Ephesians

Book Outhne

Key theme: The believer’s riches in Christ

Key verse:

I. Doctrine: Our Riches in Christ ()

A. Our spiritual possessions in Christ ()

1. From the Father ()

2. From the Son ()

3. From the Spirit (, ) First Prayer—for enlightenment ()

B. Our spiritual position in Christ ()

1. Raised and seated on the throne ()

2. Reconciled and set into the temple () Second Prayer—for enablement (; vv. are a parenthesis)

II. Duty: Our Responsibilities in Christ ()

A. Walk in unity ()

B. Walk in purity ()

1. Walk not as other Gentiles ()

2. Walk in love ()

3. Walk as children of light ()

4. Walk carefully ()

C. Walk in harmony ()

1. Husbands and wives ()

2. Parents and children ()

3. Masters and servants ()

D. Walk in victory ()

Book Overview

Paul represents one of the greatest transformation stories in the Bible. He went from persecutor of the church to one of its greatest defenders. First, he spread fear among believers, as he tracked them down mercilessly. Then, after God called him, he spread the gospel all over the civilized world of his time.

The Book of Acts records three missionary journeys that took Paul throughout the Roman Empire. About the year A.D. 53, Paul first ministered in Ephesus but did not remain there (). Two years later, while on his third journey, Paul stayed in Ephesus for over two years and made it his base for evangelistic outreach (). By the time he left the city, he had founded a strong church. Ten years later, he wrote this powerful letter to his valued friends in Ephesus.

One of the seven wonders of the world—the great temple of Artemis—was in Ephesus and was not only a center for idolatrous worship, but also a depository for wealth. Some of the greatest art treasures of the ancient world were housed in the magnificent building. In this letter, Paul will compare the church of Jesus Christ to a temple and will explain the great wealth that Christ has in His church.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is as carefully structured as that great temple of Artemis, and it contains greater beauty and wealth! We inherit the wealth by faith and invest the wealth by works. Without this balance, our spiritual riches do us no good. The first half of this letter focuses on what we have in Christ, the immeasurable benefits of knowing Him. The second half of the letter points to the practical ways our lives should reflect all the blessings we have received through Christ. The turning point comes at , “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” If you want to appreciate God’s call in your life and how to live it out, Ephesians will serve as your guidebook.

“Be Transformed”

Each book in the Bible has its own special theme and message, even though it may deal with many different topics. Genesis is the book of beginnings; Matthew is the book of the kingdom; Galatians is the book of liberty. states its theme: the Christian’s riches of blessing in Christ.

God the Father has made us rich in Jesus Christ! When you were born again into God’s family, you were born rich. Through Christ you share in the riches of God’s grace (; ), God’s glory (; ), God’s mercy (), and “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (). Our heavenly Father is not poor; He is rich—and He has made us rich in His Son.

But too many Christian believers today live like paupers even though they have this limitless wealth at their disposal. It was to this kind of Christian that Paul wrote the epistle to the Ephesians. Like the Ephesians, we are in danger of claiming transformation from Christ yet not living transformed lives. If the world can’t see anything different in our lifestyles before Christ and after Christ, the problem isn’t with Christ—it’s with us. But we can live a life “worthy of the calling with which [we] were called” (). Not only that, but “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (). In other words, God planned for and will help us live rich, transformed lives!

Greeting

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Redemption in Christ

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,

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

6to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

9having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,

10that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

12that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

16do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

18the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

20which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

21far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

By Grace Through Faith

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9not of works, lest anyone should boast.

10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Brought Near by His Blood

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—

12that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Christ Our Peace

14For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

15having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

17And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

18For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

21in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The Mystery Revealed

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—

2if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,

3how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,

4by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

5which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:

that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

7of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

Purpose of the Mystery

8To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

11according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

13Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Appreciation of the Mystery

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—

19to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Walk in Unity

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

2with all lowhness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

3endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

5one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Spiritual Gifts

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

8Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

And gave gifts to men.”

9(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The New Man

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

19who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you have not so learned Christ,

21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:

that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Do Not Grieve the Spirit

25Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.

26“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

27nor give place to the devil.

28Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

32And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Walk in Love

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

2And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Walk in Light

8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

9(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

10finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

12For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

14Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.”

