Last time: Ephesians 2:1-10 Made alive in Christ

What you WERE and why (1-3)

We were dead in our transgressions and sins (1, 5)

We were by nature deserving of wrath (3)

Why?

We followed the ways of the world (2)

We lived in sin (2) because we lived among sinners (the disobedient)(3)

We followed the ways of the Devil (2)

We followed the desires and thoughts of the flesh (3)

We were by nature deserving  (children) of wrath

Why were we ‘deserving of wrath’? (Greek: children of wrath)

By nature, but because we followed our nature

However, 2 Peter 1:3-4

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

 What you ARE and why (4-10)

What we are:

alive with Christ (5)

saved (5, 8)

seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (6)

God’s handiwork (10)

Why?

Cause

God’s love, mercy, grace and kindness     Our response of faith (not works)

Purpose

Now

v 10 …created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

in the future.

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Now we turn to:

Ephesians 2:11-22

The main purpose of these verses is to show how, through the death of Jesus, the enmity and barrier between Jews and Gentiles has been broken down and that, through the new humanity created by this, God is building a holy temple in which God lives by his Spirit.

Let’s read it together:

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth (in the flesh) and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (which is done in the body by human hands) –

12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

15 by setting aside (abolishing) in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,

16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

1 This passage is mainly addressed to Christians with a Gentile background

 

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth…

Note the use of you in verses 11, 12, 13, 17, 19

(Not we because Paul was a Jew)

2 The condition of the Gentiles before they came to Christ

They were ‘uncircumcised’

Circumcision was the sign of the covenant made between God and Abraham

To be uncircumcised was to have no covenant relationship with God

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth (in the flesh) and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (which is done in the body by human hands) –

12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

To be separate from Christ is to be:

excluded from citizenship in Israel

foreigners to the covenants of the promise

without hope

without God.

Citizenship in Israel conveyed many blessings.

However, as Paul makes clear in Romans,

true circumcision is of the heart

as distinct from circumcision ‘which is done in the body by human hands’ (v11)

Romans 2:25-29 NIV

Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a law-breaker. A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

Galatians 3:27-29 NIV

…for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

3 The condition of the Gentiles after they came to Christ

This can best be summarised as ‘United with the true Israel’

(Reminder: Jews are only part of the true Israel if they have believed as Abraham believed.

Gentiles who believe are as much part of the true Israel as Jews who believe.)

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility

 This is a clear reference to the stone wall in the Jewish temple which divided the Court of the Gentiles from the temple proper.

It carried an inscription in both Latin and Greek which ‘forbade any foreigner to go in under pain of death.’

This inscription was discovered by the French archaeologist, M. Clermont Ganneau, in 1871 (Foulkes, F., Ephesians, London, IVP, 1963, p.81).  Cf. Acts 21:29ff.  But now, through Christ, both Jew and Gentile have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit (v 18).

 The blessings that result from this are made clear throughout vv. 13-19.

13 brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 he has made the two groups one

and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

 15 he has abolished the law with its commands and regulations.

He has created one new humanity out of the two

16 he has reconciled both of them to God through the cross

17 He has preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

18 we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household

NEXT TIME

The church as the new temple God is building.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

What you WERE and why (1-3)

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

 

Note:

We were dead in our transgressions and sins (1, 5)

We were by nature deserving of wrath (3)

 

Why?

We followed the ways of the world (2) We lived in sin (2) because we lived among sinners (the disobedient)(3) 1 Cor.15:33 Bad friends will destroy you.

We followed the ways of the Devil (2)

We followed the desires and thoughts of the flesh (3)

 

We were by nature (phusis) deserving of wrath

Why were we ‘deserving of wrath’? (Greek: children of wrath)

By nature, but because we followed our nature

 

However, 2 Peter 1:3-4

 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

What you ARE and why (4-10)

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God –

9 not by works, so that no-one can boast.

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

What we are:

alive with Christ (5)

saved (5, 8) (— χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι, lit. You are having been saved)

seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (6)

God’s handiwork (10)

 

Why?

Cause and purpose

 

Cause

God’s love, mercy, grace and kindness

Our response of faith (not works)

 

Purpose

 

Now

v 10 …created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

And in the future

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

 

… no eye has seen, … no ear has heard, and … no human mind has conceived …the things God has prepared for those who love him

1 Corinthians 2:9

Ephesians 1

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (his holy people),

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

 

What is this incomparably great power?

