If God’s Messiah came preaching peace and unity, as Paul understood, the separation demanded by the law had come to an end. What was not expected, however, was that God purposed to include believing Gentiles in the same family and body[30]The phrase “members of the same body” translates one Greek word, sussomos, which Paul apparently coined to describe the inclusion the Gentiles. “Know” means to “know by experience” or “know by relationship,” namely, God’s new covenant made with the church in Christ. Second, viewing the church as a family, he declared them “members of the household of God” (2:19). Israel, on the other hand, enjoyed immense privilege and advantage as God’s covenant people (e.g., Rom. 1 Pet. In fact, the Spirit of God may also be called the Spirit of Christ (cf. As Paul stated, he viewed his commission as an act of God’s grace designed to benefit the Gentiles. • In chapters 1-3, Paul begins with the joyful truth that every believer has been chosen by God before the foundation of the world, "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. Paul ties together the ideas of predestination, God's glory, the salvation of His people, and the rights we have as children of God. The second half of the book of Ephesians, chapters 4-6, is all about our responsibilities with these riches. The Greek word trans­lated “cornerstone” occurs only in biblical texts and may mean either “cornerstone” or “capstone.”[29]See Bruce, 304-6; Lincoln, Ephesians, 154-56. jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_29").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_29", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); To a significant degree, the “cornerstone” deter­mines the lay of the building and how the various pieces of the structure fit together. Finally, Paul prayed that they might “know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (3:19). All rights reserved. 3:19-29; Rom. Paul’s first petition for his audience asked that God would “strengthen [them] with power in the inner man through his Spirit according to the wealth of his glory” (3:16). It was written around 60AD during Paul’s house arrest in Rome. The Church is therefore a reconciled and reconciling community (cf. The riches you and I have as Christians. That God would love sinners so much that he gave Christ to redeem them clearly aston­ished the apostle. [27]Peter Stuhlmacher, Reconciliation, Law, and Righteousness (Phila­delphia: Fortress, 1986), thinks Eph. All this changed, however, in Christ. Get a detailed summary of Ephesians: Chapter 1 in Ephesians and Colossians. In their former state, Gentile converts had no part in the patriarchal covenants, no hope and thereby no future, and ultimately, though they had many gods and religions, they had no knowledge or experience of the true God. Paul states his mission as an apostle to the Gentiles is to preach the administration of this mystery now revealed. When (1) God grants power through the Spirit in the inner man, (2) Christ dwells in the heart, (3) God’s people are rooted in and founded on love, (4) they compre­hend the full dimension of God’s wisdom and(5) know the love of Christ, they will be filled with God’s fullness (cf. 2 Cor. Rhetorically, it appears that the key word “walk” brackets the dis­cussion. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: The first three chapters lay out spiritual ideas, the last three chapters show how these truths should be applied in the life of a mature believer. Rom. Before the foundation of the world, He knew each one that would believe on His Son and expressed His attitude of love and grace towards us, and … Within Judaism and early Christianity this term is roughly synonymous with “heart,” as 3:17 suggests. For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles (Ephesians 3:1) Paul was writing to the Ephesian Christians from the confinement of Roman imprisonment. Luke recorded in Acts that Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles fomented anger o the part of Jews (e.g., Acts 13:44-52). The Book Of Ephesians is a letter from Paul to Christians at Ephesus. Colder natures reach such heights by slow degrees. 2:13-18 may be a Christian midrash (= commentary) on Isa. In the concluding verses of chapter two, Paul brought to an end his discussion of the inclusion of the Gentiles with three stirring images. One place we learn about these resources is Ephesians 1-3. Eph. There are no exceptions here. Rom. 3:3-5) and regarded the Jewish practice as a “circumcision in the flesh made by human hands” (2:11). (2) “if indeed you have heard of the dispensation (stewardship) of the grace of God which was given to me for you,” Paul says you have probably heard about this important message of the grace of G… Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 3. 11:33 he wrote: “O the depths the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God.” wisdom may be the unwritten genitive in 3:18. In 3:15 Paul explained the Fatherhood of God utilizing a play on words between “Father” (pater) and “father­ hood” or “family” (patria): “[the Father] from whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named.” Fatherhood in this context relates to creation. jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_28").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_28", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); Paul’s argument focuses on the law as it divided Jew from Gentile. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. First, employing a political metaphor, he wrote that the Gentiles are no longer strangers or resident aliens; they are full citizens with God’s other saints ( 2:19). 1 Cor. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (NASB: Lockman). Ephesians is such an exuberant book that it is hard to believe that it was written by a prisoner ( 3:1, 4:1). Ephesians 1:3-14 is actually one long sentence extolling God’s action. (Ephesians 1:3 RSV) Then we took a quick survey of the list of these great spiritual blessings which follows. 4:20; Jude 24, 25; Rev. The “dividing wall” carries both literal and metaphorical signification. He wrote four letters in prison: Ephesians, Colossians, … 3:1-2, 31; 9:4-5). In the literal sense, the dividing wall referred to the temple wall which separated the court of the Gentiles from the inner courts used by the Jews. All of us were dead in our … These agricul­tural and architectural metaphors are present also in Col. 1:23 and 2:7. Based upon these things, namely, the grace given Paul to exercise his ministry and God’s plan to include the Gentiles, the apostle appealed to his readers not to lose heart on account of his troubles (3:13). The phrase, … Greek: Eulogetos o th eo s kai pater tou kuriou hemon Iesou Ch … Through Christ God reconciles Jew and Gentile to himself. In fact, when Paul says All of us, he includes himself among this depraved crowd. Therefore, the teachings of the law could no longer be appropriated as the ground for maintaining distinctions. The phrase translated “God prepared beforehand” recollects God’s plan “before the foundation of the world” (1:3-5), indicating that from eternity God desired to create a people who would live responsibly and morally in the world. But rather than identify himself as a prisoner of the Roman government, he looks beyond that earthly power and … Ephesians 1:3It is very characteristic of Paul’s impetuous fervour and exuberant faith that he begins this letter with a doxology, and plunges at once into the very heart of his theme. EPHESIANS - CHRIST AND THE CHURCH Click chart to enlarge Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission. 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