Series: New Testament Overview
Category: Core Seminars, Church Leadership, Church Unity, Spiritual Gifts, Loving Others, Children, Manhood & Womanhood, Marriage, Personal Holiness, Sanctification & Growth, Work of Christ, Grace, Justification, Perseverance of the Saints, Predestination and Election, The Gospel, Indwelling Sin
Detail:
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s how Paul opens this letter. Grace, charis[1] , the traditional Greek greeting. And Peace, shalom , the Jewish greeting.
And in 6:23-24, he ends the letter in the same way: Shalom and Charis. Peace and Grace. Jewish and Greek. In so many ways, that is the message of Ephesians. It is a letter about the grace of God that brings peace between man and God and between brothers in Christ. If you’ll turn with me to Eph. 2:14, we’ll see this central message. Paul writes, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace.” God’s grace reconciles those who believe, first to God and then to one another.
The message of Ephesians can be summed up in one simple sentence: “You have received supernatural grace for the glory of God, therefore, live in supernatural unity to the glory of God.” Grace and peace.
Purpose and Background
So, let’s turn to purpose and background. Why was this letter written? Unlike most of Paul’s letters, it wasn’t written in response to specific problems in the church. Instead, it is a very general book. So general, in fact, that it’s not even clear that it was written specifically to the Ephesians at all. In most of your Bibles, you’ll see a footnote next to the word “Ephesus” in 1:1. It says that in many early manuscripts, the letter just says, “To the saints (blank) who are also faithful in Christ Jesus.” This gives the impression that the letter was written for broad distribution. It was possibly written to all the churches Paul had seen planted in the region of Ephesus during his nearly three-year stay there. Can anyone tell me where Paul’s ministry in Ephesus is recorded in Acts? (Answer: Acts 19:1-41). Good. And does anyone know where it is mentioned that Paul spent three years ministering in Ephesus? (Answer: Acts 20:31, where Paul, addressing the Ephesian elders, states, "Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.")
Paul likely wrote this around 60 AD, roughly 6 years after he left Ephesus, while in prison in Rome (I’m getting that from Eph. 3:1 and Eph. 4:1 where Paul mentions that he is a prisoner). And it is a glorious work of the Holy Spirit. So let’s dive in.
Overview
You’ll see an outline of the book on the back of your handout. The main thing to notice is how the book cleanly divides into two major sections. First there is Chapters 1-3, where unity is described as an accomplished fact, and then chapter 4-6 where unity is seen as a goal. In other words, the book first describes unity as having been already accomplished by God, and then calls Christians to work toward the unity that’s not yet complete.
By way of an overview, I’ll summarize the book using the little paragraphs that you see under each point throughout your handout.
Praise be to God who predestined us to be redeemed through Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace. I thank God and pray for you, that you may know Christ better as well as his power for you. (1:1-23) As for us, we were all dead in our sins, but God graciously made us alive to show his grace and end our boasting. (2:1-10) As a result, God has destroyed the barrier between Jew and Gentile, building them into a single building in which God lives by his Spirit. (2:11-22) This is the mystery of which I am a herald and for which I am now suffering. (3:1-13) So I pray for the supernatural power of God to work this kind of unity in you. (3:14-21)
Stopping there, let’s take a deeper look at the first half of the book, chapters 1-3. (Turn back to the first page of your handout, where you’ll see our first point,)
Chapter 1: God Elects
In the first part of chapter 1, Paul praises God for electing sinners to redemption in Christ. Let’s look at 1:3 : “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places .” That’s how Paul begins a single-sentence in the original Greek that spans verses 3 to 14. This is called a “doxology” because Paul is praising God for his blessings in Christ!
Q: Now, looking at verses 4 to 14, what are some of the blessings that you see Paul praising God for? [Hint there are seven ].
