1
Greetings From Paul
(Eph. 1:1-2)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus
Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at
Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, Grace be
to you, and peace, from God, our Father, and from the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Most of us tend to skip
over the salutations of the Epistles and to regard them
as unimportant. We tend to think they are just Paul’s
way of saying, “Hi there!” But these opening words are
far more important than mere greeting. There is, indeed,
some wonderfully deep Truth in this famous greeting from
Paul. In fact, as we will see, like a symphony or
concerto, these two verses are the “overture” of the
Epistle;1 they introduce themes and
melodies that will be emphasized over and over again
throughout the letter. Just as a composer will
write variations on a theme, Paul likewise returns to
the themes in these opening verses in various ways
throughout the letter.
We find here four groups
of two.
I. THE TWOFOLD
DISTINCTION OF PAUL (v.
la)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus
Christ by the will of God,
PAUL WAS AN
APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST
May we note first Paul’s
name. The evidence is conclusive that Paul always had
two names (Saul and Paul). It was the custom of Jews
living in the Roman culture to have two names. So, as
Paul was the son of a Jew who was a Roman citizen, he
not only had a Jewish name (Saul) but a Roman name as
well (Paul). This is clearly evident from Acts 13:9,
which declares, “Then Saul, (who also is called
Paul)...” It was at that time that Paul began
exclusively to use his Gentile name in the Gentile
environment.
Meditate a moment on
the meaning of Paul’s name. It’s interesting to contrast
his two names. Before his conversion, he went by “Saul,”
the tallest (and vainest) of the Benjamites, King Saul,
from whom he was descended. But now he takes the name
Paul,
which means “little.” How appropriate! Paul
did consider himself to be
little. In our minds today we consider Paul the
greatest of all the apostles. But Paul considered
himself to be the “least of the apostles” (I Cor. 15:9).
Likewise, we cannot think of a greater Christian than
Paul. But he viewed himself as “the least of all saints”
(Eph. 3:8). Oh, that we today would have such a view of
ourselves instead of the self-elevating
philosophies that have crept into Christianity in recent
years.
We observe further
that Paul was an
apostle of Jesus Christ. As one Greek
authority writes, the verb
apostelloµ,
from which the noun apostolos (apostle) derives, means “to send off on a
commission to do something as one’s personal
representative, with credentials furnished.”2
We could translate apostolos
as “envoy,” or
“ambassador,” someone who goes on a mission bearing the
credentials of the one who sent him.
In the technical sense,
apostle applied to the original
twelve who were chosen at the beginning of Jesus’
earthly ministry (Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13) and who He used
to lay the foundation of the early church and to be the
Holy Spirit controlled authors of God’s completed
revelation (Acts 2:42; Eph. 2:20). They were also given
power to perform healings and to cast out demons, which
were the proof of their divine authority (Acts 2:43; 2
Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3-4). Since Jews always “require a
sign”(I Cor. 1:22), these were proof to the Jews of the
Apostle’s authenticity. This fact is at the core of
today’s controversy over the miraculous spiritual gifts
(tongues, healing, etc.). They were meant only for Jews,
and even at that they eventually died out (I Cor.
13:8-10) because they were no longer needed. How
ridiculous and foolish it is for Gentiles today to claim
that they are performing miracles for other Gentiles
when this was never the case in
Scripture.
In the broad sense, the
term apostle is also used of men like
Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Silas and Timothy (1 Thess. 1:1;
2:6), and other exceptional leaders (Rom. 16:7). Such
men are more specifically called “messengers”
(apostoloi) of the churches
(see 2 Cor. 8:23; Phil. 2:25), whereas the
original Twelve and then Paul were “apostles of Jesus
Christ.”
Why does Paul mention
this? Just in case someone doubts his authority. With
this term, he is saying, “I’m not just a messenger, but
an official representative of the God who sent me. I’m
not writing my opinion, but God’s authoritative Word.”
Paul, then, was one of the apostles chosen,
called, trained, and commissioned by the Lord Jesus
Christ.
