Ephesians

Monday, 25 July 2016

…that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7

This has been one continuous thought since verse 4 which contrasts the thought of verses 1-3. The words “that in the ages to come” are set against verse 2 which said, “the course of this world” which implies the past times in humanity during which the mystery of Christ was hidden. This is described by Paul in Colossians 1:26, 27 –

“…the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

In Christ, the mystery is revealed. Throughout the ages, it will be a source of richness to those who are His redeemed. This is that “He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” The words “He might show” are in the middle voice. Thus they denote that God intends that these things are done to reveal His own glory.

What is anticipated in these coming ages is to be revealed in “the exceeding riches of His grace.” The grace of God is one of His defining attributes. It is a part of His very nature. However, God cannot be gracious or merciful without also executing justice in a display of His righteousness. He cannot violate one of His defining attributes in the process of granting another. Therefore, these riches of His grace are revealed “in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

It is through the work of Christ that God’s righteousness, His justice, His mercy, His grace, and so on all shine forth in one dazzling display of who He is. Further, the Greek word en or “in” is given to show that only those who are “in Christ Jesus” are the recipients of this. The KJV unfortunately translates this as “through.” Because of this, it could include anyone. But such is not the case. It is only those who are “in Christ” that will receive this marvelous grace.

The Pulpit commentary describes the kindness of God towards those who are in Christ –

“Kindness in the matter of the blessing, forgiving us freely, and accepting and adopting us in him; kindness in the manner of the blessing, dealing with us as Jesus dealt with the woman that was a sinner, or with the thief on the cross, or with Peter after he had fallen, or with Saul of Tarsus; kindness in the extent of the blessing, providing amply for every want; kindness in the duration of the blessing – for evermore.”

The work of Christ is the proof of what is now realized and what will continue to be realized in the ages to come. It is thus to be an encouragement for us, right now, as we await its final consummation. We have an absolutely sure and trustworthy hope because of the work of Christ.

Life application: Marvelous things lie ahead as we walk in the presence of the King of the ages.

What could be more marvelous, O God, than anticipating what lies ahead of us. What we have in the world around us may be beautiful at times, but it is still a world filled with bitterness, hatred, and fighting against you. In the ages to come, that will all be swept away. There will only be joy, peace, and harmony in Your wondrous presence… all because of the giving of Christ for us. How marvelous it is to contemplate! Thank You for Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Sunday, 24 July 2016

…and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:6

By taking this verse with the previous one, we can see Paul’s intent more clearly –

“…even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

His words are tying our state directly to the work of Christ.

• He was crucified for our sins and was buried; we were “dead in trespasses.”
• He was brought back to life because He had no sins of His own; we were made alive together with Christ (because our sins were dealt with through His cross).
• He was raised from the tomb; we were raised up together.
• He was seated in heaven; we are made to sit together in the heavenly places in Him.

What occurred with Christ is what has happened to us in the same order; the two parallel, Christ being the pattern for those who would follow after Him. These actions are described by Paul in the indicative. They are a simple state of fact concerning what has occurred. He has raised us up, and He has made us to sit together. In God’s dealings with us, it is an accomplished fact. We are merely awaiting its actual occurrence. Christ’s resurrection and seating in the heavenlies guarantees our entrance there as well.

In fact, Vincent’s Word Studies notes that when the word “together” is used for the translation, it is ambiguous. To clarify its meaning, he notes that the Greek more fully reads, “Even now we sit there in Him, and shall sit with Him in the end.” The deal is done. Just as Christ is seated on His heavenly throne, we are – ipso facto – seated there with Him.

These things are, as Paul notes, done by God “in Christ Jesus.” The term is used to show that we are not simply granted these privileges because of His work, but somehow at a distance. Instead, they come to us because we are intimately connected to Him; united to Him through faith. What occurred with Him, indeed occurs to us as well.

Life application: We may, from time to time, do something so utterly stupid that we might feel that we have blown it with God – once and for all He has rejected us because of our failings. Paul’s words show that this is incorrect. By faith in Christ, we are united to Christ. God could no more reject us now than He could reject His own Beloved. Deal done. The victory is secure.

Lord God, we see the marvel of Your wisdom displayed all around us. The intricacy of what You have created is beyond imagination. And yet, the Bible shows us that Your attention is far more directed to Your redeemed than to anything else. In sending Jesus, You have opened a path back to You. We can come to the throne of grace and find help in our time of need, and we have the absolute assurance that we will someday be seated there with Him. Thank You for this cherished knowledge. Thank You for Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Saturday, 23 July 2016

…even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Ephesians 2:5

As seen in the previous verse, this verse, which is connected to verse 4, now ties us back to verse 1. Taken together, the thought goes –

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, … ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

We were “dead in trespasses and sins,”  but God “made us alive together in Christ.”

