Bible Study: Ephesians 1: 1-23

 

A Commentary of the Book of Ephesians

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study Ephesians 1-23

We will begin our study of the book of  Ephesians. The following introduction comes from the Scofield Reference Bible 1917 Edition.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians

WRITER. The Apostle Paul (1.1)

DATE. Ephesians was written from Rome in A.D. 64. It is the first in order of the Prison Epistles. Ac 20-27. Cmt. on Ac 28:30 and was sent by Tychicus, concurrently with Colossians and Philemon. It is probable that the two greater letters had their occasion in the return of Onesimus to Philemon. Ephesians is the most impersonal of Paul's letters. Indeed the words, "to the Ephesians," are not in the best manuscripts. Col 4:16 mentions an epistle to the Laodiceans. It has been conjectured that the letter known to us as Ephesians is really the Laodicean letter. Probably it was sent to Ephesus and Laodicea without being addressed to any church. The letter would then be "to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus" anywhere.

THEME. The doctrine of the Epistle confirms this view. It contains the highest church truth, but has nothing about church order. The church here is the true church, "His body," not the local church, as in Philippians, Corinthians, etc. Essentially, three lines of truth make up this Epistle: the believer's exalted position through grace; the truth concerning the body of Christ; and a walk in accordance with that position.

There is a close spiritual affinity between Ephesians and Joshua, the "heavenlies" answering in Christian position to Canaan in Israel's experience. In both there is conflict, often failure, but also victory, rest, and possession Jos 21:43-45; Eph 1:3; 3:14-19; 6:16,23. As befits a complete revelation, the number seven is conspicuous in the structure of Ephesians.

The divisions are, broadly, four:

I. The apostolic greeting. 1.1,2

II. Positional; the believer's standing "Christ" and "in the heavenlies" through pure grace, 1.3-3.21.

III. Walk and service, 4.1-5.17

IV. The walk and warfare of the Spirit-filled believer, 5.18-6.24.

1 in Christ

The believer's place as a member of the body of Christ, vitally united to Him by the baptism with the Holy Spirit 1Co 12:12-13.

Out text:

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus [a]by the will of God,

To the [b]saints who are [c]at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before [d]Him in love, 5 by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In [e]Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight, 9 making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him 10 for an administration of the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things [f]in the heavens and things on the earth in Him. 11 In [g]Him, we also [h]have been made an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who first have hoped in [i]Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In [j]Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [k]believed, you were sealed in [l]Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is [m]given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and [n]your love for all the [o]saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the [p]Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the [q]full knowledge of Him, 18 so that you—the eyes of your heart having been enlightened—will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the [r]saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of the might of His strength, 20 which He worked in Christ, by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Verse by verse commentary

Verse 1: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:”

The opening of Ephesians, as in other Pauline letters, contains the names of the sender and recipients, and a greeting. Paul regularly calls his readers “saints,” not because they are righteous but because they believe in the definitive cleansing of sins made possible by Christ through His sacrifice. By faith, Christ, through his death, has made them holy, i.e., set them apart to be God’s people of the new covenant. 

Verse 2: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is a common greeting in the early church which Paul used in all his letters. The phrase “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” states the authority and unity between the Father and Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, the second part of the trinity, is not a created or lesser God. He is fully equal with the Father and Holy Spirit. You can know for a certainty that if someone denies the Trinity, they cannot be saved. Salvation is a covenant between the Trinity before the world was created. The Father covenanted to elect His chosen ones to salvation, for the Son to become the God-man and pay the sin debt of the elect, and the Holy Spirit covenanted to take the grace of God and take it to the heart of the ones that would have repentance and faith.

Verse 3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Christ’s victory over death has won believers a series of benefits for which Paul blesses the Father. Note these are spiritual blessings, not material blessings. The Lord Jesus Christ did not die on the cross to make you financially wealthy. No! He died to make you spiritually wealthy including the gifts of repentance and faith. God’s grace is amazing and the elect know it. 