Walk in Wisdom

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Marriage—Christ and the Church

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

23For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

24Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

26that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

28So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

30For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

31“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Children and Parents

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:

3“that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Bondservants and Masters

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;

6not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

7with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

8knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

The Whole Armor of God

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

19and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

A Gracious Greeting

But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;

22whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

23Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Annotations for Ephesians

“The saints” can also be translated as “God’s holy people,” which means “those who have been set apart.” It is related to the word “sanctified,” which means “set apart.” When the sinner trusts Christ as his Savior, he is taken out of “the world” and placed “in Christ.” The believer is in the world physically, but not of the world spiritually ().

The subject of wealth was significant to Paul’s readers, because Ephesus was considered the “bank” of Asia. One of the depositories for wealth there was the great temple of Artemis. This magnificent temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Paul was writing to people who appreciated great beauty and wealth. Building on this theme, Paul describes the great spiritual wealth of every believer in Christ.

The wealth (“every spiritual blessing”) is “in the heavenly places in Christ.” The Christian really operates in two spheres: the human and the divine, the earthly and the heavenly, the visible and the invisible. Physically, he is on the earth in a human body, but spiritually he is seated with Christ in the heavenly sphere—and it is this heavenly sphere that provides the power and direction for the earthly walk.

Note that God chose us even before He created the universe, so that our salvation is wholly of His grace and not on the basis of anything we ourselves have done. He chose us “in Him,” not in ourselves. And He chose us for a purpose: “to be holy and without blame.”

In the Bible, predestination is always “to” something. Adoption has a dual meaning, both present and future. You do not get into God’s family by adoption. You get into his family by regeneration, the new birth (; ). Adoption is the act of God by which He gives His “born ones” an adult standing in the family. It is a privilege that carries a great responsibility. The future aspect of adoption is found in , , the glorified body we will have when Jesus returns. We already have our adult standing before God, but the world cannot see this. When Christ returns, this “private adoption” will be made public for everyone to see!

This letter has much to say about God’s plan for His people, a plan that was not fully understood even in Paul’s day. The description of the plan as “mysterious” has nothing to do with things that are eerie. It means the plan is a “sacred secret, once hidden but now revealed to God’s people.” We are able to share in the secret that God will one day unite everything in Christ.

, In Christ we have a wonderful inheritance (), and in Christ we are an inheritance. We are valuable to Him. Think of the price God paid to purchase us and make us part of His inheritance! God the Son is the Father’s love gift to us; and we are the Father’s love gift to His Son (, , , ).

Catalyst

, identifies some very important functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives: We “were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (v. ), and He is God’s guarantee to us that we are His. What is the personal significance of these functions of the Holy Spirit?

For one thing, a seal speaks of a finished transaction. Even today, when important legal documents are processed, they are stamped with the official seal to signify the completion of the transaction.

A seal also implies ownership. God has put His seal on us because He has purchased us to be His own (, ).

A seal means security and protection. The Roman seal on the tomb of Jesus carried this meaning (). So, the believer belongs to God and is safe and protected because he is a part of a finished transaction. According to , , the Holy Spirit abides with the believer forever. Though it is possible for us to grieve the Spirit and thereby lose the blessings of His ministry (), He doesn’t leave us.

Finally, a seal is a mark of authenticity. Just as a signature on a letter attests to the genuineness of the document, so the presence of the Spirit guarantees the believer is genuine. “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (). It is not simply our lip profession, our religious activity, or our good works, but the witness of the Spirit that makes our profession authentic.

Go to the

Paul desired the Ephesian Christians to understand what great wealth they had in Christ. Paul knew of their faith and love, and in this he rejoiced. The Christian life has two dimensions—faith toward God and love toward men—and you cannot separate the two. But Paul knew that faith and love were just the beginning. The Ephesians needed to know much more. This is why he prayed for them, that they would receive the “Spirit of wisdom” (v. ) and that the “the eyes of [their] understanding [be] enlightened” (v. ). We must notice two facts. First, enlightenment comes from the Holy Spirit. He is the “Spirit of wisdom and understanding” (), and second, this enlightenment comes to the heart of the believer.

