This week, we shall begin the study
of the Book of Ephesians in the New Testament.
Ephesians
The early church fathers unanimously agreed that this letter was written by Paul, and it is likely that Paul wrote it while he was imprisoned in Rome (A.D.60). However, whether it was a letter addressed particularly to “the church in Ephesus” is less unanimous in these days, mainly because the words in quotation are missing from “the oldest and best Greek MSS”. However, it appears that scholars, in general, agree that even if this letter was not addressed directly to the church in Ephesus, Paul meant it to be a circular letter to the many churches in Asia Minor. Its circulation likely began with the church in Ephesus; hence the insertion of its name in later manuscripts.
“Here, in the language of one scholar, is the quintessence of Paulinism—the one great, profound elaboration of the cosmic and universal scope of his gospel — and the place of the church in God’s ultimate design” (Gordon Fee). The structure of this letter is simple, yet profound in that “Everything in chapters1-3 is set in a context of praise and prayer…Whereas, chapters 4-6 are a long…exhortation, appealing to them to maintain the unity (reconciliation) that God has effected in Christ.” (Gordon Fee)
The recipients of the letter are decidedly Gentile Christians as is evident in 2:11-22; 3:1-13 and 4:17.
1:1-2—Greetings
(1) How does Paul emphasize who he is? (v. 1) What might be the importance of his emphasis?
(2) How does he address his recipients in Ephesus, and perhaps, including those in the Asia Minor churches? (v. 1)
(3) How does this address remind you of who are you in Christ?
[Note: While grace and peace represent Paul’s common greetings in his letters, they happen to be the “twin themes” of this letter: Grace underscores the gospel of Christ and peace is (through reconciliation) the dominant outworking of the gospel.]
1:3-14—Praise be to God—This marvelous one-sentence praise (in Greek) deserves our careful reflection.
(4) To whom does Paul render his praise? (v. 3)
(5) The reason for his praise is because of “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms” that the Father has blessed us with in Christ (v. 3). Such blessings include:
a. Our election (v. 4)
- When did God choose us?
- What is the purpose (or desire) of His election of us?
b. Our adoption as sons (v. 5)
- How has our adoption been determined?
- Why does Paul use the term adoption to refer to our salvation?
c. Purpose of our election and adoption (v. 6)
- What is the ultimate purpose of our being saved by God?
- How does Paul define grace in this respect?
d. Grace elaborated (vv. 7-10)
- The riches of God’s grace is demonstrated in us. How is this done? (v. 7)
- The mystery of these riches of God’s grace:
a) According to v. 10b, what is this mystery of God’s will?
b) What does it mean?
c) When will it be put in place? (v. 10)
d) Who determines this timing? (v. 9)
e) How does this demonstrate the abundance and wisdom of this grace that He lavished upon us? (v. 8)
e. Our election among “all things” to be under One Head―Christ(vv. 11-14)
- What is the role of Paul and the believers like him (implying Jewish believers) in being chosen and predestined? (v. 12)
- What happened when the recipients of the letters (i.e. Gentile believers) first heard and believed in the gospel of salvation? (v. 13)
- What is the function of the Holy Spirit in our redemption? (v. 14)
- What also is our role in our inclusion in Christ? (v. 14b)
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure…to bring all things in heavens and on earth together under one head, even Christ.’’ (Eph. 1:9-10)
The Apostle Paul opens his letter to the Ephesians with an explosion of praise to Father God for having blessed us, not with earthly blessings, but with every spiritual blessing that belongs to the heavenly realms of which we should not be a part of. But all this has been made possible because of Christ.
However, as Paul enumerates these tremendous blessings, he does so with no predetermined order, having jammed everything in one long Greek sentence from vv. 4-14. Knowing that it is rather confusing, allow me to attempt (as if it were possible) to simplify his thoughts as follows:
- It appears all the riches of God’s blessings issue from “the mystery of His will” (v.9) which is “to bring all things in heaven and on earth under one head, even in Christ” (1:10).
