Ephesians is, without a doubt, my favorite book in the Bible. As a young Christian in high school, the book of Ephesians gripped my heart for the Lord, causing me to abandon my love for the world and pursue Jesus wholeheartedly. As a Christian in college, I remember walking to class memorizing Ephesians 2:1-10, writing the gospel on my heart. As a young man pursuing ministry, the book of Ephesians was the first book I preached through on Tuesday nights in downtown Mobile. As I've sought to disciple people over the years, it is often the book of Ephesians that we first go through together. No book in the Bible has single-handedly impacted my life more than this one. It has been pivotal in shaping my life as a young Christian.
PRACTICAL THEOLOGY
In the book of Ephesians, God clearly lays out his mysterious plan of redemption. Here in Ephesians, God pulls back the curtain and allows us to see that the purpose of his will was set forth in Christ to unite all things in him.
The book of Ephesians certainly isn't the longest in the New Testament nor the most complex. But, in my humble opinion, it's certainly the most clear. From the verbiage used to how Paul builds his arguments, there is no book in the Bible that more clearly describes the gospel and how it relates to the life of a believer.
During this study, we will likely dive deeper into theology than we ever have as a church. Over the next few months, we will wrestle with the deep topics of the trinity, predestination/election, the assurance of salvation, identity, heaven, and much much more.
But, in addressing these topics, what Paul does is beautiful. He simply doesn't allow us to discuss these topics while sitting in an ivory tower. Instead, he unpacks these complex topics in the streets of everyday life so we can practically apply them to our lives. The book of Ephesians teaches us that theology should impact our hearts as much as it does our minds, and a theology that affects the heart of a believer will soon affect the hands and feet of a believer.
You will see this demonstrated in the way Ephesians is structured. For the first three chapters, Paul unpacks the vertical aspects of the gospel, how God relates to man through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But in the final three chapters, Paul will begin to unpack the horizontal aspects of the gospel, how God's people should relate to one another in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The outline of this letter teaches us that the vertical impacts the horizontal. What we believe about God should impact how we live amongst men. Gospel doctrine should lead to a gospel culture. The gospel story should impact our story.
We will spend most of our time today looking at the first two verses. In doing so, we will see three things: who wrote this letter, who received this letter, and God's purpose for this letter.
So, let's dive in.
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Right from the jump, we see that the original author of this book is the apostle Paul— "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God..."
Later in church history, some began challenging the idea of Pauline authorship. In doing so, some point to the writing style, saying Ephesians differs from some of Paul's other writings. Others point to the generality of this letter, saying it's too impersonal for someone who lived in Ephesus for three years. Neither argument seems to hold much weight since (1) the early church widely accepted Paul as the author, and (2) Paul identifies himself as the author more than once in the letter (Eph. 1:1, 3:1).
APOSTLE OF CHRIST JESUS BY THE WILL OF GOD
At the start of the letter, Paul identifies himself as "an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…"
The word "apostle" means "one who is sent." An apostle is a specific messenger with a specific title taking a specific message to a specific people. So, Paul is saying that the one who sent him is God, and the message he proclaims is Jesus' message. Simply put, the message of Ephesians is God's message. It's not man's message; it's God's message. It was God's will to use Paul as a messenger of Christ.
The word apostle is often used throughout the New Testament about the twelve disciples of Jesus. Where Jesus had many disciples who followed him, he chose twelve apostles responsible for preaching his message.
We see this in Luke 6:13 and Mark 3:14.
"And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles…" — Luke 6:13
"And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach…" — Mark 3:14
So, the apostles were men who personally walked with Jesus, who were personally called by Jesus, who were personally taught by Jesus, and who were personally sent out by Jesus to preach the message he had taught them.
Due to Judas' betrayal, we see Mathias become one of the twelve apostles in Acts 1, and in Acts 2:42, we see the early church devoted themselves "to the apostles teaching…."
So, this small group of men received the authority to teach God's people God's message, leading to the church embracing their teaching. These would be what I would call [A]postles.
In this context, the title "apostle" was given to a few specific men for the purpose of distinguishing them as God's appointed messenger. And here Paul is saying he's a part of that unique group. He was not commissioned and sent by man; he was commissioned and sent by God. He's not bringing his message; he's bringing God's message. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul is a [A]postle who was taught, commissioned, and sent by Jesus, the one who possesses power over life and death.
The title apostle isn't one of arrogance and pride; it's one of humility and lowliness. In calling himself an apostle, Paul is not beating his chest so that the church will stand in awe of him. He's calling himself an apostle so the church will embrace the message he's proclaiming. Because Paul is an apostle, the church could embrace his words confidently.
The same is true for you and me. The message of Ephesians is God's message. Therefore, we should read it and obey it. As we read this letter, we should listen to it with humble attentiveness. And, like the early church, we should devote ourselves to the apostle's teaching. The words of this book should impact our minds, transform our hearts, and mobilize our hands and feet.
***Most believe Paul wrote this letter during his first Roman imprisonment (3:1; 4:1), around AD 60-62. This reminds us that obedience to God is not always easy. Sometimes serving God may lead to freedom and wealth. Sometimes it may lead to chains and poverty.