It’s the power that raised Jesus from the dead.

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength

20 which he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given (name that is invoked), not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

What are the heavenly realms?

This is a technical term used by Paul only in Ephesians.

The heavenly realms are that spiritual area of conflict where Christians are engaged in battle with the forces of evil. They are the battleground where we are fighting the enemy.

6:12 Our struggle is against… the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

BUT

1:3 we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ …

1:21 Christ is at God’s right hand… far above all

2:6 we are seated with Christ…

3:10 Through the church God demonstrates his wisdom to the rulers and authorities…

The power that raised Jesus from the dead and set him at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms is a power made available to us!

This is manifested in two ways:

1. One day we too will be raised from the dead
2. Meanwhile, we have power over the enemy because we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6)

Welcome to talk number six in our series on Ephesians.

In the first five talks we were considering the first 14 verses of Chapter 1.

 

We examined exciting themes such as:

• the will of God for our lives,
• the fact that we are chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world,
• the fact that we are in Christ and all that that means,
• and what it means to be sealed with the Holy Spirit.

 

Today we turn our attention to verses 15-23 which in the NIV  are given the heading Thanksgiving and Prayer.

Ephesians 1:15-23 Thanksgiving and Prayer

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints (God’s people),

16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (his holy people),

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength

20 which he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given (name that is invoked), not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

 

The reason for the NIV heading is very clear from vv15-16

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints (God’s people),

16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

 So let’s structure our talk by asking two questions:

• What is Paul giving thanks for?
• What is Paul praying for?

What were Paul’s reasons for giving thanks?

For all the reasons we have been considering in previous talks (outlined above)

But also, more specifically in vv15-16

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints (God’s people) 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you…

He gives thanks for their faith in the Lord Jesus

The church at Ephesus was now considerably larger than the 12 people mentioned in Acts 19 when Paul first visited them. Many others had come to faith in Christ and Paul rejoices at the good news. Of course, we too rejoice when we hear of people becoming Christians. And so do the angels! Nothing can give us greater joy than to hear of people being saved.

He gives thanks for their love for all God’s people

When you come to faith in Jesus, you are born again, or to change the metaphor, you are adopted into God’s family. You are one of his children. And all those who have come to faith in Christ are your brothers and sisters. How wonderful!

Without question we should have a love for all God’s people. But sadly this is not always the case. There can be divisions in churches, a problem which Paul deals with in the opening chapters of 1 Corinthians. And, as we will see in chapters 2 and 4, even these Ephesians needed to be reminded that we are one in Christ.

There is no contradiction here. The fact that we love one another does not mean that we do not need to be reminded to do so!

Nevertheless, Paul had much to give thanks for:

The spiritual blessings given to all who are in Christ (v3), which were the subject of our first five talks, and the specific blessings referred to in vv15-16

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints (God’s people) 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you…

And before we move on, just note the phrase I have not stopped…

Despite all these blessings, Paul knew that they still needed his prayers.

16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers

 

 What does Paul pray for?

 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (his holy people),

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

He prays that God’s Spirit will give them wisdom and revelation. For what purpose?

So that they may know him better.

So that the eyes of their heart may be in lightened. For what purpose?

In order that they may know two things:

The hope to which he has called them

His incomparably great power

What is this hope?

V 18 the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (his holy people)

 

We have an inheritance in Christ!

But this verse talks about HIS inheritance in us!

How does this work?

By the fact that as God’s children we are joint-heirs with Christ.

 

Romans 8:17

Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

The Greek word is sunkleronomos. To be a sunkleronomos means that you inherit what they inherit. The word is used in three other places in the NT. This reveals that you can be a joint-heir with someone in any of three ways:

1. By sonship (Hebrews 11:9)
2. By marriage (1 Peter 3:7)
3. By grace (Ephesians 3:1-6)

And we are joint-heirs with Christ in all these three ways!

He is appointed as the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2) and we share his inheritance with him!

But that leads to our second question:

What is the incomparably great power Paul is referring to?

And we will have to deal with that in our next episode 🙂

I hope you’ll join me.