God chose (v. 4), predestined (v. 5), adopted (5), redeemed (v. 7), forgave (v. 7), revealed (v. 9), and sealed (v. 13). And notice that this is the work of the Triune God in love : God the Father shows his love in predestining and adopting (v. 4-5); God the Son shows his love through the cross in redemption (vv. 7-12); and God the Holy Spirit shows his love in sealing and keeping (vv. 13-14), such that each person of the Trinity is indispensable in this glorious work of redemption![2]
Our salvation is no “right” that we possess by virtue of birth, goodness, or anything else. Election is a privilege we are given because of God’s great overflowing love for us in Christ. The language here is stunning. The riches of God’s grace that he “lavished” on us with all wisdom and understanding. Notice, this wasn’t some impersonal decision by God. Verses 4 and 5 say, “in love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ!” It’s because of God’s great love that sinners like us could become part of his family.
Q: If that is how much God has loved us, what should our response be? What is Paul’s response in verses 15-23?
A: Thanksgiving (vv. 15-16) and petition (vv. 17-23). Paul thanks God! And then he asks for more! In the Christian life it is okay to be greedy for grace!
Just like verses 3 to 14, verses 15-23 form one long, run-on sentence in Greek. What petitions does Paul make in verses 17 to 24? He asks for wisdom and revelation (vv. 17), enlightened eyes and hearts (v. 18) for the sake of knowing three things: (1) hope, (2) inheritance, and (3) power (vv. 18-19). And how was this power shown? In raising Christ from the dead (vv. 19-23).
Q: So what does Paul want the Ephesian believers to know after reading chapter 1? What does he want them to feel? And what does he want them to do?
A: Know? All power belongs to God, and through Christ, all blessings belong to us. How should this make us feel? Confident, thankful. What should we do? Praise, thank, ask.
2:1-10: Election Based Purely on Grace
Now, if we have all these blessings, and God has all power, how does these blessings become ours? The answer is union with Christ . Did you notice that sneaky preposition that permeated chapter 1 and continues throughout chapter 2? “In Christ” or “in him.”
Look at 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ ” (1:3). This prepositional phrase occurs about 30 or 40 times in the Book of Ephesians. Ephesians alone accounts for about 20% of all of the New Testament’s use.[3]
This is called the doctrine of union with Christ. It means two things: God’s blessings are only accessible in and through his Son. But if you are in Christ, all that belongs to him is yours. (Campaign illustration: hitch yourself to a candidate, you go where they go).
Here’s what that means: if you are in Christ then what happens to him will happen to you. Look at the chart on your handouts. In chapter 1:20-23 Paul describes God’s power at work by raising Christ Jesus from the dead. He then gives the exact same order in chapter 2, but this time, with regard to all believers.
Look at 2:5-6: “When we were dead in our trespasses, [he] made us alive together with Christ [there’s the prepositional phrase] – by grace you have been saved–and raised us up with him [there it is again] and seated us with him [union with Christ!] – in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus ” (2:5-6).
Union with Christ on Display in Ephesians 1-2
Christ
You
Dead (1:20)
Dead (2:1)
Raised (1:20)
Raised (2:5-6)
Seated (1:20
Seated (2:6)
Rule and fill (1:21-23)
Receive and display (2:7)
So there is a profound symmetry to God’s work in Christ and God’s work in his church because we have been united to his Son. But there’s also asymmetry. The goal of all things—as we’ll see later in Eph. 3:10—is the display of God’s glory through his Son in the Church. For the Son that means ruling over all things and filling up all things (1:21-23). For the church—for us—that means receiving and displaying for all eternity the endless bounty of God’s love and grace in Christ (2:7).
Q: What else do these verses teach about the depths of our sins and the riches of God’s grace?
If this is how God has loved us in Christ, what is our proper response? We see that beginning in 2:11: the primary application of the gospel… is unity .
2:11-3:13: The Primary Application of the Gospel is Unity (on the second page of your handout)
And this makes sense, right? If the gospel is fundamentally a message of union —union with Christ—then an effect of true union ought to be unity . Act follows being, right? If you are one then you will be one.
