Conversion Brings A New Lifestyle: The 'Walk'

Is it possible to be a Christian and live in sin?

The short answer? No (Rom6:1-4; 1 John 3:6-10; Heb12:5-11). Christianity is not merely one's religion of choice. One is not a Christian because his parents are Christians. A Christian is someone who has eperienced an internal transformation by Christ - he has been born again (John 3). A miraculous and powerful act of God has begun at his core (heart) which will reveal itself increasingly through a new lifestyle that glorifies God and looks like Jesus. In Ephesians 4-6 Paul calls this new lifestyle the 'walk' of the Christian.

 

The Old Self With The Old Walk (Ephesians 4:17-19). Paul, with the authority of Christ(v17a), forbids the church to continue to ‘walk’ in the way of the Gentiles…meaning the lifestyle pattern of those who are not God’s people. He describes the walk of the unbeliever with bold and unapologizing truth:

• Futility of mind – apart from God’s saving grace we do not think right. Our thoughts are bent towards sin and self until the light of Christ breaks in (now we have the mind of Christ – 1Cor 2:16)
• Darkened understanding – There is no one who understands (Rom3:11) truth or spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14) until regenerated by God.
• Alienated from the life of God – We are spiritually dead to God until he raises us to life (Eph 2:1)
• Ignorance – unaware of God and the life of Christ; blindness
• Hardness of Heart – A willful rejection of God
• Callous – No sensitivity to the Lord
• Given up to sensuality – Completely bent towards seeking sinful pleasure
• Greedy to practice all impurity – indulging in sin and growing hungrier for more.

This is the everyday practice of all who are outside of Christ. This list is similar to Romans 1:18-32, where Paul describes a downward progression of sin including rejecting God and being given over to sin. This was our walk before God acted in glorious grace! These actions accompany the old ‘self.’

Conversion: Put Off And Put On (4:20-24).   Paul now speaks of the radical change that has occurred in the lives of believers; a change that starts within but reveals itself in our walk. This section is very important, and separates this teaching from merely a set of rules that we should try really hard to keep. Rather, something miraculous has happened to us in Christ! In Him the old is gone and we have power to walk increasingly in his ways.

Christ’s School (4:20-21). “But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus“ (4:20-21). Paul emphatically declares that his description of the old walk is not consistent with the one who has learned Christ! Rather than learning rules, we have learned a Person! The phrase ‘heard about him’ is literally ‘heard him,’ as in, ‘you have heard him speak’ in the gospel and the apostle’s teaching written in Scripture (Boice). So Christ is the subject matter (we learned him); Christ is the Teacher (we heard him); and Christ is the classroom (we were taught in him) [Stott]. It’s all Christ! Christ said to come to him, yoke up with him and ‘learn’ from him (Matthew 11:29).

Teaching is part of Christ’s great commission to the church (Matt28:19-20). We are to make disciples as we go, baptizing them and teaching them all things that Jesus taught. Rather than ignorance and futility of mind, Christ shines light on us and teaches us from the inside out, that we might walk in his ways.

Put Off And Put On (4:22-24). “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, [23] and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, [24] and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (4:22-24). When we learned Christ, we learned conversion (repentance and faith); the putting off of the old man and putting on of the new. Paul refers here to the initial putting off and on that took place at our conversion; Because God poured his grace on us, enabling us to put off the old man and put on the new in Christ, we can now walk a lifestyle consistent with the new man. The ‘walk’ Paul is about to describe for us flows out of our conversion. Without conversion we do not have the power to walk the walk. But through the renewing of the spirit of our mind as we believe the gospel and continue in the school of Christ, we have grace to walk!

Corrupt vs. Created. Notice that the old self is ‘corrupt through deceitful desires,’ but the new self is ‘created after the likeness of God’ (Piper). We can’t somehow work up this new lifestyle; it is CREATED in us when we are born again, and our outward walk increasingly lines up with this truth. This is the process of sanctification. Paul has already said that we were dead in sin (2:1), God made us alive (2:4-5) and that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works (2:10).

Walking The New Walk (4:25-32). Paul now gives very practical instruction concerning what kind of ‘walk’ glorifies God. These five parts of our walk all deal with our relationships in the church, and all help build the unity Paul has already spoken of in length.

1. Speaking the Truth. “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (25). Because we have put away the old man at conversion, and are now ‘members one of another’ in the church, our walk should reflect a different kind of speech. How can we sin against our own body? We are members of each other in the church, and lying to each other destroys trust and unity. God is not glorified to the universe through the church when we do not speak the truth to one another.

2. Dealing with Anger. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, [27] and give no opportunity to the devil” (26-27). The next part of our walk Paul addresses is our handling of anger. We are to instructed not to let anger continue between our brothers and sisters in the church. Don’t go to bed angry. There is a righteous anger, but we are taught not to sin in our anger. Anger is murder in the heart (Matthew 5:21-22). Paul connects anger between members of the church with giving the devil an opportunity. This implies that Satan is at work in the church trying to disrupt unity and attack the displayed glory of God through the church by using our anger. God is not glorified to the universe through the church when there is anger, distance and unresolved issues festering between us.

3. Working to Give. “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (28). How practical these instructions are! A walk that glorifies God includes what we do with our hands. Rather than taking what does not belong to us, we are to do honest work with our hands…so that we may provide for our families? That is good, but our aim should go much beyond that. Work…so that we may store up treasures for ourselves? No. God is not glorified as the great Treasure of the church when we merely use his blessings upon ourselves. Rather, Paul instructs us to work hard so that we may give to those in need! He is teaching us to be generous givers in the church, such as we see modeled in Acts 245.

John Piper points out that this turns your secular job into grace; a means to display God’s grace!

God is not glorified to the universe through the church when we have greedy hearts, thieving hands, and lack generosity.

4. Speaking with Grace. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (29-30). We’ve already seen that our walk includes our lips; we must speak the truth to one another. But now Paul takes it further. We are forbidden to let any ‘corrupting talk come out of’ our mouths. Rather, we are to glorify God by building each other up with our words. This word for corrupting talk means rotten. What kind of speech could this include? Filthy language and dirty jokes, sarcastic remarks that tear others down, venomous speech of all kinds.

Earlier Paul connected our anger with giving the devil an opportunity. Here he connects our rotten speech with grieving the Holy Spirit! Just as there is an unseen audience viewing God’s glory through the church (Eph 3:9-11), there are also unseen spiritual beings working behind and within our relationships in the church; good and bad. The unity of the church is called the unity of the Spirit (4:3). The Spirit is working to build unity between the brothers and sisters in the church. When we work against him with our speech he is grieved. God is not glorified to the universe through the church when our words are rotten and unedifying to the church.

5. Kind, Tenderhearted, Forgiving. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. [32] Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (31-32). Paul describes an escalation of sinful behavior we are to put away (O’Brien). It starts in the heart with bitterness, wrath and anger, but soon escalates to ‘clamor’ (shouting, outbursts of rage) and ‘slander’ (speaking against someone). We must put this foolishness out of the church, and with it ‘all malice’ (ill will, wishing or plotting evil). Instead, the walk that glorifies God in the church is kindness in our relationships; a heart that is tender towards one another; and finally, showing forgiveness when we are wronged by our brothers and sisters. And we will be wronged from time to time. This process of sanctification is not yet complete. But we are to treat our brothers and sisters with grace, in the same way God in Christ has treated us! Because God has showed tender mercy and grace to us, we are to extend that to others. God is not glorified to the universe through the church when we demonstrate hard-hearted, unkind behavior and refuse to show grace and forgiveness.