The believer must grow in his knowledge of God. To know God personally is salvation (). To know Him increasingly is sanctification (). To know Him perfectly is glorification (). Since we are made in the image of God (), the better we know God, the better we know ourselves and each other. It is not enough to know God only as Savior. We must get to know Him as Father, Friend, and Guide—and the better we know Him, the more satisfying our spiritual lives will be.

By making us His inheritance, God has shown His love. By promising us a wonderful future, he has encouraged our hope. Paul offered something to challenge our faith: “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe” (v. ). So tremendous is this truth that Paul enlisted many different words from the Greek vocabulary to get his point across: dunamis—“power” as in dynamo and dynamite; energeia—“working” as in energy; kratos—“mighty”; and ischus—“power.”

We Christians need power for several reasons. To begin with, by nature we are too weak to appreciate and appropriate this wealth, and to use it as it should be used. There are enemies who want to rob us of our wealth (v. ; , ). We could never defeat these spiritual foes in our own power, but we can through the Spirit’s power. Paul wanted us to know the greatness of God’s power so that we would not fail to use our wealth, and so that the enemy would not deprive us of our wealth. The same resurrection power that saved us and took us out of the graveyard of sin can daily help us live for Christ and glorify Him.

, Because we are believers, we are in the church, which is Christ’s body—and He is the Head. This means that there is a living connection between us and Christ. Through the Spirit, we are united to Him as the members of His body. This means that we share His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation. (Paul will amplify this later.) We too are seated “in the heavenly places” (), and all things are under our feet.

The unbeliever is not sick; he is dead! He does not need resuscitation; he needs resurrection. All lost sinners are dead, and the only difference between one sinner and another is the state of decay. The lost derelict on skid row may be more decayed outwardly than the unsaved society leader, but both are dead in sin—and one corpse cannot be deader than another! This means that our world is one vast graveyard, filled with people who are dead while they live ().

, There are three forces that encourage people in their disobedience—the world, the devil, and the sinful nature. The world, or world-system, puts pressure on each person to try to get him to conform (). Satan influences the lives of all unbelievers, and also seeks to influence believers. He wants to make people “sons of disobedience.” He himself was disobedient to God, so he wants others to disobey Him too. The sinful nature is that fallen nature we were born with, that wants to control the body and the mind and make us disobey God.

The focus of attention now is on God, not on sinful man. “Salvation is of the LORD” (). We are reminded of four activities that God performed on behalf of sinners to save us from the consequences of our sins. He loved us (v. ). He gave us life (v. ), even when we were dead in sins. He accomplished this spiritual resurrection by the power of the Spirit, using the Word. He seated us with Christ (v. ). We are not raised from the dead and left in the graveyard. Because we are united to Christ, we have been exalted with Him and we are sharing His throne in the heavenly realms. He keeps us (vv. ). God’s purpose in our redemption is not simply to rescue us from hell, as great a work as that is. His ultimate purpose in our salvation is that “in the ages to come” we are examples of God’s grace.

Salvation cannot be a reward for “works,” or doing “good things,” because the work of salvation has already been completed on the cross. This is the work that God does for us, and it is a finished work (; ). We can add nothing to it (); we dare take nothing from it.

At great expense to Himself, God worked for us on the cross. And today, on the basis of that price paid at Calvary, He is working in us to conform us to Christ. God cannot work in us unless He has first worked for us, and we have trusted His Son. Also, He cannot work through us unless He works in us. This is why it is important for us to spend time daily in the Word and prayer, and to yield to Christ during times of suffering. For it is through the Word, prayer, and suffering that God works in us (does the “good works” He planned for us, v. ).

In the first ten verses of , Paul discussed the salvation of sinners in general, but now he turns to the work of Christ for Gentiles in particular. Most of the converts in the Ephesian church were Gentiles, and they knew that much of God’s program in the Old Testament involved the Jews. Those who have trusted Christ have received “the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” ().

God called the Jews, beginning with Abraham, that through them He might reveal Himself as the one true God. With the Jews He deposited His Word, and through the Jews He gave the world the Savior (). Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles that they too might be saved.

The word “reconcile” means “to bring together again.” God had put a difference between Jews and Gentiles so that His purposes in salvation might be accomplished. But once those purposes were accomplished, there was no more difference. In fact, it was His purpose that these differences be erased forever, and they are erased through the work of Christ in reconciliation.

