Ephesians 1:1-23

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession--to the praise of his glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:1-23 (NIV)

In keeping with the convention of his day Paul begins by introducing himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will or decision – it was not Paul’s own choosing or plan rather God’s thus he had God’s authority behind him. He was both commissioned and sent by God with the gospel message. He writes to God’s people in Ephesus calling them “saints”.  As noted last time, “saints” is not referring to the spiritual elite, a minority of exceptionally holy people within the congregation rather all believers in Jesus as everyone “in Christ” qualifies as a “saint” (whether we feel like one or not!). Boice states:
        
 “Every Christian is a saint, and every saint is a Christian. Moreover, every true Christian is in some sense separated from the world. It does not mean that we are taken out of the world. That is not the way God operates. But it does mean that we are removed from it in the sense of not really belonging to the world any longer. If we are truly Christ’s, we have a new nature, a new set of loyalties, and a new agenda. We belong to a different kingdom…. All Christians are saints, and all saints must increasingly be saintly.” James Montgomery Boice

The Book of Ephesians focuses on what God did through the work of Jesus Christ and what He is doing through the Holy Spirit today in order to build His new society in the midst of the old. Paul begins by extending “grace” and “peace” to them. “Grace” expresses God’s steadfast love toward those who believe through His unearned unmerited favor and “peace” shows the relational state as a result of that grace.  In effect, He was expressing his wish that God’s joy, pleasure and delight as well as the state of untroubled, undisturbed, well-being be with them and, by extension, be with us as well. Doesn’t that sound so yummy?  Who doesn’t want perpetual joy and pleasure as well as untroubled, undisturbed well-being?

Paul goes on to praise God who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. When we were born again into God’s family, we were born into all the riches of God’s grace, God’s glory, God’s mercy, and the unsearchable riches of Christ. Everything belongs to God – everything is His – He is the rightful owner of all. He tells us in Scripture:
8 “‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”  Haggai 2:8 (NIV)

9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.  11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Psalms 50:9-12 (NIV)

7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 1 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

That’s Who our Daddy is! He is not poor; He is rich. He is not stingy rather open-handed; every good and perfect gift comes from His Hand – and He has made us rich in His Son! We have been given every spiritual blessing in Christ. He promises to supply all our needs (not wants) as Paul writes in Philippians:
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:18-19 (NIV)

Yet God does not promise to shield us from poverty or pain, troubles or tribulations here on our earthly sojourn. Indeed, Jesus promises them.  These are all allowed and used in the life of the believer for their ultimate good and to conform them into the image of His Son as well as to bring God much glory. Nothing brings God more glory than the sacrifice of praise from a troubled saint. We also have His work to do here in this time of His-story. We inherit the wealth of these spiritual blessings by faith and we invest this wealth by works. Works that are to be done by His power. Without this balance our spiritual riches do us no good. Besides that, we are held accountable for what we have received. God provides everything we need for a successful, satisfying Christian life. Believe me, the spiritual is far more important than the material. Earth is not our home, heaven is.  Our life is to be centered in heaven. Our citizenship is there and we eagerly await our Savior from there the Lord Jesus Christ. We are children of the King and our lives are to be controlled by our positions as heirs. Our names are written in heaven and we are to walk in light not the fruitless deeds of darkness. Further, what He has prepared for us we cannot even imagine. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:6-9:
6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”. 1 Corinthians 2:6-9 (NIV)

The Puritan Matthew Mead writes:
 “And what do you think is best, to live upon earthly pleasures, or upon the promises of God? The earthly feed but sense, but the promises fill the soul. He that lives upon the promises, lives by faith, and the life of faith is the only safe and true life in the world.” Matthew Mead 