Thanks for listening.

Last time we began looking at how Paul describes the gift of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 1:1-14. When Paul says we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, I suggested that this sealing refers to a secondary experience. Please go back and listen to my reasons for what I know is a controversial yet Pentecostal viewpoint.

In this episode we will continue to examine Paul’s description of the gift of the Holy Spirit in these verses.

A deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (arrabon)

In Ephesians 1:14 and in 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5, Paul refers to the Holy Spirit as a pledge. The Greek word he uses (which was originally a Hebrew word) is arrabon. This has a variety of meanings and no one English word is really adequate as a translation, and so it will be helpful to explore its range of meaning a little before applying it to these verses.

 One interesting use of this word is to be found in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament used at the time of Jesus and the Early Church) in Genesis 38:15-18. The details of what is a rather complicated story need not concern us here but Judah, we are told, sees a woman he thinks is a prostitute and offers her a young goat from his flock as payment for sleeping with her. As he doesn’t have the goat with him, the woman asks for a pledge (arrabon) as a guarantee that he will send the goat and Judah gives her his seal and its cord.

This illustration helps us to understand the general meaning of the word arrabon. It may be defined as the deposit that pays part of a debt and gives a legal claim.  The seal which Judah gave Tamar as a pledge (arrabon) was only a small part of what he gave her but it did guarantee that she would eventually get the greater gift, the goat she had been promised. The pledge was, therefore, also a token of a greater gift to come and the evidence that a promise had been made. 

Bearing this in mind it’s not surprising that arrabon can also mean an engagement ring. An engagement ring is visible evidence that a promise has been made, but it also indicates that something far better is to be expected in the future. And this is very much how Paul uses arrabon with regard to God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to the Christian. If we understand the church to be the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33), we could think of the Holy Spirit as the church’s engagement ring, Christ’s gift to his bride pointing forward to the day when she will be united with him at ‘the wedding supper of the Lamb’ (Revelation 19:7-9).

So how does all this affect our understanding of the three verses where arrabon is used in the New Testament? It surely backs up the idea that our present experience of the Holy Spirit is God’s way of guaranteeing our future inheritance. This is clearly indicated in 2 Corinthians 1:22 where the Holy Spirit is described as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come. This includes the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises (v 20) and the assurance that we will one day be given a resurrection body (2 Corinthians 5:1-5, cf. Romans 8:11) and enter into our full inheritance as Christians:

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession…(Ephesians 1:13-14).

The redemption of those who are God’s possession.

Now Romans 8:19 tells us that the whole of creation is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed while we ourselves are waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (v 23) and Ephesians 4:30 says that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption.

This, together with Ephesians 1:13-14, which also speaks of our being sealed until our redemption, links our present experience of the Holy Spirit with that future day when the Lord himself shall descend from heaven and the dead in Christ shall rise, and when we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord are caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

The day of redemption is the day when Jesus comes again. Paul calls it the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23) because it is on that day that our mortal bodies shall become immortal (1 Corinthians 15:50ff). Up to now the world hasn’t really understood who we Christians are! It’s been something of a secret. But on that day, when the entire universe shall be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:21), then the sons of God will be revealed to the whole creation. But until that day, and for that day, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and received a taste in advance (arrabon) of the powers of the age to come.

Welcome to the fourth talk in our series on Ephesians.

We have been looking at the first 14 verses of chapter 1. So far we have seen that Paul is praising God for blessings in the heavenly realms (v3). These include:

• The will of God 1-4-5-9-11
• Election and Predestination 4-5-11
• In Christ (10 references)
• The gift of the Holy Spirit 13-14, which is our theme for today.

Obviously this is a vast subject, so today we’ll concentrate specifically on what Paul is saying in Ephesians 1:13-14.

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.

Today there are four aspects of these verses which I would like to look at in more detail. They are:

1. When you believed
2. Marked in him with a seal
3. A deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
4. The redemption of those who are God’s possession.

When you believed

As I mentioned in an earlier talk, the Authorised Version (KJV) translates this as

after you believed.

