 Paul condemned us because we were walking in a way that followed the ways of this world, following the plans of Satan, following the passions of our flesh, and carrying out the desires of the body and mind. That is the former walk. Now you have a new walk. The new walk is not to go back carrying out your desires in your body and mind. The new walk is not following your passions. Your new walk is not following the ways of this world. Now you are to walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

Now Paul says something subtle, but very important in this first verse. Paul says, “I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord.” Paul starts there before he tells us to walk worthy of the calling. Why does Paul bring up that he is a prisoner for Christ at this moment? Walking worthy is going to be costly. Paul urges to walk in this way understanding that the walk is costly. You will not fit in with the world. Understand that trying to walk according to our calling is countercultural. How you will now behave is the opposite of what the world thinks is right or good.

The Character Which Brings Christian Unity (Ephesians 4:2)

Now, consider what you think would be the first command for walking worthy. Of all the things that God could command us first to consider in walking worthy of the calling, what do you think that command would be? Read Ephesians 4:2-3 and notice that the first point Paul makes is for Christian unity. In verse 2 teaches us the character needed to maintain Christian unity. Verse 3 gives us the charge to maintain this unity. Are we surprised that the first quality Paul addresses for walking worthy is unity? Unity is very important to our Lord because a lack of unity cannot bring God glory. Disharmony wrecks God being glorified.

Paul begins with the attitudes necessary for unity. Too often there has been an attitude that we can have unity on doctrine alone. There is an attitude that as long as we agree that there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one body, one Spirit, one hope, and one God and Father of all, then we can be ugly to each other, have poor attitudes, be rude, attacking, and the like and still have unity. I have seen and heard far too many times supposed Christians attempt to defend the gospel and defend the truth by being angry, vicious, slanderous, condescending, and sometimes even being deceitful. I unfortunately experienced this when I was training to preach. A preacher from another city decided that what we were doing was wrong, primarily because we met in homes for Bible study on Wednesday night rather than meeting at the building. The ugly, hateful attitudes and words were just shocking to me.

I want us to notice where Paul starts for Christian unity. “With all humility and gentleness with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). There cannot be unity without these things. It does not matter how much doctrine we think we have correct. We have missed the gospel completely and do not know the calling to which we have been called when we are lacking humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearing. Jesus exerted the power of God and defended the teachings of Christ without resorting to being ugly or hateful. I think we can get the idea of how we are to behave when we read humility, gentleness, and patience. People are going to say things and do things that are simply not right and unscriptural. We are to respond with humility, gentleness, and patience. The other Christians in this room do not know what you know. They may not have studied the scriptures as long as you have. They may not be as smart as you think you are. They may be confused on some teachings. They may have adopted some ideas that others have taught but are not found in the scriptures. How are we going to handle these things? A correcting response must be with humility, gentleness, and patience. Some of you simply will not accept some of the concepts from the scriptures I have taught while I have been here. How should I handle that? Should I be angry? Should I be more forceful with you? Should I put you down? Should I intimidate you? Should I make slanderous comments about you to you or to others? No! When other Christians are speaking, we must remember humility, gentleness, and patience.

If this was not enough, Paul says that we are to bear with one another in love. We are to endure patiently with one another because we love the soul of the person. We love each other and will continue to work together without bitterness or anger. Think about how we talk to each other. Think about how we act toward each other. Think about these things especially when we are disagreeing. Why? Paul continues in verse 3.

The Charge To Maintain Christian Unity (Ephesians 4:3)

We are to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Some translations rightly read that we are to make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We are to desire unity and do all we can to continue it. Notice that we are not to create unity but to maintain it. We are to keep the unity that is already in existence that comes from the calling. We have been joined together in Christ. Be eager to maintain that unity. Be diligent to maintain this unity. Make every effort to continue together in unity.

Consider: We do not have unity if it cannot be seen. Unity is not something that is a concept. Unity is seen in behavior. A lack of unity in a marriage is evident. Unity in a marriage is evident. If we have unity in Christ, then it will be evident. Peace is the bond that holds this unity together. We will see peace in our relationships and behaviors. We desire unity and will make every effort to maintain that unity.

(Picture many links of chain not connected.) This is not unity. Too often we think this is unity. Occasionally all the links sit in the same room. But this is not a chain. They are not unified. There is no unity. We do not have unity unless we have participation and involvement. The purpose of our Bible studies is to facilitate unity. Too many are disgruntled by our Bible studies and community groups because we do not understand what someone is saying or do not agree. We are to exhibit humility, gentleness, and patience. We are showing we are not eager for unity when we avoid these opportunities. We can never come to unity if we are not together in the word of God. It can never happen. Then for us to intentionally miss these occasions because it is too early, too late, too far, too tired, or whatever shows that we do not desire unity. Where is the loving deference for one another when our attitude is that we do not need these things?

Too many of us get way too uptight about disagreement in Bible study. There is nothing wrong with us disagreeing as long as we are maintaining these attitudes during our disagreement. We have a false unity if the teacher is teaching and everyone just nods their heads like mindless drones. This is not about assimilation. This is not a cult. We are to think through the scriptures and discuss these things together. We should be excited about the opportunity that we can do this together. Don’t be upset if there is a massive disagreement in a study. Don’t think that something has gone horribly wrong. I am disappointed to hear people think that we can’t disagree. We are going to disagree. Paul and Barnabas disagreed. The beauty is that we can disagree, maintain unity, practice and worship together, and love each other all the while still not seeing “eye to eye” on various points. This is a great thing! We must not despise it. We cannot expect instant maturity out of people. You did not start there. You may not be there yet. There are many here who are not there yet. Instead, we must have patience, humility, and gentleness, bearing with one another in love. This is how we learn. This is how we grow. This is how we become a chain rather than remaining individual links.

Conclusion

We are to walk worthy of this glorious calling we have been given. Walking worthy means being eager and making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. As we make this walk with Christ, let us have a greater focus on unity.

First, let us be more patient with each other. Let us be more gentle with each other. Let us be humble, not thinking so much of our abilities or knowledge. Let us bear with one another because of the love we have through Christ.

Second, let us be eagerly maintaining the unity that is to be found in Christ. Unity is visible. Unity is not accidental. Unity requires us merging our lives in God’s word regularly. Otherwise we are individual links who have proximity to one another but are the united chain we are to be in Christ.

The Basis For Unity

Ephesians 4:4-6

Paul has urged us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. As we have noticed in our study of Ephesians, the calling was our identity that Paul described in the first three chapters. We are chosen, adopted, heirs, saved, and reconciled. As Ephesians 3:21 summarizes, we exist to glorify God. Because we exist to glorify God, then we must live a certain way. We cannot continue to live to follow the desires of the mind and body. God has condemned that life for living that way made us children of wrath and made us dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). Paul tells us that walking worthy of the calling begins with the need for unity. In our last lesson we noticed that we are to maintain the unity of the Spirit by having proper attitudes toward one another. We are to practice humility, gentleness, as patience as we bear with one another. There cannot be unity if we are not practicing these characteristics. But these things alone will not bring us to unity. While we must have these characteristics to be united we must also have a basis for unity. Paul teaches us this basis in Ephesians 4:4-6.

Introducing The Seven “Ones”

In the first three verses the exhortation to unity focused on the loving deference we must have for one another. In verses 4-6 you will notice that the exhortation to unity is based on seven unalterable, absolute truths. Now I want us to consider something very important. I want to consider how this passage is one of the most violated passages in Christianity. Within Christianity (and I am referring to people that claim to be followers of Christ from all denominations and non-denominations), everyone agrees on only three of these statements. The three that are agreed upon are one Spirit, one Lord, and one God and Father. The others are not and this is a great problem.

If you ask someone if there is one faith, people will respond that we can have all kinds of different beliefs and actions toward God. In fact, there is why there are so many different groups under the loosely defined umbrella of Christianity. Everyone believes and practices different things. Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, and on and on believe different things. Yet some will try to say that we are all the same and it does not matter what you believe or practice. But Paul said that there is only one faith.

Ask someone if there is only one body. Some will say that there is one body, but it consists of all these different religions or denominations. Some will say that there are many ways to God. Some will say that it does not matter what you believe or what faith you have, as long as you are seeking, you are going to find God. But the scripture teaches that there is only one group of believers, not many bodies.

Once again ask someone if there is one baptism. Again many will say that there are all kinds of baptisms. In fact, baptism is not important at all and the form does not matter. But the scripture teaches there is one baptism. We cannot have one Spirit who directly revealed the mind and the will of God and have multiple faiths, multiple bodies, and multiple actions. We cannot have one Lord and still have diverse faiths, diverse bodies, and diverse practices. We cannot have one God and Father of all and have all the different things that we see in the religious world today. These seven ones are the basis for unity. They are absolute and cannot be altered. These seven “ones” depend on one another. Either there are seven “ones,” these absolute truths to be believed in or there are none of these. One God gave one faith. The one Spirit revealed the one hope. One Lord created one body. One Lord gave one baptism. We cannot have unity at any price. Paul gives us these seven “ones” that are the ground for unity. They are our doctrinal undergirding that cannot be changed or altered in anyway. We are joined by these “ones.” This is to be our common ground and foundation.

One Body

It is easy to forget that this is a picture. We read the term that we belong to the body of Christ and forget what this implies. If you belong to the body, then you do what the head (which is Christ) says. You obey him. You function under his control and will. One body means that there is one group of saved people who belong to Jesus and those people are those who are walking worthy of the calling. They are listening to the head, which is Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). There cannot be multiple bodies, just as your head cannot have multiple bodies. Those who belong to Jesus, were purchased by Jesus, and listen to Jesus are the body. Thus we want to identify ourselves with other people who are doing the same thing. All local churches are not created equal and it does matter where you go because you want to work with people that are listening to and doing what Jesus instructed.

Further, this reminds us that look beyond ourselves. The body does not consist merely of Christians in West Palm Beach. The body consists of Christians all over the world, in every city. This means that we have a concern and show support for others who are faithful to the Lord. Our vision is not only here in West Palm Beach. Our vision is for the kingdom of the Lord across the globe. I cannot simply focus my attention only here and be blind to the needs of the Lord’s kingdom in other places. We must have a vision of the work of the kingdom of the Lord. We have moved too far into hyper-isolation. Too often we have no contact and no care for other Christians in other places. There was a time when Christians had this vision. When another church had a gospel meeting, many Christians would attend to support that meeting. But you see today that few come to our lectureship from other places and, to be fair, few from here go to support others. The apostle Peter commands us to “love the brotherhood” (1 Peter 2:17). When we read the book of Acts, we certainly see church autonomy. But we certainly see relationships that extended beyond the local church and a care and action for Christians in those other cities across the Roman Empire. We are not in competition with other sound local churches like the Christians who meet at Savona Blvd in Port St. Lucie or the Christians who meet at Harding Street in Hollywood. Our concern is fighting Satan and bringing souls to Jesus.

One Spirit

Our unity is based on the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit revealed the will of the Lord. The Holy Spirit showed us the way we are to go. There are not multiple directions to God. Remember what Paul taught about the Spirit in Ephesians 3:3-5 that the one Spirit revealed the mystery of God to the apostles and prophets so that all who read what they wrote can understand and have the same insight as them. The work of the Spirit is what works on our hearts and transforms our lives.

One Hope

It is no surprise that the one Spirit leads us into the one hope. This is what the Spirit was promising over and over again. The Spirit would be poured out when the Christ came which would bring about renewed hearts, the restoration of the blessings of God upon his people, the restored kingdom of God offered to all who would enter, and the restoration of God’s covenant in which people come receive forgiveness of sins. We are joined together in this one hope because we stand on these restored blessings and privileges. Through these restored blessings we can belong to the Father and spend our eternity with him in worship and praise. We have one hope. That one hope is not to make more money. That one hope is not to live a long life. That one hope is not be healthy, wealthy, and wise. That one hope is not about anything in this life in terms of a physical pursuit. Our one hope is to be in continued fellowship with the Lord forever. We cannot have unity if we all do not have this same hope.

One Lord

The concept is very simple. Jesus is in charge. Jesus is the Lord. When I do what I want, then I am saying that there are two lords: Jesus and myself. When we choose to not do exactly what Jesus said, then Jesus is no longer the Lord. Then we have problem because God said there is one Lord and it is not you or me. Unity does not come by ignoring our differences with other Christians or other local churches. Unity is found when everyone submits to the one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

One Faith

This leads us to the one faith. This means that there is one body of truth that has been revealed by God through the Spirit. We cannot believe whatever we want to believe and still have one faith. There is one faith. There is one set of revealed teachings from God. So we cannot follow our heart. We cannot follow what we think is right. We are commanded to come to unity of that faith. We conform ourselves to that one teaching.

Now, in our world today this is where people start having a problem. People will say that it is arrogance to declare that there is only one faith. That is intolerant. Declaring one Lord is already under attack. But now you have crossed the line when you say that there is only one faith. There is only one way to live your life. There is only one standard that is revealed by the one Lord. How arrogant to say that there is one way! How arrogant to say that there is one faith!

But let’s consider this argument for a moment. Is there an answer to 2+2? You may say that the answer is 4. Are you being arrogant for declaring that there is only one answer to 2+2? Are you being intolerant in your response? How dare you suggest that there is only one way! I believe in my heart that 2+2 equals 7. That is what I like, that is what I want to believe, and you cannot tell me otherwise. Are being narrow-minded for rejecting my answer? Are you being short-sighted and intolerant for rejecting the notion that 2+2 equals 7. Absolutely not. Truth is not arrogance. Truth is not intolerance. Truth is truth. There are things in life that are absolute. We have to get over this false notion that nothing is absolute. In fact, the statement itself, “Nothing is absolute” is an absolute statement that by definition must be rejected! Of course there is truth. Of course there is knowledge. Of course there are absolutes. The problem is that we like to get the things of God pulled this nonsense. There is one faith. We act like having humility is to be wishy-washy and not stand for the one faith. Paul commanded humility in this context (4:2) while declaring unity that is built only on these seven truths.

Let me go one step further. Is it intolerant for a doctor to never consider prescribing poison to you? I have never been outraged that my doctor has never prescribed me poison for medication. Should I call my doctor “narrow-minded?” Guess what? I want him to be narrow-minded. I don’t want him thinking about giving me poison. Why? Because there are absolutes. There is one truth. This is true when it comes to God because he said so. There is one faith. There is one way.

One Baptism

There is one meaning to baptism. The apostle Peter makes the meaning clear. 1 Peter 3:21 says that this is how we appeal to God for a clean conscience. We cannot try to skip around or dance around the clear reading of these texts. Baptism is not a sacrament. Baptism shows a faithful response by the person to God, requesting forgiveness, a cleansing of the conscience. Baptism is not a mere sign, seal, or symbol. The scriptures never describe baptism that way, though many try to frame baptism that way.

Further, there is only one form of baptism and that is immersion. We never read of any other form. Everyone went down into the water. Jesus did. Throughout the book of Acts we see immersion, like Acts 8:38. Paul said that we were “buried with Christ in baptism” (Romans 6:4). There was not sprinkling or pouring of water in the New Testament as baptism. All examples of baptism are immersion in water. Immersion is the picture of the one baptism.

But we must note that baptism is necessary. If baptism is not necessary, why is this included in the list? These seven “ones” are the basis for unity. Baptism is listed as one of the seven unalterable, absolute truths. If baptism is not necessary, then why would this belong on this list? Nothing else on this list is optional. You cannot decide not to believe in one Lord, one faith, or one hope. Nor can we reject one baptism. There is one way to ask God for grace. There is one way to enter into the relationship with the Father. This is what the scriptures repeatedly describe. Romans 6 teaches that this is how we are joined with Christ. Acts 2 tells us that this when sins are forgiven. Colossians 2 says that baptism is when the sins of the flesh are cut off. If baptism is not necessary, why were twelve disciples of John commanded to be baptized in Acts 19?

I don’t know why so many are uncomfortable with baptism. I really don’t understand. Let no one ever think that. But baptism is certainly not irrelevant or unnecessary. Paul says it is the basis for our unity in Christ. Again,

One God and Father

There is only one Father. There is not Allah or some other conjured up god or idol. There is not some “big man in the sky” or some vague “greater power.” There is one God and no other.

Conclusion

This is the one family in Christ with our shared Father, sharing the same hope, on the same basis of faith and grace. Peace comes by recognizing that we share the same identity, the same testimony, and same Father. Unity depends on proper attitudes (Ephesians 4:1-3) and proper beliefs (Ephesians 4:4-6). These seven truths stand whether we like them or not. You can not like that 2+2=4 but it is still the truth. It is still unchanging and absolute.

Grow!

Ephesians 4:7-16

The apostle Paul is urging that we walk worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We have a God-given purpose. When we try to live outside of that purpose, we find pain and sorrow. Living according to this God-given purpose is the only way to find joy, peace, satisfaction, and fulfillment. The first aspect of us walking worthy is the need to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This unity will be maintained when we have proper attitudes of humility, gentleness, and patience (Ephesians 4:1-3) and when we build our faith on seven absolute truths (Ephesians 4:4-6). Paul is going to explain how this unity will be maintained in the body of Christ. You can see this in verse 13 where the result is attaining the unity of the faith. Unity is not going to come to the body by all of us being exactly the same. Unity is not by duplication. We are not going to be carbon copies of each other and thus maintain unity. Unity does not exist in being the same in person or responsibility. Instead, unity exists because the same one God and Father and one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave the gifts. Therefore, our differences will be highlighted and elevated so that unity will exist to the glory of the Father. This is what Paul explains in Ephesians 4:7-16.

Jesus’ Authority To Give Gifts (Ephesians 4:7-10)

The way that unity would occur by the hand of God is that Christ would give gifts. Verse 7 is so interesting because it almost sounds like he started an argument that we have not read yet. Verse 7 begins with the word “But” somehow contrasting what was said earlier in the fourth chapter. We have these seven absolute truths that are the foundation for our unity. But that was not all. Grace was given to each of us. “Grace” is not referring to salvation here. The reason we know this is because Ephesians 4:7 says that there were varying measures given of grace. There are not varying measures of salvation. You are saved or you are not. “Grace” refers to blessings and gifts by God. Each of us was given grace (a gift) according to the measure given by Christ. However, before Paul explains these gifts, Paul shows the authority by which Christ gives these gifts.

In Ephesians 4:8 the apostle Paul quotes Psalms 68:18 as his proof that Christ has given gifts. While there is much that is worthy of our study from Psalms 68, I will simply summarize the concept of this psalm, encouraging you to read Psalms 68 and see this great message for yourself. Psalms 68 describes the power of the Lord who scatters his enemies. In conquering his enemies, the Lord has risen up and received gifts. To say this another way, the Lord has conquered and received the spoils of victory from the people. Paul uses this text as his proof that the Lord has given gifts. The Lord conquered, received the spoils of war, and gives gifts from the spoils.

Paul explains in Ephesians 4:9-10 what this conquest is referring to. Paul says that since the psalmists says that the Lord ascended on high, then it must mean that he at some point descended. Since the Lord ascended to the highest part, namely heaven, then the Lord must have descended to the lowest part, namely earth. This is what Jesus did. Jesus first descended from heaven to the earth. Jesus conquered Satan, sin, and death by dying on the cross, being buried in the earth, and raising from the dead. Then Jesus ascended back to the throne of God, taking with him the spoils of his conquest. Therefore, Christ has the authority to give gifts to people because he conquered Satan, sin, and death. This is the point Paul is making. Jesus is the conqueror and has the right to distribute gifts as he sees fit. Christ has the authority to give gifts because he is the conquering King as seen in his earthly work on the cross.

Jesus’ Distribution of Gifts (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Verse 11 picks back up with verse 7. Paul declared in verse 7 that grace or gifts were given to each of us according to the measure of Christ. After explaining how Christ is able to give gifts, verse 11 continues that, “Christ gave.” Paul lists what Christ gave: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. In a sense, Christ gave people. People are given to bring about our unity. To think of this another way, Christ gave different roles and functions in the body to bring about our unity and growth. I think we must ask an important question at this moment. Why did God decide that he would have apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers? Why have a body of Christ with these roles? The answer is that this is the way we would be equipped in Christ. This is the way we would grow in Christ. Let this forever answer the question why we need to the church. Why do we have to bother coming together? Why do we need the body? Because this is how Christ equips and grows you. Notice that this is what Paul teaches for the rest of this section.

The purpose of these gifts, according to verse 12, is to equip the saints for the work of ministry (service). Christ did this for the building up of the body of Christ. These gifts were given so that everyone would be able to do works of serving in the kingdom and build one another up. Christ did not want only a couple gifted people doing the work. Christ gave gifts with the purpose that every person (notice it again in verse 12 “saints” which is all saved believers) would do the work of serving and build up each other. Something is horribly wrong when the body is not doing the work of serving and building up. There has been such an inversion of thinking when this clergy/laity distinction where a few do the work and the rest watch. This is not what Christ ordained.

This equipping and building up is to continue “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). The goal is unity, knowledge, and maturity. We are to mature according the measure of the fullness of Christ. The glorified Christ becomes the standard at which we are to aim. We need each other and come together so that we can grow up into Christ. Again we see the purpose and need for our Bible studies. This is our opportunity to discuss the scriptures so we can grow in the faith. Let me sum all of this up with one sentence: God wants you to grow. You are to grow in faith, knowledge, and maturity so that the body of Christ can be united. The fullness of Christ is our growth target.