Not to know and depend on the Holy Spirit’s provisions is to live a life of spiritual poverty. Jesus made it possible for us to share in His spiritual riches through His death on the cross. 
Next, we discover in the beginning of Ephesians a continuous cascade of verses. Paul neither pauses for breath, nor punctuates his words with full stops in his outburst of adoration, allowing us to enter this epistle through a magnificent gateway. The whole paragraph is a doxology from the Apostle’s pen.
The great spiritual blessings purchased by Christ are every blessing of the Holy Spirit whose Presence and influence resides in all believers – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  God has blessed us (verse 3), chosen us (verse 4),  predestined us to be His sons and daughters (verse 5), freely bestowed on us His grace (verse 6), lavishing this grace upon us (verse 8), and made known to us His will and purpose which He set forth in Christ…to unite all things (verses 9-10). Further, He accomplishes  all things according to the counsel of His will (verse 11). Paul gives us quick succession to God’s love and grace, and to His will, His purpose and His plan. 
He tells us we were chosen before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless, predestining us to be adopted as His sons in accordance with God’s good pleasure and will. There is no forcing His hand here, rather He delights in doing so. And for this God is to be praised, Amen?God’s work of election took place before the Creation of the world. God blesses believers because of the Father’s electing, the Son’s dying, and the Spirit’s sealing. Spiritual blessings are the work of the three Persons of the Trinity, and the work of the Trinity is the basis of all a believer’s spiritual blessings.
The time of election was in eternity past, and the purpose of election is that believers would be made holy and blameless in His sight now and for eternity.
Believers are clothed in Christ’s robe of righteousness. When God looks upon us amazingly He sees the perfect life of Christ not our messes. What God has begun in the past, will most assuredly be accomplished and completed in the future. We can take that to the bank. Christians are “holy”, that is, set apart to God, which is the purpose of His electing grace.  In addition, the purpose of His election is to make Christians “blameless.”  This word means without blemish. God is love and believers, because of God’s electing love, are to manifest His love with holiness through the Holy Spirit’s power for God’s glory. We can do nothing eternal in our flesh.
In regard to the discussion of election, predestination and free-will, most pastors seem to avoid this subject like the plague. Both free-will and election/predestination are true and both are discussed in Scripture.  It is like two railroad tracks going parallel with each other. The verb “chose” (verse 4) is the translation of the Greek word “exelexato”, meaning “chosen out of “. In this context, it signifies that at one particular time in the past, God favorably, deliberately and freely chose and ordained individuals for salvation – not that He just merely knew ahead of time rather He chose and determined beforehand. Scripture tells us that God makes known the end from the beginning from ancient times what is yet to come. Nothing takes Him by surprise and He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.  We are to be for the praise of His glory.
At the same time, it is clear that Christ died for all (1 John 2:2). The invitation to believe in Christ and be saved is extended to all (John 3:16-18, 36; 6:37; 10:9; Acts 10:43). Everyone who hears the gospel is held responsible to accept or reject Christ. If one perishes in his sin, he is condemned as a result of his own choice. Further, God has never turned anyone away who desired by faith to come to Him in sincerity of heart.  
Paul tells us in Romans 8:28-32:
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined,he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Romans 8:28-32 (NIV)

Since salvation is all by God’s grace, Christians certainly ought to praise Him for it! And that is why they were chosen: to give Him praise. “In the One He loves” stresses the manifestation of God’s love to His Son. God the Father loves His Son; and believers, being in the Son, are also the object of God’s love. Christ has redeemed us from a state of slavery – the redemption is from sin and thus He has redeemed us from the slavery of sin and destruction. God could not treat sin lightly for it required the sacrifice of blood.

The means of our redemption is the sacrificial substitutionary death of Christ through His blood:
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 (NIV)

18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)

Christ’s blood completely satisfied God’s justice:
22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the
one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:22-26 (NIV)

This was accomplished in accordance with the riches of God’s grace:
5 He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:5-6 (NIV)

We are of great value and dearly loved in God’s sight as it cost Him the life of His Son. Christ’s blood is the measure of the wealth of God’s unmerited favor to every believer. “You are Mine” are the sweetest Words Jesus utters and that is what is to define us – not our past nor anything we could do.

