Day 337: Ephesians 1-3

(The Book of Ephesians was written at the same time as Colossians and Philemon, with all three being delivered by Tychicus. These letters were written by Paul around 64 AD from Rome during his time in prison. While this was the fifth book of the section of the New Testament known as the Pauline Epistles and the second book of the section known as the Prison Epistles, it actually chronologically preceded the previous book (Galatians). Paul stated the purpose for writing this letter was so that the Ephesians perceived Paul's understanding of the mystery in Christ (Ephesians 3:4). We have seen that Romans presented the most foundational Christian Doctrine: Salvation. We have seen that 1 Corinthians focused on the application of the foundational Doctrine towards a very new church. We have also seen that 2 Corinthians was a more mature application of foundational Doctrine. In the previous book, we saw a review of these first three Pauline Epistles. For example, Paul revisited the lack of division between Jew and Gentile like he covered in Romans, as well as the need to separate from sinners and then forgive and receive the repentant sinner like he covered in both letters to the Corinthians. The Book of Ephesians was also referred to as "Paul's second doctrinal letter," with Romans being referred to as "Paul's first doctrinal letter." We have seen that each of these letters from Paul included Doctrine. Again, the Book of Romans presented the most foundational Doctrine: Salvation, which can be seen as "The Cause of Christianity." The Book of Ephesians was referred to as a Doctrinal letter because it dealt with the largest Doctrine, the Doctrine that was "The Ultimate Effect of Christianity: The Meaning of Life." This was the mystery "in Christ" that Paul referred to.)

(In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul implied that he had been to the third heavens and heard unspeakable words that were not lawful for a man to utter. It was possible that Paul saw the Meaning of Life, but could not blatantly speak it. Instead, we will see Paul presented the Meaning of Life indirectly, in much the same way Jesus spoke indirectly about being the Son of God as recorded in the Gospel according to John. Paul began his presentation with as little detail as possible, yet giving the entire picture. As Paul progressed through his letter, he gave more detail about the smaller portions of the entire picture in the absence of the rest of the picture. The best way to understand this letter during the first read is to begin with the last four chapters of the New Testament: Revelation 19-22. In those chapters, we see that all believers will spend eternity in the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem was referred to as the House of God, the Temple of God, and the Bride. The new Jerusalem is Christ's Bride.

What is the Meaning of Life? All believers interact with each other as "cells in the body" of the Bride which is married to Jesus. Paul stated the same conclusion in the last half of this book. For the sake of understanding this book, we will assume you know the Meaning of Life as you begin reading this book.)

Ephesians 1
¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Paul's opening: He wrote to the saints (believers) in Ephesus. He referenced grace, which is the influence from the Holy Spirit. Technically, verse 2 referenced each Member of the Trinity, separately.)

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

(In the New Testament, there were two different "positions" referenced for believers:
-First, "through Christ" meant "the Holy Spirit through us while we are on earth."
-Second, "in Christ" referred to the effects we will experience in eternity, when we are in the new Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit is through us to the maximum amount.

We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the spiritual realm in eternity. However, this did not mean we couldn't access these blessings now. We would need to access these spiritual blessing in heavenly places through spiritual means.

Verse 3 set the context for the next three verses which were Paul's first presentation of the Meaning of Life.)

⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:
⁵ having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
⁶ to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved:

(God had a plan before the foundation of the world in that we would be holy and without blame before Him in love eternally in paradise. We have all been foreordained to be children of God by the adoption made possible by Christ according to His Will. It is God's Will that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). God intended for everyone to live eternally in the new Jerusalem building up the Bride through love. God provided everything everyone would need to end up in the new Jerusalem for eternity and it's the individuals who are the ones who choose not to receive Salvation by grace.

The next section covered God's Will.)

⁷ in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
⁸ which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

(Verses 7 and 8 covered the foundational Doctrine of Christianity: Salvation.)

⁹ making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him

(The mystery of God's Will has been revealed. If we are believers, we can and ought to know God's Will.)

¹⁰ unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, I say,
¹¹ in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will;
¹² to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

(God's ultimate Will is that all things in the heavens and upon the earth will be summed up in Christ: the new Jerusalem being married to Jesus. This will occur once all the dispensations have been completed. God the Father and Jesus the Son were mentioned, however, this sentence still was not finished...)