God intends to glorify himself through his church to the watching universe. He has created this new humanity through the death and resurrection of Christ and has poured out great grace upon us, rescuing us from our sins. Having given us new life, we are called to walk in a way that gives him glory, beginning with our relationships in the church: our hearts, our lips, our hands.

Unity, Diversity And Maturity In The Church

God calls for his church to be unified. Yet he has made us diverse!

Diversity In The Church (4:7-10). Paul has called for our eager maintenance of church unity. But unity does not mean we are carbon copies of each other. Verse 7 begins with ‘But…’
Unity, ‘but...’
Diversity is From God. Diversity is not an accident, or a problem to overcome. It is God’s will! However, it was in response to sin that God brought it about. At the tower of Babel, an effort of man’s pride and godlessness, God multiplied the languages, creating diversity of nations and peoples. And through this diversity he will be glorified by every language and nation! Jesus accomplished a unified diversity at the cross (Eph 2:11,ff). And now we learn that he continues to encourage diversity in his unified people by giving differing gifts of grace!

Diverse Grace-Gifts Given (4:7). “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift (4:7). Paul spoke of the grace of God in his ministry to the Gentiles (3:2, 7-8), and now he shows that he is not alone (O’Brien). Each believer has received a measure of Christ’s grace in the form of a gift to be used to build up the church. This grace differs according to the will of God (see also Romans 12:6 and context).

Diverse Gifts Are A Sharing of Christ’s Triumph (4:8-10). “Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” [9] (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? [10] He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things)” (4:8-10).
Paul quotes Psalm 68, a celebration of God’s victory over his enemies, and implies that Christ is the fulfillment of this Psalm. Though the verse in the Hebrew speaks of Christ receiving gifts from men, Paul emphasizes Christ’s giving gifts to his people (Acts 2:33 shows that Christ received the promise of the Spirit and then gave him to his church). Christ triumphed over the rulers and principalities at the cross (Col 2:15), and has shared the spoils of his victory with his saints! Paul also speaks of Christ’s descending and ascending: he lowered himself to become a man and descended into the grave, and he rose in victory, ascending to the right hand of God, ‘that he might fill all things!’ The victorious Lord Jesus now pours out diverse gifts of grace on his saints that we may be a unified diversity, progressing in maturity, for the purpose of displaying the glory of God to the universe!

Maturity In The Church (4:11-16). James Boice asks a good question. If Christ gives diverse gifts to the believers, what is to ensure that we stay together? What is to keep us from going off in our own direction? The answer is the purpose of the gifts! Paul tells us that the gifts are given in diversity but are to be used in unity, in order to build maturity in the church.

Diverse Leadership Gifts (4:11). “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers… “ (4:11). Christ’s gifts to the church begin with leaders who declare God’s word.

• Apostles and prophets. Paul seems to be speaking here of apostles and prophets in the ‘technical sense’ (Boice); the original recipients of the gospel revelation on which rests the church (2:20). There are apostolic and prophetic gifting today, but not those who write Scripture and serve as foundations of the church. Christ’s apostles gave us the New Testament, and appointed elders in the churches to teach it to the church.
• Evangelists. While all believers in the church share the work of evangelism, some are gifted to lead the church in proclaiming the gospel.
• Shepherds (pastors) and Teachers, or Pastor-Teacher. There is only one definite article in the Greek before these two giftings (O’Brien), leading many to see this as one office rather than two. The apostles who planted churches appointed elders (plural) in the local churches to lead the churches by (1) overseeing, or tending the flock, and by (2) teaching, or feeding the flock (John 21:15-17; Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5; 1 Tim 3:1-13; 1 Thess 5:12; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:2). Shepherd, pastor, refer to the function and are interchangeable with the offices referred to elsewhere as elders, overseers, and bishops.

All of these church leadership gifting are based on proclaiming God’s word. This is Christ’s gift to his body, that by the word the church may corporately grow up into maturity. It is the duty of every believer to make sure they are receiving the teaching of the word, in godly submission to local church shepherd-teachers (Hebrews 13:7, 17).

Diverse Ministry Gifts (4:12). “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” (4:12). While leaders are to be seen as gifts from Christ and thus followed with respect (1 Thess 5:12-13) they are NOT special Christians who do all the ministry. Church leaders are given to the church for the purpose of equipping the believers to do the works of ministry. Elders equip the saints through prayer, serving the saints, providing an example to follow, encouraging the believers in their ministry gifting, etc, but first and foremost by the faithful teaching of the word of God. Thus each member of the church is to be growing in the proclaimed word and applying that word by doing “the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Each member of the body has an important function in the church, and should be concerned about the maturing of the local church of which they are a member.

Stott comments that there are five lists of gifts in the New Testament, recording some 20 different gifts; of which some are ‘unsensational,’ such as ‘doing acts of mercy’ (Rom 12:8).

Maturity Through Unified Diversity (4:13-16). “…until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (4:13-16). All of the varying gifts in the church are for the purpose of building up the church towards maturity, for the glory of God.

A Few Observations From The Text:

1. How long are the gifts necessary? “…until we all attain…the stature of the fullness of Christ.” The gifts will be in operation in the church until the day of glory when the church is perfect in the presence of God
2. Maturity has to do with doctrinal stability (v14). Immaturity is compared with being tossed around by the storms of false doctrine.
3. Maturity involves both truth and love (v15). This phrase is literally ‘truthing in love.’ It is easy to be all about truth while lacking in love, or all about love but soft on truth; Christ wants his church growing in both!
4. Maturity happens as each part of the body does its job (v16). “when each part is working properly.”We are not merely a group of saved individuals, but a BODY that is dependent on one another. None of us alone is the body of Christ; each of us is a member of the body. Each part of the body must be fulfilling their function for the body to grow. Are you living in dependence on, or independence from the body of Christ?
5. Maturity is a corporate, not just an individual, process. This text emphasizes the collective maturity that happens through unified diversity in the church. It’s not about ‘me’ maturing in Christ, sitting at home with my Bible (‘me and Jesus’ attitude), but rather it is about ‘us’ maturing together. This is how God has chosen to display his glory. This is why it is impossible to be a ‘solo’ Christian. You can worship God alone, but this is not God’s eternal purpose (3:9-11).

Our call now is to walk worthy and showcase the glory of God in the church by using our diversity in unity to build maturity.

Apply The Word
-Believe God’s word concerning the body of Christ. See this vision and receive it as God’s plan. Embrace it. Love it!
-Commit yourself to the ministry of the word from the leaders in your local church. Podcasts from SuperPreachers are good, but they are not the ones God has placed in your life to be your primary ‘shepherd.’ God has given you local elders who can know you and minister to you in a special way. Commit yourself to this!
-Are you doing your part? How can I help the church grow in unity and maturity? Are you a functioning part of the body? How has God gifted you, led you, equipped you to serve?
-Do your ministry in the context of the church! Many in our day despise the church and emphasize their ministry, apart from a church context. We can overemphasize ‘MY ministry’ or a parachurch organization and forget God’s plan of a local church ministering to one another and growing up together in love.