Further, God is working out everything in conformity with the purpose of His good will and pleasure to bring all things in heaven and on earth under Christ’s headship in the consummation of time.  In the Millennium everything will be restored and brought together under Christ, the one Head. This does not suggest that everyone will be saved; instead, sin’s disorder will be removed and universal peace will be established.
God’s spiritual blessings for believers are based not only on the sovereign election of the Father and the redemptive work of the Son, but also on the seal of the Holy Spirit.
The entire process of salvation is given in verse 13 and it will serve us well to examine it carefully as it tells how the sinner becomes a saint:
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)

First, we discover he hears the gospel of salvation. This is the good news that
Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. The Ephesians were Gentiles, and the gospel came “to the Jew first”. But Paul, a Jew, thankfully, brought the gospel to the Gentiles as he shared the word of God with them. This is what believers are to be about as well.  We are to announce the Truth of the gospel and invite men to trust Christ and the Holy Spirit does the rest. We are not responsible for the results only casting the net out. The same God who ordains the end, the salvation of souls, also ordains the means to the end, the preaching of the gospel in the power of the Spirit. Scripture tells us:
13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:13-15 (NIV)

Having heard the Word, the Ephesians believed, and it is this faith that brought salvation. This pattern follows what Paul wrote in Romans 10:13-15. It is God’s plan for evangelism. When the Ephesians believed, they were “sealed with the Spirit”.  This speaks of a finished transaction. The sealing also implies ownership – God places His seal on us because He purchased us to be His own. It also means security and protection. The believer now belongs to God and is safe and protected. The Holy Spirit abides within the believer forever. It is possible for us to grieve the Spirit and thereby lose the blessings of His ministry but He does not leave us.  Jesus said He would not leave us as orphans.  His seal is also a mark of authenticity. It is the witness of the Spirit that makes our profession authentic. God is the One who seals, Christ is the sphere in which the seal is done, and the Holy Spirit is the instrument of the seal. The Holy Spirit who seals is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. The “deposit” is more than a pledge which could be returned; it is a down payment with a guarantee of more to come. In essence, the “deposit” of the Holy Spirit is a little bit of heaven in believer’s life with a guarantee of much more yet to come.    

Because of all these things Paul now switches gears to Thanksgiving and Prayer. He begins with a great benediction and now continues with a great intercession. FYI, Paul’s prayers are wonderful to pray for our families, inserting the names of your family members into them. Besides this one in Ephesians and also in Ephesians 3:14-21, there is one in Philippians 1:9-11 and another in Colossians 1:9-12. These powerful prayers help equip our loved ones to “stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured” as Epaphras fervently prayed for the Church at Colosse (Colossians 4:12). He tells them he has not stopped giving thanks for them remembering them in his prayers. This begs the question for us, how is our prayer life? Are we faithful to pray for the saints in Christ Jesus?  Are we faithful to pray for our families and friends? Scripture tells us:

12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NIV)

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16 (NIV)

Paul writes that he is continually thanking God for the Ephesians love for all the saints and for their faith in the Lord Jesus asking God to open their eyes to the fullness of this blessing of faith.

True pleasure is found only in a life of faith. It is the art of living well. It is God’s way.  It has the Word as its compass, and Christ directing the helm. He that lives upon the promises of God, lives by faith, and the life of faith is the only safe and true life in the world. Stir up your soul to talk with Christ and consider the promises and privileges you enjoy. The beauty of faith is its use – unstirred coals do not glow or give heat. As the weak ivy secures itself by twisting about the great oak, so we are secure by cleaving to our great God Who never loses His grip on us. The life of sense alone is full of disappointments like a deceitful brook. To live on the promises of God by faith is the only quiet and peaceful life. The life of sense alone is also full of distracting cares and vexations, but the soul that lives by faith enjoys a perpetual calm – a peace that passes understanding. Faith fixes the soul upon God, and is safe. It rests upon Christ’s righteousness, and takes off the burden of care by resting upon God’s providence like a babe in the arms of its mother. There is no comfort to be compared to the life of faith.  

