A Daily Bible Study in 7-Day Sections with a Summary-Commentary, Discussion Questions, and Daily Application
According to one chronological list of New Testament book Ephesians appears after Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, James, Galatians, Thessalonians, Corinthians, Romans, Philemon, and Colossians and prior to 1Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, Hebrews, 2 Timothy, Jude, 2, Peter, 1-3 John, and Revelation.
This is relevant because prior to the church in Ephesus receiving Paul’s letter there was significant awareness of texts preceding Ephesians, texts circulated by taking advantage of the Roman mails and traveling routes, and frequently passed from church (a gathering of Believers) to church and read aloud. The texts following Ephesians, yet to be authored and distributed, were built upon Old Testament prophesies and those of Jesus while in the flesh.
According to many Biblical scholars, the book of Ephesians appears not to have been uniquely written to the church in Ephesus. Ephesians gained it’s identification with Ephesus because theirs is believed to be the first church to receive this letter and because there were multiple copies found there (which indicates the intent of the church in Ephesus to distribute the letter). Regardless, the intended audience is clearly that of all believers everywhere.
Understanding some key definitions in the Bible helps in understanding the book of Ephesians:
Understanding key descriptive Biblical names and terms helps to understand Ephesians:
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Ephesians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
Salutation
1:1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus. 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Lord, Your Word affirms itself, clarifying important concepts, reminding us of the reality of and reason for Your Gospel. May I never forget that You are the Lord God, that You call me a “saint” because You have redeemed me and will make me holy prior to Heaven, and that I owe it all to You.
In the first chapter of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reminded the Church of the glory and promises of God and what that means to all Believers
Paul began by identifying himself as an “apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” then reminded his readers that they also are “saints ... the faithful” through the same blessing of God. [Note: His readers would have known the story of how Paul was converted from a destroyer of Christians to their most zealous advocate (Acts 9:-18), so the model of turning away from one belief system and accepting a new one unconditionally was not entirely new to them.]
Paul communicated a couple of interesting points that are easily overlooked; when he wrote “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
He intentionally wrote “grace” to remind the believers that they were no longer under the law as to eternal judgment and “peace” in order to clarify further that the war between their former rebellious selves and the Holy God is over.
Paul also added “... and the Lord Jesus Christ” in an apparent reminder of our subjection and debt to Jesus to make the “Grace and peace” possible.
The Lord God’s incredible gift—the truth that accepting God’s grace in the places of our lives where we’d be most ashamed to have Jesus in-the-flesh present is a first step to understanding grace—He already knows, and although we must never imagine that He endorses our sin, grace means that He still loves us!
How do we meet the challenge of living here in our still-fallen flesh, assured of Heaven with bodies and minds made pure, yet struggling daily to press away the things that would drag us down?
The Lord God’s love-name for us is “saints”, because we have chosen to be among the faithful, trusting His truth, and surrendering to His perfectly-loving Lordship.
What is one example of the chasm of the person you were before Christ and the person you are now?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of one specific example where knowing that His truth empowered you to resist a former pattern of cycling down into depression or escalating up to worse sin—choosing instead confession, repentance (turning away), forgiveness, and restoration—freedom!
Today I will I will share with a fellow believer the amazing freedom that comes from knowing that despite my imperfections in the flesh I am loved by God and guaranteed freedom from imperfection and sin for eternity with Him in Heaven.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
1:3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.
1:4 For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.
1:5 He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will—1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.
Lord, You promised Adam and Eve, and later Abraham, that You would send a redeemer. You said that the Redeemer would make salvation possible for everyone. You taught through the Law that Your standard was a high one—absolute surrender—and Jesus taught that salvation through grace was an offered-gift to those who chose to accept it. May I never imagine that I have earned my salvation, nor that it has been imposed-upon me [there is no Biblical teaching that anyone is “born saved”], but that You reveal Yourself to every member of humankind and each must make an eternal choice.
God blesses us by predestining (creating the conditions for) all who surrender this world and who accept the gift of Heaven through Christ—to an eternity freed from imperfection and restoration to the Edenic condition.
