THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1:1-3 - LAYING THE GROUNDWORK

Mike teaches today. 04/03/21

THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1:1-3
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK

VERSES: Romans 16:25-27; Philippians 2:6-11; 2nd Corinthians 12:1-3

STUDY NOTES: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zyt0hse2n9z7g88/AACg9Qh5nTfCv4PdASa4ZJN9a?dl=0

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VERSE 1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at (Ephesus), and to the faithful in Christ Jesus…” (Paul was writing not just to those in Ephesus, but to the churches around that area. More on this later.) Paul begins by referring to himself as an apostle of Christ by the will of God. Upon Paul, Jesus Christ had bestowed an apostleship of an independent kind. Paul was set apart as an Apostle not by the 12 Apostles, but independent from the 12 Apostles in that he was given his apostleship from outside Israel and personally from above. In his Apostleship/Road to Damascus experience, he was made a witness of Jesus Christ not only as being resurrected but as He currently is in the Heavenly realm of Glory. To Paul was given the mystery of the kingdom of heavens in Jesus Christ hidden in God; an appointment by the will of God. In these first three chapters, Jesus is presented as ‘Christ’ by the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit unfolds God’s work with His Son, whereas in the last 3 chapters, He is referred to as ‘Lord’ in relationship to all those in Him. Thus, the first three chapters are about redemption through the Son, whereas the last three are about sanctification and following Him as Lord. His epistle is addressed ‘to the saints’… which is a title for those who are enrolled in the heavens (the Lamb’s Book of Life); those called to be saints by God as believers set apart unto God in Christ Jesus… as opposed to men being in their original standing in Adam. That reference to being ‘in Christ’ also distinguishes them apart from being Jews under the Old Testament referring to themselves as being “in Abraham” or “in Moses”.

VERSE 2 “Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” The words ‘grace be to you’ is not just a salutation, but has a deeper significance of praying a blessing of power unto them; a tangible experience that relates to an infusion of power to their spirit unto the attainment of sainthood. There is only one Righteous “Son of Man” before God; that is Jesus, and ‘saints’ are united to Him and are thereby in a certain justified standing entitled to more ‘grace’/provision of power beyond being justified in Christ Jesus unto the perfection of ‘sainthood’. “…and peace, from God…”…men in general are under the law of Adam or the Law of Moses and are automatically under its wrath ‘for the law worketh wrath’, and are as a result, at ‘war’ with God. The realization of the Believer is that in Christ there is an ever available and increasing grace and peace “from God our Father”. Creator and Father are two different aspects of God. God has created man, but may not be called ‘Father’ by all men. (John 8:39-44) He is and is to be called Father by only those who are in Christ. As they alone are especially brought into a new being, or begat again by the Holy Spirit through their faith in God’s Christ “…and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Justifying peace does not now ensure there always is harmony in unbroken fellowship in this new family of God. Jesus; God’s Christ, the Savior, is advanced upon justification to Jesus Christ as our LORD. And as Master, He expects and requires obedience. (Luke 6:46; 12:46-47)

VERSE 3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies heavenly places in Christ…” (In the Greek, the word ‘places’ is not there.) As mentioned above, the words “which are at Ephesus” in the first verse are generally accepted as not being a part of the original Letter, in that it was written as a circular among those Churches in close proximity to Ephesus as well…such as Colossae and Laodicea. This revelatory Letter in the expounding of the mystery of the Kingdom of the heavens was written by the Apostle Paul along with his letters to the Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon between the year 61 AD and 63 AD while he was imprisoned in Rome. It is a Letter designed to now expound on the Gospel long since given to him; ‘the revelation of the mystery, that was kept secret since the world began’ which was briefly referenced in the last three verses of Romans 16. We noted previously in our teaching of Romans 16, that the Gospel doctrine of Romans, written 3 years earlier, was not the mystery Gospel of Paul specifically given to him by the Lord in Arabia and in his supernatural translations of 2nd Corinthians 12:1-3, but the ‘general or simple’ Gospel of God as to man’s (Jew or Gentile) new relationship with God in Christ........

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