Our WALK Begins With Relationships In The Church

Paul has moved from teaching doctrine to instructing the church on our daily 'walk' in Ephesians. Beginning with chapter four he calls us to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling we have received.The rest of Ephesians will describe the walk that is worthy of the calling we’ve received. In simple language we will be shown what God expects of his church in daily life. We will be taught how to display his manifold wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

The Church: Walking in Unity (4:2-6). 
It is interesting to discover that the very first part of our walk Paul describes involves church unity (Eph 4:2-6). Paul begins with relationships within the church! Our walk starts with how we treat others. This is how the watching universe sees the glory of God displayed in his church.


We have learned in chapter two of the doctrine of unity: Christ accomplished it at the cross, tearing down the wall of division between Jews and Gentiles, creating one new man in place of the two, reconciling us to God and to each other. NOW WE ARE CALLED TO WALK IN THE UNITY CHRIST ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED. What Jesus has done must be believed by the church, embraced by the church and lived out by the church, for the glory of God!

1. Unity Maintained (4:2-3). “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.“ (Eph 4:2-3, ESV). Paul teaches the church HOW to walk in the unity Christ accomplished. Since God has treated us with overflowing grace in Christ, we are now called to treat our brothers and sisters in the church the same way:

• All Humility. The ‘humble recognition of the worth and value of other people’ (Stott). “…in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil 2:3). This is how Paul treated the Ephesians when he was there (Acts 20:19) [O’Brien]! This describes Christ (Phil 2:3-8). Unity is destroyed when we lack humility; Pride thinks, “I do not deserve to be treated this way…I deserve better.”
• Gentleness. Meekness. Controlled strength – not weakness. ‘consideration for others, willingness to waive one’s rights’ (O’Brien). Jesus describes himself as ‘gentle and lowly in heart’ (Matt 11:29).
• Patience. Long-suffering. ‘Makes allowance for others’ short-comings – endures wrong rather than flying into a rage or desiring vengeance’ (O’Brien).
• Bearing with one another in Love. We are called to maintain unity by putting up with one another...but in love. The love of God in us will empower us to treat others in this way.

By treating one another in the church in this manner we can maintain (not create) the unity ‘of the Spirit.’ The Holy Spirit has put us into Christ as one body. He is building this unity in our midst. This is his desire.

Be eager. But notice that we are not only to maintain unity through our Christ-like relationships in the church, but we are to be ‘eager to maintain’ this unity! ‘Eager’ carries the meaning, ‘be zealous or eager,’ ‘take pains,’ or ‘make every effort’ (O’Brien). Markus Barth adds that this excludes passivity, or a ‘wait and see’ attitude. We must earnestly desire to display this unity to the universe, because God desires it, and for the sake of his glory!

The Bond of Peace. This unity of the Spirit enjoyed by the church when we walk in love, is characterized by the ‘bond of peace;’ we are held together by peace. We believe in the doctrine of reconciliation (2:14-16), so we must walk/live as reconciled to one another. Peace! The war is over!

  

The exceeding Sinfulness of Disunity. To resist these instructions to eagerly work towards maintaining unity in the church and treat each other in this Christ-like way, is to fight against God (Acts 11:17b); to resist what the Spirit is working towards in the church. And since this is how God desires to display his glory to the universe, failure here is an affront to the very glory of God! When we harbor bitterness and unforgiveness, and fail to receive one another in love, we are saying with our actions that God’s glory is meaningless and despised, and that the cross has made no difference (O’Brien)!

 Finally, for this to be a practical part of our daily life in Christ, this must start at the local church level. It is not an insignificant thing even for a small local church to live in love and unity. Rather, it is eternally and universally significant, part of the realization of the eternal plan of God – displaying his glory to the universe!

2. Unity Described (4:4-6). “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph 4:4-6, ESV).

Having called us to maintain the unity, and instructed us concerning how to maintain the unity, now Paul describes this unity. He gives us 7 statements of unity, arranged around the members of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). This is because our unity in the church flows out of God’s unity within his Godhead. Because God exists as a unity of Persons, the church must and can and will be unified.

One body, one Spirit, one hope. “There is one body because there is one Spirit” (Stott). There are many local churches, but one Church; one body of Christ; one unified, multi-ethnic people of God who are filled with one Holy Spirit! Unity already exists; Christ’s people are already filled with the same Spirit. One hope that belongs to our call: This one people of God filled with the one Spirit of God shares the one HOPE, the same future inheritance. There’s not two heavens. Not one heaven for Methodists, one for Baptists, etc; Not one heaven for Asians, one for Africans, etc. God’s one people will be with him…together.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Jesus is Lord, and there is none other. He is the one Head of the church, the one Savior to sinners, the One way to the Father! The one faith is the one set of truths about Jesus held by believers (“the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” Jude 3); “the doctrinal truths Christians commonly confess” (ESV Study Bible notes). The gospel! And the one baptism is the immersion into Christ accomplished by the Holy Spirit and pictured outwardly in water baptism. “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” (1 Cor 12:13). One Lord, one set of truths about him, one immersion into him, pictured by one sign.

One God and Father of all… All of this flows from the one Father, who is described in his sovereignty and omnipresence. One ‘all,’ the church.

The unity of the church has been accomplished by Christ and is being produced by the Spirit. Just as God’s unity of 3 Persons is secure, so is the unity of the church secure. But we must eagerly join God in bringing this to light in our experience. He has done it, and he does it, but he does it through us as we obey and walk in it.

Getting Doctrine And Duty In The Right Order

Beginning with chapter four Paul begins his 'practical application' section of Ephesians. Chapters one through three taught us what to believe; Now Paul will teach us how that doctrine flows out into how we live. We cannot stay forever in the doctrine section, merely gaining knowledge; We must move from chapters 1-3 to 4-6; we must walk! Although our believing the doctrine can be pictured as more of a passive sitting, Christianity is not limited to believing doctrine. From the position of faith we are commanded to walk. Faith produces works, or it is dead (James 2:17).

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Colossians 2:6, ESV

Walking: Living the Life. “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…” (4:1).
How's your walk? We rejoice in the glorious teachings of God’s grace, but now we must walk in obedience! For example, Paul led us to rejoice in the doctrine of election, that God chose us. But 1:4 says that he chose us ‘that we should be holy and blameless before him.’ The doctrine flows out into life. Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46).

Get the order right!
Just as we cannot stay in the doctrine section without applying it to life, we also cannot begin with the ‘walk’ section. We have the proper framework in place for studying the commands once we see that the rules in Scripture follow believing the truth that is taught. The rules, then, are not arbitrary laws looming over us and weighing us down; obeying them is not how we obtain righteousness. “The exhortations of Scripture become empty moralism without this gospel foundation” (ESV Study Bible notes). God’s grace has saved us (the first three chapters of Ephesians), and from that position we walk in obedience, full of joy, gratefulness and love (the last three chapters)!

Paul, reminding us again of his imprisonment (3:1) – which has been caused by his walk – now urges (pleads, begs) believers to not be satisfied with a dead faith that just studies; but rather to see the high calling described in the doctrine and then WALK out the implications:  live a life that is worthy of the high calling we have in Christ! Since we have now comprehended what God has done for us in Christ, and his eternal purpose to display his glory through the church, we must cooperate with him by living lives that shine that glory to the universe! The grace of God Paul has described has been overwhelmingly glorious. It should naturally lead us to obedient, God-glorifying lives.

Do you have the order right when approaching the commands of Scripture?

Start with the proclaimed gospel and the instruction on what to believe (about God: who he is, what he has done). Believe the truth and then proceed to the walk!