Paul emphasized that our standing before God in an “unblemished” state is a result of His loving provision through Christ whose sacrifice for us removed our imperfections.
He walk his readers through the following steps of understanding (first part):
vs. 1:4 He (the Lord God) chose us based on a pre-established set of conditions, “...in Christ”.
vs. 1:5 He (the Lord God) predestined us to adoption as His (God’s) “sons”—if we meet the conditions referenced in 1:4. [Note: This is more than legal standing as in His (God’s) family but would have been understood to mean for both male and female alike the full rights of a loved child and one who benefits from all of the blessings and rights thereof.]
Notes:
Fellowship between God and man is not described here, nor even in pre-Fall Eden (Gen. 1-3), all that is described is the provision of a redeemer and the boundaries for redemption set by Him.
Even as some New Testament texts address fellowship between God and man (e.g. 1 Cor. 1:9, 1 John 1:3) it is moreso of our fellowship with Christ via His provision of salvation and therefore certainty of joining Him in Heaven.
Even Eph. 1:5 where Paul described our status as “inheritors” he still did not mention affection or casual fellowship between man and God in Heaven.
When we look for a sense of how God loves us, and the intimacy which He seeks, we must look elsewhere—in the Word for “Father” used in the “Abba” (daddy) context rather than here in the ‘God the keeper of order’ context.
We will also want to look at the fellowship between Jesus and God the Father because we inherit that relationship through Jesus as our promised and fulfilled Christ.
The traditional interpretation of Gen. 3:8 is post-sin and pre-curse, but Adam and Eve are already in a state of rebellion and their standing before God has changed. Instead of implying a friendly “walking together in the cool of the day” this verse appears to describe the highly- offended Lord God looking to Adam and Eve like an approaching storm (something new to them but what we recognize in this fallen world) from where they were hiding.
It was God’s pleasure to create a way to overcome “the sin of Adam” through the work of Jesus the Christ. Because the cost of creating “a way home” to Heaven for us was impossible through “works” He paid the price for us and only asks that we reject the things of this world-in- rebellion and surrender eternal allegiance (our free will) to our Lord the Perfect One, Jesus.
Why is a clear understanding of the “steps” or “elements” of “predestination” so important?
First, He created the conditions for all who surrender this world and who accept the gift of Heaven through Christ,
Then, Second, He granted us adoption as His (God’s) “sons”, all of the blessings and rights as “family” in Christ.
Our standing before God in an “unblemished” state is a result of His loving provision through Jesus the Christ whose sacrifice for us removed our imperfections.
When have you heard “predestination” described? Compare and contrast that with the Word of God.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you one unsaved person for whom He would like you to pray.
Today I will pray for the person He has revealed to me and, if I have to earned the opportunity to do so, I will tell them about the incredible gift of Heaven through Jesus.
1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
1:8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.
1:9 He did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,
1:10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ—the things in heaven and the things on earth.
1:11 In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will
Lord, You provided the way of freedom for us in Christ, and You provided us Your Gospel so that we would understand. May I receive Your gift of “all wisdom and insight” with a teachable heart.
We have eternal redemption and daily forgiveness, as promised by God (Gen. 3:15), and because of the propitiation of Christ.
[Note: Propitiation is theologian’s shorthand for the work of Christ on the Cross where He, the only God-man, One without sin, took upon Himself our sin and through His sacrifice of death and His miracle of resurrection destroyed the power of death-for-sin for all who accept His Lordship.]
Paul refers to “the secret” of Christ, His salvation available to all and not only the Jew, and His plan to rescue man through Christ.