Why Growth Is Important (Ephesians 4:14-16)

Verse 14 describes the negative goal. We must grow so that we are no longer children. God does not want us to remain immature. Staying immature is going to cause you problems. You are going to be tricked and deceived by Satan and by others. You are going to be tossed around in your life like waves battering against your body. Every teaching is going to knock you down like a strong wind. You will be deceived by people’s scheming and craftiness. Unity of the faith, knowledge of the Son of God, and maturity in Christ will stabilize your faith and stabilize your life. Do you feel unstable in your life? Do things feel difficult in your life? God tells you why. You are not growing in faith, knowledge, and maturity. To put this in the language of this chapter, you are not walking worthy of your calling. You are not walking according to the purpose God has given you. That is why you are struggling in your soul. I realize that the despair I felt in high school that caused me to consider ending my life was there because I did not have strength in faith and knowledge nor maturity in Christ. I didn’t have anything like that. So I did not know what to do. Satan isn’t going to throw you around when you are grounded in your faith. He is going to blow a strong hot wind on your life but you will be like a tree firmly planted (Psalms 1).

Verse 15 describes the positive goal. We will grow up into Christ. Unity of the faith, knowledge of the Son of God, and maturing into Christ brings spiritual growth. We will grow into him. Now what will be the catalyst of this growth? Paul tells us in verse 15, “Speaking the truth in love.” This is why we have to be together: so that we can speak the truth in love to each other so that we can grow into Christ.

Think about the challenge of this call. To walk worthy of the calling to which you were called means you must speak the truth in love. Think about all the contexts where this command works. We must speak the truth in love to each other to have unity. This is the most immediate meaning of God’s command. We must lovingly speak the truth. In our Bible classes whether at the building or in our homes, we need to speak, teach, and comment with love. We need to watch our tone. We need to watch our attitude. We need to think about how it sounds. We need to make sure we are not coming off hurtful or hateful. We need to use words that others in the room will understand. We need to not blow people up for saying something poorly. Speak the truth in love.

We need to speak the truth in love in our homes. Husbands must speak lovingly to their wives and wives must speak lovingly to their husbands. Even when we are speaking the truth or having a serious discussion or argument, love must be maintained in our words. Children must speak with love to their parents. I really hate how I see children talking to their parents these days. You must not allow your child to hit you, speak ugly to you, or be disrespectful. You must teach them that because God has told you to train them in the way they should go. Loving actions and words are only allowed, even if the child is angry, tired, or upset. Parents must speak with love to their children, even when needed to discipline. Discipline does not lack love but must reinforce that we are disciplining because of love. There is no excuse for us not to speak with love to each other in the home. To neighbors, co-workers, and employers we must speak the truth in love to one another. In Colossians 4:6 Paul said it this way, “Let your speech always be gracious.” How difficult this is, but how necessary it is for we have been called to walk worthy of a glorious calling. Speaking the truth in love at all times is the catalyst for our growth and will lead to unity of the body.

Ephesians 4:16 describes the result of this behavior. When we are equipped for the work of serving and building up, then we will be led to grow in unity of the faith, knowledge of the Son of God and in maturity in Christ. Then each of us will work properly as our part in the body. When each one does its part in the body, this “makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” This is a glorious goal. We will see the body of Christ, the kingdom of God, grow throughout the world when we are doing our part and functioning properly.

Conclusion

What a thought! We maintain unity when we grow from the gifts Christ has distributed to us. Growing up into Christ means a greater harmony and unity in the body. Christ gave various roles in the body of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers so that we would grow, and by growing, maintain unity in the bond of peace. Think about this another way: if we lack growth, we are hurting unity and hurting our work in the kingdom. God is to be glorified through the church (Ephesians 3:21). God is glorified in your spiritual growth because you will be doing more of what God has called you to do.

Take personal responsibility for your growth. Attendance for a couple hours to worship services is insufficient for growth. You will not grow simply listening to teachers. You need to take to your heart and the words of Jesus, the apostles, and prophets and let those words change your thinking, habits, and behavior. You cannot will yourself to grow. You do not grow plants by wishing for them to grow. They need fertilized soil, proper watering, and sunshine. We must tend our hearts in the same way. Take out the weeds in your life that are choking out your ability to grow. Remove things that are clogging your schedule from spending time with Jesus. Let your “unwind time” be in the word of God. Then you cannot help but grow. Plants grow naturally when given the proper circumstances. You will grow when you give your heart the proper circumstances. Pray, read God’s word, and gather with your Christian family. Speak the truth in love and watch your life change.

The New You

Ephesians 4:17-24

The apostle Paul is urging us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Ephesians 4:1). The first instruction for us to walk worthy of our glorious identity and calling is that we be unified in Christ, built on proper Christian attitudes (Ephesians 4:1-3) and the seven absolute truths (Ephesians 4:4-6). Christ conquered sin and death and distributed gifts so that we would grow together into Christ. Now Paul turns his attention to the second instruction for us to walk worthy of the calling. The command is this: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do” (Ephesians 4:17). Now this command sounds a little strange. Paul is asking Gentiles not to live like the Gentiles. I think a similar Idea would be to tell us as Americans to no longer live like Americans. Don’t be like those you live among. You cannot be like the people where you live.

We read commands like this to not be like the Gentiles and can just think, “Yes, don’t live like the Gentiles.” But understand the significance of the command. You have to stop being you! You have to stop being like the people around you. Our world tell us that you have to be “true to yourself” and “be who you are.” God says not to do these things. Why would this be? Shouldn’t we “be who we are?” Shouldn’t we “listen to our heart?” Shouldn’t we “be true to ourselves?” Listen to why God says we cannot be ourselves.

The Broken Mind (Ephesians 4:17-18)

Listen to the three descriptions he gives of the Gentiles. First, they live “in the futility of their minds.” Second, “They are darkened in their understanding.” Third, they are alienated from the life of God “because of the ignorance that is in them.” Do we hear what God is telling us? Our natural minds cannot guide us. Our minds are darkened and teach us the wrong things. Our ways our futile. Our minds are in the fog (“darkened in understanding”) and lack all spiritual perception. Our reasoning processes are broken and darkened.

I have a paper cutter that is warped. If you put your stack of papers under the blade and pull down, it will not cut straight. Many times it will not cut at all. The cutter will just bend the paper because the blade is warped. What I have to do is pull the handle in toward the paper as I cut and the blade will cut straight and will cut through the paper every time. I have to pull the handle back where it belongs for it to function properly. Paul says that our minds are in the same condition. Our minds are warped. If you do what your mind says to do, you will be misled. We have to pull our minds back to where they belong, to the standard of God’s word, because our minds are warped. Sin has corrupted all of our minds.

Now we often look at the world and think that wisdom is found in the world. We think we should follow their standards and listen to their ways. Here is Paul’s explanation why we must not do that. First, they are intellectually blacked out (Ephesians 4:18). Their minds are darkened. There is no light in their lives or in their minds to give them life or guidance. Second, they are separated from the life God gives (Ephesians 4:18). They are separated from true living. They do not have eternal life. Why would we listen or follow their ways? Third, ignorance lives in them, not knowledge (Ephesians 4:18). They claim to have knowledge. We think they have knowledge. But ignorance is in them, not knowledge. Ignorance comes out of their mouths, not truth. Finally, their hearts are hardened (Ephesians 4:18-19). They are callous and stubborn against the ways of God. They willfully refuse the available light of God.

So we must draw a serious conclusion. God tells us not to accept value where the world assigns value. Whatever the world promotes is darkened, ignorant, and futile. We must understand that our minds are warped. That is why they react against the light and against the teachings of the scriptures. This means we must listen to the teaching of the scriptures and not react against it, but consider that our minds are corrupted and that is why we are reacting against it. The scriptures are not wrong. Our minds are broken and we need to pull our minds back to the straight standard of God.

Sin, The Outcome of the Broken Mind (Ephesians 4:19-21)

Paul says that there are three outcomes from our broken, corrupt minds. First, if we keep our minds in the dark and follow the ways of the world then we become callous. The conscience atrophies. Our hearts lose sensitivity. I like the NKJV which says that we become “past feeling.” If something is calloused, then it is past feeling and has no sensitivity at all. We can see this in people. Unfortunately, I can see it in people who claim to be followers of Jesus. We can see it people eyes, actions, and words. I can interact with you for just a few minutes and sometimes see this lack of sensitivity. This must be a frightening situation to see that we are become unfeeling and uncaring to spiritual things.

Second, when we keep our minds in the darkness of the world and follow the ways of the world then we given ourselves over to sensuality. Here is a great description of what we see in the world today. People given to every kind of sensuality (ESV), promiscuity (HCSB), lewdness (NKJV), indecency (NET), and lustful pleasure (NLT). These sins are the result of the corrupted mind. I want you to see this because, if you are participating in such things, I want to awaken your mind and heart to see that you are in the futility of your mind and darkened in your thinking. Paul is teaching us something important. Sin is the malfunction of the mind. Sin is the result of the darkened, ignorant mind.

Third, following the ways of the world leads to be eager to practice every kind of impurity. We will have the desire for more and more impurity. This is the nature of sin. New perversions replace old perversions. We are always needing more. One sin is not enough. The excitement and joy wanes and so we look for more sinful practices.

This is not the way you learned Christ! If our lives do not differ from the lives of those in the world, then we have not truly learned Christ. The call of Christ is to leave the world, die to self, and live for God. We know better! If we do not know better, then our knowledge and loyalty to Christ must be questioned. Have you let Christ teach you? If you have, then you know these practices are sinful. Learning Christ is having a life shaped by his teaching. If anyone practices these things or contends that these behaviors are acceptable, then you do not know Christ.

Knowing You Genuinely Learned Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Paul gives us three life changes that show that we have learned Christ. Three things where we can examine our lives to know that we are learning Christ because our lives are shaped by his teachings.

Put off the old self (Ephesians 4:22).

If we learned Christ, then we will put away the former way of life. It is interesting that Paul uses language that makes it sound like we are taking off dirty clothes. We have to stop living the way we used to live. The reason is clear and has been the point Paul has been making throughout this section. Our old self is corrupted through deceitful desires. Listen to what Paul said. Your desires are deceitful. What you want to do is wrong. What your mind says is right is wrong. Your desires are deceitful and you are corrupted because of these deceitful desires. This is why God gave us the first three chapters of Ephesians. You have a new identity. There is a new self and you have to put off the old self. The old you must be taken off. To say this another way, there is not be a former way of life. There is to be something you can point to and say that it was the old life. This is the core of Christ’s teaching. You are not going to be you. You are going to put off that old self.

Be Renewed In The Spirit of Your Minds (Ephesians 4:23).

I admit that I have missed this very important command. I have often understood God calling us to put off the old self and put on the new self. But that thinking misses a very important step given by God. God is not commanding us to stop living one way and start living another way. God’s call is not simply “do this” and “don’t do this.” God said that your mind was broken. You are darkened in your understanding. You are living in the futility of your mind. You are alienated from life because of the ignorance in you. So what must happen? Listen carefully to verse 23. Your mind must be renewed. Too often this is left out which leads to our failure for change. There must be renewal. If there is no renewal of the mind, then there cannot be a new self. What is created is a hypocrite and a liar! What is created is a person who on the outside looks like is trying to serve God but the mind is still broken and the heart still chases after every kind of impurity and sensuality. Our minds require renewal. God must renew our minds.

How can our minds begin to be renewed by God? I know we are not going to like this. I don’t like this. Consider what I am about to say that we will not like is a reaction of the corrupted, darkened mind. Our minds can begin renewal when we get our mind out of the world. Stop looking at the world. Stop learning from the world. We need to watch less television. We need to listen to less music. We need to read less books. We need to avoid more movies. We need to get our minds more in God’s word and less in the world. Renewal of the mind cannot happen so long as we continue to expose our minds to the futility of this world! Identify sinful things. Be sick of watching sinful behaviors and sinful teachings. We are allowing our minds to be excessively influenced by this world and don’t realize it. Will you pull the plug on sinful television shows? Quit watching shows that glorify sinful behavior. Don’t go to movies that have sexuality and sinfulness. Do not allow yourself to be entertained by wickedness. Sin is all around us, bombarding our minds. God cannot renew our minds if we spend more time in the world than in the Word.

Put On The New Self (Ephesians 4:24).

Only after have we begun the renewing of our mind can we put on the new self. Transformation only occurs from the inside out. The new self will never be put on until we change our way of thinking. We need to take our warped, corrupted minds and bend them back to the will and thinking of God. As we do this each day, then the new self will begin to take shape. Our actions will change. Our words will become godly. Listen to what the new self will look like in verse 24: “Created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Literally this reads that the new self is created “according to God” which means there is a measure of similarity. The new self will not look like the world, but ever increasing in the likeness of God. Transformation of the mind will lead to the transformation of life. These three things are what we learned in Christ. If we learned Christ, then this is the process we are practicing: putting off the old self, renewing our minds in Christ, and putting on the new self.

Conclusion

The end of Ephesians 4:21 serves as a good conclusion. “The truth is in Jesus.” The truth is not in this world. The truth is not in your mind. The truth is found in Jesus alone. So we must know him to know the truth and come out from the ignorance and darkness of our minds. Recognize that our minds and the thinking around us is not the truth. It will alienate you from the life that is found in God. Put off the old self, renew your thinking, and put on the new self. If you learned Christ, then this will happen to you. “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1). We pursue this new thinking and new self because of the greatness of Jesus who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

REBOOT: A New Way of Thinking

Ephesians 4:25-32

Paul has commanded us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). In Ephesians 4:17 Paul told us that this means we do not live like the world. We cannot behave like the culture around us. This was pictured as a three step process: put off the old self which is corrupted by our deceitful desires, be renewed in our minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. In Ephesians 4:25-32 we are going learn what it means to “put off the old self” and “put on the new self.” Paul sets this up with a set of contrasts. Paul will say that we must no longer do this and instead must do this. Paul is describing for us what the renewed mind and new self looks like. As we read these contrasts, I want us to remember that this is not simply a behavior change: “stop this and do this.” These actions come from the renewing of the mind. As our minds are being taken out of the world and into the word, then we will stop certain behaviors and will participate in other behaviors.

Put Away Falsehood/Put On Speaking The Truth (Ephesians 4:25)

The first behavior to put off is all falsehood. We live in a world full of deception. We cannot be anything like the world. That is what Paul commanded in Ephesians 4:17. We no longer live like this world and the world is full of lying and deception. Therefore, anything that is not true must be removed from our lives. It is so easy not to tell the truth. But truthfulness is part of the new self that is created in the likeness of God. Rather than lying and deceiving we are to speak the truth to our neighbor. This is a quote from Zechariah 8:16 where the prophet directed the remnant community to speak the truth to their neighbors. The motivation is also expressed by Paul: “Because we are members of one another.” We are a joined body that is to be unified (cf. Ephesians 4:1-16). We must tell each other the truth and not deceive each other. The world deceives one another. We cannot do the same thing. There is to be an openness and honesty that we are able to have with each other.

Truth speaking requires a renewal of the mind. We can become such habitual deceivers and may not even know it. We are so used to not being honest that it becomes our very nature. We must learn to speak truthfully to each other. Otherwise we will be simply hurting each other and will not be able to rely on each other or trust each other.

Be Angry and Do Not Sin (Ephesians 4:26-27)

So often I have heard this text be used to vindication what we call “righteous indignation.” But if this was what Paul was speaking about, I believe he would have been clearer in what he was referring to. I think the concept is fairly simple. We have emotions. We all experience emotions. God created these emotions within us. The question is what will we do with these emotions. In particular, what will you do with regard to anger? Do not let anger be mixed with sin. You may feel angry, but that do not authorize you to act in a sinful way. So often we feel justified in our sinning because we have felt the emotion of anger. Paul tells us we can control our actions from these feelings. You have control over what you do with your emotions. We have all exhibited this control in our lives. You may feel angry and are lashing out. Then the phone rings suddenly. We answer the phone in a pleasant voice. We show that we are able to exhibit control over our emotions. This is what Paul is commanded. The world blows up at other people when anger is experienced. The new self does not allow those emotions to spin out of control. This also shows us another false teaching of the world. The world tells us that it is bad to bottle up our emotions. God says it is good. Do not act on your feelings. Do not act on your impulses because that is acting like the world.

Further, Paul says to not let the sun go down on our anger. The point is to not allow our anger to simmer. Do not maintain your anger. Festering anger leads to bitterness, outbursts, slander, or malice. Anger is dangerous and becomes the foothold to other sins. This is the motivation Paul gives. Do not give an opportunity to the devil. Paul says this because clearly anger easily leads to sin. Anger easily gives us a great temptation to sin. Satan will destroy your soul and anger will be his tool. Deal with your anger and set it aside. Control your anger. Deal with it calmly. You have the power to do so. You must renew your mind to know that you do not have the right to explode. You must change your actions for when you feel anger.

Stop Stealing and Work (Ephesians 4:28)

Here is a great contrast that pictures the total reversal that occurs when a person learns Christ. The stealer turns into the giver. I think it is important to tell our young people today that God commands you to work. You do not take what other people have you. You work for it. Work is the means by which God is going to provide for you. Christianity is not about stealing from other people what they have worked for. We must have a willingness to share, not a willingness to take.

We must appreciate and love the motivation given. “So that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” We do not work to have. We work to give. We are to become a giving people. We need to consider that we have been physically blessed to share with anyone in need. This fits what we see in the book of Acts. When fellow Christians were in need, we read the first century Christians joyfully and willingly selling their goods and property to be able to give to the needy brothers and sisters in Christ. We must be ready to help one another with what we have. We must have the heart that we read in Acts of having all things in common (Acts 2:44; Acts 4:32).

I hope that we will see that we have a joyful responsibility to one another. If there is a need for a Christian, the first step is not to run to the church treasury. The first step is for us to be generous and cheerful givers to our brothers and sisters. We should never have a hoarding, selfish attitude toward our wealth and possessions. If we do, then we fail to understand that all we have is given to us by God. We should have no attachment to our possessions. They should not be something that defines us. Enjoy the fruit of your labor knowing these things are given by God. Therefore, our blessings should instill a greater love for the gift-giver, not the gifts.

No Corrupting Talk But Talk That Builds Up (Ephesians 4:29-30)

Foul words must never come out of our mouths. Such language is the language of the world. Our words must not sound like them. We use different words. We will not use curse words. We will not use filthy words. We will not misuse the Lord’s name. We will not use words that cause rottenness in the souls of others. This also requires the renewing of our minds. We say the words we hear from others. This is a big reason why we need to stop exposing our minds and hearts to filthy television, music, and movies. These things change our hearts to want to say what they say. Words reflect our heart. We need a renewing of the heart and mind to be able to clean up our conversations. Being Christian is not just avoiding bad language. Being a Christian means saying words that build faith in others. Listen to what Paul continues to instruct.

Paul then describes what our conversations should be. What must come out of our mouths must be “good for building up.” This is the first test of our mouth. The words must be good for other people. Will this statement build the person up or am I tearing a person down? Am I saying destructive words or helpful words? Are my conversations the words of healing or the words of harm? Our words to be encouraging to each other. Friends, our words must be this to each other and in our marriages. No harmful words can come out of our mouths.

Further, our words must “fit the occasion.” Not only must words be helpful, but our words must be timely. They are the words that are needed at the moment and words that are needed for the person.

Even more, our words are to give grace to those who hear us. Our words are to be a benefit to others. We are going to do good for the person. This is the purpose of our words. You have been given grace by God. Now you are to give grace to those who hear your words.

Ephesians 4:30 may be understood as the motivation for good words or may be a stand alone statement that covers all of these instructions in Ephesians 4, 5. I believe this command is tied to the corrupted, unwholesome talk that is being condemned in this section. Paul says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We saw this truth in Ephesians 1:13-14. Our identity is that we are heirs of God and sealed with the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit? This comes from Isaiah 63:10.

In verses 7-9 of Isaiah 63, the prophet is recounting the goodness of God to deliver the people from oppression and slavery. The context fits the picture of the exodus from Egyptian slavery. God is pictured as kind and gracious to save them. Listen to what the people did in verse 10.

But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. (Isaiah 63:10 ESV)

Rather than responding in obedience because of the goodness of God to save them, they rebelled and grieved the Holy Spirit. Rebellion in the face of grace is grieving the Holy Spirit, according to Isaiah. This message fits very well in Ephesians. The first three chapters of Ephesians explained that we were dead in our sins and were children of God. But God saved us and made us his children so that we can belong to his family. We grieve in the Holy Spirit when we see the grace of God and continue to live in rebellion to God. God has come to save. We cannot refuse to clean up our words. We cannot refuse to give to our brothers and sisters in Christ in need. We cannot refuse to put away lies and deception. We cannot refuse to control our anger. If we do, we are grieving God. Don’t rebel against God.

Put Away Harsh Traits and Take On Gentle Traits (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Paul continues in verse 31 with sweeping changes of our character. All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice must be put away from us. The world acts like this. A Christian cannot be bitter. We cannot be bitter against one another. We cannot be bitter in our marriages. We say that you don’t know what so and so did or what my spouse did. Paul says that you forgot what you did to God. There is no room for bitterness in our hearts when we see God’s grace and forgiveness to us.