It’s also important to note that
apostles, either in the technical or broad sense, were
not perpetuated. There is no New Testament record of an
apostle in either sense being replaced after he died.
The entire concept of “apostolic succession” is totally
unbiblical. There are no apostles today. The offices
that God uses today are the “evangelist (church
planter)” and the “pastor-teacher” (Eph. 4:11).
PAUL WAS AN
APOSTLE BY THE WILL OF GOD
If the reader is in the
habit of underlining in the Bible, then the phrase by
the will of God should be underlined. Why?
Because this is one of Paul’s favorite expressions. In
fact, the
will of God is mentioned four times in chapter 1
(vs. 1, 5, 9, and 11). He never says it in a prideful
way, but always in amazement that God could and would
use him. Why was he amazed? Let’s just ponder his life a
moment.
First, Paul
was converted by the will of God. He was struck
down on the Damascus road and brought to Christ. This
was amazing, indeed, when we consider who he was before
that conversion. As he wrote to Timothy, he was “a
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious” (I Tim.
1:13). A
“blasphemer” is one who slanders God, which Paul
not only did but compelled believers to do in his
persecution of them (Acts 26:11). Further, he was not
only a “persecutor,” but was also an “injurious
[person]”. The Greek for “injurious” is
hubristes, which denotes a person who is driven
by violence and contempt for others. To see them
humiliated and suffering brings him pleasure. We could
even call a him violent aggressor, a sadist.
Hubristes appears in the list
of sins in Romans 1:30, and our Lord used the verb form
to describe the mistreatment He would suffer during His
arrest and trial (Luke 18:32). Acts 9:1 also declares of
Saul that he was “breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.” It is no
wonder that Paul was amazed by God’s will to convert
him.
What an encouragement this
fact is to evangelism! We have all heard people say,
“Oh, I’m too great a sinner for God to save me.” Paul’s
story enables us to respond by asking them, “Have you
ever murdered someone? Have you ever dragged someone out
of their home and beat them in the streets?”
Fortunately, most people have not, but even if they
have, God can save them.
Second, Paul
was called by the will of God. Why? Because God
had something for him to do. While in the church in
Antioch, he was called to the work of God. Acts 13:2
declares, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted,
the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for
the work whereunto I have called them.” He was not
self-appointed; he was not church-appointed; he was
called by
the will of God. As he later
wrote in his opening words to the Corinthians in his
first Epistle, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus
Christ through the will of God” (I Cor. 1:1). In his
second letter to them, he wrote, “[God] hath made us
able ministers of the new testament” (II Cor. 3:6), “and
all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation” (5:18). True ministry is dictated by the
will of God.
Third, Paul
was commissioned by the will
of God. He was commissioned to plant and confirm
churches throughout the Roman Empire. Acts 13:3-4 goes
on to say, “And when they had fasted and prayed, and
laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they,
being sent forth by the Holy Ghost,
departed.”
Ponder here one thought:
Was it with pride that Paul penned these words? On the
contrary. Paul wrote these words in utter amazement. He
was overwhelmed by the thought that God would use him.
Is it not truly amazing that God uses sinful, unworthy
vessels as us?
Again, while there are no
apostles today, men are still called to the ministry
by
the will of God.
In a day when “the call to the ministry” is denied, it
is all the more important to emphasize it. As Paul
declared of himself, “For though I preach the gospel, I
have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me;
yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (I
Cor. 9:16). Jeremiah knew this compulsion as well, “His
word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my
bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not
stay” (Jer. 20:9). Paul likewise told Timothy (I Tim.
4:14): “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was
given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands
of the presbytery.” This and other verses demonstrate
the call and its confirmation by
others.