- Of this will of God to bring “all things” under Christ, Paul and the first believers (Jewish Christians) were the first to have such a hope in Christ, as they were chosen and predestined according to the plan of God, the ultimate purpose of which is for “the praise of His glory” (1:11-12).
- Then the Ephesian believers (i.e. the Gentile Christians) were also included as they heard and received the truth — their equal status with the Jewish Christian is sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who acts like a deposit to guarantee their share in Christ until “all things” are redeemed (1:13-14), with the ultimate purpose which is “to the praise of His glory” (1:13-14).
- However, both the Jewish Christians (like Paul) and the Gentile Christians (like the Ephesians) receive such riches of blessings because of grace only:
- They have been chosen and predestined before the creation of the world. Thus it does not depend on works or merits, but purely on God’s good pleasure who has given this grace freely.
- The means is the work of Christ, the One He loves us, offering redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins which makes us His sons through adoption. It “is the best way to describe this…because adopted children have their position by grace and not by right” (TNTC, Ephesians, 26).
- The purpose of such election is that
- we may be holy and blameless (1:4) and that
- “His glorious grace may be praised.” (1:6)
With this praise to God, the Apostle Paul has opened our eyes to see beyond ourselves and even our salvation, to have a glimpse of the “cosmic and universal scope of His gospel". (Fee)
Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesian Christians:
(1) Paul has spent a good three years in Ephesus (and he spent even more years in the general region, if we include his time at other churches in Asia Minor), and now he is in jail in Rome. What report has he received concerning the Ephesians? (1:15)
(2) If you left your former “mother” church and immigrated to another place, what kind of report would you desire to receive about them?
(3) Since you left your “mother” church, have you stopped praying for them? What should your intercessions on their behalf be?
(4) Paul’s prayer for the those he once helped to evangelize and disciple includes that: (vv. 18-22)
a. They be given the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” (v. 17)
- What is the purpose of such a gift?
- What is meant by “to know Him better” or more fully?
- How can such a knowing happen? (v. 18a)
b. The eyes of their hearts be enlightened to know the following things.
- The hope of His calling (v. 18b)
a) From the preceding praise (in 1:4-14), what is the hope of His calling?
b) Do you have or look forward to the realization of this hope? Why or why not?
- The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (v. 18c)
a) What is this glorious inheritance in us, His saints? (again, refer to the preceding prayer, and especially v. 14)
b) What is the difference between “our inheritance” (v. 14; see Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:4) and His inheritance in us (v. 18c)? (Some scholars interpret v. 18c as “among us”)
- The exceeding greatness of the Spirit’s power (v.19)
a) How has God demonstrated this power (of the Spirit) in Christ? (v. 20)
b) Since the Holy Spirit now dwells in us as a deposit (v. 14), what should His power mean for us?
(5) More on Christ (vv. 20-22)
a. What has the raising of Christ from the dead meant for the cosmic plan of the gospel?
b. What does the seating of Christ at God’s right hand mean in the heavenly realms? (v. 21)
c. What does the subjecting of “all things” under Christ’s feet mean for the church? (v. 22)
d. What is the church according to v. 23?
(6) If God is to answer this prayer of Paul, what impact would it have on the church today?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” (Eph. 1:22-23)
To speak of the church as the body of Christ “is a most revealing term for the church, peculiarly Pauline (2:16; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:30; Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:27; Col. 1:24; 2:19)…It means more than saying that the church is the company of the disciples of Christ, the people of God; it expresses the essential union of His people with Him… the same life of God flows through all; and it speaks of the whole as functioning in obedience to Him, carrying out His work in this world” (TNTC, 74).
However, in this great prayer by Paul for the Ephesians, he refers to the church not just as Christ’s body, but as that which should reflect the result of the “incomparable great power” of the Spirit and that being united with Christ as His body and with Christ as head over “all things”, we might express “the fullness of One who fills all things in all things” (literal translation of v. 23).