This verse is, unfortunately taken to unnecessary extremes by those who hold to a monergistic approach to our salvation. Such is the teaching of “Calvinists.” In this, they will say that a person who is dead is dead. They can in no way make themselves alive, and therefore “regeneration precedes faith” (Tabletalk Magazine on Ephesians 2:1-10).

In other words, God sovereignly chooses who will be saved; He then “regenerates them in order to believe; and then they believe. In essence, they are saved in order to be saved. In essence, a person is saved before they believe, not after. The belief is a result of their salvation, because regeneration of the Spirit is the saving mark of God (see Ephesians 1:13, 14). RC Sproul states their ideology this way –

“You have as much power to awaken yourself from spiritual death as a corpse has the power to awaken himself from physical death.”

In this, a serious category mistake is made. Just because a person is spiritually dead, it does not mean that they are completely dead. A functioning brain is a part of human existence… well in most cases! The spiritual connection between God and man is cut, but this does not mean that man is incapable of doing good things, nor is he incapable of seeing what is good and pursuing it. In the giving of Christ, God makes an offer to fallen man. Man sees this good work of God in Christ and chooses, of his volitional free-will, to accept it or reject it. If it is accepted, then He is deemed righteous by God, justified by the work of Christ, and regenerated in his Spirit.

Sproul is correct that we cannot awaken ourselves from spiritual death, only a work of God can do that, but that work of God comes not from being “regenerated in order to believe,” but rather from an act of the free will in man which then triggers God’s regeneration of our Spirit. This is what Paul is referring to when he says that God, “…even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” Our spirits were dead, but God made them alive – not before, but after we believed.

Albert Barnes goes further with Paul’s intent. He says (underlining added) –

“The construction here is, “God, who is rich in mercy, on account of the great love which he bare unto us, even being dead in sin, hath quickened us,” etc. It does not mean that he quickened us when we were dead in sin, but that he loved us then, and made provision for our salvation. It was love to the children of wrath; love to those who had no love to return to him; love to the alienated and the lost. That is true love – the sincerest and the purest benevolence – love, not like that of people, but such only as God bestows. Man loves his friend, his benefactor, his kindred – God loves his foes, and seeks to do them good.”

Although it is true that we were dead in sin when we received Christ, Barnes argues that this isn’t the main point of the thought. Rather, he says that the focus is on God’s love towards us, even in our deadened state, and thus He made a way for the correction of that state. The concept of monergism, being regenerated in order to believe, is erroneous and leads to other major faults in one’s theology.

The final words of the verse today are that “by grace you have been saved.” Grace is unmerited favor. It is getting what you do not deserve. We are the offenders, but God graciously forgives our offenses through the gift of His Son.

Life application: Forced grace is not grace.

Lord God, how grateful we are for You glorious grace. When we were dead in sin, separated from You because of our first father’s misdeed, You still loved us enough to promise a Redeemer. Slowly and methodically, You worked in history until that glorious moment when Christ came. Now through Him we have complete pardon and full redemption, by simply trusting in what You have done. Thank You for Christ Jesus our Lord. How grateful we are for Your glorious grace. Amen.

Friday, 22 July 2016

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, Ephesians 2:4

This thought picks up after verse 2:1 –

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, … But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,”

The intervening verses simply explained the details of our dead condition. They described living in a state of certain ruin from which there was no escape and only an inevitable and final bringing on of God’s wrath could be expected. However, as the Pulpit Commentary so beautifully states it, “Man’s extremity becomes God’s opportunity.” Where we were destined for certain destruction, God stepped in and redirected the situation for us.

The word “but” is emphatic and conveys the absolute sovereignty of God in the matter. We could do nothing. We were in an impossible state of death leading unto death. But God transcends our realm, and what is impossible for us is entirely within His abilities. And yet there is more. Not only is correcting the matter within His ability, it is a part of His very nature to take the action.

“But God” shows the absolute contrast between our helpless condition and God’s ability to correct it.

“Who is rich in mercy” reveals that mercy is a part of His nature. Just as He is gracious, truthful, holy, loving, etc., He is also merciful. It defines His character. And this mercy is “rich.” The Greek word gives the idea of “muchness.” He is simply abounding in mercy towards the objects of His affection. The mercy, therefore, streams from Him in abundance.