[Note: The coming of a Messiah was not a secret, the Messiah is prophesied at the Fall (Gen. 3:15) in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:1-3), John 3:56 observes that “Abraham rejoiced for the day Messiah would come” the unique individual “one seed” (Gen. 13:15; 22:18, Gal. 3:16), “... until Shiloh comes” (Gen. 49:10-12), the sacrificial system was temporary (Rom. 3:25), the serpent of Numbers 21 is identified in John 3:14; 12:32 as an image of the Messiah, Moses is a type of Messiah (Deut. 18:15), in the Book of Ruth the kinsman redeemer/guardian is a type of Messiah (Ruth 4:14, Psa. 78:35, Deut. 25:5-10), in 1 Sam. 8:4-5 Israel is too obsessed with other nations and mis-applies Messiah as the demand a human king—a failure of understanding that followed them all of the way to time of Jesus, in 2 Sam. 7:11b-16 Messiah is clarified/restated, Messiah is often described generationally and rhetorically as “the son of David (Luke 1:32l 2:4; 18:38), all of the following describe the coming Messiah (Isa. 7:14-16; 9:6-7; 11:1-5; 49:5-7; 52, 53, Dan. 7:13-14, Zech. 3:8; 9:9, Mal. 3:1), “Out of Egypt I called My son,” -- Hos. 11:1 is misunderstood if taken to mean that the Messiah was an Egyptian. “called out” does not necessarily mean that He was an Egyptian but that He was a decendent of those called out of bondage—or that He fled persecution to Egypt (Mary & Joseph took him as a baby) then was “called out” to return home to grow up and do His work—Matthew (2:15) clarifies this, and finally one Bible scholar provided the following Messiah excerpts from Psalms:
Psalm 2 speaks of the Messiah as the One whom God will install as His King over Israel (v. 7). Messiah will be given the nations as His inheritance, and He will rule over those who seek to oppose Him (vss. 1-3, 8-9). The nations are thus urged to worship God now, or face the wrath of His coming King. In contrast, Psalm 22 portrays the suffering of Messiah on the cross of Calvary. It begins with the words which our Lord quoted upon the cross, “My God, my God, why has Thou forsaken me?” thus identifying the Savior with the One whose sufferings are described in this Psalm.
Psalm 45 is written for the celebration of the king’s marriage. It therefore focuses on the splendor and majesty of the coming King (vss. 3-6), and upon the fact that His throne is eternal (v. 6). The bride of the king loves righteousness and hates wickedness (the church?) and has been chosen by Him as His bride. The splendor and beauty of the bride is described as she has been prepared for her presentation to the King.
Psalm 72 depicts the reign of the Righteous King of Israel, who judges the people with righteousness and justice, and who vindicates the afflicted. He is the One who will answer the cries of the afflicted and will bring them deliverance.
Psalm 110 speaks of the installation of the Messiah at the right hand of God, who will rule over His enemies. Not only is He to rule as king, but He is also an eternal priest after the order of Melchizedek (v. 4). He will come to the earth to destroy His enemies.
“The Nestlé edition of the Greek NT lists “passages in bold which are direct quotations from the Old Testament.”
The list shows the NT as borrowing 224 separate passages from 103 different psalms, and with the same passages appearing in different places this gives a total of 280 psalm quotations in the NT. Approximately 50 of these deal with the sufferings, resurrection, ascension of Christ, and the spreading of the gospel to all nations.
The other quotations are more of a teaching or comforting nature.” Source:
http://www.ristosantala.com/rsla/OT/OT13.html]
Walking through the steps (second part):
1:9-10 He (the Lord God) made known to us His (God’s) will ... which He purposed in Him (God) ... with a view to the summing up of all things in Christ—this is the fulfillment of the promise of God after the Fall in the Garden (Gen. 3:15)
1:11 We are predestined according to His (God’s) purpose—when we meet the qualifications for predestination He (God) has a perfect plan for us (unlike the imperfect ones we invent every day) and upon our ‘qualification’ He initiates that plan.
Dealing with sin in our lives is a challenge, we are much better at cover-ups and denials than we are at confession and repentance and we lie to ourselves even better than we lie to others.
How does the clear linkage between the Old Testament Psalms, and the New Testament text that quotes from it, encourage your assurance of the integrity of God’s Word?
Thank the Lord God that through Jesus the Christ He took our punishment on the Cross, that He as God-man was resurrected from the formerly inescapable bonds of death, that He walked and taught His-story and His promise, and that He sent His apostles to teach and write it to the new church (believers) that we might have His Word today. Thank Him also for daily forgiveness.