"As the head over all things, Christ rules over all things, in both the heavenly realms and on earth. And, as head of all things, Christ is also the source of all things, including the church’s life". (Bruce, NICNT)
It is important to note that God has appointed Christ to be head over all things “for the church” (1:22) and that means
- Since Christ rules over all things, the church, as His body, also has authority over all things. As much as the world hates us (Jn. 15:18ff) and we do face challenges and constant troubles, Christ has “overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). Therefore we have no room for fear; the church should not live like losers, but conquerors (Rom. 8:37). All things are subject to His feet, and we, as His body, have authority too over all things. The only problem is that the eyes of our heart have not been opened to see the greatness of the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in and among us.
- Since Christ “fills all things in all things”, we, as a result, lack nothing: Christ is the source of all things and we have His “fullness”— His attributes, His gifts and His power. This is why the Apostle Peter says, “His divine power has given us everything (again, the original words are “all things”) we need for life and godliness through your knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3). Therefore, the church must live out this “fullness”, especially in being “holy and blameless” (1:4).
Having shown us the cosmic and universal scope of the gospel (1:4-14) and the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the church (1:15-23), Paul wishes to remind the church that it is all of grace:
2:1-3 — Who we were
(1) We were dead in transgressions and sins (v. 1):
a. In what way(s) were we dead before we were saved?
b. What might be its implication when it comes our sharing of the gospel to the non-believers?
(2) Dead men walking (vv. 2-3)
a. While we were dead to things spiritual (and to God), were we masters of our own lives? (v. 2)
b. Whose desires and will did we seek to satisfy?
c. Could you identify with the above in your former “dead” life?
d. Who were we according to our nature then? (v. 3b)
2:4-10 — Who we have become—from Death to Life
(3) How were we made alive? (v. 6)
(4) Why should God cause us, who by nature were children of wrath, to be saved? (v. 4)
(5) What is the greater purpose of our salvation, beyond ourselves and the church? (v. 7)
(6) Paul reminds us that all this is of grace (vv. 8-9):
a. How does Paul define grace within the context of our salvation? (v. 8)
b. Why can’t salvation be achieved through our good works or merits? (v. 9; Gal. 2:6)
(7) Another purpose of our salvation is added by Paul in v. 10:
a. The word, “workmanship” is only used in one other place by Paul (see Romans 1:20) where it refers to God’s original creation: If this is what Paul has in mind, what does it mean that we are God’s creation in Christ Jesus?
b. The word (gr. poíēma) can also be translated as a “poem”: If such is the case, what does it mean that we are God’s poem in Christ Jesus?
c. Whether it is “re-creation” or “poem” in Christ Jesus, Paul says we have been created or made to do good works (or unto good works). How does he define good works in v. 10b? (Note: “in advance for us to do” can be more literally translated as, “in advance for us to walk in”).
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourself, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)
It is often asked if Paul means that both grace and faith are not of ourselves, but gifts of God. Allow me to share with you the comment by Lenski which is shared by many conservative scholars, including Calvin and Bruce:
“Col. 2:12 states this directly: ‘through the faith of the operation of God.’ One often meets careless statements such as: ‘Grace is God’s part, faith ours.’ Now the simple fact is that even in human relations faith and confidence are produced in us by others, by what they are and what they do; we never produce it ourselves. Even deceivers know that they must cunningly make their deceptions of such a nature that they may appear true and grand, and that they may thus produce faith in those whom they wish to deceive. There is no self-produced faith; faith is wrought by the saving grace of God. Salvation is received ‘by means of faith.’…in this matter of being saved by God, faith is the trustful reception wrought in us by God, only this reception which is distinguished from the subsequent activity of gratitude and works of faith. On this account, faith is essential, and he who does not believe is lost because he does not by faith receive the salvation he ought to receive.