Praying For The Church

We have studied Paul's first prayer for the Ephesian church in a previous post (here), where Paul prays for spiritual illumination - that the believers may know and grasp the glorious grace of God and his spiritual blessings. In chapter three Paul prays a second time for the Ephesians. This is a beautiful and edifying prayer that we should incorporate into our own prayers for the church.

Let's take a look at his prayer, found in Ephesians 3:14-21.

1. Bowing To The Father (3:14-16a). ‘For this reason’ Paul prays (14a). For what reason? The overflowing grace of God in Christ, shown in his people, the church (chapters 2 and 3)! Because God has created a new people to showcase his glory to the universe, Paul prays for that people!

Praying Reminders. Sometimes in our prayers we simply jump to the petition itself, using as few words as possible, in order to ‘get in and get out’ of prayer (this is probably most true concerning men..right ladies?). There may be a time to be brief in prayer, but there are many examples in Scripture of lingering in prayer in order to praise God and spend time with him. This text is one example (so is the Lord’s model prayer). Paul seems to say things that are ‘unnecessary’ in his prayer; things we all already know. But this is ok! As we heap up praises to the Lord and quote his promises and who he is, we are also being encouraged and edified by reminding ourselves (and those praying with us) of precious truths! Look at Paul’s reminders in this prayer before he begins his petitions:

• Reminder: To Whom We Pray. “I bow my knees before the Father…” (14b). To whom does Paul bow his knees? The Father! What a reminder! Paul has already spoken of God’s predestinating us to adoption as sons (1:4-5), and our ‘boldness and access with confidence’ (3:12) to approach him in faith. We must continually be aware of the One to whom we are praying.
• Reminder: God is the Source. “from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named…” (15). Translations vary on this verse; the words should either be translated ‘every family’ or ‘the whole family’ (O’Brien; Stott). God’s naming of every family would speak of his sovereignty over all (ESV Study Bible notes); his naming of the ‘whole family in heaven and on earth’ would follow what Paul has been saying about the unified church, and would indicate unity between the church in heaven and those still on earth (Boice). Whichever translation is used, Paul reminds us that God is the one who names; He is the Source! The family flows from him.
• Reminder: God is Exalted. “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you…” (16a). Paul also speaks of God’s ‘riches of…glory,’ reminding us of the exalted position of the one hearing our prayer. Prayer is not the power of positive thinking, or willing something to happen, but asking God to ‘grant’ our requests, out of his abundant supply.

2. Praying For The Church (3:16b-19). Paul now describes his petitions for the church:

Petition 1: To Grow in Spiritual Strength. “to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith –“ (16b-17a). First, notice the importance of the Trinity in Paul’s thinking! He is praying to the Father, asking for the internal work of Christ, by the Spirit. This is the 4th mention of the Trinity so far in Ephesians (1:3, 17; 2:18) [Stott]!

The internal strength of the Spirit and the indwelling of Christ seem to be two ways of speaking about the same experience (O’Brien). Christ indwells us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Paul is praying for progressive growth in spiritual strength. He has been preaching glorious doctrines to the Ephesians, and he is about to go into 4 chapters of application of these awesome truths; they need strength from God to walk in what they’ve heard!

How can Paul pray for Christ to indwell saints, who are already indwelled with the Lord (Rom 8:9-10; 1

 Cor 6:19)? Commentators point out that there are two Greek words for ‘dwell’ Paul could have used. The first one (paroikeō) has temporary connotations, meaning to dwell somewhere as a stranger or foreigner; the other word, which is the one Paul used (katoikeō), means to settle down permanently. So Paul is praying that “Christ may settle down in our hearts and control them as the rightful owner,” because “this is something they grow into as Christ takes stronger and fuller possession of every corner of their lives” (Boice). Paul is praying that the church would grow stronger spiritually and increase in their experience of Christ’s indwelling power.

Petition 2: To Grow in Christ’s Love. “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…” (17b-19a). The church not only needs to grow in spiritual strength, but we also need to grow in our experience of Christ’s love. Paul prays for a firm foundation of love (‘rooted and grounded’), and a supply of strength to comprehend the dimensions of Christ’s love for us, and knowledge of the unknowable! How can we know something that ‘surpasses knowledge?’ We can know by experience the love of Christ that can never be exhausted! Just as his riches were described as unsearchable (3:8), Christ’s love is beyond our ability to fathom. But we can taste this love, and grow in our experience of it, forever! Paul prays that God would grant his church to progress in their experience of the love of Christ.

What Is God's Eternal Purpose?

Paul begins to pray for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 3:1, but is 'interrupted' and instead talks about his ministry to the Gentiles. We are blessed by God for this divine interruption, for in this 'aside' Paul discloses to us the meaning of life itself! What an important parenthetical statement! He actually uses the words 'eternal purpose.'

...God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord...                      Ephesians 3:9b-11, ESV

Have you ever thought about what this Scripture is saying?!
A few observations:

1. Through the Church (v10a). This verse informs us that the church is at the center of God’s eternal plan! It is Plan A for the universe! God's eternal purpose is to display his glory to the universe through his church! Do you have a low view or commitment to the church? Then according to this Scripture you are wasting your life, giving yourself to things that are NOT what God is most excited about, pouring himself into, etc

2. God’s Manifold Wisdom (10). Manifold – ‘many colored’ (Stott, O’Brien) [interesting term when speaking of a multi-ethnic church in chapters 2 and 3!]. Multi-faceted. God’s glorious wisdom is inexhaustible, yet he has chosen the church as the means by which to display himself. God's character and attributes simply MUST be seen and enjoyed and glorified and appreciated. This is God's eternal purpose, and the meaning and purpose of life.

3. God’s Glory Displayed to the Universe (10). God is displaying (‘showcasing’ – Piper) his attributes through the new humanity Christ created at the cross – the unified, multi-ethnic church!

God is showing himself off to all. John Piper explains that if we are a show-off it is sinful, because we are not ultimate. But God is. He is showing off his glory, and this glory is ultimately satisfying for us. Therefore, it is sinful for us to show off, but it is true and right and loving for God to show off.

4. Rulers and authorities in the heavenlies (10b). God specifically mentions displaying his glory through the church to the heavenly beings. Angels and demons. Peter has written about angels being interested in our salvation in 1 Peter 1:10-12 (they are not eligible for salvation [Heb 2:16], but see God’s glory in the saints). Demons will not be persuaded by this revelation, but God is giving it to them nonetheless. They will see their defeat and God’s eternal triumph through the church!!! And we display God’s glorious wisdom to the universe when we live in obedience to God’s plan; when we demonstrate the unity and love in the diverse body of Christ (the ‘duty’ described in chapters 4-6 of Ephesians). Our failure to live this out is ultimately an attack on the glory of God!

5. Eternal Purpose (11)! This display of God’s glory through the church is described as God’s eternal purpose. This has already been accomplished in Christ by his death and resurrection, and is now being worked out in our lives. God’s purpose will not fail, for he works all things according to the counsel of his will (1:11).

Summary
We must see how central a role the church plays in God’s eternal purpose. The purpose of God – the meaning of life itself and the reason we are here – is to display God’s glory in Christ through the church. God’s purpose must become our own. This eternal truth calls for commitment to Christ and his church. Not convenience, but commitment – like Paul demonstrated (he was in prison for his ministry to the church when he wrote this!). Even to the point of laying down our lives and suffering for the church’s continued good in Christ.