When have you read something in the New Testament and realized that the writer was quoting from the OT?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a piece of His plan for your life.
Today I will praise the Lord God for His perfect plan for my life and I will humbly and trustingly follow where he leads.
1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.
1:13 And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,
1:14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
Lord, You saved us and although we are already with You in your timeless-reality, we remain here for a while as we endure the time-bound reality of creation. May I keep my eyes always on You so that I never forget that I no longer belong here but rather with You in Heaven.
We first set our hopes upon Christ when we “heard the Word of truth” and “believed in Christ.” Then we were “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.”
Walking through the steps (third part):
1:13a We hear the Word of God, HIS-story.
1:13b We choose to believe.
1:13c We are then saved.
1:13d We are given the indwelling Holy Spirit as Jesus promised (John 16)
There is a theological construct called “already, not yet”. This refers to the sovereign and unalterable declarations of God relative to His promises to His children; we are already seen as redeemed from the penalty of sin but we are not yet directly experiencing the fullness of the results of that redemption (Heaven), or as Jesus said to the repentant thief on the Cross “... today you will be with me in paradise”—Jesus was in the grave for three days and after His resurrection walked the earth for another forty, so, clearly he was speaking in the “already, not yet” linear time versus the timelessness of God and Heavenly/spiritual reality (Luke 23:39-43).
Thank God that the resurrected and glorified Jesus, Christ in the flesh, is our perfect hope and, like Him and because of Him, we also have been claimed by God as His! We first set our hopes upon Christ when we “heard the Word of truth” and “believed in Christ.” Then we were “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.”
The amazing, incredible, surreal fact is that you have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God! What are you doing as a result of that incomparable gift? Are we, the body of Christ, partnering with Him to heal and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually?
How does the concept of “already, not yet,” help you to understand the difference between a human perspective of time-bound events and that of an outside-of-time God?
The resurrected and glorified Jesus, Christ in the flesh, is our perfect hope and, like Him and because of Him, we also have been claimed by God as His! We first set our hopes upon Christ when we “heard the Word of truth” and “believed in Christ.” Then we were “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.”
Share an example of how the Holy Spirit of God, working from within you, caused you to be used by God in a meaningful and positive way.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how He wants to work in your life to heal and mature you.
Today I choose to prayerfully partner with Him in His work so that while I am “not yet” in my new perfected body in Heaven I am “already” worshiping Him with my life.
Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation
1:15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
1:16 I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you in my prayers.
Lord, You have given to us a right-model for obedient Biblical-Christian living. May I remember to reflect often upon this teaching, comparing and contrasting my walk with the guidance found here, and seeking to mature so that I may be-improved by Your Holy Spirit.
Paul stated his motivation for offering up prayers on the Saints behalf: “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.” Because they are Believers “in the Lord,” and because the witness of their lives as well as their words told HIStory, Paul celebrated with, “I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you in my prayers.”
Following the sequence:
They were believers in the Lord.
They “ultrafidian” went beyond faith and ...
... obediently loved one another.
... obediently shared the Good News (like the Thessalonians 1:7-10)
therefore, Paul remembered them to God in his prayers.
As you contemplate becoming an ultrafidian-Christian; do you find that exciting and scary at the same moment? Loving those sometimes hard-to-love brothers and sisters in Christ, even the one in the mirror right after doing something really dumb, can be an exciting challenge.
In what ways can we be ultrafidian-Christians and go beyond faith to obediently love one another and obediently share the Good News because the Holy Spirit of God dwells in every one of us?
We may call upon the Lord God Who honors us through the prayers of Apostles then and the intercession of Jesus in Heaven now.
When have you been an ultrafidian-Christian and done something in-faith that you never thought you could do?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a brother or sister whom you may encourage and one unsaved person you can tell about the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.
Today I am choosing to be an ultrafidian-Christian, loving my Christian brothers and sisters and obediently sharing the Good News every chance I get.
1:17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him,
1:18—since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened—so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
1:19 and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.