"…So important is this matter that Paul adds explanatory specifications: ‘and this not from yourselves'. The neuter touto (this) does not refer to pistis (faith) or to xaris (grace), both of which are feminine, but to the divine act of saving us: this that you have been saved. Paul denies categorically that this is in any manner due to the Ephesians themselves. The source and origin (ek—from) is not in you; it is wholly and only in God. As little as a dead man can do the least toward making himself alive, so little can the spiritually dead contribute the least toward obtaining spiritual life.”
(Lenski, Ephesians, 423)
Paul has just expounded powerfully that this work of salvation in Christ is totally the work of God, hence imparting undeserved grace for the church. Furthermore, he wishes to impress upon these Gentiles believers, who are called the “uncircumcised", that, to them, this grace is even more amazing:
(1) As Gentiles (vv. 11-12)
a. In what ways were we (Gentiles) inferior to the Jews?
b. How dire was our situation concerning our relationship with God?
(2) Christ’s sacrifice has changed our former situation (v. 13)
a. How has the shedding of Christ’s blood changed all that?
b. Why?
c. How “near” are we?
(3) The Jews and the Gentiles are united into one (vv. 14-18)
a. How did the Law create the enmity between the following groups?
- The Jews and the Gentiles (v. 15)
- Both Jews and Gentiles and God
b. How did the death of Christ on the cross abolish the enmity created by the Law and reconcile both into one body in God?
c. Why then does Paul call Christ our peace? (v. 14)
d. What is peace? (vv. 17-18)
(4) The results of Christ’s peace—The reconciliation of the Jews and the Gentiles, and both with God (vv. 19-22). Paul uses several analogies to describe the results:
a. What does “fellow citizens with God's people” mean? (v. 19b)
b. What does “members of His household” mean? (v. 19c)
c. In the holy temple’s analogy:
- Who formed the foundation? Why? (v. 20a)
- Who is the cornerstone? What does it mean? (v. 20-21)
- What part do we play in this temple? (v. 21)
- What is the purpose of this new temple? (v. 22)
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Eph. 2:22)
In the introduction to the Book of Ephesians of this devotional material, I have mentioned that one of themes of the book is about “the place of the church in God’s ultimate design”. The passage that we have considered today (2:11-22) deals with Christ’s death on the cross through which the enmity between men and God was abolished, and at the same time, the enmity between Jews and Gentiles was abolished as well . The purpose of this is that the church, now made up of both Jews and Gentiles, would “become a holy temple in the Lord (and)…a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” (2:21-22). In other words, God’s desire to build a temple in which He lives among us has not changed with the destruction of His physical temple (in AD. 70), and has become a reality through the church today.
These days, we have such an utilitarian mindset that we only think of the “work” of the church, and forget the basics which include who we are to God as a church — a holy temple in which God lives by His Spirit.
While Paul will go into more details of how we might build a church that is fit for His holy presence in chapters 4-6, here he lays down the criteria that define God’s church, His holy temple:
(1) Its foundation is the apostles and prophets: We have to remember that “foundation” is merely a metaphor, because elsewhere Paul says that only Christ is the actual foundation on which the church is built and the prophets and apostles are only builders (1 Cor. 3:10-11). Therefore, the apostles and the prophets are not strictly the foundation of the church, but their teachings are. This is therefore a very important distinguishing mark of a true church—the faith of Christ’s church ought to be founded on the teachings of the prophets (which point to none other than Jesus as the Messiah) and those of the apostles who are the faithful witnesses of the risen Christ as the Son of the Living God.
(2) Its chief cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself. The context of this chapter is about the abolition by Christ in His flesh on the cross of the partition that separates Jews and Gentiles, and Christ as the cornerstone that “is placed in the middle of the corner for the purpose of uniting both” (Calvin). Therefore there is no peace apart from Christ who reconciles all men to God, and all Gentiles to Jews—forming a new holy temple in which God now lives by His Spirit.
This also speaks against the individualist mindset of modern Christians whose main focus is on themselves being the temple of the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). As true as it is, Paul reminds us that it is God’s desire that we be “joined together” and be “built together” to “become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” (2:21-22).