SAINTS IN EPHESUS
The next thing I want us to see is who Paul's writing is to— "To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus…"
Ephesus was a Greek city found in the province of Asia, a place in modern-day Turkey. It was a capital city located near a harbor at the mouth of the Cayster River in Western Asia Minor. It was a popular city known for its significant trade center and the world's largest amphitheater that would hold up to 50,000 spectators. As we read the Bible, we see many things happen in Ephesus.
During Paul's time in Ephesus, all the residents of Asia heard the gospel preached (Acts 19:10).
While in Ephesus, God did many miracles through Paul (Acts 19:11) and a great revival took place through the new believers (Acts 19:19).
While in Ephesus, Paul and his disciples were brought in the amphitheater by a mob that rejected the gospel.
While in Ephesus, Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians.
While in Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila discipled Apollos (Acts 18:24-26).
While in Ephesus, Timothy served as a pastor for the first time.
Ephesus was an important city during the early church, a place where God did some incredible things. May the same be said of our city. May all the residents of Mobile have heard the gospel. May a great revival take place among the believers of Mobile. May we understand that with revival comes opposition. May we be home to gospel writers, faithful disciples, and humble pastors. May Mobile be a modern day Ephesus.
Now, in three of the earliest manuscripts of this letter, the name Ephesus is not found. This has led to some believing that this letter was intended to be read and passed along by different churches near Ephesus. To me, this seems most likely the case. And, if that's the case, that would explain the generality of the letter. This message was never intended to be hoarded but to be shared.
We could spend quite a bit of time here, but I don't want us to get bogged down on the location of his recipients and miss how Paul describes his recipients. Paul describes the recipients of this letter as "saints who are in Ephesus."
The term "saint" doesn't refer to football players in New Orleans; it refers to those who are holy or set apart. It's an expression that was first applied to Israel as the 'holy nation.' But it later extended to the Christian community, the Israel of God.
So, saints is an exclusive and inclusive term. It's exclusive because it only describes those who belong to God through Christ. But, it's inclusive in representing all who belong to God through Christ. It's not a term reserved only for the religious elite within the church; it's a term used to describe all of the church. If you have trusted in Jesus for your salvation, this title is bestowed upon you. You don't earn the title of a saint; you are given the title of saint. If your faith resides in Jesus, you have been set apart as holy, belonging to God as a prized possession.
So, although this book was written to the saints who lived during a specific time in a specific place, it still applies to all saints today. The words of Ephesians still apply to us.
FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS
The saints here are described as "faithful in Christ Jesus." To be 'in Christ' is to be personally united to Jesus. As you read throughout the New Testament, you will find example after example of the believer being joined closely to Jesus. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Jesus is the head, and we are the body. Jesus is the cornerstone, and we are the structure of the holy temple.
Jesus is fundamentally central to the Christian faith, the lifeblood of the church. If you were to remove the vine, the branches would soon wither away. If you were to remove the head, the body would soon become lifeless. If you were to remove the cornerstone, the structure would soon crumble. You do not have the church without Jesus.
So, Christian faithfulness resides in our union with Jesus. It's not about what you can do to get Christ to you; it's being united to Jesus through faith. To be a Christian is to be "in Christ," meaning you have laid down your old life and now taken on Christ's life. You have a new Savior, a new identity, a new family, and a new home. Ephesus might have been where they lived, but Christ is where they resided. Mobile may be where you live, but Christ is where you reside.
GRACE AND PEACE FROM GOD
Paul closes his greeting by saying, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
It is God's grace and peace that we all desperately need. God's grace and peace are the pillars that hold up the church. They are what breathe life into our dry bones. If you were to remove grace and peace from the Christian faith, you no longer have good news. If you take away grace and peace, the church comes crashing down. To understand God's mysterious will, you must start with grace and peace.
Grace is God giving you a good gift that you do not deserve. Where you deserve wrath, condemnation, and shame because of your sin, God (through Jesus) extends kindness, forgiveness, and mercy. Where you deserve to be cast out and ostracized because of your rejection of Him, God (through Jesus) extends to you peace and reconciliation.
Peace is harmony, tranquility, the state of well-being, and unity. The Christian message is a message of peace. Looking at the Bible, you will see that this peace is multifaceted. It is trifold. You will find the Bible talks about peace with God, peace with one another, and internal peace.
So, because of Jesus' death, we, most importantly, have peace with God. Once we have peace with God, we then have peace with God's bride, his church. Peace with God leads to relational peace with God's Church. Biblical community is a byproduct of having peace with God through faith in Jesus.
And once we have peace with God, we have peace within (inner peace). Amid the storms of life, we find inner rest and tranquility through a reconciled relationship with God. God's peace leads to peace with our neighbor and peace within ourselves.
I don't know who you are or where you are today. Perhaps you're struggling with sin and need to be reminded that God is a gracious God who is willing and desires to extend grace to sinners. Maybe your heart is hard toward someone today, and you must be reminded that God has pursued peace with you. Therefore, you should seek peace with your neighbor. Perhaps you're walking through a difficult season, and peace is far from you, and you need to be reminded that God is on the throne, working all things together for our good and his glory.