Notes on Ephesians 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The church at Ephesus, at least during Paul's ministry, was one of the "good" churches. He didn't have to spend most of his time and effort rebuking the church for spiritual pride or doctrinal error, as with the Corinthians and Galatians. Instead, he discusses codes of Christian conduct, proper relationships, and the conduct of spiritual warfare.

Paul begins the letter by talking about our position in Christ, as his holy and chosen people. To be holy means to think and behave in such a way as to reflect Christ in our lives, so that we are suitable for God's use. Being chosen means that God has selected us to be his own children, based on our choice to accept through faith what Christ has done for us. We are blameless not because we cease to sin after becoming Christians, but because Christ stands in our place. Faith is the only requirement for righteousness, and even that faith is itself a gift of God. Being predestined into our position as God's adopted children doesn't mean that only a select few can ever be saved, based on a pre-selection process. It means, rather, that once we accept Christ as our savior, we are predestined to be adopted as God's children. In that way, we are accepted into the same position with God that Christ himself holds, insofar as it means we can come confidently into his presence with our worship, praise, and petitions.

Redemption means to be purchased from slavery, and since Adam we have all been slaves to sin, and destined for death. We can't buy our own freedom from sin, nor can we ever pay back the cost. Like every good thing from God, salvation is a gift, given in God's grace, or unmerited favor. God gives us the understanding, or wisdom, to understand the plan of salvation, the mystery hidden for so many generations, so that we, in turn, can share it with others. As Christ indicated in his great high priestly prayer (John 17), God's plan, his goal, is that all who belong to him will be gathered together in him, in one place. In Revelation, this is presented as the beautiful picture of the wedding feast of the Lamb, with the church as the bride and Christ as the bridegroom (Revelation 21:9). Unity with God, oneness with him, is the whole goal of his plan. It is not accident that so much of Paul's writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, concerns this very idea of unity.

Our role as Christians is not as employees who have to live up to a set of standards, so that we can then be evaluated to see if we pass or fail. Instead, we are heirs in the family of God, and our inheritance, eternal life, is based on our relationship with the Father, not on our performance. Just as with a will, special provision, or reward, may be made in recognition of our service, but this does not change our basic rights as children. Our very salvation, our adoption as God's children, brings glory to Christ, because we are saved only through him. Everything we do in his service also brings glory to him, not to us. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is our guarantee that the promise made to us will be fulfilled, that we will enter into eternal life with our new bodies after the ones we have die.

15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Paul prayed for all the churches, but it was a special privilege for him to give thanks for those with a good witness, like the Ephesians, with two of the best attributes any church can possess, faith in God and love for one another. His further prayer for them is that they mature spiritually, in the wisdom of understanding the truths of the Word in a way that comes only from the Holy Spirit. Each day should be an eye-opening experience for us, as we see a little more about the working out of God's plan and will, both in our own lives and in the world around us. Better still, we can learn a little more about the inheritance he has promised us. Our hymnals traditionally contained a lot of songs about heaven, but many of them have been removed. Southern Gospel music still features a lot of songs about "the sweet by and by" but contemporary Christian music focuses more on the "sad here and now." While it is true we must get from here to there, and we can't ignore our duty to serve God from day to day, we must never lose sight of our ultimate goal. By the same token, we must never forget that those who never accept Christ as Savior have only eternal death ahead of them.

With position comes power. In the world, many people seek political office, or prominence in business, or sports, or entertainment, not just for wealth or personal glory, but for the power it gives them over others. The power afforded us as God's children is far beyond what anyone in the world can imagine. Few Christians realize that, or take advantage of it. We have power and authority over the Enemy, Satan, and the whole world system he helped create. Power can be abused, though, even spiritual power, as happened with the Corinthian church, and we will be held accountable for any such misuse of what God gives us. It is any easy thing to put more emphasis on the gifts rather than the Giver, or on creation rather than the Creator. That is one of the problems with Charismatic churches, and with those who teach the so-called "prosperity gospel." The question for a Christian is not "what can we get out life?" but "who can we get out of life?"

Just as Christ is above all other authority or power in the earth, material or spiritual, so are we. Only Christ himself is above us, under the Father. Though we are subject to spiritual authority, and civil authority, that is true only as long as it is God-ordained. We are never to be subject to spiritual oppression, or any dominion of evil. Once, or if, power is exercised outside of God's own authority, we are no longer subject to it, and we need never be in bondage to it.

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