1:20 This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms 1:21 far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Lord, You are sovereign over life and death, even time itself. May I live in a proper awe of You Lord, an awe that produces an increased desire for growing spiritual maturity in my life.
Paul strongly encouraged his readers to seek after knowledge of the Lord God and prayed that He would bless their willingness to learn with “spiritual wisdom and revelation.”
Wisdom was an attribute spoken of frequently in the Old Testament: “With God are wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his” (Job 12:13); “Fearing the Lord is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7); “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding” (Prov. 2:6); “I will guide you in the way of wisdom and I will lead you in upright paths” (Prov. 4:11); “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Prov. 11:2). Reflecting on these verses, it is clear we should desire wisdom as much as God desires it for us.
“Revelation” may have more than one meaning. In 1 Corinthians 1:7 the context refers to ‘knowledge’: at one level certainty of the revelation of Christ’s return in His full glory (“so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”) and, at another level, to insight or the discernment of truth from lies.
Some take Paul’s use of “spiritual” to refer to a Charismatic gift or experiential event but there is nothing in the larger context to support such an interpretation.
In the use of “revelation” an apparent iconicity has been noted between our “being enlightened to know” compared to “the working of His strength and might.”
In Genesis, the gift of “revelation” is promised as “the hope of His calling” cf. “raised Him from the dead” declared as “glory of His inheritance” cf. “seated Him in the Heavenly places” described as “greatness of His power” cf. “far above all rule and authority and power”
It is not necessary for everyone to go to a Bible College or a seminary, some of those who have done so were not ready when they did, and others attended where they were taught bad doctrine; but somewhere—preferably in our fellowships, large or small—we all need to get more clued-in as to spiritual wisdom and revelation.
What are some examples of the value of wisdom, acquired through the indwelling Holy Spirit, to equip us to discern and reject the many deceptions that the Enemy brings against us?
How have you responded to the Lord God’s strong encouragement of us to seek after knowledge of Him, with the promise that He will bless our willingness to learn; specifically learning about spiritual wisdom and revelation.
When have you experienced or observed an example where knowledge of the Word of God and possession of discernment of the Holy Spirit equipped you to discern and reject a deception, or to assist another believer in so doing?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you an area of your knowledge of spiritual wisdom or revelation that wants you to explore.
Today I will invest more time in my knowledge of spiritual wisdom and revelation.
1:22 And God put all things under Christ’s feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things.
1:23 Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Lord, You have called us together in-You, and You have equipped us through Your Word. May I be faithful in encouraging fellowship that is centered upon You my Lord God.
Paul reminded the church that everything, and every Believer, is “under Christ’s feet” and that “the church is his body”.
With “God put all things under Christ’s feet” Paul penned an interesting parallel to Psalm 8, where David praised the Lord God for giving His Creation to man. Adam and Eve rebelled, everything and everybody created was cursed because of them, and consequently Satan became the ruler or prince of the fallen world (see John 16:11). Yet we read in Daniel 12:1, “Michael the great prince [a type of Jesus the Christ] who protects your people will arise.”
Then Paul wrote, “He gave him to the church as head over all things.” [All Believers must choose to be, as they inherently are already, eternally submitted to Christ, as will also be “the new heaven and new earth” (Rev. 21:1).]
“Now the church is his body” reminds us that Believers, wherever they are, are a spiritual extension, or physical representation, on earth of Christ and that every member is obligated to Him for their salvation and therefore owes Him a love-debt of service.
Paul then declared how great is the reach of the presence of Christ, “the fullness of him who fills all in all.” He reminded his readers again that He is God, that He holds together all of creation (see Col. 1:15), and that He as the Holy Spirit is in every believer.
The Lord God is not pleased with careless Christians who attend a fellowship out of guilt or social obligation or superstition, or for entertainment or business or social networking. Believers must get serious about being teachable, about setting new God-directed priorities, and about making choices that are more intentionally-Biblical.
What is an illustration of “submission to Christ” in such a way as to provide a “container” of love and value within which we live, and a sense of protection and purpose, as He is our One true and perfect King.