Q: So what is unity? Oneness, concord, symmetry, harmony, agreement.
The most obvious and breathtaking aspect of the church’s union in Paul’s day was the newly created union between Jew and Gentile in the church. And you see the summary there on the second page of your handout: God has destroyed the barrier between Jew and Gentile, building them into a single building in which God lives by his Spirit. This is the mystery of which I am a herald and for which I am now suffering.
Paul begins with background: the Gentiles were at one time “separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (2:12 ). But what happened? Verse 14: Jesus “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances.” Jews and Gentiles are no longer divided.
Paul then continues this thought into chapter 3, calling this a “mystery.” Not a mystery as in something hard to understand, but something previously hidden has now been revealed. What is this mystery? Paul states in plainly in verse 6 . “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
What’s going on here? From the time of Abraham on, God’s people were defined ethnically. That’s why Abraham’s descendants were prohibited from marrying with the nations around them. But suddenly, that wall was destroyed. Inclusion in the people of God, as we see in Chapter 2, is not based on circumcision or our ethnic descent—but based on the grace of God alone. (More on this in Galatians.) So the kingdom of God has now been extended to all peoples.
This idea of peace and unity between Jews and Gentiles is the central application of Ephesians. Paul goes so far in verse 8 to state that preaching this unity was his mission. “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.” Verse 6 : Jews and Gentiles together in the church. Unity is a primary application of the gospel. And, verse 10 says that this unity is central to God’s plan to bring glory to himself. It reads, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
Q: What are some misunderstandings of the idea of unity today?
Often, when individuals set aside the belief that Scripture is inspired by God and the source of ultimate truth, they often begin emphasizing unity. Unity becomes an end in and of itself: the idea of folks from all races and backgrounds together in a loving community.
It’s not that the Bible was exclusive in the Old Testament and now inclusive in the New Testament. It’s that the rules of inclusion and exclusion have changed. The Old Testament was inclusive —for all circumcised children of Abraham—and therefore exclusive of non-Jews. The New Testament church is inclusive —for all baptized followers of Jesus—and therefore exclusive of all who are not united to Christ.
The unity of the church flows out of our union with Christ – something so powerful that it really could join together all sorts of different people. Now having established that that is the unity that God has created in the church, Paul moves in 3:14-21 to prayer…
3:14-21: Prayer for the Supernatural
Does Paul realize that the unity he’s described is humanly impossible? I think he does. That’s why he prays as he does in verses 14 through 21.
There are two things Paul prays for here. First, v. 16 , “according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” In other words, that through his Spirit God would give you the supernatural faith you need to accomplish this supernatural unity. And second, “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” Why pray that we would know the full extent of Christ’s love for us? Because that is what powers our love. “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
How are Jews to love Gentiles? And how are we to love those in our own church with whom we have nothing in common but Christ? Pray that we would comprehend the supernatural love He has shown us. That will empower supernatural love for him and for each other.
Why God Has Done This
Before we exit this first half of the book, though, I want to point out something I’ve skipped over. Perhaps nowhere else in Scripture do we see such a concise description not just of what God has done but why . Why did God create the world? Why did he reconcile us to himself in grace and grant us peace with one another in the church? Let me retrace our steps so far, and introduce you to three reasons behind God’s purposes.
First, God has done all this For the Praise of His Grace.
Look back at chapter 1, verse 5. “he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” Why? Because we’re so wonderful? No. Verse 6: “to the praise of his glorious grace.” And similarly in verse 11, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” God did these things to showcase the immensity of his grace.
That’s what we see again in 2:7. Why did God raise us from being spiritually dead? “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
For the Praise of His Wisdom
But there is a second answer to the question “why.” It’s for the praise of his wisdom. Look at 3:10. Paul is explaining his calling to preach the gospel so that Jews and Gentiles might be united in Christ. He says, God’s “who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. The church is the crown jewel that displays God’s infinite wisdom to the whole cosmos!