John Stott asks, “How can we take lightly what God takes so seriously? How can we push to the circumference what God has placed at the centre?” Because we do not see the glory of it. It is simply not worth it to us. Today’s text could change our lives if we have eyes to see it. God’s glory through his church is worth whatever inconvenience, whatever hurt, whatever persecution may come.
Quite simply, we must make God’s glory in the church our life purpose and our highest commitment.

Why Was Paul Willing To Suffer For The Church?

Have you ever considered the fact that the apostle Paul suffered, not just for Jesus, but for the church? For imperfect people? Shipwrecked three times! Beaten with rods! Imprisoned, stoned, hungry, cold, on the run...and ultimately beheaded! Certainly he was doing this for Christ. But Paul specifically said that he was suffering for the church. He wrote to the Ephesians, "So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you..." (Ephesians 3:13, ESV).

Indeed, at the moment he wrote those words he was in prison in Rome because the unbelieving Jews attacked him for preaching to the Gentiles!  Paul was in the temple in Jerusalem when the Jews attacked him; and when the Roman soldiers settled everyone down, Paul spoke to the crowd, explaining that he was sent to the Gentiles by God himself:

And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” Acts 22:21-22, ESV

He was literally suffering for the Gentile believers, including people he had never met (Col 2:1)!
And this was normal for Paul! This was part of Paul's calling from the beginning:

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." Acts 9:15-16, ESV

So Paul labors and suffers for the sake of the multi-ethnic church: “on behalf of you Gentiles…grace that was given to me for you…I am suffering for you” (Eph 3:1, 2, 13).


But the question is, "WHY?!" We've all been hurt by people in the church, right? Willingness to suffer for one another doesn't seem to be a common trend, even among Christians. Many won't even be inconvenienced for the church, much less suffer. These days the church is one of the lowest priorities of all. Sure, I'll try to make it to the gathering... unless something comes up (anything will do!). In a time when enduring commitment - to anything - seems rare, Paul's example stands out to our amazement. How could he suffer for the church? Jesus? Yes. But the church???
God’s Revelation To Paul. “how the mystery was made known to me by revelation…you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ…” (Eph 3:3-4).

Paul had seen something others had not seen. This is the secret of why he was willing to suffer for the church. He had seen the glory of what God is building (Ephesians 2 and 3 describes this in detail)! God himself revealed this gospel to Paul (Gal 1:11-12), how that Christ accomplished reconciliation at the cross, creating one new humanity out of all the ethnicities - a glorious people; saints from every nation, coming to God through faith in Jesus. Paul saw that God's eternal purpose is to display his own glory in Christ through the unified, multi-ethnic church, forever (Eph 3:10-11)! Seeing this changed his life; from a church-destroyer, to one who was willing to rot in a prison so the church would be edified.

 …as preached in my gospel, [9] for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! [10] Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.              2 Timothy 2:8b-11, ESV

When God gives us a glimpse of his glory, which is seen in Christ, through the church, we too will be willing to be inconvenienced, hurt, persecuted, even killed for the glory of God in his church. We will see that the glory of God displayed in his church is worth any price:

• It was worth it to God...he gave his Son!
• It was worth it to Jesus...he gave himself!
• It was worth it to Paul...he gave his life!

What about us? What about you? Have you seen the glory of what God is up to in his church?
When we commit to Christ, we commit to his body.

May God show us the glory of Christ in the church, and may we give the rest of our lives to this great gospel cause, for God's glory! Even if it costs us our lives.

The Church Is A Homeland, A Family And A Temple

In our last post we looked at the church as a unified, multi-ethnic people in Christ. Paul teaches this in Ephesians 2:11-18. He continues in verses 19-22 with the implications for the new, unified people of God. 
In doing this, he describes the church in three word-pictures.

1. The Multi-Ethnic Church As A Homeland (19a). “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints…”

Believing Gentiles are no longer outcasts, cut off from God’s people, (‘refugees’ – O’Brien), but are ‘fellow citizens with the saints,’ standing on equal ground in Christ! Christians are citizens of a homeland that trumps our ethnic origins; the banner of the cross outweighs whatever flag our home nation flies. Our identity is first and foremost in Christ.

But our citizenship is in heaven... Philippians 3:20, ESV

2. The Multi-Ethnic Church As A Family (19b-20). “and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone…”

In Christ, believing Gentiles and Jews are brothers and sisters – part of the same family: the family of God! Members of his household! We have been much more than forgiven; welcomed to the table of the King as his sons and daughters through Jesus Christ!

Paul goes on to say that this household to which we belong is built on the foundation of the ‘apostles and prophets,’ both of which speak and proclaim the word of God. Thus, the church is built on the foundation of the preached gospel. And the cornerstone is Christ himself. This unified church rests on Jesus and the anointed message of his death and resurrection.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. [23] This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:22-23, ESV

3. The Multi-Ethnic Church As A Temple (21-22). “in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Not only is the church a homeland and a family; the saints have also become the temple of God in Christ!

Holy. Sanctified by Christ’s blood, this multi-ethnic structure is ‘holy’ and set apart to the Lord, who fills his house!

Growing. The house is not yet complete, for there are others who will believe and be joined to the structure. Internal building is also taking place as the ‘living stones’ are growing stronger through our ministry to one another in the church.

Joined Together. These living stones are ‘joined together’ and are ‘being built together.’ Now Gentiles are ‘not only NOT forbidden from entering the temple, but are part of the temple in Christ’ (Stott). This is not individualistic work, but corporate work. We are members of one another (Eph 4:25; Rom 12:5).

Paul again emphasizes community by pointing to the Trinity (as he did in verse 18). Verse 22 says that in him (Christ) the church is being built together as a dwelling place for God (the Father) by the (Holy) Spirit. Just as the Three Persons of the One God are unified in fellowship, intimacy and love, so is the church!

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, [5] you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. [6] For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” [7] So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” [8] and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. [9] But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:4-10, ESV

At the cross Christ has accomplished the work of unity for all who are in him. He is building his church as a unified, multi-ethnic body, for his glory!

Racism And The Church

Paul teaches about reconciliation in Ephesians chapter two. First, he details our reconciliation with God (vs 1-10). But then he describes our reconciliation with each other (vs 11-22). Vertical and horizontal reconciliation, all through the work of Jesus Christ! Peace with God and peace with each other. It's really an epic, big-picture thing. In verses 1-10 we were dead in sin, 'but God' made us alive and saved us by grace. And in verses 11-22 Gentiles were cut off from God's people Israel, 'but now in Christ Jesus' a new, muti-ethnic humanity has been created - the church - a unified, international community bought with Jesus' blood and living for God's glory.

This is really good stuff.

Ethnic Hostility
“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands…” Ephesians 2:11, ESV

 It is very hard for us to imagine the hostility between Jews and Gentiles in this period. Paul alludes to the name calling and labels in verse 11 (‘the uncircumcision’ - Stott). The Jews were given great advantages and privileges as the people of God (Rom 9:5). But they were supposed to be a light to the nations instead of becoming self-righteous! Stott says Israel “twisted her privilege into favoritism and ended up heartily despising – even detesting – the heathen as ‘dogs.’