Verse 4: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love,”

Paul rejoices that God chooses people for a relationship with Himself. Those in the freewill camp say “in him” means God foresaw who would have faith in Christ and elected them. The problem with this argument is that the language does not support that interpretation. Further, if man was responsible for his salvation instead of God’s choice, why would Paul have anticipated the argument of unfairness in Romans 9: 18-21. In brief, Paul says how can you claim it is unfair that God has mercy on who He wants and at the same time hold people accountable for their sins. If the freewill camp was correct that God only chooses those who choose Him, Paul would have answered the claim of unfairness with, “Don’t blame God, it was your choice.” This ends Arminianism. If that didn’t, read, Romans 9: 16: “So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Your will and your effort will never save you. Paul says explicitly that the ground of God’s predestination is His own good pleasure, not anything we have done or will do. “In him” means that God’s choice always had in view a fallen people in union with their Redeemer. God intends to bring His elect all the way from spiritual death in sin to the forgiveness of sins in Christ, and finally to the elimination of all sin from their experience. To put it another way, you have been saved from the penalty of sin, you are being saved from the power of sin and one day you will be free from the presence of sin.

Verse 5: “by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,”

To predestinate means to determine beforehand. God’s elect have been predestined to be adopted as sons through Christ according to His will. This is not the will of man, but God’s will. I was raised in an Armenian church, was ordained into the ministry through an Armenian church, and years later I discovered that “Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9) God chooses who He desires and gives them a new heart, and brings them into the family by adoption. The adopted child would receive certain benefits as an adult. As believers in Christ, we are adopted adults into the kingdom of God and we have access to all the benefits of being a kingdom believer. And, it was all God’s doing. We take no credit for our salvation except the sin we brought that needed to be cleansed. 

Verse 6: “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

The thought of God’s almighty love leads to an extravagant outpouring of praise and worship to God, who has not only the Power but the will to overcome all obstacles in bringing the spiritually dead into a living relationship with Himself. Dead people can’t do anything. They have no will nor work. It is God Who brings the spiritually dead to life and grants them the gifts of faith and repentance. The Holy Spirit convicted sinner responds and comes to the foot of the cross and sees that he deserves Hell but for the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. One is born again (made spiritually alive) before he repents and has faith for salvation.

Verse 7: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, according to the riches of His grace”

The term used here is a business term and relates to paying the required ransom to God for the release of a person from bondage. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid that price for every elect person enslaved by sin, buying them out of the slave market of iniquity. We were slaves to sin and under the control of Satan. Christ’s blood paid the full redemption price and we have been “bought back and paid in full.” It was the grace of God that brought salvation to every believer. Unbelievers are not ransomed and will remain under the authority and control of Satan.

Verse 8: “which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight,”

The point here is that God (He) did the work and caused us to know God’s redemptive plan. First comes Holy Spirit conviction. The Holy Spirit breaks the sinners’ wills and causes them to see their lost condition. Then, He brings them to the cross and is made to see that the blood of Christ is their only hope for salvation. He then gives them the gifts of repentance and faith and the sinner responds in repentance and faith. Redemption and conversion is then complete.

Verse 9: “making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him”

The demonstration of God’s “wisdom and insight” may be observed in His making known to us the mystery of His will. “Mystery” here (Greek, mustérion) refers to a divine truth that is incapable of being discovered by human ingenuity and that, until a particular point of time, had been kept secret. Although we once walked in spiritual darkness and did not desire God, did not seek after God, or comprehend either the magnitude of our sin or the grace of God, He chose to reveal the good news of the gospel to us for His good pleasure. Salvation is 100% of the Lord. Man only brings his sins to the Lord to be saved. Without the Sovereign act of God in giving us a new heart, no person would ever be saved.

Verse 10: “for an administration of the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth in Him.”

This does not refer simply to the future. Christ has already come to bring redemption and adoption. By virtue of His death and resurrection, He has already assumed headship over the church, and, though behind the scenes, He already rules the universe. However, this does not mean that there will not be a rapture or a pre millennium reign when Christ returns to the earth to set up His kingdom in the thousand year reign known as the Millennium. 

Verse 11: “In Him, we also have been made an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,”

This is a sweeping statement on the extent of God’s will. We have received an inheritance based on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ which was based on God’s predestination of His elect. God will have His way and none can deter Him. God’s purposes and plans will not be stopped. There may be times of hindering, but they (the plans) will not be ultimately stopped.

Verse 12: “to the end that we who first have hoped in [a]Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”

God’s glory is the supreme purpose of redemption. God’s plan from the foundation of the world was to save His elect. That plan could not be stopped. If you are saved today, it is because the LORD chose you before the foundation of the world to be His child. When times are challenging, this is a comfortable thought to meditate on.

Verse 13: “In Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

Praise goes to the Father who elects, the Son who redeems, and the Spirit who seals. This is the covenant made among the Holy Trinity before Adam and Eve ever arrived in the Garden of Eden. Paul reflects on believers’ election from eternity, their forgiveness in the present, and their inheritance in the future. The repetition of the phrases “in Christ” or “in Him,” refers to the intimate union God has established between Christ and His people. This is why if one does not believe in the Trinity, there can be no salvation. It took the entire Godhead to save the elect.