But may we take this
truth one step further. Harry Ironside recounts this
incident:
A simple cobbler was
being introduced to a rather dignified clergyman, and
when the cobbler said, “I didn’t get your name,” the
clergyman replied, “The Reverend Doctor Blank, by the
will of God.” The cobbler said, “And I am John Doe,
cobbler by the will of God; and I am glad to meet you,
sir.” 3
The
point is an important one. Whatever we are and
wherever we are, we must recognize it as
by
God the will of God. As Paul says a few verses later, God “worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will: That we
should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted
in Christ” (vs. 11-12). And as he writes later, “I
therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye
walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called”
(4:1). As I shared this thought with the folks in my
church, I encouraged them with the fact that if you are
a rancher it is by the will of God; if you are a doctor,
it is by the will of God; if you are a lawyer, it is by
the will of God; if you are a soldier it is by the will
of God; if you are a miner, it is by the will of God; if
you are a homemaker, it is by the will of God. In short,
whatever you are, it is by the will of
God. It is that, therefore, that
you are committed to, and it is from that position that
you serve the Lord.
II. THE TWOFOLD
DESCRIPTION OF BELIEVERS (v.
1b)
to the saints which are at
Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ
Jesus:
What does it mean to be a
Christian? Many today profess to be Christians, but many
are not. There are also many definitions of “Christian”
in our day. Paul here gives two very specific
descriptions of a true believer. This is, as Martyn
Lloyd-Jones puts it, “The irreducible minimum of what
constitutes a Christian.”4
A CHRISTIAN
IS A “SAINT”
How this
word has been perverted! Warren Wiersbe is correct when
he writes, “No word in the New Testament has
suffered more than this word saint. Even the
dictionary defines a saint as
a ‘person officially recognized for holiness of
life.’”
In secular
Greek the word hagios
(saints) meant “to stand in
awe of or be devoted to the gods.” This word came right
out of pagan Greek religion, but Paul had to use it
since there was no other word to use. So, the word was
originally used of a person who was devoted to a god.
One such as this was looked upon as a “holy one” or a
“holy man.”
This is precisely what we
see in Roman Catholicism, which also is rooted in
ancient pagan religion. To become “a saint,” according
to Catholic doctrine,5 one first has to
die. The person is then nominated for the position,
after which one or more “judicial inquiries” take place,
where the nominating advocate pleads the virtues of the
nominee and gives proof of his or her worthiness. One
such proof is that the nominee had to be responsible for
at least two (and in some cases as many as four)
miracles. Then his life is examined to see if it was
“holy enough to be officially recognized by
canonization.” But all this flies in the face of
Scripture and denies a fundamental principal of being a
Christian.
Paul, by the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, lifted the word
hagios to a
new level of meaning: “to set apart or be separate.” The
same word is also translated “holy” and
“sanctification.” Here is the contrast: Roman
Catholicism says a saint is dead;
God says a saint is alive.
Being a saint is not a matter of achievement
or performance; it is a matter of
position. It’s not based on what we have
done, but what we are in Christ. It is not
dependant upon our works, but upon His
grace.
Reformer John Calvin
knew this first hand and wrote, “No man, therefore, is a
believer who is not also a saint; and, on the other
hand, no man is a saint who is not a
believer.”6 Likewise, Greek authority W. E.
Vine writes, “In the plural, as used of believers, it
designates all such and is not applied merely to persons
of exceptional holiness, or to those who, having died,
were characterized by exceptional acts of
saintliness.”7 In fact, Paul refers to
believers as saints
nine times in Ephesians (1:1, 15, 18; 2:19; 3:8, 18:
4:12; 5:3; 6:18). These were ordinary Christians who
were all declared to be saints. Every
Christian, every individual who has trusted
Christ as Savior and Lord is a saint because he has been
“set apart”
from sin and unto God.
Both of these realities are involved in this
“setting apart” and both are the result of being in
Christ.
We can probably
assume that saint was Paul’s
favorite term for the Christian since he used it some 42
times in his Epistles. How he loved that word! He loved
saying, “Every one of you who have trust Christ as
Savior and Lord is a saint, one who has been set apart.”
Think of it in this
way: You cannot be a Christian without being a saint,
and you cannot be a saint without being separate from
the world. Many profess to be
Christians, but they habitually live in and of this
world. This does not mean that every professing
Christian that falls into sin is lost. But this does
mean that a Christian cannot habitually live by the
actions and attitudes of the world. Why? Because he or
she is a saint, a set apart one. A saint is not an
ascetic who wears robes and lives in a monastery. A
saint is one who has been set apart and one who acts
like it.