Having reminded the Ephesian believers of the marvelous grace of God to them who are Gentiles and of the wonderful purpose of the church, Paul now urges them not to be discouraged (or faint) because of his sufferings (i.e. imprisonment).
(1) Why does Paul say that he is a prisoner (in Rome) for their sake? (vv. 1, 13; see Acts 28:17ff)
(2) What is the mystery that Paul refers to which was hidden in previous generations but has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets? (v. 6)
(3) How was this mystery revealed to Paul directly? (v. 3; Gal. 1:13ff; Acts 26:16-18)
(4) How does Paul view this ministry to the Gentiles which has landed him in prison? (v. 2)
(5) Since Paul has received such a privileged ministry plus direct revelation from the Lord, why does he say that he is the “least of all the Lord’s people”? (v. 8)
(6) What has been entrusted to him as the “apostle to the Gentiles”? (vv. 8-9)
(7) What is God’s intent for His church in the administration of this mystery? (vv. 10-11)
(8) What are the two reasons Paul gives in urging them not to be discouraged because of his sufferings for them? (vv. 12-13)
(9) What do you think about the reasons Paul has given?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.” (Eph. 3:13)
The great theological themes in Ephesians have caused many scholars to compare this shorter epistle to the much longer one―Romans. However, I believe, one of the main purposes or even the main purpose of this letter is a practical and personal one: Paul was concerned that his imprisonment would be a great discouragement to the church in Ephesus and to those around it in Asia Minor, for they were all suffering from persecution in differing degrees. As a result, he asked Tychicus to be the bearer of this letter and to also encourage them by telling them the latest about his situation (6:21-22).
In addition to this, Paul uses the cosmic purpose of the gospel (chapter 1) and the tremendous grace bestowed upon the Gentile Christians (chapter 2) to impress upon them what a glorious ministry he has received from the Lord as the Apostle to the Gentiles. As a result, his imprisonment and sufferings are his glory and the glory of the Gentile Christians. (3:13)
However, in urging them not to be discouraged by his imprisonment, Paul also points out the glorious role the church plays not only as a witness to the earthly realms, but also to make known “the manifold wisdom of God…to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (3:10). Allow me to share the comments of F.F. Bruce in this respect:
“The ‘principalities and powers’ (not limited to the hostile forces) learn from the church that they too have a place in the plan of God. The reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles in this new creation is a token of the reconciliation in which they in their turn are to be embraced. In Col. 1:19-22, the cosmic reconciliation which God has planned is anticipated in the experience of the believers in Christ, whom ‘He has now reconciled’— and the means of reconciliation in the one case as in the other is the saving work of Christ, who has ‘made peace through the blood of His cross.’ The church thus appears to be God’s pilot scheme for the reconciled universe of the future, the mystery of God’s will ‘to be administered in the fullness of the times,’ when ‘the things in heaven and the things on earth’ are to be brought together in Christ (Eph. 1:9-10). There is probably the further implication that the church, the product of God’s reconciling work thus far, is designed by Him to be His agency (existing as it does ‘in Christ’) for the bringing about of the ultimate reconciliation. If so, then Paul, who is the direct instrument of God in creating the present fellowship of reconciliation, is indirectly His instrument for the universal reconciliation of the future.”
(Bruce, NICNT, 321-2)
What
a glorious ministry the Apostle Paul has assumed which indeed, “far outweighs”
his “light and momentary troubles.” (2 Cor. 4:17)
As Paul breaks into another glorious prayer, he first mentions about why the Ephesians should not be discouraged by his imprisonment so that they may whole-heartedly join him and say “Amen” to his prayer that follows.