It is not my intention in this talk to get into the technicalities of the use of aorist participles in the Greek language. It’s enough to say that either translation is perfectly acceptable from a grammatical point of view. However the issue of whether we receive the Spirit at or after conversion is very important. In the case of the Ephesians, it is very clear from Acts 19:1-6 that the Spirit came upon them after they had come to faith in Christ and been baptised in water. The same is true of the Samaritans in Acts 8.

Paul’s question to the Ephesians in Acts 19:2 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” clearly implies that it is possible to have come to faith in Christ without having yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet Paul is very clear in Romans 8:9 that if anyone does not have the Spirit they do not belong to Christ.

This is a big subject and I dealt with it in some detail in a  previous series of podcasts and in my book, The Holy Spirit – an Introduction. Perhaps the easiest way to explain it is as follows:

Every Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment of conversion, but not all have the empowering experience which Jesus describes as being baptised in the Spirit in Acts 1:4-8. In NT times Christian initiation comprised three elements:

1. Repentance and faith
2. Baptism in water
3. Baptism in, or receiving the gift of, the Holy Spirit.

In my view, what Paul is talking about in Ephesians 1:13-14 is C, though many would argue that he is referring to the Spirit’s work in regeneration which occurs at A. But that may be because some don’t believe in baptism in the Spirit as a separate work from conversion.

So, to decide which translation is more appropriate, we must now turn our attention to the significance of two closely related metaphors:

• Marked in him with a seal
• A deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (pledge)

Marked in him with a seal (sphragizo, sphragis)

Mankind has been using seals for thousands of years now and their use has changed relatively little.

To mark an object as the property of its owner.

Just as I might write my name in a book as evidence that it belongs to me, so a seal would provide evidence of ownership.

It may be this that Paul has in mind when he refers to Abraham’s circumcision as a seal in Romans 4:11. Abraham had been given the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith before he was circumcised. It was his faith, of course, not circumcision that made him right with God, but circumcision was the outward sign or seal that, because of his faith, he belonged to God.

Similarly, when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, that is a sure sign that we belong to God. Like Abraham we belong to God because we have believed, and having believed (Ephesians 1:14) we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

So, is it the work of the Spirit at conversion or the baptism in the Spirit that seals the Christian and gives him the deposit which guarantees the things to come? In my view the natural way to read Ephesians 1:14 is to understand the sealing to follow the believing.  Furthermore, as Stanley Horton has pointed out, the seal did not cause ownership. It only recognised it. It’s possible to belong without being sealed, just as it’s possible to be engaged without having an engagement ring!

Of course born-again believers who have not been baptised in the Spirit will make it to heaven! But in my view they’re certainly missing a lovely foretaste of the miracle-powers of the age to come. And if Paul appears at times to suggest that all Christians enjoy these blessings, we need to remember that in New Testament times the baptism in the Spirit was an at/after conversion experience. All Christians did enjoy them then!

To give validity to a document

Degrees, diplomas and certificates usually carry the seal of the university or college awarding them as evidence that they are genuine, and seals are frequently used in legal documents for a similar purpose.

A biblical example of this is to be found in Jeremiah 32:10ff where the prophet, having bought a field for seventeen shekels of silver, signs and seals the deed of purchase and has it witnessed. Perhaps we can learn from this that being ‘sealed with the Holy Spirit’ we are not only marked out as belonging to God, but as, in some sense, having validity.  We are the genuine article, we really do belong to him.

As a mark of authority

This leads us to another important aspect of the use of seals. When I was a Bible College principal, I used the college seal to give validity to the diplomas we were awarding. But I had to be careful that I did not let the seal fall into the wrong hands, for whoever had that seal effectively had my authority. On the other hand, if I entrusted the seal to a loyal staff-member, by giving them the seal I delegated my authority to them.

This has, in fact, been a recognised use of seals for thousands of years. To hold the king’s seal was to possess his authority. When Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole land of Egypt he gave him a seal in the form of a signet ring (Genesis 41:41-42). The seal meant that he had Pharaoh’s authority.

When Jesus gave the disciples the great commission he sent them out with his authority, but he told them not to go until they had first received the Holy Spirit. There is thus a sense in which the Spirit is the source not only of our power, but of our authority as we go out into the world to preach the gospel.