We can also
put it this way: We are not saints because we are
saintly; we are saintly because we are
saints. Many Christians try to “be holy” by
legalism; they keep a list of “do’s and don’ts” and call
this “spirituality.” This is backwards. What we do
or don’t do does not make us spiritual (which is exactly
what Roman Catholicism and legalistic Christianity
teaches). We are first spiritual in attitude,
which is then evident in the spiritual
actions.
One commentator provides
us with an excellent practical challenge
here:
It [would be] better
therefore that Protestants avoid calling Paul and John
Saint Paul and Saint John. One does still better to
avoid the terms Saint Augustine or Saint Thomas
[Aquinas]. If you wish to use titles, let us say the
Apostle John and the Apostle Paul. As for the other two,
the bare names Augustine and Thomas Aquinas will do. No
doubt all four were saints in the New Testament sense,
but the use of this appellation carries the connotation
that Jonathan Edwards, Dwight L. Moody, and Bill Smith
of Podunk were not saints.
8
He’s right. What a
blessing to know that Bill Smith of Podunk is just as
much a saint as was the Apostle Paul.
So, the first thing that
being a Christian means is that we are saints.
We live a life that is holy because of our position of
being in Christ. The greatest evidences of true
conversion are holiness of life (Eph. 4:24; I Thess.
4:17; etc.) and obedience to God’s Word (Jn. 14:15, 23;
I Jn. 2:1-5). Those who do neither are not saints.
In our day of tolerance and generalization, words,
definitions, and terminology have grown unimportant to
many people. May this challenge us to exactness in our
language. And a case in point is that when God speaks of
saints,
He speaks of all true believers.
A CHRISTIAN
IS A “BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST”
An important
grammatical point here is that in the Greek there is
only one article (the) before
saints and
faithful. Literally, it reads, “To the saints who are at
Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus.” The importance of
this is that the single article connects the two
designations saints and
faithful. They are one in the
same.
The phrase [the]
faithful in Christ Jesus
actually involves two things according to the Greek.
First, the primary meaning is “exercising faith.” This
is the act of putting our faith and trust “in Christ”
for salvation. This is the primary meaning of the Greek
word pistos. In other words, Paul calls the
recipients of this letter “believers.” Just as they were
not saints because they lived saintly
lives, neither were they believers because they
lived faithful lives. Rather
the opposite was true: they lived saintly lives because
they were saints by position, and they lived faithful
lives because they had truly believed. This leads to the
second principle.
Second, not only
does pistos mean “trusting,” but it also means
“trustworthy.” Not only has a Christian put his
faith in Christ, but he is now one who is trustworthy,
consistent, constant, reliable, and faithful. God not
only demands faith; He also demands
fidelity.
There is a great lack of faithfulness in Christianity
today, faithfulness to the Word of God, the house of
God, and service for God. We better take a look at our
profession
and see if it is true possession.
The true saint, the true believer, will
remain faithful. True faith
is evidenced by practice.
It’s vitally
important that we also note the phrase in
Christ Jesus. As we saw
in the “Introduction,” this is one of the key phrases in
Ephesians. It, along with the phrase “in Him,” occurs
twelve times. Further, so important is it that
Paul uses it some 160 times in all his letters. The
significance of this phrase is
twofold.
First, it
definitively defines what the object of faith must be.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only object of saving
faith. In our day, the word “faith” is used in a
virtually meaningless way. Faith is made to be it’s
own object. Thus we get the whole popular concept of “my
faith,” or “my faith helped me,” or “I have faith in
faith,” or “I was so troubled that I lost my faith.” The
problem with all these is that faith is made to be its
own object. This is not only poor grammar, but it’s also
ridiculous. What’s the point in saying “I drove” unless
we say, “I drove my car.” “Drive” is the verb—“car” is
the object. Likewise, faith is a verb, so without an
object, the entire concept is
incomplete.