(1) What is the reason for his prayer? (3:14; see 3:1)
(2) What does the gesture of kneeling represent? (v. 14)
(3) How does Paul address God in this prayer and why? (v. 14)
(4) What is the 1st thing Paul prays for the Ephesian church? (v. 16)
a. What is the relationship between the strengthening of our inner being (our spirit) and the dwelling of Christ in our hearts through faith?
b. What has it to do with the glorious riches of God?
c. Who does the empowering?
d. Why does he feel the need to ask God this request for the Ephesians?
(5) What is the 2nd thing Paul prays for the Ephesian church? (v. 18)
a. Why do we need “power” in order to grasp the full dimensions of the love of Christ?
b. Why does Paul emphasize that we need to grasp Christ’s love together with all the saints?
c. What does this have to do with being rooted (like a tree) and established (like a building) in love?
(6) What is the 3rd thing Paul prays for the Ephesian church? (v. 19)
a. Since this love surpasses knowledge, how then can we know it?
b. What is meant by being “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God"?
c. What has it to do with knowing this surpassing love of Christ?
(7) The doxology (vv. 20-21)
a. In his doxology, how does Paul describe Father God? (v. 20)
b. What has this to do with the intercession that Paul has just made for the Ephesian church?
c. Where does Paul ascribe glory to God?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (Eph. 3:17-18)
As the Apostle Paul talks about his imprisonment for the sake of his ministry for the Gentiles, he obviously fears that the Ephesian believers who are basically all Gentiles will “faint” because of his sufferings (3:13). Therefore he kneels before the Father—a sign of reverence and earnestness—to petition for them with this famous prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21.
Apart from asking the Father to give them strength in their inner man (which is understandable, given their fear in the face of Paul’s sufferings and theirs), he also asks the Father to enable them to grasp the full dimensions of the love of Christ. In so asking, it is important to note that:
(1) The Ephesian believers have to be first rooted (like a tree) and established or founded (like a building) in love.
(2) The word that Paul uses for them to “grasp” the full dimensions of Christ’s love is one whose basic meaning is to “seize” or “apprehend” by force.
(3) Such grasping of Christ’s love is to take place together with all the saints.
Indeed, the best cure for fear is love, because “in love there is no fear” (1 Jn. 4:18). However, in order to know the love of Christ fully:
(1) We need to first personally experience the sacrificial love of Christ on the cross. Many Christians have never been touched by the love of Christ on the cross. How then can they reciprocate His love? Lamenting on this phenomenon, Dr. Tozer says, “Christ may be ‘received’ without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is ‘saved’, but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God.” (The Pursuit of God, 12-13) Our true love for Christ is always a reciprocation of His love, and that is the meaning of being first rooted and established in (Christ’s) love.
(2) However, to really comprehend the love of Christ, we need to learn from sharing the sufferings of Christ and that’s what Paul did. That is why the word he uses for understanding is not the one for pure intellectual understanding, but one that signifies “apprehension”, which points to experiential knowledge.
(3) As the Apostle John points out, we cannot love the God who is unseen without loving our brothers and sisters who are seen. As a result, Paul emphasizes that such a grasping of the full dimensions of Christ’s love has to take place “together with all the saints”.
Having shown them the cosmic scope of the gospel and the part played by the church (i.e. their calling), Paul now urges them to live a life worthy of this calling.
(1) Paul has alluded to their calling in 1:18. Based on the preceding 3 chapters, can you sum up what their calling is?
(2) The outworking of a life worthy of the calling (vv. 2-3)
a. What are four aspects of one's walk? (listed in v. 2)
b. What is the commonality among these four aspects?
c. Why then are these four aspects important to their calling as a church? (Note: The meaning of the word, church, is exactly related to “being called out”.)
d. How do these four aspects contribute to the “unity of the Spirit”?
e. The “bond of peace”: The word “bond” (sundesmo) is an obvious play on word of the word “prisoner” (desmos). What is the point Paul tries to make?
f. What does peace mean within the context of the forgoing section in 2:14-18?
g. The phrase, “Make every effort to keep”, suggests “difficulty and a resolute determination to overcome it” (EBC, Vol. II, 55): Why is it so difficult to keep the bond of peace even in the church?
h. What would a church look like with these four aspects mentioned by Paul?
i. How would their absence affect the calling of the church?