Not only did the Gentiles need to be reconciled to the Jews, but both the Jews and the Gentiles needed to be reconciled to God! The same law that separated Gentile and Jew also separated people from God, and Christ bore the curse of the law.

Paul describes the spiritual temple, the church. The foundation for this church was laid by the apostles and New Testament prophets. Jesus Christ is the Foundation () and the Chief Cornerstone (; ). The cornerstone binds the structure together; Jesus Christ has united Jews and Gentiles in the church. This reference to the temple would have been meaningful to both the Jews and the Gentiles in the Ephesian church.

Today, through His Spirit, God dwells in the church, the temple of God. God does not dwell in man-made temples, including church buildings (). He dwells in the hearts of those who have trusted Christ (, ) and in the church collectively ().

The best way to grasp the importance of “the mystery” in Paul’s life is to focus on the two descriptions he gives of himself in this section. He begins by calling himself “a prisoner” (v. ), and then he calls himself “a minister.” Paul was a prisoner because he believed in God’s new program of uniting believing Jews and Gentiles into one body, the church. He was also a “minister.” God commissioned him to go to the Gentiles, not only with the good news of salvation through Christ, but also with the message that Jews and Gentiles are now one in Christ.

, God made Paul a steward of “the mystery” (v. ) with the responsibility of sharing it with the Gentiles. It was not enough simply to win them to Christ and form them into local assemblies. He was also to teach them their wonderful position in Christ as members of the body, sharing God’s grace equally with the Jews.

, Certainly the angels know about the power of God as seen in His creation. But the wisdom of God as seen in His new creation, the church, is something new “to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” Unsaved men, including wise philosophers, look at God’s plan of salvation and consider it “foolishness” (). But the angels watch the outworking of God’s salvation, and they praise His wisdom. Paul called it “the manifold wisdom of God,” and this suggests the beauty and variety of God’s wisdom in His great plan of salvation.

This passage is the second of two prayers recorded in Ephesians, the first one being . In the first prayer, the emphasis is on enlightenment, but in this prayer, the emphasis is on enablement. It is not so much a matter of knowing as being—laying our hands on what God has for us and by faith making it a vital part of our lives.

There are four requests in Paul’s prayer, but they must not be looked on as isolated, individual petitions. These four requests are more like four parts to a telescope. One request leads into the next one, and so on. He prays that the inner man might have spiritual strength, which will, in turn, lead to a deeper experience with Christ. This deeper experience will enable believers to “comprehend” (get hold of) God’s great love, which will result in their being “filled with all the fullness of God.” So, then, Paul was praying for strength, depth, understanding, and fullness.

Catalyst

It would be profitable for us to review what the first three chapters of Ephesians have taught us about the “riches of His glory” () with which God empowers us.

True riches come from God. It is a source of great encouragement to know that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all working on my behalf to make me rich. God not only “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (), but He gives us eternal riches without which all other wealth is valueless. In Christ, you and I have what money can’t buy, and these spiritual riches open up to us all the wealth of God’s vast creation. We enjoy the gifts because we know and love the Giver.

All of these riches come by God’s grace and for God’s glory. We often have the idea that God saves sinners mainly because He pities them or wants to rescue them from eternal judgment, but God’s main purpose is that He might be glorified. His creation reveals His wisdom and power, but His church reveals His love and grace. You cannot deserve or earn these spiritual riches; you can only receive them by grace, through faith.

These riches are only the beginning! There is always more spiritual wealth to claim from the Lord as we walk with Him. The Bible is our guidebook; the Holy Spirit is our Teacher. As we search the Word of God, we discover more and more of the riches we have in Christ. These riches were planned by the Father, purchased by the Son, and presented by the Spirit. There is really no need for us to live in poverty when all of God’s wealth is at our disposal!

Go to the

, After contemplating such a marvelous spiritual experience, it is no wonder Paul burst forth in a doxology, a fitting benediction to such a prayer. Note the Trinitarian emphasis in this benediction: Paul prayed to God the Father concerning the indwelling power of God the Spirit, made available through God the Son.