Further, no human deserves our wrath. This is how we justify wrath in our minds. Someone does something and they deserve our wrath or anger. We are setting ourselves up as a god, as if our way must never be violated. Who do we think we are that we think anyone deserves the venting of our anger? We are being selfish and have forgotten God’s grace.

Clamor is a sin. Clamor means just like it sounds. Making noise out of anger. Slamming doors, banging objects, and the like out of your anger is sinful. We do that. Rather than yelling, some people slam everything to show their displeasure. That is just as much of a sin as wrath and slander. Remember, Paul said, “Be anger but do not sin.” There must not be ill-will toward others. Malice is such a dark word. We are not to have ill-will toward another, but goodwill.

Instead, be kind to one another. Be tenderhearted to one another. Do good to each other. Why do we think we do not have to be kind to each other? It is shocking to consider that we can often do more good to strangers than we do toward our brothers and sisters in Christ! We do good toward co-workers but not to our spouse! How can this be? We are to display kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. This is what the new self looks like. This also requires a renewal of the mind. We must change our way of thinking. We are not justified in our unrighteous behavior. That is the thinking of the darkened, futile, and ignorant mind. The new self does not harbor bitterness and ill-will. The new self shows love, kindness, goodness, and compassion. How can we possibly do this?

Here is the mind to have: “As God in Christ forgave you.” God had the compassion and kindness to forgive us of our sins and violations. God did not blow you up when you made a mistake. God did not slander you or show clamor when you sinned yesterday. God does not harbor malice to you when you showed disregard for Christ. God is still kind and still compassionate. Oh, how hard this is! But the renewed mind learns this by remembering Jesus.

Conclusion

Stop: falsehood, sinning from anger, stealing, corrupt talk, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice.

Practice: speaking the truth, resolving anger calmly and productively, working to share, speaking words that help and build up, kindness, compassion, forgiveness.

Renew the mind: by looking to Jesus who practices these things toward us everyday.

Imitate God

Ephesians 5:1-6

The apostle Paul has been instructing the Christians in Ephesus how to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. Once we recognize our identity in Christ, God expects that we will live our lives in a particular way. In Ephesians 4:17 Paul said that we must no longer live the like the world. We cannot act like the people in this society nor speak like them. In Ephesians 5 the apostle Paul sums up what this all means.

Imitate God (Ephesians 5:1)

In summary, the goal is to imitate God. We are to be what God has created us to be in Christ. Remember Ephesians 2:10 where we were told that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. It is natural for children to be like their parents. We are to act as children imitating our father. We want to imitate God the Father because we have experienced extraordinary love as his children. Now obviously we cannot be like God for there are many attributes he possesses that we cannot possess. We cannot be all-powerful or omnipresent or all-knowing. So what attribute in particular are we to imitate? I believe that verse 2 is the answer. Live a life of live. Walk in love. This is the third time that Paul used this word “walk” (Ephesians 4:1; Ephesians 4:17; Ephesians 5:2). Consider that this is truly a summary of what Paul has been teaching us in this chapter. Walking in love means that we will express unity in the body of Christ. When we walk in love when we will put off the old self which is corrupted by its deceitful desires. We will put away corrupting talk. We will be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave us. This is why the law could be summed up with two simple commands: love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Paul just summed up those two commands as imitate God by walking in love.

The Example (Ephesians 5:2)

What does it look like to walk in love in our lives? What does it look like to live a life full of love? We are not without an example for us to understand what this walk of love looks like. Notice verse 2. “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Paul says here is what walking in love looks like: “as Christ loved us.” We keep our eyes on the example of Jesus who is the model of what is looks like to walk in love. We are to pattern our lives after his love. Love is to define all that we do and all that we say. Love is a lifestyle, a practice for life.

But here is the challenge to walking in love and looking to Christ as the example. How did Christ love us? Notice that Paul says we are to walk in love as Christ loved us. The example is that Christ gave himself up for us. This is love truly defined. Love is not just giving. Love is the giving of self. Think about this truth. Missing this truth is why marriages and parenting fails. Giving stuff is not love. Giving yourself is love. You do not love your children by giving gifts. You love your children by opening your heart and giving yourself. You do not love your spouse by making money and buying something for each other. You love your spouse by opening your heart and giving yourself. The giving of gifts has meaning because you first gave yourself. Otherwise the gifts given do not have remotely as much meaning. This is what Christ did. Christ did not just give gifts to us. He gave himself. Notice that this act of love was a fragrant offering to God. Christ’s love cost him his life which was pleasing to God. Walking in love means that we will give ourselves to Christ and to one another that gives all of who we are. This is what is pleasing to God. Walk in love as Christ loved us.

As long as we think we are pretty good people who do not really need forgiveness, we will have a very hard time loving and forgiving others. We cannot walk in love as we are commanded because we think we are better than other people. But if we know we are sinners under God’s wrath, then all of that changes. Radical life transformation and true love that gives all of who we are will occur when we appreciate the love of Christ and recognize how totally undeserving we all are. But so long that we maintain some kind of moral superiority in our hearts toward others we will never walk in love and imitate God that Paul is calling us to do. It is some kind of superiority in our hearts that causes us to be so condescending and so unloving to our children, our spouses, our friends, and our brethren. Walk in love. Have a life defined by giving ourselves fully to Christ and to one another.

Avoid Evil (Ephesians 5:3-4)

In Ephesians 5:3-4 the apostle Paul pictures what is diametrically opposed to the Christian life. Paul focuses first on our conduct. Sexual immorality, all impurity, and covetousness must not even be named among us. All moral impurity needs to get out of our hearts and actions. The Greek word that is translated into English “sexual immorality” refers to all kinds of sexual conduct. It includes prostitution, homosexuality, and sexual contact outside of marriage. It is speaks to any kind of sexual activity outside of a marriage relationship between a husband and a wife. We live in a world today where sex before marriage is expected and living together before marriage is a committed relationship. However, Paul teaches us that these behaviors are sinful. Any sexual contact is to be reserved for marriage alone. The word for “impurity” is even broader than “sexual immorality,” referring to anything that is unclean. Thus Paul says all sexual immorality and all impurity must not even be heard of among us. An outsider should never have an opportunity to name one of these vices as characterizing our lifestyle. To make the point another way: love avoids these behaviors because there is no love be shown in these behaviors. You do not love the soul of your boyfriend or girlfriend or fiancée if you are sleeping together or living together or have sexual contact of any kind.

Covetousness, the drive to have more and more, but also be put away from us. Again, the world teaches us to want more and more. It teaches us that we should be greedy and always desire more. The Christian is content with what one has. We are not motivated by greed. We are not driven by material gain and accumulating possessions. Such behavior must not ever be charged against us.

In Ephesians 5:4 Paul speaks to our words. There cannot be filthiness in our actions nor in our words. We cannot behavior with filthiness or talk in a filthy way. Foolish talk, crude joking, dirty humor, and the like are not fitting the mouth of a Christian. Listen to what Paul says: these words “are out of place.” They do not belong in our lives. Rather than having flippant speech that dishonors God, we are to voice thanksgiving to God for who is he and what he has done. Instead of filth, let our words be full of thanksgiving. Consider: does filthy talk come from your lips when you are full of gratitude? When you are thankful, does foul language and crudeness come out of your mouth? Not at all. Thanksgiving must be on our lips and by doing so we will be prevented from speaking corrupting words. Remember the test of our words in Ephesians 4:29. Do our words build up the person? Are our words being said at the appropriate time? Do our words give grace to the hearer? Otherwise the words must not be said.

The Reason For Change (Ephesians 5:5)

Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:5 why we must get rid of these filthy behaviors and words. The reason why we must not be impure or greedy or sexual immoral or speak evil words is because everyone who does these things “has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Notice the beginning of verse 5. “For you may be sure of this.” This is a certainty. If we are engaged in these kinds of behavior we do not belong to the kingdom. We are not part of the final kingdom of God nor the current kingdom of Christ. We must not do these things because there is another certainty in life. We have a saying that there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. Here is a third certainty: no one who practices sexual immorality or impurity or greediness will have any part of Christ now or in the future. We do not belong to him when we choose to do these things. Back in Ephesians 1:14 Paul told us that one of the great identities we have in Christ is that we are heirs with him. Paul says that we are not heirs if we do not put off the old self and do not begin walking worthy of the calling. Heirs of Christ walk in love. I want to zero in on one particular word in verse 5: “idolaters.” He says when we do these things that we are idolaters. When something else becomes the center of your life other than God you are an idolater. This is what idolatry is all about. You place a higher value and priority on something in life and make it your god. We like to think that idolatry does not exist anymore. We like to think that we are not idolaters. But anything that we hold in high value that is not Jesus is idolatry. Whatever we desire more and more of that is not Jesus is covetousness which is idolatry. We are to want more and more Jesus. We do not need anything else. More and more Jesus is all we need otherwise we are an idolater. These are hard words but Paul said it to us because we deceive ourselves into thinking that we can desire the world and still be worshipers of God. Paul clears this up for us. Whatever is the center of your life is your god. Jesus must be your everything and be the center otherwise it is idolatry.

Don’t Be Deceived (Ephesians 5:6)

Do not be deceived with empty words because these behaviors and words bring the wrath of God upon them. A person is lying to you if they say otherwise. They speak out of ignorance and darkness (Ephesians 4:17) if someone tells you that sexual behaviors and filthy words are acceptable. They are lying to you if they tell you sex before marriage or sexual touching or contact is okay. God’s wrath comes on these things. There is no inheritance of God’s kingdom but there is the wrath of God falling on us deservedly for doing these things. Adultery is not okay. Homosexuality is not okay. Sex before marriage is not okay. Divorce is not okay. Remarriage is not okay. Impurity is not okay. Greed is not okay. Wanting more and more is not okay. Filthy talk is not okay. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty words. Will we rebel against the authority of God or submit because Christ loved us and gave himself for us?

Conclusion

Be imitators of God. Walk in love. Love Jesus as Jesus loved us. Love others and Jesus loved us. Give yourself as Jesus gave himself.

Live As Light

Ephesians 5:7-14

The apostle Paul directs his Christian readers to imitate God by walking in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us (Ephesians 5:1-2). Walking in love toward Christ and toward one another means that we will not engage in sexual immorality, impurity, greed, or filthiness. Let us not be deceived into thinking that we belong to Christ if we are practicing these things. The wrath of God comes upon those who do these things. Now Paul is going to press into us who we are and what we are to do.

You Are Light (Ephesians 5:7-10)

Because the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience and they are trying to deceive you into committing these sins, Paul instructs to not be partners with such people. We do not participate with them in these immoral activities. When others are doing wrong, we do not join in with them. We cannot imitate the world. Why is this so important? Why can’t we join in with them? Why can’t we behave and speak the way other people do?

Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians 5:8. It is all about your identity in Christ. You are light. You are not darkness. You have been given a new identity in Christ and you must know who you are. You are light. Please notice the change of identity that Paul describes in verse 8. Paul does not say that you were in darkness. He says that you were darkness. But when you come to Christ, he cleanses you so that you are not darkness anymore. Now you are light in the Lord. It is only in the Lord that we become light. We are not light if we are not in the Lord. When we are away from the Lord our identity reverts to darkness. Whatever you grew up thinking you were or were not, were able to do or not able to do, can be completely changed in Christ. You do not have to be wicked. You do not have to continue in sinful acts. You can be light in the Lord. Consider that God has given us a purpose by changing our identity from darkness to light. Now you have a mission. Now you have a responsibility. Now you have a purpose. Why are you here? What are you supposed to do with your life? What is the meaning of life? These questions are answered with this statement: you are light. That is who you are. You do not need to go find yourself. You are light in the Lord. You now know why you are here and what you are supposed to do. You are light and you are to be light. Notice verse 8: “Walk as children of light.” You are light. Live in the light.

We are able to look at our lives and know if we understand this identity given to us in the Lord. There is fruit that comes from light. If we are light then there are things that will naturally occur in our lives: goodness, righteousness, and truth. If we are light then these three things will be evident. If we do not see this fruit, then we are not light and therefore not his children. Being light means that the fruit will not be filthy, impure words or actions. We are light. Therefore we must do what good and right and true. What is going to change our desires away from wicked words and behaviors? What is going to change our hearts from desiring sexual immorality and impurity? What is going to keep us from these things? God says that you are light. You have a new identity in the Lord. You have purpose and meaning and it is not to use your body in dishonorable ways. Recognizing who we are changes our desires to want to be light. “I’m light. I need to live as light.” These should be the words we tell ourselves each day.

How do we walk as children of light? How do we live according to this new identity? Notice verse 10. “Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” We are learning and discovering what is pleasing to the Lord. We must keep looking to the will of the Lord. Our minds are darkened and blinded (4:17). Therefore we are not to look to ourselves to be pleasing to the Lord. We must look to the word of God and use what God said to discern what is pleasing to the Lord in the various daily circumstances we face. We want to satisfy the Lord. So we always ask what would God have me to do right now. We keep asking what God wants me to do today.

What Light Does (Ephesians 5:11-14)

Paul now explains to us what light does. Since we are light in the Lord, we need to know what we are to do as the light.

Light exposes darkness (Ephesians 5:11-13).

Think about what light does. When you come home at night, the first thing you do is turn on the light. It is the very first thing we do. Why? Light exposes darkness. The light confronts the darkness and exposes all that is in the darkness. When you look into the blackness and darkness of your house, you cannot see anything that is it. You cannot see the furniture. You cannot see the walls. You cannot see anything. When the light comes, all that is in the room becomes exposed. The darkness is now revealed and everything becomes visible. This is what Paul says we are doing as light.

We cannot participate in the unfruitful works of darkness because we are light. Light exposes darkness. We cannot do what the darkness does because we have a new identity. We are light in the Lord. We reveal the darkness. We do not blend into the darkness. We cannot teach against immorality while indulging in it. How can we expose what we are practicing? Light and dark do not mingle together. There is darkness where one cannot see at all or there is light and the room is exposed. We shine as the light so that people can see the ways of God and give glory to God (cf. Matthew 5:16). We are not revealing God when we are participating in these works of darkness that Paul has described in Ephesians 4-5. We do not speak like the world or act like the world so that when we walk into a room of darkness, we can illuminate the room with the light of the Lord. We will show Christ to the darkness with our words and our actions and our lifestyle. When you go to your place of employment, you will go into that building as light, showing Christ to the darkness around you. When you are in your home, you will be a husband, wife, father, mother, or child as light, show Christ to all who are around you. When you are driving, you will drive as light, showing Christ to the darkness around you. Everywhere we go we are showing Christ to the darkness because we are light. We have been given an identity in Christ.

Light transforms (Ephesians 5:14).

Paul proves his point by blending a few texts from the Old Testament, particularly Isaiah, and quoting it to his readers. Isaiah 26:19 and Isaiah 60:1-2 seem to be the texts that are blended as Paul speaks to these Christians. Listen to Isaiah 60.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1-2 ESV)

Isaiah commands the readers to arise and shine because the light of the Lord has come and the glory of the Lord has been revealed. The world is covered in darkness and the people are darkened in their understanding. But the Lord will arise and shine. When the Lord shines then we are to arise and shine. So Paul takes the language of Isaiah and applies it to the situation in Ephesus. These words act as an invitation to everyone who hears them. You may have listened to the instructions of the apostle Paul and recognize that you have been participating in the unfruitful works of darkness. You have not been light. You have been darkness. You have neglected your identity to which Christ has called you. Listen to the words Paul says. “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.” Wake up. Don’t stay asleep in the darkness. Wake up. Recognize the darkness you are in. Rise from the spiritual darkness. This is a call to repentance. Stop living in the darkness of the world. Let Christ shine on you. You have a new identity. You are light in the Lord. Do not remain in darkness. The light of Christ is shining. You do not have to sit in the dark any longer. The world is repeatedly pictured in the scriptures as darkness. Paul described it this way to the Philippians.

…that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life… (Philippians 2:15-16 ESV)

We must see ourselves as burning torches in this world, shining the light of Christ wherever we are by our words and actions. This is why we cannot act like the world. We are to be burning bright in this world. We are representing Christ. God is light. Christ is light. We are light in the Lord. When you think about going back to the sins and lifestyle of the darkness, remind yourself of your new identity. You are light and you cannot do those things any longer.

Be Filled With The Spirit

Ephesians 5:15-21

The apostle Paul has taught his audience that they have a new identity in Christ Jesus. “You are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8). As light we expose the darkness making the law of Christ visible to the world. As light we are being transformed, waking up from the darkness ourselves because the light of Christ is shining. Paul brings us to his fifth use of the word, “walk.” In Ephesians 4:1 we were told to walk worthy of the calling. We were told to not walk like the Gentiles in the world (Ephesians 4:17). Paul commands us to walk in love as we imitate God as his children (Ephesians 5:2). Then Paul told us to walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8). Ephesians 5:15 gives us the final description of how we are to walk so that we can be found walking worthy of the calling.

Look Carefully How You Walk (Ephesians 5:15-17)

We are to look carefully at how we are walking. Paul is instructing us to carefully watch how we live our lives. How we live our lives matters to God. We must watch how we live. God cares what decisions we make. Are we looking at how we are walking? It is so easy to not pay attention to how we live. We just live for today without considering if we are staying on the path God has taught. We walk without trying to discern what the will of the Lord is in our lives. We do not carefully look at what would please the Lord. We just go and we forget to look at where we are going. We forget to look to the Lord as we walk. My daughter who is eight years old does not like looking where she is walking. She likes looking at other people, plants, sky, and everything else that is distracting as she walks. I am constantly telling her to look at where she is walking. Why do I keep telling her this? I tell her this because she is going to fall down if she does not look how she is walking. She is going to get hurt if she is not watching. So often we forget to look at where we are walking. We just do what we want to do for today. But Paul says to walk carefully. Look at how you walk.

The reason this is so important is “because the days are evil.” The reason we must watch carefully how we live is because the days are evil. Temptation is all around us. The world is full of darkness. What the world says and does is not godly. What others say and do is not the way we are to live our lives. The pressure is to conform to the ways and values of the world. We must be careful because it is so easy to fall into Satan’s traps. It is so easy to fall into sin. So what we must we do to walk carefully?

Walk wisely.

Paul says looking at how we walk means to walk wisely and not unwisely. Walking in this world requires wisdom. This is what the wise writer of the Proverbs instructs his son and us.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7 ESV)

The fear of the Lord is the means to wisdom and instruction. Only unwise people (fools) do not have the fear of the Lord. To walk as wise people and not unwise people means looking to the Lord for knowledge and wisdom. Recall what James instructed Christians. If anyone lacks wisdom, ask God who gives generously to all without reproach (James 1:5). God is the place of wisdom. God is the giver of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Wisdom does not come from within yourself. Wisdom does not come from the world. The world claims to be wise, but God says they are fools (Romans 1:22). Looking carefully at how we walk means looking to the Lord.

Make the best use of your time.

The second way that we carefully look at how we are walking is by making the best use of our time. The NKJV reads that we “redeem the time.” We must plan to make the best use of our time because the days are evil. Idle time is temptation time. Having unplanned, unaccountable time is the easiest way to fall into temptation. This warning is given both to Christian men and women (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12; 1 Timothy 5:13-15). Idleness leads to sin. Idleness leads to sexual immorality, being a busybody, gossiping, and the like. This is why the apostle Paul told men to get a job in 2 Thessalonians 3:10. This is why the apostle Paul told the women (widows) to be active in the work of the church in 1 Timothy 5. Idle time is a temptation to sin. Note your time each day and make the best use of it for the glory of the Lord.

Therefore, spend your time understanding what the will of the Lord is. This is the second time Paul told us to do this. Go back to Ephesians 5:10 where Paul said that we to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Paul says to spend your time understanding what the will of the Lord is. Otherwise we are being foolish, according to Paul. A foolish life is a life that is not spent understanding God’s will. A wise life that is carefully looking at our walk looks to understand the Lord’s will.

Be Filled With The Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-21)

Looking carefully at our walk, living as wise and not unwise, and making the best of use of our time means not getting drunk but being filled with the Spirit. Here we see a contrast of influence. Don’t be under the influence of alcohol. Be under the influence of the Spirit. I think it is important for us to notice that this is one thing that Paul specifies to show what it looks like to not make the best use of our time and to live foolishly. Do not waste your life in unfruitful activities like getting drunk. Be filled with the Spirit instead. Let’s talk about not filling ourselves up with alcohol. Drunkenness is repeatedly condemned in the scriptures. This is one of many places. Drinking parties is also condemned in 1 Peter 4:3. “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.” (1 Peter 4:3 NKJV) Paul says to not get drunk because that is debauchery. This is a waste of the time that we are to be making the most of. Drunkenness leads to foolish, reckless decisions and actions. Drunkenness is a mark of foolishness, worldliness, and darkness, according to Paul.

Rather than being drunk with wine, be filled with the Spirit. What does it look like to be filled with the Spirit? Does being filled with the Spirit mean that you will perform strange acts? Does being filled with the Spirit mean you will speak in tongues or scream aloud? Does being filled with the Spirit mean that God will start speaking to you in your head? Listen carefully to how Paul describes being filled with the Spirit in verses 19-21. There are three aspects that show we are filled with Spirit.

Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

Being filled with the Spirit means singing with your heart to God. There is no concern here about having a good voice or enjoying singing because you like music or are musically inclined. Instead, we have drawn our hearts near to God and love God so passionately that our hearts overflow with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. There is a joy that we have in loving and serving the Lord that must express itself in words to each other. This is what we are doing when we are singing to each other. We are speaking to each other the overflow of our heart in these songs we sing. Being filled with the Spirit means your heart speaks to others with upbuilding words, making melody from the heart to the Lord. Obeying this command requires Christians to gather for corporate worship. We cannot remain alone but must assemble together. This text is the basis for our singing in worship. We will look at this idea more deeply in our next lesson.

Giving thanks.

The second attribute of being filled with the Spirit is being filled with thanksgiving. I want us to observe the four conditions given for thanksgiving. (1) Giving thanks always. Being filled with the Spirit means that we are thankful to God during good times and bad times. We are thankful in good health and bad health. We are thankful in trial and in prosperity. How can we be thankful always? I offer that the attitude of Job during his trial shows how to be thankful always no matter the circumstances.

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:20-21 ESV)

Job falls to the ground and worships because he understood that he came into the world with nothing and will leave with nothing. Anything I have is given by the Lord as a blessing and if it is taken away, then it was not mine to begin with. Thankfulness at all times comes from an attitude that I deserve none of the blessings I have. Therefore I am able to be thankful for gain or loss because it was by the grace of God I was given what I have.

(2) Giving thanks for everything. Be thankful for everything. Exclude nothing from your heart of thankfulness and prayers of thanksgiving. Be thankful for your family. Be thankful for your job. Be thankful for the home you have. Be thankful for your luxuries. Be thankful for everything. Assume nothing. One of the greatest gifts we offer back to God is our perpetual thanksgiving. This is our challenge: find how we can be thankful in every circumstance. This happens with a heart that sees the positive in all God has done for us rather than what we may lack. Being thankful always for everything only happens in the hearts of the humble. Lacking perpetual thankfulness is an indicator of pride.

(3) Giving thanks to God the Father. God needs to hear our thanksgiving. God needs to hear our appreciation. We need to speak these words to God and let others hear our dependence on the Lord alone.

(4) Giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the only reason we can be thankful. Consider this point for a moment: if Jesus does not come to the earth, die for our sins, and raise from the dead three days later, then there would be nothing to be thankful for. Our lives would simply be on a collision course to an eternity in hell. All we would have is to cling desperately to our physical lives for the moment we take our last breath, knowing that our eternal suffering would begin. Christ is the only reason we can be thankful. God is the giver of every good and perfect gift and there was no greater given to the world than Jesus. We show that we are not filled with the Spirit when we are thankless people. Gratefulness must pour from our hearts. The power and authority of Jesus is the means by which we can offer prayer and thanksgiving to God the Father.

Submitting to one another.

The third trait of being filled with the Spirit is that we submit to each other. Submission is a willful, voluntary act. We are not making each other submit. We are not telling each other to yield. We are volunteering to submit our will and desire to each other. Submission is the heart of Christian living and the example of Christ in his life. We are to submit to each other. We are to yield to each other. How few divisions would occur among God’s people if we submitted to one another! What is my motivation for submitting my will to yours? Paul says that we submit out of fear and reverence for Christ. Because we are in covenant with Christ and he has taken us from darkness to light, we will yield ourselves to each other. Submission is giving ourselves up for each other because Jesus gave himself up for us.

Conclusion

Look carefully at how you are walking. Be wise in your decisions. Understand the will of the Lord and make the best use of your time because the days are evil. Temptation is all around us. Don’t waste your time and your life by become drunk. Fill your life with the Holy Spirit. Here is what a Spirit-filled life looks like: singing, joyful hearts, thankful hearts in all circumstances for all things, and submission to each other for Christ.

If we do not see these things in our lives, then we do not truly understand what Jesus has done for us. How can we not live a life of thankfulness and walk carefully for the Lord when we see the cross of Jesus? Do not be filled with worldliness. Be filled with the Spirit. In Colossians 3:16 Paul gave the Colossians the same teaching.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)

Being filled with the Spirit is letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly. When we let the word of Christ live in our hearts, the result cannot help but be singing joy, thanksgiving, and submission. Be filled with the Spirit. Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly.

Walking Worthy In Marriage

Ephesians 5:22-33

The message of Paul in Ephesians 4-6 is urging us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling (Ephesians 4:1). Paul taught us the new identity we have in Christ in the first three chapters of Ephesians. This new identity is to change how we live. In our last lesson we learned from Paul the necessity of looking carefully how we walk and making the best use of the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15). Instead of wasting our time in foolish behavior and wastes of time like drunkenness, we are to be filled with the Spirit (5:18). Being filled with the Spirit is seen in people are speaking to each other in spiritual songs, giving thanks always to the Father for everything, and submitting to each other. We noted that the whole of the Christian life is submission. Jesus exemplified the submissive life. As we approach Ephesians 5:22 to Ephesians 6:9 we are noticing what our submission to the Lord and our submission to one another looks like. Ephesians 5:21 tells us that we are to yield our will and our desires to one another. Paul is going to show us what this submission looks like in the various roles and relationships we have. As we consider these relationships that are described in this text we learn something very important before we even begin: God cares about our relationships and calls us to walk worthy in them. God cares about how we act in our homes. Walking worthy affects the home and home life is not excluded in living a Christian life.

What Paul presents in Ephesians 5:22-33 is what the marriage relationship is to look like. What Paul reveals is a beautiful picture of marriage. These directions are commands to the husband and to the wife to give themselves to each other. When we make love and marriage about the fulfillment of ourselves and the satisfaction of ourselves, we lose the vision of marriage that God has in place and begin destroying the relationship. We are wrecking the beautiful picture of a godly marriage when we seek our own desire instead of our spouse’s desire. Yielding to one another is the only way a marriage can be full of joy and be pleasing to the Lord.

To The Wives (Ephesians 5:22-24)

Paul begins with the wives. Walking worthy of the calling in marriage means that wives will submit to their husbands. Submission has become such an ugly word in our society today. Submission seems to conjure in our minds today the picture of being dominated and oppressed. This is not at all the meaning of the word nor the idea behind what Paul is teaching. For this reason I like to use the word “yield” to help us understand what submission looks like. Wives, I want you to consider a few things about what is being told to you to do.

Jesus is not asking you to do something that he did not do himself. Jesus submitted his will to the Father. He yielded to the interests of the Father. Wives are choosing to voluntarily comply to the leadership of the husband. Now it is important to note something right here. Husbands, this text is not talking to you. This text does not say that you make your wife submit. The scriptures do not teach that you make her yield or else there is will be consequences or punishments. This is her voluntary submission, not a husband’s forceful subjugating. I believe this has been misunderstood far too often. My father had a men’s study one time and ask the husband’s if their wives do not do as you ask, what you do you? Many of them said that you inflict some kind of punishment. Where does the text say this? If the wife is not yielding, there is nothing that you do. Those wives are accountable to God. She is volunteering in marriage to yield to the leadership of her husband. There is no husband enforcement.

Ladies, it should be your desire to submit to his will. If you do not desire to follow his leadership, then you should not marry this man. This is why the marriage decision is so important and must not be entered into lightly. The woman is willingly put herself in a vulnerable position of yielding to the husband’s leadership. Please consider that submission and yielding does not mean she is inferior. Was Christ inferior for yielding to the will of the Father? Not at all! Yielding shows strength and godly meekness. Submission should be praised not denigrated.

Notice the motivation is given by Paul in Ephesians 5:22. This is your worship to the Lord. This is your service to the Lord. You are serving Christ when you yield your will to your husband. Notice vEph 5:23 gives the reason why wives are to yield. “The husband is the head of the wife.” God created the relationship where there is one head. By God’s design the husband and wife are one flesh so as to function together under one head. They are not to be two autonomous individuals living together. The husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church. God is setting up a beautiful parallel that Paul expands upon later in this section. The marriage relationship is to be as beautiful as Christ and the church. Wives are to lovingly desire to listen and follow the leadership of her husband.

Ephesians 5:24 makes the picture even clearer. “So also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” Nothing is excluded in this picture of yielding. In all areas of your lives together, wives are to submit to their husbands. It does not matter if you do not like how he leads. It does not matter if you are unhappy with his decisions. Please read these words again: “Wives should submit in everything.” There are no exceptions. We cannot be full of excuses by we do not want to yield to his leadership. “But he doesn’t love me right.” “But he does not do this or that.” He is in sin for that but his actions do not nullify your responsibility to submit to him. You picked him by the way. So as I always say to those who I counsel for marriage, if you think he is so terrible, then it reflects on you because no one made you marry him or her. You picked him. You picked her. In marriage you are making a covenant to yield to his leadership. So choose wisely and live up to your marriage vow because you are serving the Lord in your serving and submission. By the way, this is the essence of submission. Submission means that you do not always do what you want to do. You are choosing to yield your will and desires to the will of your husband. That is a glorious display of godliness and love. I hold in high regard such women who continue to love the Lord and love their husbands even though their husband is a total clod. What a display of devotion to the Lord! Wives, your yielding to him is not conditional on him doing the right thing or making decisions that you like. Your submission is to honor and affirm your husband’s leadership and help him carry it through. The picture of Christ is not begrudging submission. Encourage his leadership. Do not undermine his leadership. Some may ask, “What if he will not lead?” Then consider what Peter taught in 1 Peter 3:1-2.

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (1 Peter 3:1-2 ESV)

Wives, you are obeying Christ when you yield to your husband regardless of how difficult he makes it to do so. God knows your loving service to him and you will be rewarded by the Lord for serving the Lord by your yielding to your husband.

To The Husbands (Ephesians 5:25-31)

Husbands, walking worthy of your calling means that you will love your wives. Notice what this love looks like. Love does not simply mean having a warm feeling toward her. Husbands are to love as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Husbands are not told to rule over their wives. I think this is interesting to note. The directions are not, “Wives, submit” and “Husbands, rule.” Rather, husbands love like Christ loved. How did Christ love? Christ gave himself completely. He gave his everything. He gave up his interests, desires, and will for the church. Husbands, you are to give up your interests and your desires for the interests and desires of your wives. Everything husbands do is to be for the benefit for their wives. This is exactly how Christ loved us. He did not do what was best for him, but what was best for us. Christ desired to do this. Husbands desire to give to their wives. Husbands listen to their wives and lead so their her interests are always above his.

In the same way, there are not any loopholes. You are not allowed to stop loving her because she is not yielding to your leadership. You are not to stop loving her because she does not consider you or help you. There are no exceptions. You do not love as long as she is kind and not nagging. Remember that you picked her and you made a vow to God to love her. Christ loved when we were rebellious to his authority. Husbands must continue love their wives in all circumstances.

I want to speak about headship for a moment. Headship is not about telling others what to do. That is never directed to the husband. He is never told that he has that right at all. Rather, headship is about taking responsibility for the family. Headship is understanding that husbands are the ones accountable to God for this family. Consider Genesis 3 and the sin that occurs in the Garden of Eden. Who does God call for first? Who does God look to for the answers for what happened? Adam. You are responsible for the welfare of the family in all of its areas, most importantly spiritually. Only when you are loving Christ and pursuing Christ can husbands lead their families properly. You are not the CEO of a corporation. The more you pursue Christ, the more you will love your wife rightly and lead your family in a godly way.

Paul presses the imagery of the kind of love husbands are to have even further in verses 28-29. Husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. This means you do not hate your body but love it and cherish it. Thus, Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 in verse 31. She is your body. The two of you are now one flesh. You do not lead her in a hateful way or harsh way. You cherish her like your own body because the two of you are one now. Husbands must see the marriage relationship in this way. She is your very body and must be treated with care and love.

The Beautiful Picture (Ephesians 5:32-33)

Verse 32 is an amazing declaration. A truly Christian marriage will mirror the relationship between Christ and the church. Paul sets before us an example for us to look to in our marriages. Look to the relationship of Christ and the church. Everything in this section of text used this image for both wives and husbands so we would know how to act properly and walk worthy of our calling in our marriages. I hope will consider what this will look like in godly marriages. Wives will yield their will and desires to the will of their husbands. She will support him and yield to him. But then think about what husbands will do. Husbands will yield their will and desires to the will of their wives. He will put her interests ahead of his own, cherishing her and caring for her ahead of himself. Both are giving themselves to each other. In doing this, the marriage is godly and beautiful.

Ephesians 5:33 offers a great summary. Men, love your wives. It does not matter if she deserves it or not. We do not deserve the love of Christ yet Christ loved us anyway. Husbands will not hurt their wives with their words or decisions. Husbands will show this love in how they lead the families and is reflected in his interests always being placed last of all. Husbands will give everything to her and for her, just as Jesus did for us. Husbands will continue to love their wives because your desire is for her well-being and your desire is to be pleasing to Christ.

Wives, respect your husbands. It does not matter if he deserves it or not. We do not deserve the love of Christ and yet Christ submitted his will to the Father for us. Wives will honor the headship that is given to the husband and help him in that role for the family. The wife will be his helper and companion. Wives will choose to respect their husbands in their words and actions. Wives will show that respect in public and in private, yielding to his best interests above your own just as Christ showed us.

When husbands love their wives like Christ and when wives submit to their husbands like Christ, the marriage will be a joyful blessing given to us by God. Each other’s needs and desires will be met by the other person when we live these words. But when we make marriage about ourselves and what we get out of it, this beautiful picture is destroyed and sinfulness rules the marriage. Consider that this is the very reason why divorce is sin. We are not thinking about our spouse but ourselves when we divorce (cf. Matthew 19:9). Walk worthy of the calling God has called you to. Live for Christ by joyously desiring to love and yielding to each other.

Walking Worthy In Family

Ephesians 6:1-4

The apostle Paul is teaching about how we are to walk worthy of our calling with the new identity we have been given in Christ. Paul is showing us that God cares about what happens in our lives, even behind closed doors. Paul has addressed in chapter 5 what submission to Christ and to one another looks like as husbands and wives. Paul continues to give the directions for godly relationships in the family by turning his attention to submission for children and parents. Christ sets before our eyes the beauty of submission. We see in Jesus the spectacular glory of self-sacrifice in John 12:12-26. Paul is going to help us today to understand how we can be pleasing to God as children and as parents.

Children, Obey Your Parents (Ephesians 6:1)

Children are to listen and obey their parents. Walking worthy of our calling means that children will do what they are told to do by their parents. As children, particularly teenage children, we usually do not like what our parents tell us to do. We do not want to obey them. We want to be independent and go our own way. But Paul does not say that you do what your parents say only when you like what they tell you to do. Children are to obey their parents because “this is right.” This is the way God created the relationship. This is the way God wants it to be. Obedience to our parents is our service, submission, and worship to Christ. You do not obey your parents simply because they are bigger than you and have authority over you. You obey your parents “in the Lord.” You are serving the Lord through your obedience. The HCSB reads, “Children, obey your parents as you would the Lord.” Being pleasing to the Lord is obeying your curfew. Being pleasing to the Lord is cleaning your room and doing your homework and all the other chores that are assigned to you. Children, you must recognize that you are not merely rebelling against your parents. You are rebelling against God.

Honor Your Father and Mother (Ephesians 6:2-3)

Paul continues that obedience to our parents reflects our relationship with God. Children are to honor their father and their mother. What is the main way that children honor their parents? Your honor is through your obedience. You show honor when you listen to them, do not argue with them, and do as they instruct you. Paul gives a very practical reason why you need to honor your parents. Like it or not, your parents have wisdom for life. Your life will go better when you listen to the their counsel and obey their instructions. Christian parents have the best interests of their children in mind and heart. Many times children do not believe this or recognize this. But this is true. Parents would give their lives for their children and do not want them to suffer great harm in life. The rules and instructions that are given are for your good. Your parents are trying to keep you from having lots of heartache. They were young at one time too and do understand many of the things you are going through in life. They have wisdom and life experience that can be very valuable for you to listen to and their instructions are from that experience.

But I want to focus on honor our parents as something greater than simply obedience. Honor carries with it the notion of respect. Showing our parents respect, honoring them for who they are in our lives and because “this is right.” Jesus condemned the Pharisees in Matthew 15:3-6 (who are adults) for breaking this commandment when they failed to financially care for their parents, saying that all their money had been given to God instead. This example of what not to do teaches us that honor our parents does not have an age requirement. Our respect and care for them does not end. I believe this is what we are to examine when appointing elders and deacons in a local church. Do the children honor and respect the father such that the child is not accused of unruly behavior?

As children I think we can see how this is submissive for the children because parents do not always act in ways that are deserving of honor. Sometimes parents act very dishonorably. We can show a level of respect and care because these are our parents. We can be respectful with people that we do not agree with and people that have hurt us. I believe God is telling us that this is true with our parents also. We do not have an excuse to act sinfully toward them.

Fathers, Do Not Provoke Your Children To Anger (Ephesians 6:4)

Since children are to obey in everything, fathers must not provoke the children to anger. It is important to notice that fathers are directed in this command. Paul knows how to say parents because he did so in verse 1. I do not believe that Paul is saying that mothers are allowed to provoke their children to anger but fathers are not. That is not the point. But we must consider why fathers are singled out at this point. I believe there are at least two reasons. First, we noticed that husbands are declared by God to be the head of the family (Ephesians 5:23) and are therefore responsible and accountable for what happens in the family. Fathers have the ultimate accountability concerning the children. Fathers are not to be pushed to the sidelines. Fathers are to have an active role in the family, particularly in raising the children. Second, fathers are going to be challenged to not act in anger toward the children. There is a reason God says this to the men. The intention seems clear that this is an issue that we must be aware of. Fathers are going to have the temptation to provoke the children to anger.

Children test our patience and test our will. I sometimes liken children to the velociraptors in the movie Jurassic Park who are always testing the fence to find the weakness. Children test your authority, fathers. But the answer to this is not to provoke children to anger. This command rules out excessively severe discipline and consequences, unreasonably harsh demands, abuse of authority, being unfair, nagging, being humiliating, and being insensitive. Children are persons in their own right and are not be manipulated, exploited, or crushed. Unfortunately, too often the pendulum is swung the other way where children run the household. The children control the family. What the child wants is what the family does. Children are not the head of the family. The children are not in charge. The answer to the challenge of parenting is not to let the children do what they want. Verse 4 tells the fathers that they are to raise these children. To help preventing provoking our children to anger, let us say, “no” with a reason. Perhaps the most aggravating thing was to be told “no” without a good reason why. Obviously I am talking about an age for children when they can be reasoned with. When they are two years old and younger, there is not any reasoning you can do. Your word must simply be enforced. But that must change with their growth. Explain our thinking for our teachings. Explain our purpose for our rules and instructions to our children. The reason you cannot stay out past midnight is because nothing good happens after midnight. It is dangerous. Sin abounds. The reason you have chores is so that you will learn responsibility and not grow up to be lazy and useless. I want you to have skills for life and not be incompetent. Parents, we have a job to raise our children so that when they turn 18 they can live life and not be dependent on us. Teach them how to live life and to function in this world. Do not shelter them from the things they must learn because they are going to be adults. They need life skills.

Fathers, Bring Up Children In The Discipline and Instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)

This is where Paul goes with these instructions. Do not provoke them to anger but raise up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. The word “discipline” speaks to the activity of the education. Some translations rightly read, “training.” The “instruction” is the verbal aspect of the education. Therefore, fathers must verbally train and instruct children and get up off the couch and train and instruct by our actions. Words and actions. Not just words and not just actions. Both are necessary. How are fathers to raise the children?

The children are to be brought up in the training and instructions of the Lord. What is the most important thing that you can teach your children? The most important thing to teach in words and actions is to love the Lord. Teach them in the ways of the Lord. Our teachings to them must be based on the Lord’s instructions. Teach them to love God. My purpose is to not teach my children to be good students, be good artists, be good athletes, or any other physical design. My purpose given to me by God is to train my children and instruct my children to love Jesus. Teach them what God says. Teach them to obey God. Teach them that God is everything and God is the only thing that matters in life. Words and actions are required to do this. We must teach our children God’s word. We must teach our children by our actions that God is all that matters. Our attendance to Bible studies and worship shows this the most clearly. We tell the children that this is important and we show that them this is important. Can I suggest the critical things we must show our children? We must show them that we desire God and find our joy in God. What we are doing is not an activity as if God is something to do. We desire these things because this is the whole life and joy.

Walking worthy of the calling means honoring our parents and teaching our children in the Lord. God cares about life in the home. God cares about how we handle ourselves as children. As children we serve Christ when we obey our parents and honor them. God cares about how we handle ourselves as parents. We serve Christ when we raise our children, not the way in which we think is best, but the way God says is best. Train them in the most important education: the education of God.

Walk Worthy In Work

Ephesians 6:5-9

It is easy to come to a text like Ephesians 6:5-9 and think that there is really no relevance for us. The text concerns instructions for slaves and masters. How could this paragraph have any use for us today? I believe the application is obvious. If God gave these instructions for how slaves and masters should conduct themselves, a relationship that one could not get out of as a slaves, then how much more are these instructions true for the employee/employer relationship, where we do not have rights and freedoms that those in the first century did not enjoy. It is important to note that slavery in America in the 18th and 19th centuries was different than the slavery under the Roman Empire. The slavery found in America where a person was stolen and forced into slavery is condemned in the scriptures (cf. Deuteronomy 24:7). There is much that can be said about these differences that I don’t think is worth the time for what we are studying in this lesson. But I do want us to have a sense of what it meant to be a slave in the Roman Empire. Slaves possessed few legal rights, lacked honor, were subject to whatever punishments their masters deemed appropriate, were not allowed to own property, and could be separated from their spouses by the slave master (Arnold, Ephesians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary, 421).