For the Glory of God
And there is a third answer—it somewhat encompasses the other two. God did all this for his own glory. Look at 3:20-21. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
God has decided to bring glory to himself through our redemption—we who are sinners! Isn’t this amazing! The all-powerful God of the universe chooses to glorify himself through us, his church. We display the character of God to his creation, and so we bring him glory. That’s God’s purpose for all that he does, and that is the driving force behind this first half of Ephesians. ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR?
Intro to Second Half
And that takes us to chapter 4. Thus far, the letter has been entirely descriptive. God has chosen us. He has rescued us from death. He has destroyed the wall between Jew and Gentile. But starting in chapter 4, Paul’s language turns from the indicative to the imperative. Verse 1 : “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Just like we did with the first three chapters, let me summarize what we see here in the last three; again, you’ll see this summary across your handout.
Keep the unity of the Spirit required by your new lives in Christ; (4:1-6) to accomplish this, God has given us gifts to build unity. (4:7-16) So you must no longer live as godless Gentiles. Instead, speak the truth, building each other up and forgiving just as Christ forgave you. (4:17-5:2) Don’t misunderstand me, however, I am not telling you to have unity with those who lie and say that immorality is okay. (5:3-14) Instead, make the most of every opportunity (5:15-20), submitting to each other in the following ways: (5:21) Wives, submit to your husbands; husbands love your wives as Christ did the church. (5:22-32). Children, obey your parents; fathers, bring your children up in the training of the Lord. (6:1-4) Slaves, obey your earthly masters; masters, treat your slaves with respect and fear since you serve the same master. (6:5-9) Finally, put on the full armor of God so that you can continue to stand, praying even for me, that I might continue to stand. (6:10-20). So first,
4:1-5:2: Build One Another Up
We are now in the application section of the book, and every application Paul makes can be tied back to the first three chapters. The first three verses of chapter 4 summarize how we should live based on the first three chapters. Thus, it’s also a summary of the challenge that chapters 4-6 set out to address. “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (4:1-3 )
How can we keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace in a congregation so diverse that it even encompasses Jews and Gentiles?
Chapter 4 answers this challenge very practically.
Gifts
For starters, we use the gifts that Christ has given us—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (4:11). Here, Paul makes it clear—as he does whenever he talks about it—that the goal of gifts is the unity of the church. Gifts do not exist for our own personal fulfillment. Paul writes that gifts are given to Christians “for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God . . . ” (4:12b-13 ) And when those gifts are used to guard the unity of the church, notice what happens: Orthodoxy, sound doctrine. Verse 14 : then we will no longer be “tossed to a fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” As Bible-believing evangelicals, we often think of unity as a goal that, if pursued, might compromise what we believe. But in fact, when we pursue unity founded on the gospel as God intends, that unity is what protects us from compromising our doctrine.
Wisdom
Next, Paul says that unity in the church depends on us living in wisdom . When we were spiritually dead, he says in verse 18, we were “darkened” in our understanding and separated from God. This was because of our sinful, hardened hearts. Now, though, we are called to put off the old self with its evil desires, and, verse 23 , to “be renewed in the spirit of your minds.” Paul is telling us that fleeing sin and living in godliness starts with our minds. If we pay attention to God’s wisdom rather than the fleeting desires of the flesh, we will grow in righteousness and the church will grow in unity.
Speech
The next thing we see in this passage is that we can use our speech to build each other up. We are not to lie (v. 25), speak in sinful anger (v. 26), or use unwholesome talk (v. 29) but speak in ways that build others up. And we are to forgive each other as Christ forgave us. (v. 32)
Money
And we can build each other up with our finances as well. Verse 28 is a great, and humbling, purpose statement for your work: “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” If you’ve ever thought that letting money motivate your work necessarily ungodly, you should meditate on this verse. Money can be a good and Godly motivation for work. But Paul moves on from these encouragements to a section of caution:
5:3-14: Do Not Partner with Darkness
Now we get to chapter 5, when Paul’s tone turns from encouragement to warning. Verses 5-7 : “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceived you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them.” (5:5-7)
Wow! Quite a shift from love and forgiveness. What’s going on here? In a letter about gospel unity, Paul takes time to warn us about a wrong kind of unity. A congregation united in Christ doesn’t compromise gospel living for the sake of diversity. God’s people are to separate themselves from such things.