The Spirit of God was given to glorify the Son of God (). The church on earth is here to glorify the Son of God. If our motive is to glorify God by building His church, then God will share His power with us. The power of the Spirit is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

Unity is not uniformity. Unity comes from within and is a spiritual grace, while uniformity is the result of pressure from without. Paul used the human body as a picture of Christian unity (), and he adapted the same illustration here in (see vv. ). Each part of the body is different from the other parts, yet all make up one body and work together.

The word “therefore” indicates that Paul was basing his exhortations to duty on the doctrines taught in the first three chapters. (, are parallel verses.) The Christian life is not based on ignorance but knowledge, and the better we understand Bible doctrine, the easier it is to obey Bible duties.

Many people today attempt to unite Christians in a way that is not biblical. For example, they will say, “We are not interested in doctrines, but in love. Now, let’s forget our doctrines and just love one another!” But Paul did not discuss spiritual unity in the first three chapters; he waited until he had laid the doctrinal foundation. While not all Christians agree on some minor matters of Christian doctrine, they all do agree on the foundation truths of the faith. Unity built on anything other than Bible truth is standing on a very shaky foundation.

Paul moves from what all Christians have in common to how Christians differ from each other. Here he discusses variety and individuality within the unity of the Spirit. In the spiritual realm, each believer has at least one spiritual gift no matter what natural abilities he may or may not possess. A spiritual gift is a God-given ability to serve God and other Christians through the Spirit in such a way that Christ is glorified and believers are edified.

Paul briefly outhnes the kind of spiritual leadership that Christ has given to His church:

• Apostles. The word means “one who is sent with a commission.” Jesus had many disciples, but He selected twelve apostles (). A disciple is a “follower” or a “learner,” but an apostle is a “divinely appointed representative.” The apostles were to give witness of the resurrection (), and therefore they had to have seen the risen Christ personally (, ). There are no apostles today in the strictest New Testament sense. These men helped to lay the foundation of the church.

• Prophets. We commonly associate a prophet with predictions of future events, but this is not the primary function. A New Testament prophet is one who proclaims the Word of God (; ). Believers in the New Testament churches did not possess Bibles, nor was the New Testament completed. How, then, would these local assemblies discover God’s will? His Spirit would share God’s truth with those possessing the gift of prophecy.

• Evangelists. “Bearers of the Good News.” These men traveled from place to place to preach the gospel and win the lost (; ). All ministers should “work at telling others the Good News” (), but this does not mean that all ministers are evangelists.

• Pastors and teachers. We have here one office with two ministries. Pastor means “shepherd,” indicating that the local church is a flock of sheep (), and it is his responsibility to feed and lead the flock (, where “elder” is another name for “pastor”). He does this by means of the Word of God, the food that nourishes the sheep.

Go to the

Paul was looking at the church on two levels in this section. He saw the body of Christ, made up of all true believers, growing gradually until it reaches spiritual maturity, “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (v. ). But he also saw the local body of believers ministering to each other, growing together, and thereby experiencing spiritual unity. Spiritual unity is not something we manufacture. It is something we already have in Christ, and we must protect and maintain it. Truth unites, but lies divide. Love unites, but selfishness divides. Therefore, we should be “speaking the truth in love” (v. ), equipping one another and edifying one another, that all of us may grow up to be more like Christ.

Paul was quite concerned that Christians not break the unity of the Spirit by agreeing with false doctrine (), and the apostle John echoed this warning (). The local church cannot believe in peace at any price, for God’s wisdom is “first pure,” then “peaceable” (). Purity of doctrine of itself does not produce spiritual unity, for there are churches that are sound in faith, but unsound when it comes to love. This is why Paul joined the two: “Speak the truth in love.”

There are some negative instructions in the Christian life, and here is one of them: “You should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.” The Christian is not to imitate the life of the unsaved people around him. These people are “dead in trespasses and sins” (), while the believer has been raised from the dead and been given eternal life in Christ.

As Christians, we have not simply changed our minds. We have totally changed our citizenship. We belong to God’s “new creation” in Christ (), and therefore, the ideas and desires of the old creation no longer should control our lives.

After all, we have been raised from the dead—so why wear the grave clothes?