With this in mind, I want us to consider that the prescription given in the scriptures is not to overthrow Rome and start a new system of government where there is a democracy. The scriptures always guide about how to live under the law and circumstances presented to us because of our government. We are to show ourselves to be Christians, even if we disagree with the actions and policies of the government. When Paul wrote to the Romans to obey the government (Romans 13), it was not a free market, democratic government that he wrote to Christians to submit themselves to. Too often we act like our obedience to the laws of the land are contingent on having a moral, godly, democratic, capitalistic government. Nothing could be further from the truth. We immediately learn that we submit no matter what system we find ourselves in. Presently, we find ourselves in an employee/employer relationship for daily living. So let us look to these scriptures to see how we are to act under these conditions.

How To Be A Servant (Ephesians 6:5-8)

Paul is now going to tell us how these slaves were to serve their masters. As we read these we must consider that these will help us learn how we are to serve on our job.

Serve like you are serving Jesus (Ephesians 6:5; Ephesians 6:7).

The first point is that slaves are to obey their earthly masters with fear and trembling. We are to obey those who have charge over us on this earth. Consider how broad this teaching reaches. Anyone who has rule or authority over us, we are to obey them. Notice the character of how we are to serve: as we would serve Jesus. This is what is to be going through our minds when we work: we are going to serve and work as if we are working and serving Jesus. Paul tells us that this means we will serve wholeheartedly and genuinely. Obedience to Jesus is with a sincere heart and we are to offer the same heart for our work to our masters. I think it is important to notice that there is no excuse for if we have bad masters. Paul does not tell us that we do not have to serve with our heart if our master really stinks. This is usually the justification we give for half-hearted service. The person I am working for is clueless and does not know what he is doing. Therefore I am not going to work hard for him. So we overcome this thinking with a determination to obey and serve from the heart as an expression of our commitment to the Lord. Imagine if Jesus was telling you to the mop the floor. Imagine if Jesus was telling us to do computer work. Imagine if Jesus is telling you to do the work. Work with that kind of attitude.

Serve with integrity (Ephesians 6:6).

Paul shows that how we serve matters to the Lord. We are not to work only when the boss is watching. This is something that drove me crazy when I worked in the secular world. How many will only work when the master is watching! If he was gone, then little work was done. When I had my job as an accountant for Wendy’s, there was a difference in how people worked with our boss was present. Now, I will admit that I did not do my hard work because I knew I was serving Christ. I did it because I’m not a gabby, stand around the water cooler kind of person. People would waste time talking away about everything rather than working hard. Christians are supposed to be different. We are to work whether the boss is watching or not. Paul teaches that we cannot go to work and do as little as possible, for this is not how we serve Christ. When I worked at a gas station, I wish I had a dollar for every time someone came in or one of my co-workers jokingly asked if I was working hard or hardly working. If you said you were working hard, you were scorned and ridiculed. You were supposed to be hardly working. But this cannot be our answer nor our attitude. I went to the movies last week and the movie ticket clerk could not be bothered to lift her head out of her hands as we bought our tickets. She was not going to give any effort to this job. But Christians give their all. We are always working hard for the Lord.

Serve for a heavenly reward (Ephesians 6:8).

Verse 8 gives us another reason why we work with all our heart and obey our masters. We are to know that we will be rewarded by God. This helps us overcome the feeling that our employer is taking advantage of us. I am sure that these slaves in the Roman Empire were regularly being taken advantage of. That is why many wanted to run away. This feeling of injustice and sense of fairness often leads us to steal supplies from work, work half-heartedly, or steal time that is not ours to take. Taking personal time when we should be working. Taking advantage of our situation because we think we deserve it. We fight this thinking by recognizing that what we give in our work is seen by God and will be rewarded. Paul says that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord. God cares so much about the work we give to our masters that he will reward us for the work we do. There is not time when we are not showing the glory of God. Work is one of the places where we spend a significant amount of time each day. The hard work is to show that we serve Jesus first and foremost, even if we do not like our work and even if we feel we are treated poorly. Young people need to hear this today. I am tired of young people thinking that they should start at the top. Work is work. That is why people have to pay us to do it. Work is not fun. Work is not vacation. There should not be a work that we think is too low for us. Do the work. You are serving Jesus and Jesus does not care if you flip hamburgers, work on cars, and are CEO of a large technology company. We work for the heavenly reward.

How To Be In Charge (Ephesians 6:9)

Paul also instructs how we are to deal with those who are below us. We may not be at the top of our jobs but we often have people who work for us. Whether on a project, or if we are middle management, or just have charge over a certain task, there are times when we will have authority over others on the job. God has directions for us when we have those situations as well. How we treat those below us also matters to God.

Paul begins by saying that everything that was told to the servant is also true for the master. “Masters, do the same for them.” Therefore, those with authority must exercise that authority with integrity, giving all of your heart and effort to the work. We will exercise the authority given to us in such a way that will be pleasing to the Lord because we know the Lord is watching how use our position. We are serving God in the way that we manage our position.

Notice that Paul says that even if we have authority over another person, this is not a license to threaten those who are subject to us. Since we are working for the Lord, then we are not going to threaten other people or bully others to do their job. Think about how transforming this would have been in the Roman Empire. Masters would threaten their slaves all the time to get the desired result. They could threaten them with punishment and beatings. But God’s people will not do this. Even though they had the power and the right to do such as a master over the slave, God’s people will not do this.

There is another motivation given to the Christian. Though you have authority, you are not the ultimate master. God is the ultimate master and you are a slave to him. Further, Paul says you share the same Master with those who are in subjection to you. We all serve the same God regardless of position. This is equality in God’s economy. On earth we may have different positions but before God we are all slaves. There is no partiality with God. This is part of what it means for God to not be partial. He doesn’t care who you are or what you think you are. All people stand equal before God: slave or free, employee or employer, rich or poor, male or female.

John 13 is the great example of this truth. Jesus, the Master and Teacher, washed the feet of the disciples. The master served. So also, if we have some kind of earthly authority, we use that authority appropriately. One final thought about this before we close. Elders are given charge by God over the local church. So does this mean that elders can be threatening and force people? It does not matter that this is a spiritual relationship. Jesus is the chief shepherd and all of us are his sheep. Elders cannot let authority lead to pride or power. This is why Peter specifically instructed that the oversight that elders have is not out of compulsion over others or domineering those in their care. We instruct and direct. We do not compel.

Conclusion

God cares what you are doing Monday through Friday. God cares about what is going on at work and is watching what each of us are doing and what we are experiencing. Whatever position we are in at work, we are working for the Lord but just for people. Therefore we work with integrity and give what we are supposed to give to our jobs as an expression of our commitment to Jesus. We do this with two motivations: we love Jesus and want to show the world our love for him through how we work and we know we will be rewarded by God for our hard work.

Put On The Armor

Ephesians 6:10-13

In the first three chapters of Ephesians the apostle Paul has taught what the identity of the Christian truly is. Your identity is not that you have a career. Your identity is not that you are married or single. Your identity is not that you do or do not have children. Your identity is not how many possessions you have or how expensive your possessions are. You are chosen, predestined for adoption, redeemed, forgiven, children of God. Then in the second part of this letter to the Ephesians Paul teaches how we are live our lives because we have been called to this glorious identity. We are urged to walk in a manner worthy of this glorious calling of our Lord. Paul concludes his description of how we are to walk worthy of the calling by describing the necessity of wearing the armor of God.

Get Your Strength In The Lord (Ephesians 6:10)

The life in Christ with our new identity cannot be lived without a spiritual battle. This is the first takeaway we must consider as we approach Paul’s instructions. We are in a spiritual battle. It is an unavoidable battle when we find our identity in Christ. Paul says that we need to be strengthened by God to be ready for this battle. “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” You are not be strong in yourself and rely on the strength of your power. This is important to hear: self-empowerment is of no value. We cannot strengthen ourselves in our own might for this fight. God’s power is the only power sufficient for this battle. God’s strength is the only might that is strong enough and more than sufficient for the battle we are in.

We do not have the strength to win this battle. We need to hear this and believe this. Too often we try to live as a Christian with this new identity without relying on God’s power. The scriptures are clear that apart from Christ we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5). Jesus also said that the Spirit gives life and the flesh is of no help at all (cf. John 6:63). But we try to accomplish this battle with Satan by ourselves. We must accept what God is telling us. We will fail if we rely on our own power. God is not a supplement to our strength; he is our strength in total! How do we rely on the power of God and depend on his strength and not our own? Paul is going to explain how in this final section of his letter to the Ephesians.

The Need For Full Armor (Ephesians 6:11)

Paul says that relying on the power of God means putting on the armor of God. This is how we are strong in the Lord. We have God’s armor that we depend on when we are attacked. Further, we need the full armor of God. We need every piece. We cannot shortchange the armor of God by only having one or two pieces on us. Armor does not have much value if you only have a helmet on but do not have a shield and breastplate. We need to be fully covered by the armor of God so that nothing is exposed in this spiritual battle. Therefore we must recognize we need something. We are unprotected without the armor of God.

This is the only way we will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. God is giving us the armor we need to stand when Satan attacks. Notice that this is God’s focus: “That you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). “That you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13). “Stand therefore” (Ephesians 6:14). Four times God says “stand” or “withstand.” The armor of God is the strength God is giving us. We cannot stand without the armor.

Now I want us to consider what we are standing against. We are standing against the schemes of the devil. The devil is real and he is really attacking us. Martyn Lloyd-Jones observed this truth: “I am certain that one of the main causes of the ill state of the Church today is the fact that the devil is being forgotten. All is attributed to us; we have all become so psychological in our attitude and thinking. We are ignorant of this great objective fact, the being, the existence of the devil, the adversary, the accuser, and his ‘fiery darts.’” The devil is real. The devil is not a cartoon. The devil is not cute with horns carrying a pitchfork. The devil is a dangerous spiritual being who is intent on destroying you.

Not only this, but the devil is smart. The devil is tricky and deceitful. Paul says that we need armor because the devil has tactics, schemes, and craftiness against us. The devil is going to blindside you. He is not going to fight in ways that will make it easy for you to defend against him. Stand because the devil is making war with you (cf. Revelation 12:17). The devil is a defeated image who is enraged that he has lost. Though he is defeated, he is continuing to battle ferociously. This is what defeated enemies do. The devil does not want you to stand. The devil wants you to give up. The devil wants you to quit. The devil wants you to quit resisting, to stop fighting, and just roll over to his ways.

Battling Spiritual Forces of Evil (Ephesians 6:12)

Paul is trying to open our eyes to the battle we are in. The devil is coming for you. Therefore we must prepare for this spiritual battle. We are not battling the things we can see, like flesh and blood. That is certainly hard enough. But we are in a spiritual war against rulers, authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Open our eyes and see what is going on. We get glimpses of this battle a few times in the scriptures. Perhaps the book of Job reveals that battle clearly before us as Satan is accusing Job and accusing God about the life that Job leads in service to God. The devil is relentless and uses spiritual forces of darkness against us. Do we appreciate who we are up against and what we are up against? We must take our enemy seriously. Evil is not some concept or philosophy but is embodied by these spiritual entities. We are not dealing with what we see. We are dealing with spiritual forces of darkness that are making messes of people’s lives.

So we need this reality check. Notice that Paul called our time on this earth a struggle (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NET), a battle (HCSB), or a wrestling (ESV, NKJV). We think that life is going to be a calm, peaceful journey but there is a war going on for our souls. But even as dark and grim as this picture is of the devil and his forces, please notice that God never tells us to fear him. We are always told to resist him and stand against him. Do not fear because God is ruling over all these things. But we must know our enemy and be ready. The goal is to stand.

Take It Up! (Ephesians 6:13)

So what should we do? Knowing these things, what are we supposed to? Listen to the apostle Paul in verse 13. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God.” Take up the armor! That is what you are supposed to do! Now Paul wants to convince you that you need this armor. Paul wants to make sure that you understand how much you need to be actively getting this armor on your body. So notice why else you need the armor of God in verse 13.

Paul says you need the armor “that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.” That sounds ominous, doesn’t it? Earlier in this letter the apostle Paul taught that we need to watch carefully how we walk because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). Therefore, I do not believe Paul is saying that there is one evil day to watch out for. There are many evil days that are going to come against you. The devil is attacking you with his spiritual forces of evil. You need to be ready to withstand with the armor of God when things are at their worst. The armor of God is the only way we will be able to resist and withstand the attack.

But this tells us that we need to be prepared before the attack comes. You cannot put the armor on after you have been shot. It is too late then. And we cannot start concerning ourselves with the armor of God after the trial and after the difficulty. We must put this armor on now because the days are evil and we are in a struggle. So we need this armor on so that we are ready for the attack. We need to spend our time each day preparing our armor, readying ourselves for the evil day.

There is a favorite cliche today to, “Let go and let God.” Notice that this is not the answer of the apostle Paul. You are under attack and you need to armor. But notice that Paul has commanded us to do something. In verse 10 he told us that we need to look to the strength of the Lord. In verse 11 we need to put on the whole armor of God. Now in Ephesians 6:13 Paul instructs us again to take up the whole armor of God. Now Ephesians 6:13 really drives this idea home to us. Look at the end of Ephesians 6:13, “And having done all to stand firm.” We are not supposed to be sitting around waiting to get attacked by the devil. We are to be giving our all. This stand requires our all. All of our effort is necessary so that we have the armor properly on our bodies for the day of the attack of the devil.

God tells us something very hopeful in verse 13. With the complete armor of God on you, you will be able to withstand the evil day. Without the armor of God we will not withstand the evil day when that attack comes. Without the armor we are too weak to stand. But with God we can stand. The armor is forged and furnished by God. We do not have to wonder if this armor is going to work. We know the armor works because it is given to us by God. We also know the armor works because this armor is battle tested. Listen to what Isaiah says about this armor:

15 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. 17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. 19 So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. (Isaiah 59:15-19 ESV)

Christ is pictured as the arm of the Lord. He put this armor on and he was victorious against the enemies and he defeated the devil. The Lord brought the victory and he will bring the victory to us if we will depend completely upon him.

Over the next few weeks we are going to consider what Paul says we need to live a life of victory over the devil. The key to today’s lesson for your this week is to recognize that you cannot stand in this battle by your own power. You must have God’s armor on you. Understand the serious enemy that is fighting against us and do all you can to draw near to the Lord so that you may stand firm on the evil day.

The Belt of Truth

Ephesians 6:14

The apostle Paul has given us the imperative to take up the whole armor of God. We are under attack from the devil and his tactics. We are also under attack from the spiritual forces of evil in the spiritual realm. Paul has described the Christian life as a struggle in which we are battling with these spiritual beings. Further, Paul has made it clear that we will fail in spectacular fashion if we try to rely on our own power and strength for the victory. But with the whole armor of God we are able to stand against all of these spiritual attacks that are made on our souls. In Ephesians 6:14-20 the apostle Paul is going to detail the various pieces of armor we need to wear that will be the strength of the Lord in our lives. Paul told us that we need every piece of armor to be able to stand. Therefore, each piece of armor that we read about is Paul telling us the tool God uses to strengthen our lives to stand in the evil day.

The Belt of Truth

The first piece of armor for the battle so that we can stand and walk worthy is the truth. It is easy to pass this piece of armor by and want to look at something that we might find more interesting. But there is a reason that Paul begins this description of the armor of God with truth. To help us see the critical nature of truth, Paul describes truth as the belt of the armor. The belt was critical for the warrior to be prepared to engage in battle. The belt is what held the tunic up and cinched everything into place. Truth performs this critical function.

To say that the first article of armor is truth tells us something obvious yet very important. There is an objective standard called the truth. Consider that if truth is not absolute, then there is no value in it as a piece of armor. We live in a time right now that says that there is no such thing as “the truth,” and if there is truth, then it is relative and depends upon circumstances. The popular way of thinking today is that you make your own truth. You can read online the concept that you are to make your own truth. But truth is an absolute, unchangeable standard otherwise it is not truth.

We live by this all the time in our lives. There are absolute standards that we use every day. If you get pulled over by the police for speeding, do you get to tell the officer that the speed he clocked you at is his truth, but your truth is that you were under the speed limit? Please also consider that it does not matter what your speedometer reads, his radar gun is the absolute truth. We have all experienced the failure of relativism when we drive. Have you noticed that the red lights apply to every else but the driver? If I’m in a hurry then it’s okay to run the red light. Again, will this work as an excuse when you are pulled over for running the red light? No, the law is still broken. The officer may extend grace to you and let you off with a warning or not pull you over, but you still broke the law.

Further, we recognize quickly the problems that ensure when we apply a concept that truth is relative or that you can find your own truth. My truth is to kill you when you do something I don’t like. Your truth is that I must not kill you. Who is right? The point is that truth is an absolute standard that cannot become a moveable, changeable concept or else it is completely useless. How can anyone say that something is good or bad or that something is “the right thing to do” and not admit that there is truth as an absolute standard to make that determination? It is not possible to say that Jesus or Ghandi or Mother Teresa or whoever you want to pick “did good” without admitting there must be an absolute standard to make that assessment.

Now, people will ask, “What is truth?” Like Pilate asked, the world argues, “How can we know the truth?” “What is truth?” The apostle Paul already told us the answer to this. Turn back to Ephesians 4:20-21. “But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.” (Ephesians 4:20-21 ESV) The truth is in Jesus. This is why Jesus boldly would say that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Consider how often Jesus said this.

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17 ESV)

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 ESV)

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37 ESV)

If we believe anything about what is contained in the scriptures, then we must believe that there is absolute truth and that truth is found in Jesus and his words. Jesus and his words are the standard for what is truth. I want us to consider why this is so important to the battle we are facing with the devil. If we are struggling this battle, struggling with faith, or struggling with temptation, Paul is telling us that this is the first place to look. Are we looking at the truth? Are we clinging to the truth? Is truth tied around our waist like a belt? We cannot get anything right with possessing the truth. The truth is found in Jesus and in his words. Listen again to what Jesus said:

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. (John 8:44-45 ESV)

Why did he tell these people that they are like the devil? It is a pretty harsh thing to say it seems. Notice the parallel. The devil does not stand in the truth and there is no truth in him. These people are like the devil because they do not believe Jesus for Jesus tells the truth. We are going to be swept away by the lies of the devil if we are not standing in the truth. If we do not know the truth, we are going to believe every lie the devil sends into your mind. You are going to believe that lying is acceptable. You are going to think that pornography is okay. You are going to think your anger is justified. You are going to think that you need to put yourself first and think about yourself. You are going to think that you should not discipline your children. You are going to think that sex before marriage is fine. You are going to think you can get a divorce for any reason. You are going to believe all kinds of lies that are taught by the world and even taught in many churches because you do not know the truth and do not have the truth tied around your waist. I hope we see why the truth is so important. So many think they are in fellowship with God when in fact they are believing another lie of the devil.

Now we have another issue. In our world the truth is that there is no truth. Relativity is the truth, which is ironic since there is not supposed to be the truth. But this is because it is impossible to live life and make decisions without some sort of standard to guide us. Tolerance has become the new truth. Statements are made, “Intolerance will not be tolerated.” So someone will say, “How dare you tell us that this is wrong!” But our response in a world of relativism is, “How dare you tell us that this is right!” You cannot say that something that you are doing is right without some kind of absolute standard by which to make that assessment. But the world is going to live in the darkness of its futility thinking. This is the natural path with we declare that Jesus and his words are not the absolute standard for truth. Christians have always been considered intolerant and that was why they were persecuted by the Roman Empire. So we are not surprised by these things today. What we have today is nothing new in the history of Christianity.

My concern is how this has affected Christians. First, any religion or any denomination is not fine. The standard of spirituality today is simply that you go to church somewhere. Just go to some church and that is fine. Here is the problem. There is a standard of truth that is Jesus so you cannot just pick any church to go to. Churches are not the same because they are not doing the same thing or teaching the same thing. If they were, there would only be one church in each city. But the differences are many and important. You need to find Christians who are reading the truth of Jesus’ words and doing what he says. Worship is not saying that you are worshiping God. Worship is doing exactly what Jesus said without changing one word he said.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)

God revealed the truth so that we would listen to that truth and obey it. It is the standard for our lives. So you cannot simply think that all churches are created equal as long as they say Jesus somewhere in the sermon. I hope you are coming here because the truth of the scriptures is taught every time we gather in every place we meet.

Second, there is a great lie that the devil has put forward that Christians have easily accepted without realizing it: moralism. The idea is that we are able to earn favor with God and justify ourselves before God by virtue of our behavior. This mode of thinking is religious, even “Christian” in its content, but it’s more about self-actualization and self-fulfillment, and it puts forward a God who does not so much intervene and redeem but basically hangs out behind the scenes, cheering on your you-ness and hoping you pick up the clues he’s left to become the best you you can be.