(3) In urging the Ephesian church to maintain unity and peace, Paul points out the reality of oneness of the church. Let’s reflect on each and its implications on our unity:
|
Oneness |
Its Meaning |
Its Implications on Unity |
|
a. One Body |
Whose body is it? (4:12; 5:23) |
e.g. |
|
b. One Spirit |
What is the work of the Holy Spirit in us? (John 3:8; Eph. 1:13-14) |
e.g. |
|
c. Called to One Hope |
See your answer to Q.1 above |
e.g. 1:18; 2:12 |
|
d. One Lord |
Who is our Lord? (1:2) |
e.g. Romans 10:12 |
|
e. One Faith |
Here, faith is not “creed” but faith through which we are saved. (2:8) |
e.g. |
|
f. One Baptism |
Romans 6:2-4 |
See Note below |
|
g. One God and Father of all |
He is our One God: Who are we? He is our One Father: Who are we? |
How does our unity stand witness to Him being “One God, One Father of all”? |
(4) The above oneness necessarily speaks to the local church, for if it refers only to the universal church, there is no need to emphasize the preceding four aspects of the outworking of unity. How then does the above list on oneness speak to you in your local situation?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“’One
baptism’ is the external seal of incorporation into the body of Christ.
Falling as it does in the second triad
(related to Christ) and not in the first (related to the Spirit), it
appears to
indicate water baptism and not primarily with the Spirit of which water
baptism
is a sign. Baptism is regarded as a
sacrament of unity. In the Christian
church baptisms are not multiplied as with the Jews (Heb. 6:2). There
are not even two baptisms — one of John
and one of Jesus. There is ‘one baptism’
symbolizing identification with Christ in His death and resurrection,
sealing
with the Spirit, and incorporation into the body of Christ, so that all
Christians become one person in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:13; 2:5, 6; 3:15).
Baptism is one because it makes one. It provides the evidence that all
Christians,
without discrimination as to color, race, sex, age or class, share the
grace of
Christ.”
(EBC, 56)
“As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph. 4:1)
Throughout the first three chapters, the Apostle Paul seeks to impress upon the Ephesian believers, who are mainly Gentile Christians, the amazing mercy of God in electing and predestining them together with the Jewish Christians to be His Church— those being called out “to the praise of His glory” (1:6, 12, 14). And in the first three chapters, Paul shows them the tremendous privilege and responsibilities of the church which include:
- The building up of a holy temple together as a dwelling place in which God lives by His Spirit (2:21-22);
- The manifestation of the wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms (3:10);
- As the body of Christ under whose feet God has placed all things and who is head over everything, we are to be filled with the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way (1:22-23).
However, the Apostle Paul urges them that in order to fulfill such a tall order, they need to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (4:3). Because of the cosmic scope of this calling, we tend to think of this exhortation in terms of the universal church. However, Paul makes it very clear that he is primarily talking about the local church, because he cites four important aspects that are keys to the maintenance of such a unity of the Spirit, namely complete humility, meekness, long suffering and forbearing with one another in love (4:2). All four aspects refer to the life within an intimate faith community.
Just imagine a local church in which there is a lack of humility — everyone thinks more highly of themselves and their opinions; a lack of meekness — everyone is prone to raise their voice and is easily excited; a lack of patience — demanding changes to be made in the church instantly; and a lack of forbearance with one another — unwilling to forgive one another’s sins. Such a church certainly cannot be a holy temple in which God is delighted to dwell; it certainly cannot testify to the wisdom of God, but makes Him a laughingstock in choosing us before the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms; and it defeats Christ’s purpose of redemption in making us His body which God desires to fill with His fullness.
On the other hand, if every local church seeks to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, we will together rock not only the entire world but the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms with the testimony to God’s wisdom and power in choosing us and predestining us before the creation of the world as His church.