The mouth and heart are connected. (). We expect a change in speech when a person becomes a Christian. Fill the heart with the love of Christ so that only truth and purity can come out of the mouth. Paul told us to speak in such a way that what we say will build up our hearers, not tear them down. Our words should minister grace and help to draw others closer to Christ. Satan, of course, encourages speech that will tear people down and destroy the work of Christ. See .

The word “imitate” in verse is the same word as “mimic.” Paul was simply arguing that children are like their parents, a fact that can be both encouraging and embarrassing to those of us who have children. Children mimic or follow what they see demonstrated by their fathers and mothers.

, People who have base appetites usually cultivate a base kind of speech and humor, and often people who want to commit sexual sins, or have committed them, enjoy joking coarsely about them. Two indications of a person’s character are what makes him laugh and what makes him weep. The saint of God sees nothing humorous in obscene language or coarse joking.

It may seem unusual to pair sexual immorality and greed together; however, the two sins are but different expressions of the same basic weakness of fallen nature—uncontrolled appetite. The fornicator and the covetous or greedy person each desire to satisfy the appetite by taking what does not belong to them.

The gift of wit is a blessing, but when it is attached to a filthy mind or a base motive, it becomes a curse. There are quick-witted people who can pollute any conversation with jests that “have no place among God’s people.” How much better it is for us to be quick to give thanks! This is certainly the best way to give glory to God and keep the conversation pure.

, When we trusted Christ, we entered into the kingdom of God (), but we are also awaiting the full revelation of His kingdom when He returns (). Paul made it clear that people who deliberately and persistently live in sin will not share in God’s kingdom.

The idea that we are light is the main thrust of the passage, for Paul was admonishing his readers to “walk as children of light.” Read for a parallel passage that explains the contrasts that exist between the child of God and the unsaved person. Paul did not say that once we were in the darkness, but that we were full of darkness. Now that we are saved, we should “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.”

, Light reveals God; light produces fruit; and light also exposes what is wrong. No surgeon would willingly operate in darkness lest he make a false move and take a life. How could an artist paint a true picture in darkness? The light reveals the truth and exposes the true character of things. This explains why the unsaved person usually stays clear of the church and the Bible.

The Greek here carries the idea of precision and accuracy. “See that you walk circumspectly,” that is, with exactness is the meaning. The opposite would be walking carelessly and without proper guidance and forethought. We cannot leave the Christian life to chance. We must make wise decisions and seek to do the will of God.

It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can walk in harmony as husbands and wives (vv. ), parents and children (), and employers and employees (). The unity of the people of God that Paul described () must be translated into daily living if we are to enjoy the harmony that is a foretaste of heaven on earth.

If our homes are to be a heaven on earth, then we must be controlled by the Holy Spirit. But how can a person tell whether or not he is filled with the Spirit? Paul stated that there are three evidences of the fullness of the Spirit in the life of the believer: He is joyful (), thankful (v. ), and submissive (vv. ).

Christian joy is not a shallow emotion that, like a thermometer, rises and falls with the changing atmosphere of the home. Rather, Christian joy is a deep experience of adequacy and confidence in spite of the circumstances around us. The Christian can be joyful even in the midst of pain and suffering. This kind of joy is both a thermometer and a thermostat.

The word “gratitude” comes from the same root word as “grace.” If we have experienced the grace of God, then we ought to be grateful for what God brings to us. “Thank” and “think” also come from the same root word. If we would think more, we would thank more.

, Submission has nothing to do with the order of authority, but rather governs the operation of authority—how it is given and how it is received. Often Jesus tried to teach His disciples not to throw their weight around, or seek to become great at somebody else’s expense.

Paul was writing to believers. He was nowhere suggesting that women are inferior to men, or that all women must be in subjection to all men in every situation. The fact that he uses Christ and the church as His illustration is evidence that he has the Christian home in mind.

Paul gives two reasons for this command: the lordship of Christ (v. ) and the headship of the man in Christ (v. ). When the Christian wife submits herself to Christ and lets Him be the Lord of her life, she will have no difficulty submitting to her husband. This does not mean that she becomes a slave, for the husband is also to submit to Christ. And if both are living under the lordship of Christ, there can be only harmony. Headship is not dictatorship.