William Barclay gives mind-numbing descriptions of this hatred of Gentiles. First, he says that Jews thought of Gentiles as being created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell! Secondly, they would not even aid a Gentile mother in giving birth, since it would result in another Gentile coming into the world. And finally, if a Jew and Gentile intermarried, the family of the Jew would conduct a funeral service, since the one who married the Gentile was now dead to their family (Barclay, quoted in Stott).

 

No doubt the Gentiles felt the same way about the Jews.
Could anyone ever bring these two together?

 

The Reconciliation of the Church
Paul gives us the good news of the reconciling work of Jesus Christ on behalf of the church. He speaks on our reconcilation to each other, and then to God.

A. Reconciled to Each Other. “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace…” Ephesians 2:14-15, ESV

 

Paul is addressing the problem of ethnic division, so he deals with the horizontal reconciliation first. In this verse we see several aspects of Christ's work:

 

1. Hostility to Peace. Paul uses war language - hostility and peace. Reconciliation has occurred in Christ. The two warring parties have come to terms of peace through Jesus and his cross. Jesus himself is our peace! He has ended the war between ethnic groups; therefore the church should not be at war with each other but at peace!

 

2. Division to Unity. Paul also uses division/reconciliation language. Jews and Gentiles were not only hostile towards each other, but sharply divided. Nothing symbolized the division between Jew and Gentile like the Temple at Jerusalem itself. The court of the Gentiles was the furthest court from the Temple, and was on a lower level. They could look up at the Temple but not draw near. A wall separated the Gentile court from the Jews, and signs were placed around the wall warning that death would be the penalty for any Gentile who crossed over the wall. This was serious division!

 

Additionally, the Mosaic law-covenant itself, with all its ceremonial rules, served to divide Jews from Gentiles. For instance, the dietary regulations made it impossible for Jews and Gentiles to have table fellowship. But Christ abolished this at the cross in order to bring the two together (Col 2:13-14 – O’Brien, Thielman). In Christ, we are not under the Old Covenant, but the New, and we are not under the covenant of Moses, but the Law of Christ (1 Cor 9:21).

This means that Christ has unified what man could never unify. He tore down the dividing walls at the cross and has accomplished unity for his church. We do not have to work to accomplish unity; it already exists. We simply have to believe this truth and live in its implications. We should not be rebuilding the ethnic walls Jesus tore down at the cross, or living as if he never tore them down!

The Disadvantages Of Being A Gentile

Paul taught in Ephesians chapter two that man's natural condition apart from Jesus Christ is a horrible train wreck: spiritually dead, enslaved to the world system, the devil and our own fleshly desires, and by nature remaining under the just wrath of the holy God (Ephesians 2:1-3). We would be hard pressed to think of  a worse predicament. And yet Paul teaches that for one large group of people, it is actually worse!

In the second half of Ephesians two Paul focusses on the condition of the Gentiles (everyone who is not Jewish) and elaborates on their former condition - that is, before Christ intervened:

Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12, ESV

Both Jews and Gentiles were dead in sin and needed God to bring spiritual life. But the condition of the Gentiles before Christ was even worse, for they disadvantages the Jews did not share! And Paul wants them to ‘remember.’ He uses this word twice: once in verse 11, and then saying again in verse 12, “remember that you were at that time…” Then he outlines five disadvantages of being a gentile.

1.Separated from Christ. Not only were they actually separated from the life of Jesus, rather than being ‘in Christ’ (and this was true of both Jews and Gentiles), the Gentiles did not even have an expectation of a coming Messiah! Only Israel had hope in the coming of Christ. There was no promised Rescuer.

2. Alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. The Gentiles were cut off from God’s chosen people. Estranged. Aliens. Outcasts from the nation of blessing. Jesus said in John 4:22 – salvation is from the Jews.

3. And strangers to the covenants of promise. Gentiles had no claim on God’s promises to Abraham and Israel. God never made a covenant/promise to Gentiles.

4. Having no hope. Gentiles did not share the Jewish hope in the coming Messiah. Nothing to look for beyond the grave.

5. And without God in the world. Though Gentiles worshiped many idols and false gods, they were completely cut off from the true and living God of Israel.

Paul wants the Ephesian Gentile believers to remember their former state. But this is so they can more clearly see the glory of God's answer to their condition in Christ Jesus!

The Blood of Christ

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" Ephesians 2:13, ESV

Now Paul wants his readers to remember what God has done in Christ about their former condition! “But now” – something has changed the hopeless situation! Just as there was a 'but God' moment in verse 4 in answer to our spiritual death (But God made us alive), there is also a 'but now in Christ' moment!
The Gentiles, described as ‘far off’ (Acts 2:39; 22:21) have been ‘brought near!’ God has done something about our alienation, and it has come through ‘the blood of Christ.’ At the cross Jesus shed his blood to ransom a people for God, and this people is made up not only of Jews, but ‘every tribe and language and people and nation’ (Rev 5:9). Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!

So let us who are Gentiles remember our condition before Christ. And let us remember that our God has brought us near to himself through the blood of Jesus. Glory to God!

Getting Grace And Works In The Right Place

What is the relationship between God's grace and our works?
Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:8-10 that we are saved by grace, and yet we are saved for works.

Saved BY Grace
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Eph 2:8-9, ESV

Paul sums up his description of God’s salvation by emphasizing the truth that it is all according to God’s free grace, and not our doing. Paul’s focus and theme in the entire letter thus far has been the glorious grace of God in Christ (including God's choice of us before we were born [1:4], his predestination of us to adoption as sons [1:5], Christ's redemption at the cross [1:7], the various words and phrases pointing to God's sovereignty and initiative in salvation [1:9, 11], his making us alive when we were dead [2:5, etc]). God must be glorified in all his salvation. By grace we have been saved, through (not because of) faith. By saying ‘through faith,’ “Paul is emphasizing your passive reception of something from God” (Duncan).

“And this is not your own doing.” What is not our own doing? Grace, salvation or faith? Many Bible commentators agree that Paul is referring to all of it (O'Brien, Stott). The whole thing is his doing. Everything mentioned so far is the work and gift of God, not deserved, not earned and not performed by us. This is not our own doing! Election was not our doing. Predestination to adoption was not our doing. Redemption and forgiveness were not our doing. Being sealed with the Spirit and guaranteed future glory was not our doing. Being made alive when we were dead in sin was not our own doing. And even the faith we put in Christ was a gracious gift to us from God, who enabled us to see truth and warmed our affections toward him, and gave us ears to hear his call and grace to believe the gospel. “When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed” (Acts 18:27).

"Salvation is not a reward for good deeds" (O’Brien).

John Stott provides this insight:

We must never think of salvation as a kind of transaction between God and us in which he contributes grace and we contribute faith. For we were dead, and had to be quickened before we could believe. No, Christ’s apostles clearly teach elsewhere that saving faith too is God’s gracious gift (Acts 18:27; Phil 1:29).

“...so that no one may boast.” As we have already seen, we were saved to show the glory of God (2:7, see my post on this verse here). Paul emphasizes here that it is all of God’s doing, so that no man will be able to boast of anything before God. All must give glory to God. Salvation is of the Lord.

Saved FOR Works
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we 2should walk in them.” Eph 2:10, ESV

Though Paul is clear that all of salvation is by grace and not by works, he is equally clear that salvation is not without works. Works are not the root, but the fruit of salvation. Works are the goal, since they are outward evidence of our genuine inclusion into Christ, and they are the means God uses to show off his glory to the universe through his people.