“Because of His great love” shows that the mercy is directly connected to His love. Just as mercy defines His nature, so does love. And as His mercy abounds, so great also is His love. It overflows from Him as a spring overflows its opening. The water is impelled up and out by the force of pressure. It is as if in Him, the outflowing of His love cannot be bottled up. Instead, it streams from Him towards His elect as is seen in the words, “with which He loved us.” Again, the Pulpit commentary notes that “the verb of love governing the noun of love makes the idea rich and strong. This view of the exuberance of the Divine attributes from which salvation has its rise is in harmony with the whole character of the Epistle.”

Paul’s explanation of what occurs towards us when we are “in Christ” is revealed throughout the letter, and it conveys to us the highest sense of God’s reaching out to His creatures, demonstrating His infinite attributes through the giving of His Son for us.

As the psalmist cried out, so should we also call out from our souls –

Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:26

Life application: When we fail to act as we should; when we really mess up and think, “How could God still love me?”; we can come to this verse and ponder it. Because of Christ, God’s mercy simply flows over us, His love surrounds us, and His eternal salvation continues to adorn us. Let us pick ourselves back up, and proceed on with pursuing Christ – who already pursued us!

Lord God, Your mercy towards us in Christ Jesus is simply unimaginable. We were dead in our trespasses, and yet You stepped in and revealed to us Your great goodness in the giving of His life in exchange for ours. What kind of love has been lavished upon us! Now, O God, help us to pursue You just as You pursued us. Direct our steps according to Your will for us, and give us the wisdom to not stray from that marvelous path. To Your glory we pray. Amen.

Thursday, 21 July 2016

…among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. Ephesians 2:3

This verse is referring to “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” of the previous verse. Here, Paul makes an all-inclusive statement. He has been speaking to the Ephesians with the word “you.’ Now he includes himself and all people, Jew and Gentile, with the words “we” and “all.”

This reveals a truth that is seen both implicitly and explicitly in Scripture. We are conceived in sin, born in sin, and live in sin. We are under the influence of the devil. Until we come to Christ, this is our “default” position. The world doesn’t like to hear this, and the common term, “He is a good person,” is used to show that humans can be inherently good. But this is not what the Bible teaches.

Rather, we may be good in relation to others, but we are far from “good” in the biblical sense. Instead, “we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh.” Here, Paul is referring to the physical lusts that we as humans pursue. Anything which is earthly and sensual, and which is not deemed as a holy pursuit, is considered in the words, “the lusts of our flesh.”

However, Paul has more which he includes in the overall depravity of man. He next states, “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” The soul of the man is inclusive of both the conduct of the flesh of the body as well as that of the mind. The “mind” speaks of our thoughts which we may act on, or which we may simply dwell on without taking any action. Either way, they are a part of that which is directed by the devil and which is cause for separation from God. As these things are instilled in our very nature, even from conception itself, it shows the complete and utter depravity of man. The devil has total power to work in “the sons of disobedience.”

Because of these things, all people are separated from God. Even those who have come to Christ were, at one time, “by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” The Greek word for “by nature” is phusis. It indicates “the underlying constitution or make-up of someone (something).” It is that which is fused into our very nature.

Two important truths must be considered in these words. The first is explicit; that without Christ, we would still be “children of wrath.” As this was our very nature, there is nothing we could do about changing it. It was tied into who we were, completely and entirely. Thus, as children of wrath, we were destined for destruction and complete separation from the holy God.

The second one is implicit; that we are now no longer considered “just as the others.” Instead, even though we may have these same lusts and desires because we are still in our fallen bodies, we have a new nature according to Christ. Our sin is not imputed to us because of Christ. Instead, we are “children of God” and no longer “children of wrath.” Our new nature is infused into us. We go from a state of anticipated destruction and separation, to a state of anticipated redemption and glorification.

Paul will continue to explain this in the verses ahead. We are now no longer directed by the devil, even though we still live in earthly, corruptible bodies. Instead, we are directed by Christ. Sin is dead in us because we died to sin through the work of Christ. The thought of this verse can be seen reflected in the words of John –

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12, 13

Life application: If you have received Christ, then you have been granted the right to be called a child of God. In Christ, we are granted freedom from the power of the devil. Some wondrous day, we will be taken out of these fallen bodies which continue to struggle with the trials of a fallen world. We will be granted new bodies, a completely new nature, and an eternal existence which will be forever pleasing to our heavenly Father.

Lord God, the Bible teaches that all people, without exception, are fallen and are “children of wrath” by nature. We are conceived in sin, born in sin, and have only the expectation of Your divine wrath. But in Your goodness toward us, You sent Jesus to give us a new nature, a new hope, and the right to be called sons of God through Him. What manner of love is this! Thank You for Jesus. Thank You that we are freed from the power of the devil by Jesus’ wonderful work. Amen.