¹³ in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,-- in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
¹⁴ which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, unto the praise of his glory.

(Again, with the mention of the Holy Spirit, all three Members of the Trinity were mentioned separately. As we saw in 2 Corinthians 1:22, the Holy Spirit was referred to as the "earnest." After we believe, we are "sealed" with the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This is a sign/symbol of what is to come. It is similar to an engagement ring. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so He could go prepare a place for His bride. The Holy Spirit is the "earnest" (a down payment) of our inheritance. Notice, Paul's description of the Meaning of Life was lacking specific details, however, the allusions to marriage were present.)

¹⁵ For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show toward all the saints,
¹⁶ cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

(The rest of this chapter was Paul's second presentation of the Meaning of Life, with a few more details.)

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;

(Wisdom and revelation from God are available through the Holy Spirit. Again, all three Members of the Trinity were mentioned in verse 17. God gives us these things so we can know "the hope of his calling." We ought to know God's Will, we ought to know the Meaning of Life.)

¹⁸ having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

(This was a key verse that we will contrast with Ephesians 4:18. For now, this verse spoke of the eyes of your heart/understanding being enlightened. The Greek word for heart/understanding was dianoia. It was composed of two Greek words that meant "the channel through which the Mind/Soul operates." This was the conscious brain! The word brain is a relatively new word and was created more than a thousand years after the New Testament was written.

Summary: The Holy Spirit is able to make us awake to (conscious of) the benefits we will experience in paradise.)

¹⁹ and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
²⁰ which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,

(Christ currently sits at the right Hand of God in heavenly places. The Holy Spirit is able to make us aware of the exceeding greatness of God's power towards the believers.)

²¹ far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

(This was a very broad statement: Christ is far above every possible power (both good and evil) that has ever existed or ever will exist.)

²² and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church,
²³ which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

(These last two verses stated that Jesus is the Head of the Church, and the Church is His Body. It was also stated that the Church is "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." All of these were allusions to Marriage: Jesus is the Groom and the Church is the Bride.)

(Theme of Chapter 1: Paul presented two Big Picture perspectives of the Meaning of Life. Paul alluded to Jesus being married to the Church in eternity. Next, a mini-review of the Book of Romans: Paul began with the process of going from a sinner to a saint.)




Ephesians 2
¹ And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins,
² wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience;
³ among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest:--

(This chapter began with a description of the state of man in sin, without grace. Verse 2 referred to a person who made progress in sin when Paul used the word "walked.")

⁴ but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
⁵ even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved),

(Paul transitioned to how sinners become saved. Our ability to live (ability to repair) comes from grace. Grace is "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.")

⁶ and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus:
⁷ that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus:

(Again, sitting with Him in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus spoke of the effects we will experience in eternity: "that in the ages to come...")

⁸ for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
⁹ not of works, that no man should glory.

(We are saved from this sinful state by grace through faith. We gain our Salvation by how much we allow a God we cannot see (faith) direct our actions (grace) in hopes of an effect that has not happened yet (faith). The works that come out of this are Righteousness because it is God through us. We are responsible for our Salvation but we do not get credit for our Salvation. This was a summary of the most foundational Doctrine: Salvation by grace through faith.)

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

(God has foreordained works for each of us when we are created. These works are opportunities to receive Reward. Verses 8 and 9 focused on Salvation. Verse 10 focused on Reward.)

¹¹ Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands;
¹² that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
¹³ But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ.

(This was a main theme of the Book of Romans that Paul revisited in his letter to the Galatians: Jews and Gentiles were no longer divided by the Law, but they were united in Christ.)

¹⁴ For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition,
¹⁵ having abolished in the flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace;

(The Law had been abolished by Christ. The division between Jews and Gentiles had been removed so that...)

¹⁶ and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
¹⁷ and he came and preached peace to you that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh:

(...all the believers (both Jews and Gentiles) were able to be in one body, which is the Bride.)

¹⁸ for through him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father.

(Another verse where all three Members of the Trinity were mentioned separately: Through Christ we have access by the Holy Spirit to the Father. Without Christ's sacrifice, we would not be able to live by grace through faith.)