Paul desired that the Ephesian Christians understand what great wealth they had in Christ. He wanted his converts to enjoy their rich spiritual blessings. They were spiritually rich and he desired for them to grow in their understanding of their riches. Too many Christians never “read the Book” to find out the vast spiritual wealth that God has put into their account through Jesus Christ.  Scripture is replete with all the promises of God. This is reminiscent to a story regarding William Randolph Hearst. He invested a fortune collecting art treasures from around the world. One day Mr. Hearst found a description of some valuable items that he felt he must own, so he sent his agent abroad to find them. After months of searching , the agent reported that he had finally found the treasures. They were in Mr. Hearst’s warehouse. He had been on a frantic search to find what he already owned. Had he read the catalog of his treasures he would have saved himself a great deal of trouble and money.

The Apostle prays for them to have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that they may know God better. This, of course, is the highest knowledge possible. After meeting God in the person of Jesus Christ Paul knows that a man really cannot understand much of anything rightly without a knowledge of God. This willful ignorance of God leads us into corruption and condemnation. We are not to suppress the Truth with a lie.  

The believer must grow in his knowledge of God. To know God personally is salvation:
3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3 (NIV)

To know Him increasingly is sanctification:
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Philippians 3:10-12 (NIV)

To know Him perfectly is glorification:
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:9-12 (NIV)

We must get to know God as Father, Friend, and Guide. And the better we know Him, the more satisfying our spiritual lives will be.

The Apostle also prays that we might know the hope of God’s calling and the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints. The calling we have in Christ assures us of a delightful future. In Christ we have a living hope as Peter says that encourages us day by day. This should be a dynamic force in our lives encouraging us to be pure, obedient, and faithful. The fact that we shall one day see Christ and be like Him should motivate us to live like Christ today.  

Paul also prays that we might know God’s riches referring to God’s inheritance in us. This is an amazing truth. Just as a man’s wealth brings glory to His name, so God will get glory from the church because of what He has invested in us. When Jesus returns, we shall be “to the praise of the glory of His grace”. At the time of the resurrection of believers God will inherit those whom He has purchased at a great price according to the riches of His grace. Christians live in the future tense, our lives controlled by what we shall be when Christ returns. Because we are God’s inheritance, we live to please and glorify Him.

Lastly, Paul prayed that the Ephesians might know God’s power. By making us His inheritance, God has shown His love. By promising us a wonderful future, He has encouraged our hope. Paul now offered something to challenge our faith: “the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe”. So tremendous is the truth that Paul enlisted many different words from the Greek vocabulary to get his point across:  dunamis - “power”  as in dynamite; energeia – “working” as in energy; kratos - “mighty”; ischus – “power”.  Paul is talking about divine, dynamic, eternal energy available to us!  This magnificent accumulation of words for power underscores the magnitude of God’s “great power” available to Christians. This is the power of God which raised Jesus from the dead, and raised us with Him. It has put all things under His feet; and it can put all evil under ours. His power is made perfect in our weakness:
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NIV)

In the four gospels, we see God’s power at work in the ministry of Jesus Christ, but in the book of Acts, we see that same power at work in ordinary men and women, members of the body of Christ. What a transformation took place in Peter’s life between the end of the Gospels and the beginning of Acts. What made the difference? The resurrection power of Jesus Christ. The greatest power shortage today is not in our generators or our gas tanks. It is in our personal lives.

The words the apostle uses here are so many thunderclaps and lightnings, to beat down and subdue all the pride of man. But are our weaknesses beyond the power of God? Paul will soon assure us that God is able far to surpass our thoughts and prayers ‘by the power at work within us’ (3:20), and he will go on to exhort us to ‘be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (6:10). This is the power of God which raised Jesus from the dead, and raised us with Him. It has put all things under His feet; it can put all evil under ours as well. 
  
How are you and I to experience that power? If we are to live in the power of Christ’s resurrection, we must come to know God. That is what Paul prays for first. And if we are to know God, we must spend time with Him in Bible study, prayer, and meditation. You cannot get to know a person without spending time with them. No more can you get to know God without spending time with Him.

That is the secret. It is not intelligence, outstanding instruction, or academic degrees. It is time spent with God. It is to people who sit at Jesus’ feet that God opens His heart.

These are Beth’s personal notes, due to this fact sources are not often stated.