To keep the contents of a letter secret

Sometimes envelopes are sealed with wax so that the person who receives the letter knows that no-one else has read it since it left the sender. We know from Isaiah 29:11 that, even in Bible times, seals were used in a similar way:

If you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say to him, ‘Read this please’, he will answer, ‘I can’t; it is sealed.’

So one purpose of a seal is to keep something secret – but not for ever! When someone seals a letter it is not their intention that the letter should never be opened. There is always a right time for the seal to be broken. It is then that the secret is revealed. More on this at the end of the next talk.

Welcome to our third talk in our series on Ephesians.

We are looking at the first 14 verses of chapter 1. So far we have seen that Paul is praising God for blessings in the heavenly realms (v3). These include:

• The will of God 1-4-5-9-11
• Election and Predestination 4-5-11
• In Christ (10 references)
• The gift of the Holy Spirit 13-14

 

Today our theme is what it means to be in Christ.

Let’s look at vv 1-14 again, this time noting the references to the phrase in Christ

 

Ephesians 1:1-14

1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will –

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.”

 

The expression ‘in Christ’ or ‘in the Lord’ occurs at least 80 times in the Epistles.

 

What does it mean?

 

Paul used the phrase in Christ to refer to anyone who was a Christian

 

(In fact the word Christian occurs only 3 times in the NT)

 

Colossians 1:2             To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse

 

Galatians 1:22              the churches of Judea that are in Christ

 

Philippians 4:21           Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus

 

1 Thessalonians 2:14  God’s churches in Judea which are in Christ Jesus

 

Ephesians 1:13            And you also were included in Christ when you heard

                                     the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

                                     When you believed…

 

Our Position before we were in Christ

 

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God –

9 not by works, so that no-one can boast.

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

 

We’ll come back to this passage in a later talk, but for now please note:

 

We were dead (v1)  and deserving of wrath (v4)

We are now alive (v5)

 

We were in sin (v1) and transgressions (v5)

We are now in Christ (v8)

 

When did this happen?  When we were saved (v 5).

 

Cf  1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed…

 

How?  By grace, through faith (v 8).

 

The Effects of being in Christ

 

a) We become new creations

 

2 Corinthians 5:17        Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation;

                                     the old has gone, the new has come.

 

b) We are free from sin’s penalty – we are justified

 

Romans 3:23-24.      …all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and

                                    are justified freely by his grace through the redemption

                                    that came by Christ Jesus

                                      (NIV) – but the Greek says in Christ Jesus              

 

This means that we are declared righteous in the sight of God and are free from sin’s penalty. As a result, we have been brought near to God

 

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away

                                    have been brought near by the blood of Christ (2:13).

 

c) We are free from sin’s power

 

Romans 8:1-4

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

 

We are in Christ (v 1)

As a result are set free from the law (tendency) of sin (v 3)

so that we can now obey God’s law (v 4).

 

d) We are supreme in the spiritual conflict

 

Ephesians 2:6     God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the

                           heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

 

What are the ‘heavenly realms’? Not heaven 6:11

(More of this when we get to Chapter 6)

 

Where are we? In Christ. Where is Christ? Far above all… (1:21)

 

e) One day, we shall be free from sin’s presence

 

1 Corinthians 15:22     As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive

                                      (NB the terms are not co-extensive)

 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

 

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever!

 

Note the change from ‘in’ to ‘with’.  To be with Christ is far better!

 

Are you in Christ?

 

Ephesians 1:13   And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed …

Last time

We looked at Ephesians 1:1-14 and we identified 4 major themes in the passage:

• The will of God 1-4-5-9-11
• Election and Predestination 4-5-11
• In Christ (10 references)
• The gift of the Holy Spirit 13-14

 

We concentrated on the will of God. We saw that it’s God’s will for us to:

 

v4 be holy and blameless in his sight (cf. v1 God’s holy people)

v 5 be adopted into his family

v9 know his purpose – ultimate (v10) and immediate

v1 know God’s personal calling in our lives (apostle)

v11 submit to his sovereignty (Note ‘mystery’ v9)

v13-14 receive his Spirit

 

Today: Election and Predestination

 

Let’s begin by rereading the whole passage again.

 

Ephesians 1:1-14

1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will –

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.”