Rather than Christianity being focused on Christ, Christianity has become focused on me. How it makes me feel and how it makes me a better me. It is a picture of moral self-improvement rather than recognizing we are broken, sinful people who must give our wrecked lives to Jesus who can redeem us. We worship for how it makes us feel. We come to worship only if it is right for me or is convenient for me. We get upset when other Christians do not pay attention to us, serve us, visit us, be friends with us, give to us, or whatever we want because Christianity is all about us! This is the lie of the devil. None of what we are doing is about us but about God. This world is about God and his glory and not about us. You and I are not the truth. Jesus is the truth. Christianity is not that Jesus was a great moral teacher whose perfect moral example is something we are supposed to emulate! This idea misses the truth of the gospel! The truth of Jesus is that there is no one who is good and no one is going to heaven because all of us are wretched sinners deserving the wrath of God. We are nothing before him and are destined to eternal punishment as children of wrath. But God who is rich in mercy and love sent Jesus as the sacrifice for sins so that those who would have faith in Jesus would be saved from the wrath to come. This is the gospel! Now, because we have been saved we look to the example of Jesus to learn how we must change our thinking and actions from sinfulness to righteousness. But we are not here so you and I can be better people that will earn God’s favor. That simply cannot happen. The cross has made so that no one can boast before him.

We must live in this truth which will make us grateful and thankful to the Lord for saving us from the wrath we deserved to receive. This truth of God’s love and mercy will help you stand against the tactics of the devil. How can I sin again when God has rescued me from that sinful life that is destined for punishment! How can I return to sinful living when God has intervened in our lives and called us to walk worthy of the new calling? The truth changes everything in our lives.

The Breatplate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:14

The apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit is instructing Christians how they can walk worthy of the calling to which they have been called (Ephesians 4:1). It is necessary that Christians take up the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the devil and his schemes. Each piece of armor is needed so that we can stand and not fall when the devil attacks us. In the last lesson we learned that we needed the belt of truth. The beginning point to standing against the attack is knowing the truth. But the truth is not enough. There are more pieces of armor that we need to take up. The second piece of armor that God calls us to take up is the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is necessary for this fight.

Now, the scriptures speak of righteousness in two different ways. One way the scriptures speak of righteousness is that of us living holy and pure lives before the Lord. For example, notice Romans 6:13.

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6:13 ESV)

But the other way the scriptures speak of righteousness is the righteousness that is given to us by God. Another word for this righteousness would be justification, as we see in Romans 4.

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: (Romans 4:5-6 ESV)

So which is Paul talking about for us? First, there is God bestowing righteousness or justification on all who believe. Then Paul tells those people to live in that righteousness or justification by presenting their bodies as instruments of righteousness, not wickedness. I believe the armor of God that Paul is talking about is the second part of righteousness. There is nothing for me to take up as the armor of God if Paul is describing the righteousness or justification that God bestows on those who have faith in him. Remember, Paul is writing to Christians. They have already been justified by faith. They have already been pronounced righteous when they were saved through the blood of Jesus. But this is not the end of the concept of righteousness. Now there is a call for righteous living. Think about how this fits so well where we are in the book of Ephesians. Paul has started this section of the book calling Christians to walk worthy of the calling. The first half of the book was telling us what God has already done for us. The second half of the book is telling how to live because of what God has done. Thus, putting on the breastplate of righteousness is the need for the Christian to have right living. To live the life of victory that God wants you to have requires a life change, not based on ourselves, but based on God’s righteousness. We will talk more about this idea as we study today.

Paul has already written to these Christians about the need for living a life in righteousness. Notice earlier in Ephesians what he said.

…and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:24 ESV)

There is a new self and a new way of living that is to be model after the likeness of God. The breastplate of righteousness is perhaps more profound than we may have realized. When we struggle against the attacks of the devil, now that we have the truth around our waist, we need look if we are pursuing righteousness.

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:11-12 ESV)

Notice that Paul describes fighting the good fight as pursuing righteousness. Righteous living and presenting our bodies as instruments of righteousness does not just happen. Righteousness is something that must be pursued. I have to desire to live right in the sight of the Lord. Now left to ourselves we fail at this. The story of history is that there is no one who is righteous. Everyone has failed in living right before the Lord. So relying on my own willpower and my own strength will not be successful in accomplishing a righteous life. So I want to make clear in this lesson that the instruction of the scriptures is not just try harder and you will do better. There is no one who is righteous and all have sinned. We have to take a breath and resign ourselves to the knowledge that my effort in righteousness is simply insufficient. But God has given us the tools for righteousness to make this pursuit possible.

Putting On Righteousness

First, holy living is not simply about keeping rules but is the means by which we defend our faith and defend our hearts against the attacks of the devil. We must see our obedience to the Lord as armor to help us in our fight of faith, not as mere duties or rule keeping. The devil attacks and undermines pure living. He wants to replace righteous living with immorality, greed, envy, hate, and all vices. The devil wants us to laugh at sin rather than mourn it. He wants us to rationalize sin rather than confess it. He wants us to enjoy sin so that our conscience becomes seared rather than fight for righteousness. The devil wants to give up on this righteous living. Our failure at overcoming certain sins and temptations is used by the devil to get us to give up. He whispers in our ears that we cannot win this fight. But God is telling us that we can stand. When we resist with righteous living then there is going to be success. This is why the scriptures tell us to resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7). What a glorious promise that God has given to us. When we pursue righteous living we are driving the devil back and are standing against his attacks. We must see our decision today to live righteously and avoid sin as far more than just a simple moral decision. We must see this decision as waging war and standing against the devil which gives us greater strength by God for the next encounter.

We are creatures of habit. Whatever our habit is, it becomes easier and easier to do. When we pursue righteousness, there is a greater likelihood that we will continue in that habit. This is one of the reasons God wants us to pursue righteousness. Make the right decisions for the Lord become a greater habit for us the more it is practiced.

Second, holy living is a practice, not a perfection. The scriptures command us to practice righteousness. “Everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (1 John 2:29) and “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God” (1 John 3:10). But in this very letter John said that anyone who says they do not sin is a liar. The strength of God’s grace compels us to continue to practice righteousness even when there is a time we fall short. We do not give up. We strive to make righteous living the rule of our life, not the anomaly.

Third, we are compelled to living a righteous life because so much of our pain in life comes from our lack of personal holiness. Unrighteousness robs us of joy. How often we believe the lie of the devil that our joy will be found in unrighteousness, yet all we reap is pain and suffering! The truth is that righteousness is the place of joy for our lives. Psalms 51 records the devastation of David’s sexual sin and his desire to return to the Lord. After asking for a clean heart and a renewed spirit, listen to what he says.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalms 51:12 ESV)

Joy was not in his unrighteousness. Joy was not found in his plunge into sexual immorality. Joy was found in coming back into the presence of the Lord. Joy is in the salvation of the Lord. Living in righteousness is the good life for us. We should know this because part of our faith is believing that God desires what is best for us. He proved that he desires what is best for us through the cross of Jesus. God is not giving arbitrary rules just to see who will follow him and who will not. The path of righteousness is for our own good. Choosing the way of righteousness will build defenses against the attack of the devil. God’s strength in your life will help you recognize the temptation and stay away from it because you know that joy is not in the temptation that lies before you.

Finally, we are compelled to righteous living comes by seeing the faithfulness of our God and his loving kindness toward us. This has been the message of Ephesians. You have been called to a glorious life. Now walk worthy of the calling. Righteous living is desired by seeing what God has done for us. This is what the prophets predicted hundreds of years before the coming of Christ.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 ESV)

God promised that he would do a heart operation on your life, removing the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh. God will pour out his blessings as seen in the giving of the Holy Spirit which will cause us to be careful to obey God’s commands. Jesus makes righteous living possible by seeing him and his love and being transformed by that. We cannot forget the love of God as seen through Jesus and all that we have received from his sacrifice. This is why Paul spent the first three chapters telling us our identity in Christ. He had to remind us that we are dead in our sins and children of wrath, but through Jesus he has adopted us to be his children with full rights to receive the promises and inheritance of God. We have been justified by faith. Now we must desire the righteous life and give our bodies to God’s glory.

Tools To Begin

Very quickly, allow me to give you two tools to start your life of holiness and righteousness. First, soak in the scriptures.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

Notice that all scripture is profitable for training in righteousness. The scriptures will teach us what the righteous life looks like. Reading the scriptures with an open heart will bring about the transformation of heart that leads to a transformed life in holiness. Second, the battle starts in the mind to live in righteousness.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:4-6 ESV)

The fight for obedience against the devil begins in the mind. Capture those thoughts and make them obey Christ. Fight the flesh. Fight the temptations. God has strengthened you through his Son and through his blessings that you can live a life that rejects sinful living and practices righteousness.

Readiness Given By The Gospel of Peace

Ephesians 6:15

The apostle Paul is concluding his letter to the Ephesian Christians to be strong in the Lord and find their strength in the Lord. Only by finding strength in the Lord can we stand against the devil and the evil forces of darkness. Paul is describing the whole armor that God has given so that we are able to stand and walk worthy of our calling. Ephesians 6:15 records the third piece of armor given to us.

“…as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15 ESV)

Paul declares the need to prepare our feet. Our feet are to be fitted with readiness which comes from the gospel of peace. Consider that our shoes reflect what we are doing. Depending on what we are going to do we have different shoes for the task. You may have work shoes. You may have exercise shoes. You may have dress shoes. You may have church shoes. You may have “around the house” shoes. The concept of readiness fits perfectly with the idea of preparing your feet. We use this metaphor in our own language today. When I tell my kids to get ready to leave, what is the one certain thing they will have to do? They will need to put their shoes on. They are not ready until they have their shoes on their feet so that they can go to wherever we are going. When I check to see if my kids are ready to go, one of the first things I look for is if they have their shoes on. In 2000 years the imagery of having your shoes on representing how one is ready has not changed. We are not ready until we have prepared our feet.

So what makes our feet ready to stand against the tactics of the devil? What will prepare our feet so that we can withstand in the evil day? The answer Paul gives is the gospel of peace. Consider that the shoes God has given are to be another tool that will strengthen us in the Lord. We are not ready to begin our day and go out into the world until we have put on as shoes the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

What Is The Gospel of Peace?

Before we can understand the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, we must first understand what the gospel of peace is. The apostle Paul has already taught the effect of the gospel of peace in this letter to the Ephesians.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:13-18 ESV)

Notice that Jesus is the peace. What Jesus did was destroy the hostility between Jews and Gentiles and created one new group of people, replacing the two, which created peace between the two. There is another peace that has occurred through Jesus. Verse 16 declares that both peoples are reconciled to God, putting an end to that hostility also. Jesus came preaching peace to those who were far off (the Gentiles) and to those who were near (the Jews). The Old Testament scriptures taught the world that there was separation between people and God because of sins. God loves the world and this is why he sent Jesus. But our sinfulness has caused a separation and hostility between us and God. We caused the hostility and are worthy of judgment. The prophet Isaiah repeatedly declared that judgment was coming on the people for their sins. They were a degenerate vine that was not bearing fruit for the Lord. They were unclean in God’s sight. But in Isaiah 52 God declares that he is going to redeem his people (Isaiah 52:3). It is with this hope in mind that Isaiah declares:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (Isaiah 52:7 ESV)

God has purchased peace through the death of his Son. Our sins put us at war with God. But we do not solve the problem of sin. Amazingly, God himself solves the problem of sin by giving his Son as a ransom. Isaiah is picturing that glorious message of happiness and salvation going throughout the earth. We no longer have to remain dead in our sins. We no longer are children of wrath. We will no longer receive the condemnation that is due to us. We will not receive what we absolutely deserve. We have been reconciled to God through the blood of the cross. Listen to what Isaiah says next.

The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. 9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:8-10 ESV)

Rejoice because the salvation of the Lord has been extended to the ends of the earth. God’s grace has intervene into this world and into our lives so that we will not receive the judgment we deserve. The gospel of peace is a glorious message that Jesus has made peace between us and God so that we can be his people and be his children.

How Does The Gospel of Peace Prepare Us To Stand?

Now we must consider why Paul is using this as armor for us to stand against the tactics of the devil. How does the gospel of peace function as armor for the battle against the spiritual forces of darkness?

We noted earlier in the lesson that you are not prepared to go until you have the appropriate shoes on your feet. In the same way, we are not ready to face what the devil will throw at us today until we put on the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Knowing exactly what God has done for us and putting that knowledge and love at the forefront of our minds will make us ready to stand. I do not want to give into the attacks of the devil because submitting to those temptations means I am rejecting the Lord who loves me and sent his Son to save me. Giving into my fleshly desires means that I have forgotten that the wrath of God does come upon the disobedient (Romans 1:18). Listen to how Paul made this point in his letter to Titus.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14 ESV)

The grace of God which brings salvation for all trains us to turn our back on all those temptations that the devil is throwing at us. The grace of God is what gives us the strength to stand knowing that we are waiting for the coming of our Lord. We have been redeemed and have been purified to be his people. We are standing in the amazing grace of God.

Further, the gospel of peace makes us ready to stand because it demands continued proclamation. The good news cannot be hidden. It is too wonderful of a message to be kept to ourselves. Listen again to Isaiah’s prophecy: “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the good news.” It is a beautiful thing in God’s sight to proclaim his good news. The apostle Paul quoted this in Romans 10:15 pointing out that no one will call on the name of the Lord and be saved from their sins by the grace of God unless this wonderful gospel of peace is proclaimed.

Our faith is grounded even further when we proclaim the gospel of peace. Our knowledge grows when we teach this message to others. I have seen in my life that my knowledge has rapidly grown because I teach people the gospel of peace every week. There is nothing more encouraging than watching God open the hearts of people and see them respond to the gospel. Proclaiming the gospel of peace and watching people respond to it is so faith building and encouraging. Friends, we are missing out on an important piece of the armor of God when we choose not to proclaim this good news to others.

The Call To Submission

There is one more aspect of the gospel of peace that we must consider so that we have the full armor of God on our bodies. Peace had a little bit of a different idea in the first century world than it does in our world. When we speak of peace today, we often think of two sides sitting down at a diplomatic table, making compromises, and then agreeing to a peace treaty. But there was another way that peace was secured that the world was keenly aware of. Augustus Caesar described the peace that he brought to the world. Of course, he did not bring this peace through diplomatic means but through conquest and subjugation. The peoples of the other nations had peace with Rome when they bowed the knee and yielded to the authority of Caesar.

We must recognize that this is how we have peace with God. We do not bring our demands to the table and barter with God the terms of peace. We submit to the terms of the agreement. Notice that this is the message of the peace. Go back to Isaiah 52:7 where the content of the message is declared, “Your God reigns.” God rules. This is how peace is administered. Listen to the words of Paul.

For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11 ESV)

We do not get to set any terms for the covenant. Jesus is the conquering king. To find peace we must submit to the king or receive judgment. Therefore, the way we have peace with God and enjoy the gospel of peace in our lives is by full submission to the king. But we must not bristle at this because this is good news. We are able to belong to a loving king who has saved us from our sins and saved us from eternal judgment. Stand in the gospel of peace. Do not yield to the devil. Do not give into temptation. See the glorious king we serve. See the privileged position we have in Christ and live for him. Our joy in Christ and the continued proclamation of the gospel is a major assault on Satan’s schemes. Live in the gospel and you will be ready to stand.

The Shield of Faith

Ephesians 6:16

Do you ever feel like you are under attack? Do you feel like Satan is trying to do everything he can to wreck your spiritual walk with God. Do you feel like the devil is trying to destroy your life with pains and difficulties? He is. The apostle Peter described the devil as prowling around as a roaring lion seeking anyone he can devour (1 Peter 5:8). When we feel like we are under the attack of Satan, we must accept the reality that we are! The devil is real and he is the evil one who is attacking us in all kinds of ways. The apostle Paul also describes the attack of the devil as shooting flaming arrows at us in Ephesians 6:16.

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (Ephesians 6:16 ESV)

Paul describes the shield of faith as a powerful tool in our stand against the devil and the evil forces of darkness. The shield of faith has the power to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. I want us to consider what Paul just said. This armor will not stop a few flaming darts of the evil one. When put on and used properly, the shield of faith will extinguish ALL the flaming darts. Think about this: all of the arrows. God has given us a powerful shield so that we can stand spiritually. The apostle Peter used the same imagery at the beginning of his first letter, declaring that through faith we are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV)

How is the devil attacking you right now? Perhaps it is through the guilt of sin that makes you want to quit your faith. Are you fighting through physical suffering? Are you dealing with sickness? Are you dealing with death? Are you dealing with immorality? What is the attack of the devil on you right now? What arrows are hitting you that you need the shield of faith to extinguish? Paul is telling us that these attacks can be dampened and thwarted with faith. So I want us to start with the thought of hope. You are not doomed to be destroyed by the attack of the devil. God has given armor so that we can stand during this attack. It is not hopeless. It is not too difficult. I think that it is easy during difficult times to reach a very dark place where we can convince ourselves that there is no hope, no help, and no way out. This kind of thinking leads to depression and perhaps even suicidal thoughts. The devil wants us to be in this dark place where it feels like there is no way out. He wants us to think that there is no help or hope. So I want to begin this lesson with hope. It is not too hard and it is not impossible. There is God’s shield of faith for you so that you can extinguish the devil’s attack.

Notice how Paul begins this sentence in Ephesians 6:16. “In all circumstances…” Your translation may say, “In addition to all” or “above all.” The phrase is literally, “In everything” so all of these translations are correct. In every situation and in addition to the rest of the armor of God, the shield of faith is necessary. Every day we need this shield because the attack of the devil is very real and continuous. So how are we to survive these attacks? The apostle Paul’s answer is faith. This is why the scriptures repeatedly teach that the life of the believer is one of faith.

Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4 ESV)

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17 ESV)

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Galatians 3:11 ESV)

For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10:37-38 ESV)

Why Faith?

Why is faith the answer? Perhaps it is even better to ask, “How is faith the answer?” John said this even more strongly.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (1 John 5:4 ESV)

So why is faith the solution? Why is faith the shield to quench the flaming arrows of temptation, trials, difficulty, and suffering that the devil shoots at us? Faith is the solution because unbelief is the basis for sin. Why did Eve eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden? Yes, we read in Genesis 3 that it was pleasing to the eyes, it was good for food, and it was able to make her wise. But why did she eat it? Why did she succumb to the temptation of the devil? She lacked faith in God’s command and in God’s love to seek the best interest of his creation. She did not believe that the command of God and the love of God was in her best interest and for her good. She listened to the lie of Satan that told her that God was holding out on her and keeping her from joy and pleasure. Unbelief was the cause of her falling to the temptation. This is why faith is the shield to extinguish the flaming arrows of the devil. We do not believe that we can be satisfied by what God has given us or by what God has to offer. We lack faith in our Lord and listen to the lie of the devil. Lack of faith is the reason we fall. Lack of faith is the reason we succumb to the devil’s temptations. We do not believe that God is working for us. We do not believe that God’s way is best. We do not believe that God’s laws are for our good. We do not believe that God is not keeping us from the good life. We do not believe that God loves us and cares deeply about us. This is why faith is so necessary. Faith is at the heart of the problem. Do we believe in God or not?

Building Faith

So we need the shield of faith that God supplies. We need the strength that he gives so that we will reject temptations and not give up our faith during difficult and dark times. How can we take the shield of faith and wear it every day?

Look to the cross.The cross is intended to be the greatest builder of faith in our God for life. Listen to the words of Paul.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32 ESV)

What else would God keep from us? How can we not believe that God is acting for us and in our best interests when we look to the cross? If he gave his own Son, are we going to suggest that God is holding back from us? Is God keeping us from something better when he has proven that he will give up anything for our own good? No one has your interests covered better than our Lord! The cross teaches us that God alone is all-satisfying for he gives us all that we need.

Look to the future.Second, the scriptures teach us to look to the future as a means to build our faith. Listen to how the writer of Hebrews pictures this.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:13-16 ESV)

These people who had faith in the Lord and died in faith recognized that they were strangers on this earth and were looking for the better home with God. They desire a better country, the heavenly land that God has prepared. Faith is strengthened by looking to where we are going, not by living life as if this life is all that life has to offer. We look forward to the better land that has been secured by Jesus through the cross.

Look to the scriptures.Finally, we look to the scriptures because God is the giver of the faith we need.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17 ESV)

God gives faith through his words and our listening to his words. Faith will not be found any other way. We will not find faith by going to worship more. We will not find faith by trying to straighten out some other externals. Faith comes by hearing God’s word and letting those words hit the heart. The context of Romans 10 is that Israel did hear the word but they were obstinate and contrary to the pleadings of the Lord. God has given us the armor to stand. He has given us the shield of faith so that we will extinguish the flaming arrows of the devil. But will we set aside our stubborn ways and let the word of Christ create faith in our hearts? Look to the scriptures for the strength we need to build our faith so that enjoy a life in Jesus and reject the lies of the devil.

The Helmet of Salvation

and the Sword of the Spirit

Ephesians 6:17

Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17 ESV)

The apostle Paul is teaching us about the armor given to us by God so that we are able to stand against the attacks of the devil and the spiritual forces of evil. Thus far we have seen that the armor given to us is truth, righteousness, readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, and faith. We will consider two more pieces of God’s armor that is given to us: the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

The Helmet of Salvation

God says that we have salvation as a piece of armor. How is salvation a piece of armor? How does salvation help us be strong in the Lord and stand against the attacks of the devil? How does salvation help? The scriptures tell us that the helmet of salvation is to give us hope.