Christians are to run to each other with open arms, regardless of background or nationality. But the severity of Paul’s language shows how strongly we must also oppose attempts to force unity not grounded in the gospel. Instead, we should as the next section says,
5:15-6:9: Make the Most of Every Opportunity
With that caveat behind us, Paul returns to answering the challenge he laid out in 4:3. How can we keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace? What he writes in the next few paragraphs might surprise you.
We should seek unity by living wisely, “making the best use of the time” as he says in 5:16 . That means being filled with the Spirit in verse 18, encouraging each other through song in verse 19. Unsurprisingly, this should also apply in the places where we spend most of our waking hours: at home and at work. In 5:21, Paul says to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (5:21 ) The remainder of chapter 5 and beginning of chapter 6 are specific ways in which we must submit to each other.
These passages are likely familiar to most of you. 5:22-33 contains profound teaching on marriage, viewing marriage as designed to image Christ’s love for his church. In chapter 6 is teaching on relationships between children and parents, and between slaves and their masters. Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands and for husbands to sacrificially love their wives. We should note that he’s speaking about how the distinct roles that God has ordained for men and women in marriage illustrate Christ’s relationship to the church. The Bible is clear that men and women have equal dignity, value, and worth but complementary roles in the home and in the church. This section raises many issues that we could focus on, but where I want to focus is what we learn when we put these passages into their overall context.
The first thing to notice is that this idea of headship and submission is under the larger point of “making the best use of the time” from 5:16 . Have you ever thought of submission in that category? Not as an inconvenient or difficult to understand burden—but God’s design for how we might make the most of this life for his glory. And then moving to the larger context—these commands sit within a book on how the gospel drives unity in the midst of diversity. What this means is that your marriage matters for more than just its own sake. It images Christ’s love for his church, his body. And when roles of husband and wife are attended to, your marriage contributes to unity within God’s new society of the church. Marriage is far more profound than merely a bond between two people – it’s one of the ways that God pictures his love for us. It’s one of the ways that God builds unity in his church.
6:10-23: Stand to the End
And that brings us to the famous section on spiritual warfare in 6:10. Remember, that’s where we began this section. The end of chapter 3 is a prayer for the supernatural to happen; chapter 6 ends with a description of the supernatural at work. But now the call is a broader one—the call to stand. Paul repeats that word four times. So if you read through chapter 6, expect Paul to stare you in the eye and tell you to “Stand! Stand! Stand!” Not an easy thing to do. If you reach the end of your days on earth and can say that you have stood fast, what an accomplishment to the glory of God! And so Paul tells the Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God. To be strong in the Lord.
And so how appropriate are his last words of instruction: “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” (6:18-19 )
Doesn’t that get your heart? There is Paul in prison, an old man, praying and asking others to pray that God would make him fearless. Paul knew courage was needed to continue, and so he asked for it. And that is where this book on the unity that comes from the gospel concludes: with Paul desiring to continue to preach this gospel, so that the unity of the church might continue to grow. ANY QUESTIONS?
Conclusion
How do we stand firm in the faith? You notice that in 6:15 Paul says “as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” The gospel of peace will make us ready to stand and persevere. As Eph. 1:20 tells us, Christ is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. His victory is sure. But we do not yet see everything subjected to him – we are still waging battle against the spiritual forces of evil (6:12). I hope that this overview of Ephesians has helped you to see that the strength for this battle comes from the gospel of peace. With that hope in mind, we can join Paul in worship: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”3:20-21 ).
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[3] https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-is-distinct-about-the-theology-of-ephesians/ .
