Author: Paul
Date: About AD 60
Audience: Christians in the city of Ephesus and in nearby churches
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a well-loved book of the Bible that teaches believers some of the most important lessons of our faith, such as who we are in Christ, how we are to live as followers of Jesus, and how to gain victory in the spiritual battles we face.
Paul probably wrote this Epistle as a circular letter, which was addressed to the Christians in Ephesus but was also meant to be shared with surrounding churches.
Ephesus was a large, influential commercial city in modern-day Turkey. According to bibleandhistory.com, “In the New Testament era it was the fourth greatest city in the world.” Spiritually, this cosmopolitan city was the center of worship for the goddess Artemis. It was full of occult practices such as sorcery, astrology, fortune-telling, and perversion, including prostitution in the temple. Against this backdrop, we can understand why the Christians in Ephesus needed the strong teaching and encouragement Paul provided in this
letter.
Most likely, Paul wrote Ephesians about AD 60, during his two-year imprisonment in Rome. I have visited the prison where Paul was incarcerated, and I could see that his circumstances there must have been extremely hard. History tells us that the city sewer ran nearby, so we can assume that not only was the prison dark and uncomfortable, but it also smelled bad. In the midst of such hardships, Paul chose not to focus on the daily difficulties of his life but on helping other people by writing to his fellow believers to encourage them in their walk with God
Before we even begin looking at the text of Ephesians, we learn an important lesson as we think about Paul’s circumstances when he wrote it: no matter how difficult your life may be during certain seasons, remember to do all you can do to bless, help, and encourage others.
The entire letter of Ephesians is six chapters. Chapters 1-3 are about who we are in Christ, the amazing things Jesus has done for us, how much He loves us, and our relationship with God, and
chapters 4-6 are about how we are to behave as Christians. This sequence is very interesting because it reflects exactly what we should experience in our walk with God: first we become established in our personal relationship with God, and then we learn to grow in holiness- changing
A solid foundation.
Blessing
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Ephesians 1:1-3 (NKJV)
Loved, chosen, adopted, accepted.
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:4-6 (NKJV)
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
Ephesians 1:7-8 (NKJV)
A. Redemption: Apolutrosis
In every case the conception is the delivering of a man from a situation from which he was powerless to liberate himself or from a penalty which he himself could never have paid.
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- Forgiveness:aphesis forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty
- Grace: charis unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor and blessing.
- Abound: ; perisseuō to superabound (in quantity and quality), be in excess, be superfluous; different kinds of grace!
- Wisdom: Sophia the right application of knowledge.
- Prudence phronesis. Wisdom applied to practice.
Very often the classical writers contrast and compare sophia and phronesis. Philo says that sophia has got to do with the service of God; phonesis has got to do with the arrangement of human life,
Aristotle says that sophia has to do with the unchange-able things, whereas phronesis has to do with changeable things, with what is expedient in any given set of circumstances
It is Paul’s claim that Jesus brought us sophia, the intellectual knowledge which satisfies the mind, and phronests the practical knowledge which enables us to handle the day to day problems of practical life and living.
“Wisdom is that which makes men judge what are the best ends , and what the best means to attribute them, and gives man advantage of counsel; prudence is wisdom applied to practice, or that discreet, apt suiting of both actions and words, in their due place, time, and manner.”
Five expressions of Grace.
Saving Grace (righteousness)
Sanctifying Grace (holiness)
Strengthening Grace
Sharing Grace
Serving Grace
Sanctifying Grace.
The Process of Gods power and ability to purify us and enable us to live holy lives in a corrupt world.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,”
Titus 2:11-12 (NKJV)
Teaching= child rearing (present active participle)
God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.
Titus 2:11-14 (MSG)
Strengthening Grace
Gods power and ability to energize us to reign over the challenges of life.
For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:17 (NKJV)
Sharing Grace
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
II Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV)
Serving grace
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
I Peter 4:10 (NKJV)
Manifold -many colored.
• Saving grace keeps us from being lost.
• Sanctifying grace keeps us from being contaminated.
• Strengthening grace keeps us from being defeated.
• Sharing grace keeps us from lack and selfishness.
• Serving grace keeps us from being unproductive.