Verse 14: “who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

The Spirit is not only a fulfillment of God’s promise to indwell His people, but also is a guarantee that He will bring them to their final inheritance. In real estate, we use the term “earnest money deposit.” The buyer makes an initial payment to secure the contract. It is a promise that he or she will go through with the purchase. In the same way, the Holy Spirit indwells the elect and is the guarantee that He will bring us to the final goal, glorification.

Verse 15: “For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,”

Love for other believers evidences saving faith. For years I have taught that God does not expect you to create a false love for people. When the Lord Jesus tells you to love your neighbor or enemy, He is telling you to commit acts of love. You may not personally like someone, but that will stop you from doing things that are an act of love.

Verse 16: “do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers:”

The Ephesian church was noted for its faith and love. Love wasn’t just a motto, not just a Facebook or Instagram post for these people. There was real agape love expressed by the believers. It was based on their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the church at its highest operating in the way Christ intended. In the Book of Revelation the Ephesian church represents the early church at its very best. Because of their faith and love, Paul thanks God for the Ephesians.

Verse 17: “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the full knowledge of Him,”

Paul was praying that believers will have the disposition of Godly knowledge and insight of which the sanctified mind is capable, so as to grasp the greatness of the hope and the inheritance that is theirs in Christ. The word for wisdom is sophia which can mean both secular and Divine wisdom. The Greek word for revelation is apokalypsis and it means what is revealed, disclosure, to make information known with an implication that the information can be understood. This refers in the New Testament to God making information known, especially to his close associates, i.e. the saints. To successfully navigate our challenging times, we need God’s wisdom and revelation through the Word of God.

Verse 18: “so that you—the eyes of your heart having been enlightened—will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

A spiritually enlightened mind is the only means of truly understanding and appreciating the hope and inheritance in Christ and of living obediently for Him. In fact, it is impossible for the natural mind to do so. Until the Holy Spirit broods over the heart of the lost sinner, and convicts them of sin, and brings them to Christ, they will remain “dead in tresspasses and sins.” It is only through Holy Spirit enlightenment that a person knows he is a sinner and that Christ is the only answer.

Verse 19: “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of the might of His strength,”

God’s great power, that very power which raised Jesus from the dead and lifted Him by ascension back to glory to take His seat at God’s right hand, is given to every believer at the time of salvation and is always available. Our duty is to maintain the Spirit-filled walk by daily surrendering our minds and bodies to Him. Paul therefore did not pray that God’s power be given to believers, but that they be aware of the power they already possessed in Christ and use it. Be clear, this is not the power to create like some false prosperity preachers teach. This is a far greater spiritual power than mere material blessings. He gives us spiritual power to defeat sin in our lives and enable us to preach the gospel to the lost.

Verse 20: “which He worked in Christ, by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,”

We are talking about two types of power: resurrection power and ascension power. It is power enough to raise Christ from the dead, a tremendous power. Not only is it resurrection power, but it is the power that sets Christ at God’s right hand, and that is ascension power. Have you ever stopped to think of the power that took Him back to the right hand of God? We cannot fathom the extent of that power. That is why Paul prays that believers may know the greatness of that power. He writes, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection …” Take a few minutes and think about these two types of power.

Verse 21: “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

Paul wanted believers to understand the greatness of God compared to other heavenly beings. “Principality, power, might, and dominion” were traditional Jewish terms to designate angelic beings having a high rank among God’s hosts. God is above them all. Paul knew the Sovereignty of God. God is above all, in charge of all, and nothing escapes His eye.

Verse 22: “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,”

This is a quote from Ps. 8:6 indicating that God has exalted Christ over everything, including His church. Christ is clearly the Head (not “source”) because all things have been placed under His feet. Paul was a Sovereign Grace preacher. Christ is over the church and all things are in subjection to Him. One day every knee will bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. You can do it now and be saved or wait until judgment day and be damned.

Verse 23: “which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

These verses condense the New Testament’s teaching on the resurrection and enthronement of Jesus. Also, they make two vital contributions to understanding Jesus’ resurrection and the status of believers. First, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in believers. Second, Christ enjoys His position as head over everything for the benefit of the church. Not only is Christ at the most exalted position in the universe, He is there representing believers and governing the universe for their sake. That should enable all believers to sleep better at night. I use the expression, “a soft pillow upon which to rest your head at night.