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 ESV)

Paul says that the helmet of salvation is to give us hope. Why does it give us hope? Paul says because God has not destined us to wrath but to obtain salvation. God did not create us so that he would judge us and vent his wrath on us, which we deserve. Rather, God has made us so that we would obtain salvation from our sins. So how does this help us? Why do we need this?

I believe one of the strong attacks the devil makes against us is to attack us with discouragement and doubt. The devil wants to shred any assurance that we may think we have in Christ. To discourage us, the devil points out our failures, sins, shortcomings that we have before the Lord. The devil points out all the problems in our lives and whatever else is negative so that we lose confidence in the love of our Father. The devil attacks and tells you that you are not good enough and you are not going to heaven. You have too many sins. You have made too many mistakes. You are not worthy of God’s love. You cannot be what God wants. But here is the thing: we are not good enough! That is the whole point! If we could be good enough then our Lord would not have needed to send his Son to die for the sins of the world.

Turn to James 4:1-5 and see this point made by James. Notice in the first five verses James points out our sinfulness. He writes to Christians and tells them how they are fighting because they are obeying their passions. Their desires are all out of whack. They ask the Lord wrongly in prayer, praying selfishly and therefore not receive from the Lord. James says that they are adulterous people because they are friends with the world rather than friends with God. So here is where we sit. We know what we ought to be doing but we continue to fail in our sins. Does James tell them that they need to give up? Does James tell them to quit? Does James say that they need to quit fighting for holiness? No! Listen to verse 6:

“But God gives more grace.” Do you see what God does while fight the passions of our flesh? More grace! “Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” There is no better news that will encourage us to stand against the attacks of the devil. I am insufficient but God is sufficient with his grace to carry me if I will humbly continue to submit my life to my God. James continues in verse 7.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 ESV)

This is the whole point the apostle Paul is making in Ephesians 6. Put on the helmet of salvation to stand against the devil because it gives you hope and encouragement to continue to pursue the Lord as he gives you more grace. Seeing the grace of God leads me to holy living. Seeing the grace of God compels me to not quit my faith or my struggle against Satan and sin. Listen to how Paul declared this truth to the Philippians.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

God has not left us alone now that we have become a Christians to struggle our way through by our own might. This would not work if God brings us to salvation and leaves us to fend for ourselves. God who began this great work of salvation in your life will bring it to completion. Submit to the Lord and God gives the grace we need which continues to strengthen us to stand against the attacks of the devil.

The Sword of the Spirit

In our study of the armor of God we can see how critical it is to have and use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Our faith comes from the word of God (Romans 10:17) and we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Without the word of God active in our lives, we cannot put on truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, or salvation because we only learn these things through the word of God. Without the word of God we would not know that we had armor given to us by God that gives us the strength to stand. The word of God empowers us to stand against all that Satan throws at us.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalms 119:11 ESV)

This is the attitude we need toward the word of God. It is the tool for success against Satan. The word of God provides us what we need to be strong in the Lord and repel the attacks of the devil. Not only this, the scriptures teach us that the words that God has spoken which rest in your hands are your very life.

“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:46-47 ESV)

Jesus agreed with this understand concerning God’s words:

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63 ESV)

Life is not in ourselves but in the words of our Lord working in our lives. We need the sword of the Spirit. If we do not use the sword, it is of no value to us. How easy it is for us to neglect the armor God has given us to stand and then we fail in our faith and we do not understand why. But the reason is clearly given by God. We are not relying upon the armor God has given to us.

Conclusion

Do not give up in your walk with God. There is plenty of grace for those who, do not live perfectly for then we would not need grace, but humble themselves before the Lord. Your hope must remain in the salvation of the Lord. Read the scriptures and continue to grow in the strength of the Lord as we see the glory and love and salvation of our God.

Keeping Alert With Prayer

Ephesians 6:18-20

The apostle Paul completes the armor of God imagery by instructing Christians in the necessity of prayer. Paul has pictured our walk with God as warfare against the devil. In Ephesians 6:12 Paul said that we are struggling, wrestling, and battling against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore the armor of God is needed. We stand firm against the enemy’s schemes through prayer. Prayer is the critical line of communication while we exist on this battlefield. Too often we can miss the purpose of prayer. But the reason why we miss the purpose of prayer is that we fail to see that we are in a spiritual battle. Prayer is not the means of receiving goodies for our physical comforts but the life line needed to survive the attack of the devil. This is the idea of praying, not according to the flesh, but in the Spirit. A life dependent on God in prayer is essential for standing in the faith.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. (Proverbs 18:10 ESV)

Prayer is our lifeline. Prayer is how we communicate to our homeland where the Father lives. When Jesus was about to encounter the excruciating suffering of the cross, he spent his final free moments in prayer. Prayer is a great tool given to us by the Lord for standing in this life.

Pray Comprehensively

As Paul introduces the necessity of prayer you will observe in verse 18 that the key word is “all.” Four times he says “all.” So Paul is teaching us the need to pray comprehensively. Let’s examine these four aspects for comprehensive prayer.

Praying at all times in the Spirit.

When should we pray? Paul says that we need to pray at all times. Everywhere and in every place at every time. In Acts 2:42 we see that one of the things the early Christians devoted themselves to was prayer. Paul constantly instructed believers in his letters that they needed to continue in prayer.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12 ESV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6 ESV)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2 ESV)

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV)

Prayer is a lifestyle. Prayer is not merely a moment in time for a quick hit conversation. But we are in regular thoughts and words to the Lord throughout the day. We are on the spiritual battlefield and we need to talk to our king. Constancy in prayer is not talking to God only when we want something, but know God fully and draw close to him. This is what we are to understand about praying in the Spirit. We are praying for God’s direction and God’s way at all times.

I want us to think about this concept for a moment. God wants us to talk to him. God delights in our conversation with him. Can you imagine if your children talked to you only when they wanted something? You never had any conversation with your children unless they were asking you for something! This would be a dysfunctional relationship. How can it be that we could go hours, days, weeks, or longer not talking to our Father? Then, once we do talk to our Father, it is only because we have a problem! Prayer is a conversation with the Father. This is how we pray at all times. God is inviting us to have a conversation with him. God is giving us the line of communication for this spiritual battle where God hears our prayers and gives us the strength we need. We delight in entering the presence of God through prayer and God delights in us coming into his presence with prayer. It is an amazing picture that God has given us so that we can be strengthened.

Pray with all prayer.

Did you notice the strange construction of the second “all?” Paul says that we need be praying with all prayer and supplication. A supplication is a request. The point is that God receives all kinds of prayers. Make all your requests known to the Lord.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6 ESV)

God says to let your requests go to God. It is time to launch prayers! Pray all kinds of prayers. This is the praying at all times in the Spirit that we are doing. We are praying thanks. We are praying our needs. We are praying for strength. We are praying for help. We are just talking to God about everything that is going on. There is nothing mundane to the Lord. Launch your prayers to God. There is nothing that God does not want to hear.

Now this is an amazing thing that we can move the hand of the sovereign God. We see people throughout the scriptures who are able to stand through prayer. They are moving God through prayer. From people like Abraham to Hezekiah, we see God responding to prayer. So God is telling us to launch any prayers to him. Talk to him. Pray with all prayers and requests. There is nothing too small for the hand of the Lord.

Stay alert with all perseverance.

Further, we are told to keep alert with all perseverance. Keep alert reminds us that we are on the spiritual battlefield and we need this constant communication with our Lord. Jesus had the same concern that the apostle Paul expresses here. In Luke 18 Jesus told a parable to that “they ought to always pray and not lose heart.” The concern is that we will stop being vigilant and diligent in prayer. We will pray at times but then we will stop. Jesus wants us to always pray. We are to pray without ceasing and not lose heart as we pray.

Why do we need perseverance in prayer? Why do we need to pray always and not lose heart? For there to be this concern implies that something would happen to cause us to lose heart and stop being steadfast in prayer. The problem is that when we pray we do not get answers immediately every time we ask. If every time I prayed the answer was given to me instantly, I would not need to worry about losing perseverance in prayer. The issue is that this is not how prayer operates. Prayer is not a microwave. We do not launch the prayer, open the door, and out comes the answer like microwave popcorn. The concern for not losing heart in prayer means that we are going to pray and have delayed answers and negative responses to our prayers. So we need to dig in to the practice of prayer. We tend to let up in prayer because we do not see immediate answers or responses. Jesus and Paul instruct us not to do this. Keep alert in this spiritual battle with prayer with ALL perseverance. Persist in prayer to overcome discouragement, hardships, and suffering. Stay in prayer. Do not let up. Do not give prayer up. Keep alert with the Lord with a constancy in prayer.

Pray for all the family of God.

Finally, Paul says that our prayers should be for all the family of God. Pray for all the Lord’s people. God tells us to make requests on behalf of each other. It is so wonderful to know that other believers are praying for you. It is wonderful to hear people pray on your behalf. We have a prayer list and we must be persevering in prayer for one another. We have people who are under the attack of the devil. We must be calling God in on their behalf.

Which means that we need to tell each other about what we need prayer for in our lives. Notice that we see Paul do this in Ephesians 6:19. Paul asks the Ephesian Christians to pray for him. He needs boldness right now to proclaim the gospel because he is imprisoned. So he needs them to call on God for him. Paul asked these Christians to pray for him. We must be willing to open our lives to each other and let others know what we need prayers for. I am grateful that so many of you share your lives with me and ask me to pray for you for the things going on in your life. I have asked you all on many occasions to pray for us and most recently concerning our daughter Grace. Pray for the family of God. Pray for each other. Tell each other what we need prayers for in our lives.

Conclusion

These are the four “alls” of prayer that Paul instructs for us. Pray at all times with all kinds of prayer, keeping alert in prayer with all perseverance, praying for each other as we walk with our Lord and stand against the attacks of the devil.

Prayer no longer becomes a mere habit or discipline of Christian faith when we see how Paul describes next to the armor of God. Prayer is our communication line to our faith in the midst of the battle. Make today the time when you will speak to your Father always about all things in your life. There is something wrong when children do not speak to their parents about their lives daily and regularly. God is inviting you to have a conversation with him. The Almighty Sovereign God listens and acts on behalf of his people. Pray without ceasing.

LESSON 1

THE CHURCH FOREORDAINED IN CHRIST

Ephesians 1:1-23

1. Give the first record of the gospel’s being preached at Ephesus. Ans. Acts 18:19-21.

2. On a later journey to Ephesus, Paul preached how long there? Ans. Acts 20:31.

3. What effect did Paul’s preaching have on the Ephesians? Ans. Acts 19:17-20.

4. To what group of people is this letter addressed? Ans. Ephesians 1:1.

5. Paul was an apostle through the will of whom? Ans. Ephesians 1:1.

6. In whom are all spiritual blessings? Ans. Ephesians 1:3.

7. ’What characteristics should distinguish those chosen in Christ? Ans. Ephesians 1:4.

8. The saints at Ephesus were adopted as sons through whom? Ans. Ephesians 1:5.

9. Through what do we have our redemption? Ans. Ephesians 1:7.

10. What was made known to the apostles? Ans. Ephesians 1:9.

11. Things in heaven and on earth were to be unified through whom, at what time? Ans. Ephesians 1:10.

12. For what purpose was this mystery made known unto the apostles? Ans. Ephesians 1:12.

13. What is the gospel of salvation mentioned in verse 13?

14. When were they sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise? Ans. Ephesians 1:13.

15. What was the Holy Spirit of promise? Ans. Ephesians 1:14.

16. What had Paul heard about the Ephesians? Ans. Ephesians 1:15.

17. What did he do because of this? Ans. Ephesians 1:16.

18. Paul prayed that God might do what for them? Ans. Ephesians 1:17-18.

19. Then what would they know? Ans. Ephesians 1:18-19.

20. When was the greatness of God’s power particularly demonstrated? Ans. Ephesians 1:20.

21. Where is Christ now? Ans. 1 Peter 3:21-22.

22. How highly was Christ exalted by God? Ans. Ephesians 1:21.

23. What things are placed in subjection to Christ? Ans. Ephesians 1:22.

24. Christ is the head over all things to what? Ans. Ephesians 1:22.

25. What is the church? Ans. Ephesians 1:22-23.

26. What is the exception to all things being placed in subjection to Christ? Ans. 1 Corinthians 15:27-28.

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

Christ is head of how many bodies?

How many heads has the body

LESSON 2

SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

Ephesians 2:1-22

1. In what way were the Ephesians once dead? Ans. Ephesians 2:1

2. How did they walk? Ans. Ephesians 2:2.

3. They indulged in what when they were dead in sin?Ans. Ephesians 2:3.

4. Why did God make them alive? Ans. Ephesians 2:4-5.

5. They were made alive together with whom? Ans. Ephesians 2:5.

6. How do men die to sin? Ans. Romans 6:2-10.

7. How many have sinned? Ans. Romans 3:23.

8. Why were they raised up with Christ? Ans. Ephesians 2:6-7.

9. How can we be raised up with him? Ans. Romans 6:4.

10. By what were the Ephesians saved? Ans. Ephesians 2:8.

11. Why is it not of works? Ans. Ephesians 2:9.

12. In whom, and for what purpose, are we created? Ans. Ephesians 2:10.

13. Physically, these Ephesians had once been what? Ans. Ephesians 2:11.

14. Describe the terrible condition in which they lived. Ans. Ephesians 2:12.

15. Through what were they made nigh? Ans. Ephesians 2:13.

16. What did Christ do for the Jew and Gentile, through his flesh? Ans. Ephesians 2:14-15.

17. Through what were they reconciled unto God? Ans. Ephesians 2:16.

18. What is that one body? Ans. Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 1:24.

19. Through whom do we have access unto the Father? Ans. Ephesians 2:18.

20. What had Jew and Gentile become through Christ? Ans. Ephesians 2:19.

21. What is the household of God? Ans. 1 Timothy 3:15.

22. The house of God was built upon what foundation? Ans. Ephesians 2:20.

23. Where was the foundation laid? Ans. Isaiah 28:16.

24. How many foundations are there? Ans. 1 Corinthians 3:11.

25. What is the object and use of the household of God? Ans. Ephesians 2:21-22.

TOPICS FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

How is salvation by grace?

Is there salvation without works?

In Ephesians 2:8, to what does the word "it" refer?

LESSON 3

THE CHURCH IN GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN

Ephesians 3:1-21

1. What was Paul’s condition when he wrote this? Ans. Ephesians 3:1.

2. For whose sake was he in this condition? Ans. Ephesians 3:1.

3. What might the Ephesians have heard about Paul? Ans. Ephesians 3:2.

4. flow was the mystery made known unto him? Ans. Ephesians 3:3.

5. How would they benefit by what Paul wrote? Ans. Ephesians 3:4.

6. When was this mystery not made known unto men? Ans. Ephesians 3:5.

7. To whom was it now revealed? Ans. Ephesians 3:5.

8. What is the mystery referred to in verse 3? Ans. Ephesians 3:6.

9. Paul was made a minister according to what? Ans. Ephesians 3:7.

10. What was the grace given to Paul? Ans. Ephesians 3:8.

11. What should all men see? Ans. Ephesians 3:9.

12. By whom is the manifold wisdom of God to be made known? Ans. Ephesians 3:10.

13. For how long had God purposed that this be done? Ans. Ephesians 3:11.

14. In finishing the thought begun in verse 1, before whom did Paul bow? Ans. Ephesians 3:14.

15. Of whom is every family named? Ans. Ephesians 3:15.

16. For what does Paul ask the Father? Ans. Ephesians 3:16.

17. Where should Christ dwell? Ans. Ephesians 3:17.

18. Christians should be rooted and grounded in what? Ans. Ephesians 3:17.

19. Then we will be able to understand what? Ans. Ephesians 3:18-19.

20. Christ’s love surpasses what? Ans. Ephesians 3:19.

21. How much can God do for us? Ans. Ephesians 3:20.

22. Glory to God exists in what? Ans. Ephesians 3:21.

23. How long shall this glory last? Ans. Ephesians 3:21.

LESSON 4

UNITY AND EDIFICATION OF THE BODY

Ephesians 4:1-32

1. Paul begged the Ephesians to walk worthily of what? Ans. Ephesians 4:1.

2. How could they do this? Ans. Ephesians 4:2.

3. How is the unity of the Spirit to he kept? Ans. Ephesians 4:3.

4. Name the seven "ones" given in verses 4 to 6.

5. What is the one body? Ans. Ephesians 4:22-23.

6. What is the one hope? Ans. 1 Thessalonians 5:8.

7. Grace was given to each according to what? Ans. Ephesians 4:7.

8. Who is it that ascended? Ans. Ephesians 4:8-9.

9. Some were given to he what? Ans. Ephesians 4:11.

10. Why were these different offices given? Ans. Ephesians 4:12.

11. What is the ultimate goal set for the body of Christ? Ans. Ephesians 4:13-14.

12. How should Christians speak? Ans. Ephesians 4:15.

13. Who is the head of the body? Ans. Ephesians 4:15.

14. How much of the body depends upon the head? Ans. Ephesians 4:16.

15. How were the Ephesians not to walk? Ans. Ephesians 4:17.

16. The Gentiles were alienated from the life of God because of what? Ans. Ephesians 4:18.

17. What degree of unrighteousness had they reached? Ans. Ephesians 4:19.

18. What should be put away? Ans. Ephesians 4:22.

19. In what should Christians be renewed? Ans. Ephesians 4:23.

20. In what is the new man created? Ans. Ephesians 4:24.

21. Why are we to speak truthfully to one another? Ans. Ephesians 4:25.

22. How are we to control our anger? Ans. Ephesians 4:26.

23. What should the thief do? Ans. Ephesians 4:28.

24. What kind of language should Christians use? Ans. Ephesians 4:29.

25. What should be put away from us? Ans. Ephesians 4:31.

26. How- should we treat each other? Ans. Ephesians 4:32.

LESSON 5

DUTIES OF CHRISTIANS

Ephesians 5:1-33

1. Whom should we imitate? Ans. Ephesians 5:1.

2. What did Christ do for us? Ans. Ephesians 5:2.

3. What is unbecoming to even be named among saints? Ans. Ephesians 5:3-4.

4. Who shall have no inheritance in the kingdom? Ans. Ephesians 5:5.

5. What happens to sons of disobedience? Ans. Ephesians 5:6.

6. How should we treat them? Ans. Ephesians 5:7.

7. Those once in darkness were now what? Ans. Ephesians 5:8.

8. What should a Christian’s attitude be toward works of darkness? Ans. Ephesians 5:11.

9. How shameful were some of the things secretly done? Ans. Ephesians 5:12.

10. What happens when things are exposed to the light? Ans. Ephesians 5:13.

11. How are Christians to walk? Ans. Ephesians 5:15.

12. Why should the time be redeemed? Ans. Ephesians 5:16.

13. Instead of being filled with wine, Christians should be filled with what? Ans. Ephesians 5:18.

14. In whose name should thanks be given to God? Ans. Ephesians 5:20.

15. In what manner are wives to be subject to their husbands? Ans. Ephesians 5:22.

16. Who is the head of the wife? Ans. Ephesians 5:23.

17. Who is the head of the church? Ans. Ephesians 5:23.

18. What will he do for it? Ans. Ephesians 5:23.

19. In how many things are wives to be subject to their husbands? Ans. Ephesians 5:24.

20. What did Christ do for the church? Ans. Ephesians 5:25.

21. How is it cleansed? Ans. Ephesians 5:26.

22. How much should husbands love their wives? Ans. Ephesians 5:28; Ephesians 5:33.

23. Tell what a man does for his own flesh. Ans. Ephesians 5:29.

24. Members of the church are members of what? Ans. Ephesians 5:29-30.

25. How close is the relationship of husband and wife? Ans. Ephesians 5:31.

26. What does the relationship of husband and wife illustrate? Ans. Ephesians 5:32.

LESSON 6

THE ARMOR OF GOD

Ephesians 6:1-24

1. Give the meaning of the expression "in the Lord" as used in Ephesians 6:1.

2. Which is the first commandment with promise? Ans. Ephesians 6:2.

3. Why should children obey their parents? Ans. Eph. 8: 3.

4. What instructions are given to fathers? Ans. Ephesians 6:4.

5. Give the manner in which servants should serve their masters. Ans. Ephesians 6:5.

6. How should servants regard their labors? Ans. Ephesians 6:6-7.

7. What can both servant and master expect to receive? Ans. Ephesians 6:8.

8. On what basis are servant and master equal? Ans. Ephesians 6:9.

9. In what should Christians be strong? Ans. Ephesians 6:10.

10. Why should a Christian put on the armor of God? Ans. Ephesians 6:11.

11. Against whom do Christians war? Ans. Ephesians 6:12.

12. How much of the armor of God is needed? Ans. Ephesians 6:13.

13. What will this armor enable one to do? Ans. Ephesians 6:13.

14. Tell the kind of girdle and breastplate this armor requires. Ans. Ephesians 6:14.

15. The feet should be shod with what? Ans. Ephesians 6:15.

16. What effect will the shield of faith have upon the evil one? Ans. Ephesians 6:16.

17. What is the sword of the Spirit? Ans. Ephesians 6:17.

18. How effective is this sword? Ans. Hebrews 4:12.

19. After donning this armor, how are Christians to conduct themselves? Ans. Ephesians 6:18.

20. For what did Paul ask the Ephesians to pray? Ans. Ephesians 6:19-20.

21. Whom did Paul send to Ephesus? Ans. Ephesians 6:21.

22. For what purpose? Ans. Ephesians 6:22.

23. What else do you know about this brother? Ans. Acts 20:4; Colossians 4:7; 2 Timothy 4:12; Titus 3:12.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Ephesians 1:1-14