As Jesus said:

...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16, ESV

We Are Saved To Show Off God's Glory

What is the ultimate reason for our rescue from sin and inclusion into the glories of Christ?Ephesians two gives a concise answer. Paul is describing the great salvation given to us in Christ. He says, 'By grace you have been saved' (v5). Then he describes our sharing of Christ's life and victory: "and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..." (2:6).

Then Paul tells us the reason:

“so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7, ESV

For what purpose are we placed in Christ and given every spiritual blessing? What is the reason behind all the aspects of this salvation Paul has mentioned so far in Ephesians? Why have we been chosen by God the Father (1:4) and predestined to adoption as sons (1:5) and redeemed by Christ’s blood (1:7) and forgiven of our sins (1:7) and sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13) and guaranteed our future inheritance with God (1:14)? Why were we made alive when we were dead in sin (2:5), and raised with Christ (2:6) and seated with him in the heavenly places (2:6)? 

So that through the church God might SHOW his glorious attributes. Like an artist, God is expressing himself - putting his amazing characteristics on display. The ‘riches of his grace’ and ‘kindness’ given here in verse 7 are added to his ‘rich…mercy’ and ‘great love’ mentioned in verse 4. It is all “to the praise of his glorious grace” (1:6)! God is glorified in our salvation, and we are...saved! We are granted access to the most satisfying  and eternal treasure - God himself!

As Paul will say later on, “God…created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (3:9b-10). We are saved to show off the glory of God!

"In Christ" - Paul's Favorite Words

(God) “made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” Ephesians 2:5b-6, ESV

In the first verses of Ephesians two Paul has emphasized what Christians have been saved from (spiritual death, slavery to the world, the devil and our flesh, and the wrath of God - click here for my post on those verses). Now Paul shares who we have been saved in; he describes this saving act of God in terms of our union with Christ. At my count, Paul mentions this truth of our inclusion ‘in Christ’ 14 times in chapter1 and the first 10 verses of chapter 2 (“in Christ,” “with Christ,” “through Christ,” etc). This seems to be the central issue for Paul. Everything God does for us is through our inclusion into Jesus Christ.

In Adam or In Christ.
We saw in verse 3 that our sin/depravity/condemnation came to us ‘by nature.’ This is because the infection of sin and death passed to us from Adam, who was our representative in the garden (Genesis 3; 4:8; 5:3; Rom 5:12, 18; 1 Cor 15:21a, 22a). Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit” (John 3:6). We are born physically in Adam, and take on his experience of sin, death and condemnation. But when we are born of the Spirit, we are united with Christ, and share his experience of righteousness, life and peace with God!

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13, ESV

After the story of creation and man’s fall, the Bible declares, “This is the book of the generations of Adam” (Gen 5:1). But the first verse of the New Testament declares, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ” (Matt 1:1). We are born ‘in Adam,’ but we are born again ‘in Christ!’

Results of Union With Christ.
Just as we shared in the experience of Adam, so God’s grace causes his people to share in the experience of Christ. Here Paul lists 3 examples of Christ’s experience in which we share:

1. Christ’s Resurrection. “made us alive together with Christ.” Because he lives, we live (John 14:19)! We experience spiritual life toward God now, and we look forward to the resurrection of our body just as Christ rose with glorified body (“who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” Philippians 3:21).

2. Christ’s Ascension. “and raised us up with him.” We not only share Christ’s experience of spiritual life, but now we learn that we share in his ascension to the Father! Through Christ our Mediator we have access to the very presence of God now, and look forward to being in his presence forever in glory.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. [3] For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4, ESV

3. Christ’s Session. “and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Paul gives a third, and very humbling and glorious example of our shared experience with the Lord Jesus: we share, not only in his life and ascension to the Father, but in his session – his rule and reign!! We must be very careful here, because this is NOT teaching that we are or ever will be equal to Christ. He will forever be the unique Son of God and King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet there is a very true sense in which we, because of our union with Christ, share in his glory. We share in his victory over his enemies. We even share in his rule:

• The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Revelation 3:21
• And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ Luke 19:17
• Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? …Do you not know that we are to judge angels? 1 Corinthians 6:2a, 3a
• ...if we endure, we will also reign with him… 2 Timothy 2:12a

Back in chapter 1 Paul described the power of God at work toward us as the same kind of might God worked in Christ “when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority…” (Eph 1:20-21). Now Paul teaches that we share in this great experience of Christ!

Christ’s Experience Lived Out.
Because our physical experience is not yet in God’s presence, this truth can be difficult to understand and put into practice. Yet we must realize that our union with Christ and the resulting life we have in him is NOT simply a metaphor, or a spiritual picture. John Stott explains: Our being ‘seated with Christ is not just meaningless Christian mysticism. It is a living experience’ resulting in “new life, new love, and new victory.”

Paul teaches in Romans:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. [6] We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. …For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:1-6, 14, ESV

If you are a believer in Christ, receive this awesome teaching from God's word; that you are united with Christ! Ask God for illumination concerning this great truth. Receive it with joy, that as a believer you are no longer ‘in Adam’ or ‘in sin,’ but ‘in Christ,’ sharing his life and victory and love! Act on this truth, coming before God’s presence in prayer, and presenting yourself to God for service.

What Is Man's Natural Spiritual Condition?

As we study through Paul's letter to the Ephesians we come to chapter two, where Paul paints a very bleak picture of our condition before becoming a Christian by God's miraculous grace. Paul is not trying to depress his readers or make them/us lose hope. On the contrary! He wants us to recognize the truth of our condition so that we will join him in overflowing with praise to God for what he has done about it.

What follows is hard-core truth that we won't hear from anywhere but God's word.

1. You Were Dead (2:1-2a). “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked…”
Paul comes out swinging and gets right to the point: Before the Ephesians were ‘in Christ’ they were ‘dead’ in sin. And as we learn in verse 3, this is true of ‘all.’ It is our common human ‘nature’ (v3) inherited from our first forefather Adam.

God promised that the day Adam sinned he would surely die (Gen 2:17), and this is what happened. He was cut off from his prior communion with God, running and hiding from God instead (3:8-10). And his spiritual death resulted in physical death later (Gen 5:5), for the ‘wages of sin is death’ (Rom 6:23), and ‘the soul who sins shall die’ (Ezek 18:4), and ‘sin…leads to death’ (Rom 6:16).

Adam’s sin did not just affect himself; his fallen nature and depravity were passed to his children. His first son murdered his second! And afterward he ‘fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth’ (Gen 5:3). The sinful nature passed down the line, for ‘that which is born of the flesh is flesh’ (John 3:6). Adam plunged the entire human race, who was in him, and of which he was the representative, into sin and spiritual death:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men… by a man came death…in Adam all die… Romans 5:12, 18; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, ESV

So we see that sin has infected all mankind, with the result that we are all born spiritually dead. This means we are ‘in a state of spiritual alienation from God’ (Duncan), and ‘dead in the sense that we cannot see or feel the glory of Christ; we are unresponsive to God and Christ and this word’ (Piper).

John Stott describes this condition:

Blind to the glory of Jesus Christ and deaf to the voice of the Holy Spirit. They have no love for God, no sensitive awareness of his personal reality, no leaping of their spirit towards him in the cry ‘Abba, Father,’ no longing for fellowship with his people. They are as unresponsive to him as a corpse.

Our deadness to God doesn’t mean inactivity. Paul says we ‘walked’ in our sins. Like a zombie we were the walking dead, and unaware of our pitiful condition.