So, any definition of
faith is incomplete without a consideration of its
object. In contrast to today’s “faith in faith,” saving
faith has as its object Christ
Jesus. While some people do go beyond “faith in
faith” and put their faith in other things (money, fame,
etc.), the only sure object is Jesus Christ.
The relationship of
faith to Jesus Christ is expressed in the New Testament
by various Greek prepositions. Acts 16:31 uses the
preposition epi, which
suggests resting on a foundation. In Acts 20:21, eis is used,
with the meaning of “to find a dwelling place in,” “to
go into,” “to abide in,” or “to find a home.” Here in
our text the word in
translates en and has the connotation of
“coming to a place of security and anchor.” So, with
Christ as its object, our faith is as secure as a house
on a solid foundation, or a boat safely at
anchor.
Charles Spurgeon illustrated the
importance of faith’s object by telling of two men in a
boat. Caught in severe rapids, they were being swept
toward a waterfall. Some men on shore tried to save them
by throwing them a rope. One man caught hold of it and
was pulled to safety on the shore. The other, in the
panic of the moment, grabbed hold of what looked to be a
more substantial object, a log that was floating by.
That man was carried downstream, over the rapids, and
was never seen again. Faith, represented by the rope
linked to the shore, connects us to Jesus Christ and
safety. Good works apart from true faith, represented in
the story by the log, leads only to ruin. So many are
like that. They look to their works and think them more
substantial than “just faith in
Christ.”
Second, the
phrase in Christ speaks of
being joined to Christ in a spiritual union. This means
we are joined to Him, united with Him, and belong to
Him. Since we are physically minded, this concept is
hard for us to comprehend. Paul, therefore, illustrated
this concept in several ways in his letters.
In I Corinthians 12:12-27,
for example, we read about the body of Christ. In verse
27, he declares, “Now ye are the body of Christ, and
members in particular.” Right here in Ephesians he says
the same thing:
“Speaking the truth in
love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined
together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love” (4:15-16).
So
the idea is the union of the head (Christ) with all the
other members (believers) in one living
organism.
Paul also pictures this
union through the marriage relationship in Ephesians
5:22-33. In the same way that the wife lovingly submits
to her husband because he is the head of the marriage,
the believer lovingly submits to Christ because he is
the head of the Church.
Paul also speaks of this
union in I Corinthians 15:22: “For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (also Rom.
5). Adam was more than just the first man; he was also
the representative of the entire human race. Likewise,
every person was with him in the Garden of Eden. When he
sinned, we sinned. But as believers, we are now alive in
Christ. Likewise, as we’ll see in Ephesians 2:6, God
“hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Because Christ is
already in glory, and because we are in Him, we too are
already in glory. Only the body awaits redemption (Rom
8:23).
Without doubt Paul got
this principle from the Lord Jesus Himself. In John
15:1-17, Jesus described this union as a Vine and
branches. In verses 4 and 5 we read,
“Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in
me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth
in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:
for without me ye can do nothing.”
The
branches can neither bear fruit nor even live without
the Vine. Therefore, our very life comes from Christ. We
truly are part of Him.
What does this mean
in practice? Is this just some mystical concept that has
no practical purpose? Ponder at least four practical
applications of what it means to be in
Christ.
First, being
“in Christ” means that we are not self-sufficient but
dependent upon Him. As in the analogy of the Vine and
branches, we are absolutely dependent upon Christ as the
branches are dependant upon the Vine. The old adage “God
only helps those who help themselves” is not a Biblical
concept. Yes, the idea behind it—that one must not be
lazy and must get up and do something—is admirable, but
the idea that man can help himself is wrong. We are
totally helpless in ourselves. We are totally dependant
upon God. He empowers us to do all things in
Christ.
In our day, man is the
measure of all things. We see it everywhere. Man is
self-sufficient, self-directed, self-motivated, and
self-centered. All we hear today is man’s self-esteem
and self-worth. But God says something a little
different. II Corinthians 3:4-5 declare:
And such trust have we
through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our
sufficiency is of God.