The key verses are 4-6 and 11:

4 For he chose ἐξελέξατο us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined προορίσας us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will –

6 to the praise of his glorious grace

11 In him we were also chosen ἐκληρώθημεν (made heirs), having been predestined προορισθέντες according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

 

Eklegomai = choose, select (Mark 13:20, Luke 6:13, 10:42, John 6:70, 13:8, 15:16,19, Acts 1:2,24; 6:5; 13:7; 15:7,22,25, 1 Cor. 1:27-28, James 2:5)

Proorizo = determine beforehand ( Acts 4:28, Romans 8:29-30, 1 Cor. 2:7)

Kleroo = make an heir (Romans 8:17, Gal. 3:29, 4:1,7, Titus 3:7, etc.)

 

WHEN were we chosen and predestined?

Before the creation of the world

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

 

“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”  Revelation 13:8 NIVUK

 

“The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.”

Revelation 17:8 NIVUK

 

WHY were we chosen and predestined?

To be holy and blameless in his sight (v4)

To be adopted (v5)

To become heirs (v11) compare Romans 8:17.

 

The basis on which we are chosen and predestined

The will of God vv 5, 11.

 

So does all this mean that before God created the world he chose who would be saved and who would not? NO!

 

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9 NIVUK

 

“This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

1 Timothy 2:3-4 NIVUK

 

“‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

Matthew 23:37 NIVUK

 

So what’s the answer to this apparent contradiction?

 

We are chosen because we’re IN CHRIST

 

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world

11 In him we were also chosen

 

What happened to make us ‘in Christ’?

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit

Before going any further, note the word also. Why does Paul say also?

 

Read vv 11-13

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

 

Note the change from we to you. Why? We Jews, you Gentiles

 

The idea of being chosen is rooted in Israel as God’s chosen people.

But why does Paul refer to us as chosen?

Because, as he shows us in Galatians and Romans, all those (whether Jew or Gentile) who have believed as Abraham believed are the true Israel.

In Galatians 3 Paul shows that God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 12) was that in his descendant (Christ), not descendants (Israel) that all nations of earth would be blessed. Compare for example Ephesians 2:11-22, 1 Peter 2:9-10.

 

So when we believed we became part of the true Israel, the chosen people of God

We are chosen because we have believed as Abraham believed.

Election is according to God’s foreknowledge

 

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles, scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

1 Peter 1:1-2 NIVUK

 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

Romans 8:28-30 NIVUK

 

Note the order:

God foreknew.  He predestined.   He called.  He justified.  He glorified

 

Before the foundation of the world, God had a plan for our salvation. As we have seen, the Lamb was slain from before the foundation of the world. His plan was that if we would repent and believe in him our sins would be forgiven and we would have everlasting life.

When we heard the gospel of salvation and believed it we were incorporated into Christ. Because God knows everything, he knew in advance who would make that decision. And on the basis of that knowledge he predestined us to be conformed to the image of his son. He chose us to be holy and without blame before him. Our election and Predestination are based on God’s foreknowledge of the decision we would make. But it’s all because of his grace, because without the cross there would have been no hope for us.

Ephesians is one of the most exciting books in the NT.

The church to which it’s addressed was established by the apostle Paul in AD53 during his homeward journey to Jerusalem (see Acts 19 and 20).

About 7 years later Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison in Rome.

It was intended not only for the Ephesian Christians of his day, but, as the very first verse tells us, for all those who have come to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. So it’s highly relevant to us as Christians today.

Its main theme can perhaps be best summarised in Paul’s own words:

“I am talking about Christ and the church.”

Ephesians 5:32

The Life Application Bible summarises its contents as follows:

“In this letter, Paul explains the wonderful things that we have received through Christ and refers to the church as a body, a temple, a bride, and a soldier. These all illustrate unity of purpose and show how each individual member is a part that must work together with all the other parts. In our own lives, we should work to eradicate all backsliding, gossip, criticism, jealousy, anger, and bitterness, because these are barriers to unity in the church”.

So let’s make a start by reading the first 14 verses.

Ephesians 1:1-14

1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will –

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.”

This is an amazing passage! We clearly cannot deal with it all in one talk.

But let’s make a start by highlighting several major themes. After greeting the Ephesians in his usual way, Paul begins with Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the rest of the passage is punctuated with expressions of praise – vv.3-6-12-14

And Paul is very clear as to what he’s praising God for.