¹⁹ So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

(Again, Paul revisited a theme from the previous letters only this time he stated we are all of the household of God. Again, the House of God is the new Jerusalem.)

²⁰ being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;

(Doctrine: The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus being the Chief Cornerstone. In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul stated he was an apostle that began the church in Corinth and suffered abuse, just like the prophets.)

²¹ in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord;
²² in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

(This foundational Doctrine review ended with a big picture explanation that I call "1-2-3":
-"1" refers to the individual and their uniqueness.
-"2" refers to the fellowship (exchange in love) between two individuals according to their uniqueness.
-"3" refers to the entire community as a whole.

I see verse 21 in the following way:
1) in whom each several building
2) fitly framed together
3) groweth into a holy temple in the Lord.

The individuals doing their purpose and rightly connected to other individuals work together to make the whole into a holy temple in the Lord. Verse 22 blatantly stated all believers builded together are for a habitation of the Holy Spirit. The Bride will have the Holy Spirit inside of Her. The new Jerusalem is referred to as the House and the Temple of God.)

(Theme of Chapter 2: Paul reviewed the basic foundational Christian Doctrine of Salvation. Paul concluded this chapter by showing how all believers will work together in a "1-2-3" fashion to be the Temple of the Spirit of God in eternity.)




Ephesians 3
¹ For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles,--
² if so be that ye have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given me to you-ward;

(Pentecost (Acts 2) began the Dispensation of Grace.)

³ how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words,
⁴ whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;

(Again, Paul made it clear that the mystery had been revealed. Paul also mentioned that he had written about the revelation being made known to him "in few words." Paul's purpose for writing this letter was so that the church in Ephesus would understand this mystery of Christ.)

⁵ which in other generation was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

(The mystery that Paul was revealing in this letter was not able to be revealed before this dispensation because this mystery was only able to be first known during our dispensation. Why? The mystery is able to be understood when individuals become believers by choosing to allow the Holy Spirit to dwell inside themselves.)

⁶ to wit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
⁷ whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

(Paul revealed the mystery to our dispensation.

The mystery: Grace and Salvation is available to all with the purpose being all believers making up one body in eternity. The mystery is able to be understood by all because everyone is able to choose to have the Holy Spirit dwell within themselves during this dispensation.)

⁸ Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

(Paul was humble. That was why he had the grace to preach among the Gentiles.)

⁹ and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things;

(Paul would make all men see the fellowship of the mystery, not just the Jews.)

¹⁰ to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,

(This verse is mind-blowing! Paul stated that spiritual principalities and powers would learn this mystery through the Church. God had a mystery hidden from the beginning of time that was first revealed to all beings through the New Testament Church. The mystery was able to be revealed now and understood by believers because believers have the Spirit of God within themselves during our current Dispensation of Grace.)

¹¹ according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
¹² in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.

(This mystery involved the eternal purpose, the Ultimate Effect of Christianity: the Meaning of Life.)

¹³ Wherefore I ask that ye may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory.
¹⁴ For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father,
¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
¹⁶ that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

(Christ living in our hearts by faith would be the cause of us being "rooted and grounded in love" so that we could live out our eternal purpose.)

¹⁸ may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.

(Verse 19 did not mean we cannot know the love of Christ. This meant that the love of Christ is greater than knowledge. Our eternal purpose was to progress in the love of Christ so that we may be filled unto all the fulness of God.)

²⁰ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
²¹ unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.

(We saw that Ephesians 1:18 was a key verse that we will contrast with Ephesians 4:18. Verse 20 was another key verse that we will contrast in the second half of this book, specifically with Ephesians 4:19. Paul closed the first half of this letter by stating that God was able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we asked or thought, and He did it according to the power that worked in us which was the Holy Spirit. This showed that we could experience the effects of eternity now. Paul said unto God the Father will be the glory in the Church (Bride) and in Jesus (Groom) eternally in paradise, which is the Meaning of Life. Again, all three Members of the Trinity were mentioned separately.)

(Theme of Chapter 3: Paul followed his review of the most foundational Christian Doctrine (Salvation) with his explanation for why he was now able to reveal the mystery in Christ when the previous dispensations were unable to know it: because the Holy Spirit is inside every believer. We are now ready to hear the specific explanation of this mystery in Christ.)

Day 338