Open It

1. How often do you compliment others?

2. How do you usually respond when someone compliments you?

3. What blessings have you received recently?

Explore It

1.    How was Paul made an apostle? (Ephesians 1:1)

2.    To whom was the letter addressed? (Ephesians 1:1)

3.    What greetings did Paul extend to the believers at Ephesus? (Ephesians 1:2)

4.    How has God blessed believers? (Ephesians 1:3)

5.    When did God’s work of election take place? (Ephesians 1:4)

6.    What is the purpose of God’s election? (Ephesians 1:4)

7.    What did God determine beforehand for those who believe in Christ? (Ephesians 1:5)

8.    What is the goal of God’s election? (Ephesians 1:6)

9.    What is redemption? (Ephesians 1:7)

10.    What does the work of Christ do for the believer? (Ephesians 1:7)

11.    What has God given the believer? (Ephesians 1:8-10)

12.    When will everything be brought together? (Ephesians 1:10)

13.    How did God’s plan include people of different cultures? (Ephesians 1:11-12)

14.    What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those called to receive spiritual blessings in Christ? (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Get It

1.    What are spiritual blessings?

2.    In everyday language, how would you describe the spiritual blessings given to you?

3.    How do you picture the persons of the Trinity at work in your life?

4.    How should knowing that you were chosen to be in the family of God affect your involvement in evangelism?

5.    What has Christ done on our behalf?

6.    How have you benefited from the grace of God?

7.    For what work of God on your behalf are you most thankful? Why?

8.    Why did God do this amazing work for us?

Apply It

1.    How can you say thank you to God this week for what He has done for you?

2.    What do you need to do differently to live for the praise of God’s glory this week?

3.    In the days ahead, how can you share with other people those blessings God has given you?

Thanksgiving and Prayer

Ephesians 1:15-23

Open It

1.    How do you celebrate Thanksgiving Day?

2.    For what do you thank God on a daily basis?

3.    How do you show that you are thankful for those around you?

Explore It

1.    What motivated Paul to pray for the Ephesians? (Ephesians 1:15-16)

2.    What did Paul ask God to give to the Ephesian Christians? (Ephesians 1:17)

3.    What is the purpose of having wisdom and revelation? (Ephesians 1:17)

4.    Why did Paul ask that the Ephesians’ hearts would continue to be enlightened? (Ephesians 1:18)

5.    What kind of help is available to all Christians? (Ephesians 1:19-20)

6.    How is God’s power at work in all creation? (Ephesians 1:21)

7.    How does God’s power reach across time? (Ephesians 1:21)

8.    What did God place under Christ’s control? (Ephesians 1:22)

9.    What appointment did God give Christ? (Ephesians 1:22)

10.    What is the church’s relationship to Christ? (Ephesians 1:22-23)

Get It

1.    How did Paul support the Ephesian Christians?

2.    How can you encourage growth in other Christians?

3.    The Ephesians showed faith in Christ and love for one another; what qualities distinguish your Christian walk?

4.    How do you know that Christ’s power is sufficient for your life?

5.    How does the knowledge of God’s authority and control make you secure?

6.    When did you last express a prayer of thanks for other saints?

Apply It

1.    Since God’s power is available to you, what do you need to do to take hold of it this week?

2.    What people in need could you remember in your prayers this week?

Made Alive in Christ

Ephesians 2:1-10

Open It

1.    When have you shown mercy to a person who deserved to be punished?

2.    What is the best gift you’ve ever received?

Explore It

1.    Before conversion, what was the spiritual position of the Ephesians? (Ephesians 2:1)

2.    What three characteristics mark the condition of a person without Christ? (Ephesians 2:2-3)

3.    How are both Jew and Gentile alike? (Ephesians 2:3)

4.    Why did God make those who were dead alive with Christ? (Ephesians 2:4-5)

5.    What describes God’s action in making us alive? (Ephesians 2:5)

6.    What position has God given Christians in Christ by His divine power? (Ephesians 2:6)

7.    What will God show in the future eternal state? (Ephesians 2:7)

8.    What is the means of salvation? (Ephesians 2:8)

9.     Where does salvation come from? (Ephesians 2:8)

10.     Why can no one boast in his own salvation? (Ephesians 2:8-9)

11.     How is the believer God’s work of art? (Ephesians 2:10)

12.     What is the purpose of God’s workmanship? (Ephesians 2:10)

Get It

1.     What were you like before you became a Christian?

2.     Why was your position hopeless before becoming a Christian?

3.     When did you receive the gift of new life?

4.    How would you describe God’s grace to you?

5.     Why hasn’t anyone deserved God’s grace, mercy, or riches?

6.    How do you see God’s creative workmanship operating in your life?

Apply It

1.     With whom can you share the news of God’s mercy? How?

2.    Empowered by the Holy Spirit, what good work for the kingdom of God can you do this week?

One in Christ

Ephesians 2:11-22

Open It

1.    When was a time you felt deprived?

2.    What people have you known whose upbringing and family connections provided them with certain advantages?

Explore It

1.    What did Paul command the Ephesians to remember? (Ephesians 2:11)

2.    Why was being uncircumcised a desperate problem for the Gentiles? (Ephesians 2:11-12)

3.    How did Christ’s work on the cross transform the condition of the Gentiles? (Ephesians 2:13)

4.    Who brought peace to Jewish and Gentile believers? (Ephesians 2:14)

5.    Why did Christ end the hostility between Jews and Gentiles? (Ephesians 2:14-16)

6.    How did the enmity between Jews and Gentiles come to an end? (Ephesians 2:15-16)

7.    What is the result of believing the message of Christ? (Ephesians 2:17-18)

8.    In Christ, how did the Gentiles achieve new spiritual and social status? (Ephesians 2:19)

9.    On what foundation were the Ephesian believers built? (Ephesians 2:20)

10.     How was Christ part of the foundation? (Ephesians 2:20)

11.     How was the church described as living and growing? (Ephesians 2:21)

12.     How were the Ephesians becoming part of God’s dwelling? (Ephesians 2:22)

13.     How did God live in the Ephesian Christians? (Ephesians 2:22)

Get It

1.     How does the gospel break down religious and social barriers?

2.     Why is it that many churches maintain a dividing wall that keeps out other social and ethnic groups?

3.    How does your church treat foreigners and aliens?

4.     How should churches treat foreigners and aliens?

5.    If Paul were speaking to your congregation about reconciliation, would his words be ones of praise or disappointment?

6.     In Christ, what is every Christian’s relationship to other Christians?

7.    What is your role in helping your congregation show unity in Christ?

Apply It

1.    How can you show God’s love to an "outsider" this week?

2.    To what groups or individuals can you extend the peace of Christ this week? How?

Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3:1-13

Open It

1.    If you found buried treasure in your backyard, what would be your first course of action?

2.    Do you like to figure things out for yourself or get help as soon as possible?

3.    How good are you at explaining things to others?

Explore It

1.    Why did Paul go to prison? (Ephesians 3:1)

2.    How familiar was Paul with the company of believers at Ephesus? (Ephesians 3:2)

3.    What would the Ephesians have heard about Paul? (Ephesians 3:2-3)

4.    To what mystery did Paul refer? (Ephesians 3:2-3)

5.    How did Paul receive insight into the mystery of Christ? (Ephesians 3:4-5)

6.    Who revealed the mystery of Christ to Paul? (Ephesians 3:5)

7.    When was the mystery of Christ disclosed? (Ephesians 3:5)

8.    How did Paul reveal the mystery of Christ? (Ephesians 3:6)

9.     How was Paul enabled to be a servant? (Ephesians 3:7)

10.     What was Paul’s attitude to his call? (Ephesians 3:8)

11.     What was Paul called to disclose? (Ephesians 3:9)

12.     Through what medium was God’s wisdom communicated? (Ephesians 3:10)

13.     How did God accomplish His plan? (Ephesians 3:11)

14.     In light of God’s work, how may believers approach Him? (Ephesians 3:11-12)

15.    Why were Paul’s sufferings the glory of the Ephesians? (Ephesians 3:13)

Get It

1.     How do you think Gentile believers responded to Paul’s explanation of "the mystery of Christ"?

2.    How should we all be involved in evangelism?

3.     How can you serve others who need salvation?

4.    What helps you to serve the Lord when it is inconvenient, awkward, or painful for you?

5.    What gives you confidence and freedom in approaching God?

6.    How is sharing the gospel with someone like discovering priceless treasure?

Apply It

1.    In the days ahead, what can you do to help outsiders feel welcome in your church?

2.    What can you do this week to help others understand the mystery of Christ’s provision for sin?

3.    What can you do this week to develop a patient spirit so that you will not become discouraged by suffering?

A Prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 3:14-21

Open It

1.    What is your favorite posture for praying? Why?

2.    How often do you pray for those you love?

Explore It

1.    When Paul prayed, what posture did he assume? (Ephesians 3:14)

2.    To whom is God the Father? (Ephesians 3:14-15)

3.    What did Paul request of the Father? (Ephesians 3:16)

4.    Through whom would the Ephesians be empowered? (Ephesians 3:16)

5.    How would Christ dwell in the believers’ hearts? (Ephesians 3:17)

6.    Why did Paul want the Ephesians to be rooted and established in love? (Ephesians 3:17-19)

7.    What did Paul want the Ephesians to grasp? (Ephesians 3:18)

8.    What does the love of Christ surpass? (Ephesians 3:19)

9.    How did Paul close his prayer? (Ephesians 3:20-21)

10.    How did Paul’s doxology serve as a fitting conclusion to the doctrine he had presented in the first three chapters of this letter? (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Get It

1.    How would you pray Paul’s prayer in your own words?

2.    If Paul were your prayer partner, how might he encourage you in your devotional life?

3.    What is your understanding of Christ’s love for you?

4.    In what ways do you need to become firmly rooted in love?

5.    How have you allowed God to become too small in your life?

6.    How does Paul’s doxology encourage you?

7.    What is your favorite doxology? Why?

8.    How do you usually end your prayers?

Apply It

1.    How can you take a new and creative approach to your prayer life?

2.    What do you need to do to spread Christ’s love to others this week?

3.    How could you include Paul’s doxology as a part of your personal devotion each day?

Unity in the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:1-16

Open It

1.    What one quality would you like to develop in your character?

2.    What keeps sports teams unified?

3.    What do you consider yourself good at doing?

4.    What skill or talent would you like to master?

Explore It

1.    What did Paul urge the Ephesians to do? (Ephesians 4:1)

2.    What three virtues foster unity among Christians? (Ephesians 4:2)

3.    How should Christians conduct themselves toward each other? Why? (Ephesians 4:2-6)

4.    hat are the seven elements of Christian unity? (Ephesians 4:4-6)

5.    How is Christian unity related to the nature of God? (Ephesians 4:4-6)

6.    *How are we enabled to live at peace with each other? (Ephesians 4:7)

7.    Who gives grace to each believer? (Ephesians 4:7)

8.    How did Paul confirm God’s giving of gifts? (Ephesians 4:8)

9.    What commentary did Paul make on the Old Testament passage he quoted? Why? (Ephesians 4:9-11)

10.    With what kind of people does God fill the church? (Ephesians 4:11)

11.    What is the purpose of spiritual gifts? (Ephesians 4:12-13)

12.    What results from gifted believers equipping the church? (Ephesians 4:14-16)

Get It

1.    Why did Paul stress the theme of Christian unity to the Ephesians?

2.    How do you get along with other Christians?

3.    What is God’s prescription for unity among believers?

4.    How does the Spirit help you maintain the "bond of peace" with others in your church?

5.    How have you benefited from the Christian leadership in your church?

6.    What is your responsibility to help others in the body of Christ?

7.    How unified is your church?

Apply It

1.    How do you need to show humility, gentleness, and patience in dealing with a difficult relationship this week?

2.    What service can you offer another church member to help build up the body of Christ?

3.    To whom do you need to speak the truth lovingly this week?

Living as Children of Light

Ephesians 4:17 to Ephesians 5:21

Open It

1.    Do you prefer wearing old, comfortable clothing or dressy outfits? Why?

2.    How do you feel when you wear a brand-new suit or outfit?

3.    What do you do with your worn-out clothing?

Explore It

1.    In what way were Ephesian believers instructed not to live as Gentiles? (Ephesians 4:17-19)

2.    How did Paul contrast the Ephesian Christians with the Gentiles? (Ephesians 4:20-21)

3.    In what way does God want Christians to change? (Ephesians 4:22-24)

4.    How should new Christians stop living? (Ephesians 4:22)

5.    How should new Christians begin living? (Ephesians 4:23-24)

6.    What should we keep in mind concerning lying, anger, and stealing? (Ephesians 4:25-28)

7.    How should believers speak to one another? (Ephesians 4:29)

8.    How can the Holy Spirit be hurt? (Ephesians 4:29-30)

9.    Of what five vices are believers to rid themselves? (Ephesians 4:31)

10.    What positive commands did Paul give the Ephesians? (Ephesians 4:32)

11.    How are Christians to imitate God? (Ephesians 5:1-2)

12.    From what practices should Christians abstain? (Ephesians 5:3-6)

13.    Whom do we need to avoid? Why? (Ephesians 5:5-7)

14.    Why should Christians not become partners with non-Christians? (Ephesians 5:7-8)

15.    How does life in darkness contrast with life in the light? (Ephesians 5:9-20)

16.    How should Spirit-controlled believers relate to one another? (Ephesians 5:21)

Get It

1.    Since becoming a Christian, what old habits have you discarded?

2.    Of what aspects of your old nature do you still need to rid yourself?

3.    How do you see the new nature taking hold in your life?

4.    What evidence do you see that your life is controlled by the Holy Spirit?

5.    What fruit of the light do you see in your life?

6.    In what way should you be submissive to other Christians?

7.    How would you rate your spiritual wardrobe: basic, adequate, or overflowing?

8.    What aspect of your Christian life do you want to practice more consistently?

Apply It

1.    What would be the first step for you in changing an old pattern of behavior?

2.    What can you do this week to make your Christian living more consistent?

3.    How can you relate to others today in new, joyful ways?

Wives and Husbands

Ephesians 5:22-33

Open It

1.    What husband-and-wife team do you greatly admire?

2.    In your view, what one quality or ability sustains a marriage relationship?

Explore It

1.    What service should wives render to the Lord? (Ephesians 5:22)

2.    What is the relationship of the husband to the wife? (Ephesians 5:23)

3.    How is Christ’s headship of the church an example to the husband? (Ephesians 5:23)

4.    How is the relationship of the church to Christ an example to wives? (Ephesians 5:24)

5.    How are husbands commanded to love their wives? (Ephesians 5:25)

6.    How did Christ prepare a bride for Himself? (Ephesians 5:26-27)

7.    How should husbands love their wives? (Ephesians 5:28-30)

8.    How is the bond between husband and wife greater than the bond between parent and child? (Ephesians 5:31)

9.    How does the bond between Christ and the church illustrate the love of a husband for his wife? (Ephesians 5:32)

10.     In sum, what are the responsibilities of the husband and wife toward each other? (Ephesians 5:33)

Get It

1.     How should both husband and wife model themselves on Christ?

2.     Why would unselfishness be an essential part of a Christian marriage?

3.     What should a Christian wife give her husband?

4.     How should a Christian husband care for his wife?

5.     How does a healthy Christian marriage relationship honor the Lord?

6.    What are some ways local churches can help Christian couples strengthen their marriages?

Apply It

1.     What is something you can do to help a Christian couple strengthen their marriage?

2.    How can you treat your spouse with more respect and love this week?

3.    How can you express your thankfulness to Christ today for making you His bride?

Children and Parents

Ephesians 6:1-4

Open It

1.    What are some of the enjoyable aspects of being a parent?

2.    How do you treat children differently from the way your parents treated you?

3.    If you could change one thing about your parents, what would you change?

Explore It

1.    Why is a child’s obedience to his or her parents pleasing to the Lord? (Ephesians 6:1)

2.    Why should children obey parents? (Ephesians 6:1)

3.    How is obedience to parents part of a child’s obligation to Christ? (Ephesians 6:1)

4.    What does it mean to "honor your father and mother"? (Ephesians 6:2-3)

5.    What was promised to Israelite children who obeyed their parents? (Ephesians 6:2-3)

6.    How does God’s commandment and promise to children hold true today? (Ephesians 6:2-3)

7.    What does God want fathers not to do? (Ephesians 6:4)

8.    What does God want fathers to do? (Ephesians 6:4)

9.     How should children be reared and nourished? (Ephesians 6:4)

10.     How is the Lord to be the center of parent-child relationships? (Ephesians 6:4)

Get It

1.     Why should parents pay attention to their child’s natural bent?

2.     Why is it easier for children to obey fair and loving parents than unreasonable and demanding parents?

3.     How does rearing children in the "training and instruction of the Lord" provide guidelines for fathers?

4.     How does honoring your parents bring you blessing?

5.    How do you feel about your ability to be a good parent?

6.    How can the Lord support you in your role as a parent?

7.    How can a parent avoid exasperating his or her children?

Apply It

1.     What can you do to improve or strengthen your relationship with your parents?

2.    How can you avoid exasperating your children?

3.    How do you need to nurture healthy family relationships this week?

Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 6:5-9

Open It

1.    Had you lived long ago and owned slaves, what kind of slave owner would you have been?

2.    If you were a slave, what would be the worst part of being someone’s property?

Explore It

1.    Why did Paul tell slaves to obey their masters "with respect and fear"? (Ephesians 6:5)

2.    What did Paul tell slaves to do? (Ephesians 6:5-8)

3.    What responsibilities did slaves have to their masters? (Ephesians 6:5-8)

4.    How did Paul transform the work of the slave? (Ephesians 6:5-8)

5.    How could slaves serve the Lord while working for their masters? (Ephesians 6:5-8)

6.    How would slaves benefit from winning the favor of their masters? (Ephesians 6:6)

7.    With what attitude should the slave serve his master? (Ephesians 6:7)

8.    What reward for Christian service could the slave expect? (Ephesians 6:7-8)

9.    What directives did Paul give slave owners? (Ephesians 6:9)

10.     Why did Paul warn owners against abusing their slaves? (Ephesians 6:9)

11.     How does God view rank or social status? (Ephesians 6:9)

Get It

1.     Why did Paul call slaves to obey and not to revolt against the system of slavery?

2.     How were Paul’s instructions helpful and protective to both slave and slave owner?

3.     How did Paul’s words to slaves and masters relate to the teaching in the rest of his letter to the Ephesians?

4.     How do we enslave certain groups in our society?

5.    How does God want us to treat people who are subordinate to us?

6.     How does God want us to treat people who are over us?

7.    How does God want us to treat all people with whom we work?

8.     When should Christians work for social justice?

9.    What importance do you attach to rank or social status?

10.    What importance should we attach to rank or social status?

Apply It

1.    How can you improve your attitude toward someone you work with?

2.    How can you remember to serve all people wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord?

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-24

Open It

1.    How do you protect your home from danger?

2.    If you were a police officer, what extra precautions would you take to guard against danger?

3.    Do you tend to be the trusting type, or are you suspicious of other people? Why?

Explore It

1.    What did Paul say to exhort his audience? (Ephesians 6:10)

2.    What did Paul tell the believers to put on? (Ephesians 6:11)

3.    Why do Christians need to put on God’s armor? (Ephesians 6:11-12)

4.    What can Christians dressed in the full armor of God expect? (Ephesians 6:13)

5.    What mandate does God give all Christians? (Ephesians 6:14)

6.    How should Christians be armed for battle? (Ephesians 6:14-17)

7.    What last two pieces of armor did Paul tell all Christians to take up? (Ephesians 6:18)

8.     Why did Paul ask the Ephesians to pray for him? (Ephesians 6:19-20)

9.     Who took Paul’s letter to the Christians at Ephesus? (6:21)

10.     How would Tychicus help the Ephesians? (Ephesians 6:21-22)

11.     With what kind of words did Paul bless his audience? (Ephesians 6:23)

12.     What did Paul say in benediction? (Ephesians 6:24)

Get It

1.     Why do you think Paul used the detailed description of a Roman soldier’s armor to explain spiritual warfare?

2.     How would you describe the armor of God in your own words?

3.    What is spiritual warfare?

4.     How often are you engaged in spiritual warfare?

5.    In what way is the Christian life like a battle?

6.     Why is the Christian life like a battlefield?

7.    What pieces of armor are you missing?

8.    How often do you pray in the Spirit?

9.    How often do you pray for other Christians?

10.    In what ways do you need peace, love, faith, and grace in your life right now?

Apply It

1. How can you lean on the Holy Spirit’s help in doing battle for the kingdom of God each day?

2. How can you encourage another Christian in his or her spiritual battles?