Paul declares here
that he is nothing in himself, that he was insufficient
for anything, whether it be ministry or personal living.
He says that his “sufficiency” is God alone. The Greek
for “sufficiency” is hikanos, which speaks of
something being adequate, or large enough. It’s used in
Matthew 3:11, where John the Baptist declares, “He that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not
worthy to bear.” In the same way, the Centurion
in Capernaum “sent friends to him, saying unto him,
Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy
that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore
neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my
servant shall be healed” (Lk. 7:6-7). How we need this
kind of humility and dependency in our day instead of
the self-elevating philosophies that have captured the
Church.
Here in Ephesians, Paul
later writes: “My brethren, be strong in the Lord, and
in the power of his might” (6:10). To the Philippians he
writes that well-known promise, “I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Isaiah the
prophet likewise challenged God’s people:
“He giveth power to the
faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth
strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and
the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait
upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not
be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”
(40:29-31).
Not only are these
verses a promise, but they are also a challenge. May we
stop trying to be sufficient in ourselves. Strength
awaits us in Christ alone. Instead of self-sufficiency,
may we have a Christ-sufficiency. Instead of
self-direction, may we seek a Christ-direction. Instead
of self-motivation, may we have a Christ-motivation.
Instead of being self-centered, may we be
Christ-centered. Instead of having high self-esteem, may
we have high Christ-esteem. To be in
Christ means that only He is
sufficient.
Second, being
in Christ means that our
assurance is in Him. A hallmark of cults and other false
teaching is the total rejection of security. True
Biblical Christianity is the only faith that teaches
assurance of salvation beyond any doubt or question.
Every other religious system teaches an uncertainty
about eternal destiny. The reason is that only Biblical
Christianity teaches that salvation has nothing to do
with us, nothing to do with our works, but lies only in
Christ alone and what He finished on the cross. We will
see this in great detail as we continue our study of
grace here in Ephesians.
Third, being
in Christ means that our
satisfaction is in Him. As Paul told the Philippians,
“Not that I speak in
respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state
I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be
abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all
things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry,
both to abound and to suffer need. But my God shall
supply all your need according to his riches in glory by
Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:11-13).
To be in
Christ means that He will meet
our needs and that we are satisfied and content with
that which He gives.
Preacher Alister Maclean
tells of a lady in the West Highlands who lived a hard
life, yet one of perpetual serenity. When asked the
secret of it, she answered: “My secret is to sail the
seas, and always to keep my heart in port.”9
May we always remember that wherever we are, we are
still in Christ.
Fourth, being
in Christ means that our
authority is in Him. Because He is everything to us, His
authority controls us, and it is through His Word that
He accomplishes that. It is upon His Word alone that we
stand.
III. THE TWOFOLD
DESIGNATION OF BLESSING TO
BELIEVERS (v.2a)
Grace be to you, and
peace,
As one commentator
astutely remarks, “The apostolic salutation is cordial
and comprehensive.”10 How right he is. Verse
2 presents the two greatest, most comprehensive
blessings believers possess. Oh, how great and numerous
are the blessings from God to the believer! But the
greatest of all are grace and
peace. Let us look briefly at
each and then correlate the two.
GRACE
As we observed in the
“Introduction,” grace
is used twelve times in Ephesians and stands out as the
key word in the Epistle. It is an amazing fact that
grace is spoken of more in Ephesians than in any other
New Testament book, even more than in Romans. Ephesians
has been described as “The Epistle of Grace” and rightly
so. It is a misunderstanding of grace that is at the
very root of all false doctrine concerning salvation.
All such teaching tries to mix grace with works, which
immediately negates grace. Ephesians details what grace
really means.
We will deal with
grace in much more detail in future studies, especially
those dealing with Ephesians 2:4-9. But in light of
the Greek word charis and its
use in the New Testament, we find the following
definition obvious:
The unmerited favour
of God toward man manifested primarily through the
person and work of Jesus Christ apart from any merit or
works of man.
