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…
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. NET James 2:17 So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. BSB We have discussed that if you compare Ephesians 2:8-9 with James, it appears to be in conflict until you get to verse 10 where Paul introduces works. (There are people out there Read more…
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. NET God’s disposition arises from His grace and is unchanging. This is important because if God is Read more…
Paul has spoken in general terms in the first chapter but is now going to apply these teachings to the Ephesians. Mercy and grace are not being used interchangeably but rather as part of a package. The best way to distinguish these is to repeat the old adage: Mercy is when we don’t get what we deserve and grace is when we receive what we don’t deserve. As to love, God didn’t wake up one Read more…