Bible Question: Hello all. If you could spare the time I would appreciate some input on who we are in Christ according to Ephesians. I am doing a book study and would like some input from men of God. |
Bible Answer: Hi, Watchman! Part 1 of 2 Ephesians is a great book! It is full of teachings and admonitions: The salutation is fantastic (no not as in incredible, but as in wonderful, grandiose: 1:1 - faithful in their life in union with Christ--Paul is emphasizing that only in Christ can we be faithful to the Father! The whole of chapter 1 is Paul's breakdown of that special relationship and why it is important to keep it fresh and alive in our hearts and minds: Jesus was God's means to bring us to Salvation. Salvation is not a right but a gift granted to us through Christ by the Grace of God who sealed us with His Power, the Holy Spirit! Paul also introduces the Church as the body of Christ... through the Holy Spirit the Church becomes part of Christ--with Christ Jesus being her Head! In chapter 2 Paul digs into our spirituality: In the past you were spiritually dead... But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great... For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith... God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do. Paul brings us from the slavery of a sinful state to the life of freedom in Christ Jesus. He explains how both the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, and the Gentiles, who were the people without God, have a commonality, a bond, that brings us both salvation: Christ Jesus! ...you are now citizens together with God's people and members of the family of God. You, too, are build upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself. Isn't that wonderful! In union with Christ we are, both Jews and Gentiles, family: the family of God! In chapter 3 Paul reveals his vocation: chosen by the Holy Spirit (who makes friends of God in the heart of men), he is the Apostle to the Gentile. He introduces part of his platform: God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages, in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms. Paul not only teaches and preaches but he lives a prayerful life begging for our spiritual enlightenment and growth: and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love so that together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love. In chapter 4 Paul comes back to the Body of Christ: the Church. He open with admonitions (be: humble, gentle, patient, loving, tolerant, united in the Holy Spirit); he emphasizes the special relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope in which God has called you. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God and Father of all people; who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all. In this chapter Paul also breaks down the reason for the incarnation of the Word: Not only did Jesus rescued us from sin but He risen to fulfill the completeness of Creation: So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence. It was he who "gave gifts to people"; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. Paul also admonishes his listeners (and us) about the change that we must commit to in Christ: Get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to--the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy. He emphasizes that, in the Holy Spirit, God has ordained us to be: ...kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ. This thought introduces the arguments in chapter 5: we are to live in the Light, not just say we are of the Light! And he warns about how we are to enter the Kingdom of God: you may be sure that no one who is immoral, indecent, or greedy (for greed is a form of idolatry) will ever receive a share in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. |