Grace cannot be
earned or purchased; it can only be
received.
PEACE
The Greek here is
eirene which means “a state of tranquility; the
opposite of rage and war; harmony.” It is important that
we understand this word in light of the Hebrew word
shalom. This is a common Hebrew greeting which
means not so much the opposite of war but rather the
opposite of any disturbance in the tranquility of God’s
people. Paul in essence “borrows” the depth of the
Hebrew word and brings it into the Greek. So because we
are in
Christ, there is tranquility
between God and man. There are at least two correlations
to observe here.
First, the
order in Paul’s writings is always grace then
peace. Why? Because peace is always the result of
grace. To go one step further, one never finds peace
apart from grace in the doctrinal epistles. The reason
for this is that God does not give peace apart from
grace; neither can we know true peace without accepting
God’s grace through the person and work of Christ. May
we picture it this way: Peace is the stream that
flows from the fountain of grace.
Second, Paul
here couples greetings from the Greek and Hebrew
cultures. As we’ve seen, the Greek word is rooted
in Hebrew thought. This is truly amazing.
Grace is distinctly Greek in origin and
peace is distinctly Jewish.
But Paul brings them together in perfect balance. Could
a more meaningful Christian greeting ever be
found?
IV. THE TWOFOLD
DERIVATION OF THESE BLESSINGS
(v.2b)
from God our Father, and
from the Lord Jesus Christ.
From whom do these
blessings come?
GOD THE FATHER IS THE SOURCE OF BLESSING
Indeed God is sovereign;
He is holy, absolutely pure. But praise be to Him, He is
also a Father; He comes to us as a loving Father and
brings these blessings to us.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE
MEANS OF BLESSING
God had to have a medium
through whom He could bestow His grace and peace, and it
is through Christ that we receive the Father’s
blessings. May we really grasp this thought: Without
Christ we cannot receive grace and peace. Why? Because
Christ is the greatest manifestation of God’s grace. As
our earlier definition shows, grace is the
unmerited favor of God manifested primarily through
Christ. John 1:17 declares this truth: “For the law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ.” Sometimes we call the present dispensation “The
Dispensation of Grace.” This does not mean that it is
the only dispensation in which grace is evident. God’s
grace is always evident in any age, but the greatest
manifestation of God’s grace is Christ, and in this age
man’s salvation depends upon faith in Christ.
But we also note that He
is Lord.
While this title is used in Scripture in the sense of
master and as a honorary title, as in English (master or
sir), it goes deeper. As one commentator writes,
It is the
translation of Adonai, “supreme Lord,” an incommunicable
name of God and the substitute for Jehovah, a name the
Jews would not pronounce. It is in this sense that
Christ is the Lord, the Lord of lords, the Lord God—Lord
in that sense in which God alone can be Lord—having a
dominion of which divine perfection is the only adequate
or possible foundation . . . That is a confession which
implies the apprehension of the glory of God as it
shines in Christ.11
In our day Jesus as
Lord
is softened to mean just respect, but salvation has to
do with the Lordship of Christ. The so-called “Lordship
Salvation” controversy shouldn’t be a controversy at
all. The true believer knows Christ not only as Savior
but also as Lord.
All the truth in verses 1
and 2 sets the stage for what follows. As noted at the
beginning of this chapter, these verses are and
“overture” to this entire Epistle. Paul will return to
the themes presented here many times. His desire
throughout the Epistle is to help believers understand
and experience more fully all of the blessings granted
by their heavenly Father and His Son and their Savior,
Jesus Christ.
NOTES
1 Lloyd-Jones,
God’s Ultimate Purpose, p.
36.
2 Wuest (I
Timothy)
3 Ironside, p.
13.
4 Lloyd-Jones,
God’s Ultimate Purpose, p.
24.
5 Catholic
Encyclopedia.
6
Commentaries.
7 Expository
Dictionary.
8 Gordon Clark, p.
5.
9 Cited in
Barkley.
10 Eadie, p.
6.
11 Hodge,
Ephesians.
