I have been participating in a small group study at my church on Wednesday nights the past several weeks. The study covers two of Paul’s letters. The first half was Galatians and the second half is Ephesians. We have been in Ephesians the past two weeks.
If I had to pick a favorite letter of Paul’s it most likely would be Ephesians, (at least 8 times out of 10) because it is filled with passion and practical instruction.
Today I want to talk about the passion that I find as I studied chapters two and three.
First Thoughts
In these two chapters, I hear Paul preaching the Gospel to a group of believers. It is clear to me from the way he begins the letter he is confident that they do believe. There does not appear to be any ill words, but instead encouragement and reinforcement of the Gospel. I like how he reminds them of the promise in Ephesians 1:13-14
Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV Strong’s)
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
For this reason, Paul prayed for Ephesus always giving thanks for them, and as he ended the prayer for them, he took the time to remind them where they came from.
By Grace Through Faith
He reminded all the readers that before the good news they had no hope. They had nothing. Their lives were lost following the adversary.
Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV Strong’s)
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
When I read this passage… this reminder of my past… I am conflicted. There is this fleeting moment when my heart aches when I consider the person that I was, but then I am reminded that I am no longer that person, and that is not because of things I did but because of God.
Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV Strong’s)
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
That wonderful reminder of God’s “rich mercy” washes away that sadness and fills my heart with this love that comes from knowing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave His life to pay my debt even when I was covered in the filth of my sins. But Paul does not stop there!
One in Christ Jesus
We had no hope as sinners lost in this lost world, and we were not part of the promise. Before Jesus, we had nothing.
Ephesians 2:11-12 (ESV Strong’s)
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
But Paul reminds us that we are no longer “children of wrath,” but children of God, adopted into His family.
Ephesians 2:13-19 (ESV Strong’s)
13 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. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
What an amazing gift this is to the world, but especially to those of us that are gentiles because without Jesus we were without hope. But think about this for a moment.
For thousands of years God’s chosen people were set apart, and now Paul was telling them that the Gentiles were entitled to the same promises. That had to be difficult to grasp. I think that might be part of why Paul emphasized these things to the Ephesians, and now to us.
The Mystery Revealed
In verses nineteen through twenty-two of chapter two he clearly defines who we are as followers of Jesus.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV Strong’s)
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Paul wants to make sure that we all understand that the Gospel is for the Jew and the Gentile. He wants us to understand that Christ Jesus is our hope. He also wanted us to know that this was new teaching that had not been taught before. It was a mystery, and the first-century church was the first to receive it, and Paul was charged with delivering it to the Gentiles.
Ephesians 3:1-6 (ESV Strong’s)
1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.*
What an amazing gift we have in Jesus. What a wonderful message Paul shares with us in his letter to the Ephesians.
Closing Thoughts
When I read these first three chapters of Ephesians, I see in them the message of the Gospel. Paul is speaking to fellow believers. At the beginning of this text, he reminds them of who they once were, but only briefly, and then reminds them of all that God did for them through Christ Jesus on the cross.
Every word of this letter is the living Word of God. What Paul wrote to the Ephesians applies to us. Every word that we read gives us the gospel to share. It is impossible to grasp in human terms, but all things are possible with God, and for that I am thankful.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for all your promises and for your faithfulness in all that you do. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of hope and salvation that comes to us through Jesus Christ, Your Son, and the Holy Spirit. Father, it is in Jesus name that I pray, Amen.
*Emphasis added
Awesome encouragement summed up from one of the same chapters included in this post… “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
Thanks, Dan, for a great word from His Word on His Gift to us! I pray as you read this that you know Him and His salvation and know who you are in Him! He has great things planned for you to do as His masterpiece (workmanship)! Don’t let anyone and anything tell you differently! God bless in Christ!
Thank you Greg, for the words of encouragement. Our God is an awesome God!