Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8Therefore he says, “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.” 9 Now this, “He ascended,” what is it but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that Read more…
Ephesians 4:6 and one God and Father of all, who rules over all, acts through all, and dwells in all. WEY The word “all” appears four times in this verse which in Greek is a method of emphatically making a point. Everyone has the same God, yet this is a church that is divided. Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is one. 5 And you shall love the LORD your Read more…
Ephesians 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, NET Paul uses often uses “Lord” rather than “Christ” when referring to Jesus since the Greek word for Christ translates as “smeared with oil”. The Romans understand “Lord” because they are required to visit a temple once a year and proclaim Caesar as Lord. The use of this title puts the early Christians on a collision course with Rome since the Romans hear this as Jesus being Read more…
Ephesians 4: 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. NET These seven elements of unity sound poetic which causes some think of this as the first creed or affirmation of faith. Again, this unity is already there – Read more…
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the calling to which you were called BLB Paul usually starts his letters with theology and then moves into practical instruction of that theology. His use of “therefore” indicates that we are now transitioning from theology into moral instruction. If what Paul has been teaching in the first three chapters of Ephesians is true, then there are consequences in Read more…
Ephesians 3:16 I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner person, NET Glory is a reflection of God’s energy. (The Eastern Orthodox Church views God as having an essence, that we don’t have access to, and energy which we do have access to). Paul’s petition is that the abundance of God’s glory will dwell in you so that Read more…
Ephesians 3:9 and to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan – a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things. NET Here we see the “mystery” again that we saw earlier in verse 3. The story of the Jews begins with God blessing them so that they can be a blessing to the world. In the time since then, they have lost the idea that salvation is for everyone. Read more…
Ephesians 2:20 because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. 21 In Him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. NET Jesus is the cornerstone with the foundation of understanding being the prophets and the apostles. Typically this Read more…
Ephesians 2:14 For He is our peace—He who has made Jews and Gentiles one, and in His own human nature has broken down the hostile dividing wall, 15 by setting aside the Law with its commandments, expressed, as they were, in definite decrees. His design was to unite the two sections of humanity in Himself so as to form one new man, 16 thus effecting peace, and to reconcile Jews and Gentiles in one body Read more…
At every stop during his missionary journeys, Paul starts at the synagogue and teaches there until they kick him out. From there, he preaches to the God-fearers. (These are people who believed in one God, had a sense of morality but were not prepared to become Jews). As a result, the membership of those churches he established was made up of both Jews and Gentiles. This preaching to the Gentiles was not without controversy as Read more…