Paul had much more to say to the Christian husbands than to the wives. He set for them a very high standard: Love your wives “just as Christ loved the church.” Paul was lifting married love to the highest level possible, for he saw in the Christian home an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church.

Our Christian homes are to be pictures of Christ’s relationship to His church. Each believer is a member of Christ’s body, and each believer is to help nourish the body in love (). We are one with Christ. The church is His body and His bride, and the Christian home is a divinely ordained illustration of this relationship. This certainly makes marriage a serious matter.

To “honor” our parents means much more than simply to obey them. It means to show them respect and love, to care for them as long as they need us, and to seek to bring honor to them by the way we live. The child must learn early to obey father and mother, not only because they are his parents, but also because God has commanded it to be so. Disobedience to parents is rebellion against God.

Fathers provoke their children and discourage them by saying one thing and doing another, by always blaming and never praising, by being inconsistent and unfair in discipline, by showing favoritism in the home, by making promises and not keeping them, and by making light of problems that, to the children, are very important. Christian parents need the fullness of the Spirit so they can be sensitive to the needs and problems of their children.

The word “bondservants” undoubtedly refers to Christian servants, but we may certainly apply these words to the Christian employee today. Doing a good job is the will of God. Christianity knows nothing of sacred and secular. A Christian can perform any good work as a ministry to Christ, to the glory of God. For this reason, the worker must do his job “with goodwill doing service,” since he is serving Christ and doing the will of God.

Servants are to be “obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ.” Each person, in submission to the Lord, has no problem submitting to those over him.

The admonitions Paul gives here indicate that Satan is a strong enemy and that we need the power of God to be able to stand against him. Never underestimate the power of the devil. He is not compared to a lion and a dragon just for fun! The Book of Job tells what His power can do to a man’s body, home, wealth, and friends. Jesus called Satan a thief who comes “to steal and to kill and to destroy” (). Not only is Satan strong, but he is also intelligent and subtle, and we fight against “the wiles of the devil.”

In one sense, “the whole armor of God” is a picture of Jesus Christ. Christ is the Truth (), and He is our righteousness () and our peace (). His faithfulness makes possible our faith (); He is our salvation (); and He is the Word of God (, ). This means that when we trusted Christ, we received the armor. Paul told the Romans what to do with the armor (): Wake up (), remove your dark deeds, and “put on the armor of light” (). We do this by clothing ourselves by “put[ting] on the Lord Jesus Christ” ().

A material sword pierces the body, but the Word of God pierces the heart. The Spirit wrote the Word, and the Spirit wields the Word as we take it by faith and use it. A physical sword wounds to hurt and kill, while the sword of the Spirit wounds to heal and give life. But when we use the sword against Satan, we are out to deal him a blow that will cripple him and keep him from hindering God’s work.

Prayer is the energy that enables the Christian soldier to wear the armor and wield the sword. We cannot fight the battle in our own power, no matter how strong or talented we may think we are.

We are not fighting the battle alone. There are other believers who stand with us in the fight, and we ought to be careful to encourage one another. Paul encouraged the Ephesians; Tychicus was an encouragement to Paul; and Paul was going to send Tychicus to the Ephesians to be an encouragement to them.

Ephesians 1

1:3

1:4

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1:10 NU-Text and M-Text omit both.

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1:14

1:14 NU-Text reads which.

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1:18 NU-Text and M-Text read hearts.

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Ephesians 2

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Ephesians 3

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3:8 [; , ]

3:9

3:9 NU-Text and M-Text read stewardship (dispensation).

3:9 NU-Text omits through Jesus Christ.

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3:14 NU-Text omits of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Ephesians 4

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4:6 NU-Text omits you; M-Text reads us.

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4:9 NU-Text omits first.

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4:10 [; ]

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4:17 NU-Text omits the rest of.

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Ephesians 5

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5:5 NU-Text reads For know this.

5:7

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5:9 NU-Text reads light.

5:10 [, ]

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5:21 NU-Text reads Christ.

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5:26 [; ]

5:27

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5:30 NU-Text omits the rest of this verse.

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5:33 ,

Ephesians 6

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6:9 NU-Text reads He who is both their Master and yours.

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6:12 NU-Text reads rulers of this darkness.

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