2. You Were Enslaved (2:2b-3a).
Not only does Paul teach that we were DEAD in our sin, but that we were also ENSLAVED from without and within. The picture gets worse! Far from being free to live our own lives outside of Christ, Scripture teaches that we are dominated by evil influences (O’Brien).

We were enslaved to a three-fold enemy:

A. Enslaved To The World. “following the course of this world…” Following the crowd. Like everyone around us, simply walking single file down the ‘course’ or path that leads to destruction. Blindly going along with the worldview of this evil world system, which is ‘society organized without reference to God, in contrast to God’s kingdom; the social value system which is alien to God’ (Stott). The world’s agenda is our agenda. Enslaved by their ‘thought system’ (Boice). Controlled by their fashion, philosophies, values, and ideas. Current examples? Moral relativism, celebrated homosexuality and re-defined tolerance (tolerance no longer means to this culture that we can disagree in a civil fashion; now we cannot say that something is wrong. All things are tolerated...except intolerance). Such is our slavery to 'this world.'

B. Enslaved To The Devil. “following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…” Scripture calls the Devil the ‘ruler of demons’ (Matt 9:34; 12:24; Mk 3:22; Lk 11:15), the ‘prince of the world’ (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and even the ‘god of this age’ (2 Cor 4:4) [O’Brien]. O’Brien further describes the ‘power of the air’ as the ‘realm of the devil’s influence; the abode of the principalities and powers (Eph 3:10; Dan 10:13, 21).

This evil ‘spirit’ is ‘now at work in the sons of disobedience.’ He is working against us: ‘an evil, supernatural activity whereby he exercises a powerful, compelling influence over the lives of men and women’ (O’Brien). Those under his control are so given to sin they are called ‘sons of disobedience.’ Observe the power Satan wields over people:

God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:25-26 (see also 1 John 5:19, 2 Cor 4:3-4)

C. Enslaved To The Flesh. “- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind…” Not only are we enslaved outwardly by the devil and the evil world system, but we are also enslaved inwardly by our own passions and desires! We are our own enemy! We are selfish and pleasure-seeking, casting off restraint and refusing to bow to God. Rather, we live for pleasure and temporary happiness. “Gluttony, laziness, lust, greed; pride, malice, envy” (Boice). Paul says this slavery to the flesh is universal – ‘we all once lived’ this way.

Do you see the Scripture's description of man? Far from being free to choose God on our own, our natural state is one of slavery to the way of the world, the will of the devil and the works of the flesh. We cannot make neutral choices (O'Brien). What do you mean by ‘free will?’ If you mean that we are completely untouched by powerful, dominating, evil influences that compel us toward sin, then that is not consistent with Scripture. Our great need is not for better information, so that we can make a decision to come to God. We need someone to raise us from the dead and set us free from our slavery to the world, the devil and our sinful, fallen flesh! We need a Rescuer!

Paul Prays For Christians To Know God

After Paul's long explosion of praise to God for his spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3-14), he begins to pray for the church at Ephesus. That's right; he's in prison, but he is full of praise and prayer! You can't put chains on that.

Faith and Love
Paul says he has heard about the Ephesians faith in Christ and love for the saints (1:15). These two things go together. No one has faith in Jesus who does not love his church (1 John 3:14). God’s people love God’s people. God’s people grow in their love for God’s people. This is a fruit of being born again.

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.                 Psalm 16:3, ESV

Prayer For Revelation: To Know God (v17).
So Paul has told the church that he is praying for them. Now he tells them what he is praying! “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him…”

Notice first the God-centeredness of his prayer. Paul is praying to GOD! Prayer is not wishful thinking or listening to ourselves talk. We are speaking with the Creator God who has revealed himself to us in Scripture and in Christ! Paul also prays in a way that acknowledges the three Persons in the One God. He is praying to the Father, in reference to the Son, for blessings given by the Spirit (many commentators believe the ‘spirit of wisdom and revelation’ refers to the Holy Spirit himself).

Notice also the God-centeredness of his request. Paul is not only praying TO God, and speaking to God ABOUT God (Father, Son and Spirit), but his request is FOR God; He prays that God would show God to the Ephesians! What they need is God himself! And so Paul prays that God give them ‘knowledge’ of God. Jesus defined eternal life as knowing God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

The world does not know God (John 8:54-55; 1 Cor 1:21; Gal 4:8; 1 Thess 4:5; 2 Thess 1:8; Titus 1:16). God must reveal himself; we need the Holy Spirit to give us ‘wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.’ Even believers need the Spirit to continue to reveal God to us.

Prayer For Revelation: To Grasp the Spiritual Blessings (v18-23).
Paul has prayed that the Ephesians be given revelation in order to know God. But he continues to pray, that God may give more revelation to their hearts, so that they may understand the spiritual blessings given to them in Christ. “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know…” (18a). Paul prays for God to shine light on the inward eyes, revealing truth to the hearts of these believers!

Even believers can sometimes walk in dullness, unaware of the great truths of God, the glorious spiritual blessings we already have! We need to be reminded (Rom 15:15; 2 Pet 1:13; 3:1), by preaching the gospel to ourselves daily (Lk 9:23; Rom 6:11; Jude 1:21), hearing it from the other saints (Heb 3:13; 10:24-25), and receiving spiritual illumination from the Holy Spirit, which is what Paul asks for here.

Paul prays for spiritual illumination, “that you may know” three things:

1. The Hope of God’s Call (18b). “what is the hope to which he has called you…” Before coming to Christ through the gospel, the Ephesians were “having no hope and without God in the world” (2:12). Now they have hope. What made the difference? God’s call. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, God called the Ephesians out of darkness and into the kingdom of his Son. They now have HOPE (“confident expectation” – Mounce). Verses 3-14 have described the spiritual blessings lavished on the Ephesians (and all who are ‘in Christ’). Their hope is based on God’s gracious work on their behalf. He has chosen them, predestined them to adoption as sons, given Christ to redeem them from sins by his blood, and then called them through the work of the Spirit in the gospel call. What a solid foundation for hope!

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:30, ESV

2. The Riches of God’s Saints (18c). “what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…”
The word inheritance can either be translated as our inheritance or God’s inheritance. It is either speaking of the saints’ glorious inheritance waiting for us in heaven, or God’s inheritance of his chosen people. Both of these are biblically true statements, and so the point is this: Paul prays that we would understand the riches of the relationship between God and his people, the church, which will be enjoyed forever in glory. This is truly a lavish inheritance, for it is full of the love of God! We will be with him and enjoy his glorious grace forever; and he will bring to himself, for his own enjoyment, the people he has chosen and loved before the creation of the world!

Consider the value of the church in God’s sight. “The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Paul wants us to have illumination so that we will grasp the value of the church to God. This relationship between the Lord and his people is a wealthy inheritance full of glory! This verse should correct any of us who have a low view of the church. The church is the rich inheritance of God!

3. The Greatness of God’s Power (19-23).
“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…” Paul not only wants us to understand the hope of our call and the riches of God’s forever relationship with his church; the last thing he prays for us to ‘get’ is that God’s mighty, infinite, sovereign power – his power that is immeasurably great – is ‘toward us who believe!’ The Almighty One is exerting his unfathomable power for the benefit of the church (O’Brien)! What a thought! No wonder Paul prays that the Ephesians have insight into this!