He’s praising God for blessings in the heavenly realms (v3). These include:

• The will of God 1-4-5-9-11
• Election and Predestination 4-5-11
• In Christ (10 references)
• The gift of the Holy Spirit 13-14

In the next few talks we’ll look at these in more detail.

Today let’s concentrate on the will of God.

This passage makes it clear that the will of God for us is GOOD.

We have every reason to praise him!

It’s God’s will for us to:

• v4 be holy and blameless in his sight (cf. v1 God’s holy people)
• v5 be adopted into his family
• v9 know his purpose – ultimate (v10) and immediate
• v1 know God’s personal calling in our lives (apostle)
• v11 submit to his sovereignty (Note ‘mystery’ v9)
• v13-14 receive his Spirit

[Based on the book, Just a Taste of Heaven – click here for more information]

Healing in Practice

A Doctrinal Foundation

Doctrine is vitally important because what we believe about healing will determine how we pray for the sick. If what we have argued so far is correct, then an appropriate doctrinal basis for praying for the sick would seem to be as follows:

God has revealed himself as a healing God in both Old and New Testaments.  Jesus never refused anyone who asked for healing and he has commissioned his church to heal the sick.  Healings should accompany the proclamation of the Gospel as signs confirming the Word and Christians should expect healing through the anointing with oil and prayer of the elders.

Our approach to healing should, therefore, be positive and not negative. However, I have already pointed out, we must avoid extremes of teaching where healing is presented so positively that those who are not healed feel condemned.  This is particularly true when the doctrine that healing is in the atonement is presented in such a way that healing is seen as being precisely parallel to the forgiveness of sins.  Healing which does not take place immediately should be perseveringly expected, even if we must sometimes await the Parousia for its fulfilment.

Biblical Models

1)  Laying on of hands (e.g. Mark 16)

Note here:

The evangelistic context – healing here is just one of several signs that confirm the Gospel message

The need for faith on the part of the one doing the healing

The significance of the Name of Jesus

The absence of any reference to prayer

2)  Anointing with oil (e.g. James 5 – but cf.  Mark 6:13)

Note here:

The pastoral context

The need for faith on the part of the elders

The significance of the Name of the Lord

The specific reference to prayer

3)  Other methods

The NT provides several examples of other methods of healing (e.g. Jesus’ use of saliva) but these should probably not be used within the context of our society today!  He did however heal by a mere command without the laying on of hands, as did the apostles on occasion.

Practical Suggestions

Generally speaking, you will minister healing either in a pastoral context or in an evangelistic context.  Since healing comes through the Spirit it is vital that we maintain a Spirit-filled life.  There are no ‘rules’ about how we pray for the sick, but the Holy Spirit will lead us if we allow him to. However, there are some practical guidelines:

1)  Anointing with oil

Generally, I would reserve this for Christians and would suggest that the anointing is done by the elders as a whole and not just by one of them.  A man on his own should certainly not visit a lone woman to pray for her

The type of oil used is not important (I once used ‘3 in 1’!).

The amount of oil used is not important.

There is no reference to laying on of hands in James 5, but neither is it forbidden.

The important issue is, can you pray for this person in faith?

Is confession of sins appropriate in this case?

Note that this would normally have taken place in the home of the sick person if I have understood the context of James 5 correctly.

2)  Laying on of hands

This should usually be done in an evangelistic context – but this need not mean in a ‘Gospel Meeting’ or a ‘Divine Healing Crusade’.  It could be in a supermarket!  But note the importance of being led by the Spirit in this matter.  You should probably no more pray for the sick without the leading of the Spirit than you should prophesy without his leading!

Is there a case for helping a person move in faith?  (Consider Acts 3:7)

Does it matter which part of the person’s body you lay hands on?  The answer to this will depend on the cultural context. If it’s appropriate, I lay hands on the affected part (cf. Jesus putting his fingers in the ears of the deaf), unless this would cause unnecessary embarrassment!  In some cases, I have asked the sick person to place their hand upon the affected part and then placed my hand on theirs.  But there are no ‘rules’ about this.  We must be sensitive to the Spirit and to people’s feelings.

Please refer to Part Three of Just a Taste of Heaven for more detailed teaching on practical aspects of healing.