The wonderful truth that Jesus is in charge and not mere humans, that “The Church” (Believers) report to Him and not to mere man, and the true “Church” is His earthly expression through us through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and that every member has the privilege of giving back to Him a love-debt of service.
When have you made a decision about a fellowship, or a level of participation in that fellowship, that was not based on your own discipleship, serving others, or shared worship but was instead due to some lesser flesh-motivated purpose: seeking clients, seeking a mate, seeking access to someone with money or power or prestige, seeking entertainment, seeking recognition, or other purpose. How did God show you your error? Or is He challenging your your heart-motivation right now?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something in your calendar and/or checkbook that He wants you to submit more-intentionally to His priorities.
Today I will partner with His Holy Spirit in becoming more teachable in heart and in mind and I will be a more intentional member of the community of believers which is His Church.
Additional Resources: “Messiah” http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=660 {1}
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Ephesians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
The Apostle Paul, having reminded his readers of the glory and promises of God, as well as our need for His grace and provision, moves on to our new standing before God, both as individuals and, corporately, as a family of Believers.
When the daily challenges of life confront us, our fleshy nature tends to move us to anger or depression in response to fear.
In books and movies like Harry Potter, young people turn to witchcraft for magical powers. In the crass movie Wanted a young man, trapped in what he sees as a dead-end job as an “account manager” under the tyrannical supervision of an arbitrary and demanding boss, invents a persona of rebellion and re-creates the story of his life. In his fantasy he is the heir to the “magical” powers of his murdered father, is recruited by an organization supposedly directed by fate to execute bad people, is befriended by a beautiful and deadly woman, endures severe injuries as part of his training, is “magically” cured, and goes on to be the hero of the story. He then returns to his job, where he righteously exacts revenge on all who “deserve it.”
Which of us has not dreamed of such glorious “get-evens”? Of what are we afraid: Failure, pain, insignificance? In what or whom shall we trust: Government, magic, money, power, God?
In Wanted the gang of mercenaries is presented as a family with a home that looked like a castle. Each had power, privilege, and purpose. They were never alone, backed up one another, were provided with the best of everything, and acted in ways designed to change the world.
Are we not who we are as a result of Whose we are? Do we not therefore have exceptional power, privilege, and purpose? And are we ever really alone? Do we back up one another? Are we provided with what we truly need? Do we act in ways that change our world?
New Life Individually
2:1 And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2:2 in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience,
2:3 among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest…
Lord, You have offered us rescue from destruction, because the enemies deception constantly leads humankind into sin. May I be careful to test every influence to be certain that it if of-You and not of-the enemy.
Who we were is no longer who we are “in Christ”.
Paul began by setting up the context “... you were dead in your transgressions and sins ...”, the he paused a moment to let that sink in.
Paul continued with a checklist of their circumstances:
1. “... in which you formally [or previously] lived ...”
2. “... according to this world’s present path ...”
3. “... according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air ...” [Air is created, Satan temporarily rules due to the Fall.]
4. “... according to the ruler of the spirit ...” [Pre-salvation our spirit is accessible by Satan.]
5. “... that is now energizing the sons of disobedience ...” [From Adam and Eve on, all are sons—and daughters—of disobedience absent salvation.]
6. “... among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives ...”
7. “... in the cravings of our flesh ...”
8. “... indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind ...”
9. “... and were by nature children of wrath ...” [God’s wrath for rebellion against Him.]
10. “... even as the rest ...”
The nature of our pre-salvation selves was, eternally-spiritually dead.
How enlightening is it for you to personalize the checklist of Paul with your life story?
What are some obvious evidences of evil in modern society as listed by Paul?
When have you been confronted by an unsaved person who is unwittingly enslaved as Paul described?
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the opportunity to gently show these verses to an unsaved person whose respect and trust you have previously earned.
Today I will share as the Holy Spirit guides and ask if the person sees any parallels between their lives and what Paul described. I will do so humbly and respectfully, I will not condemn or pressure them, I will merely engage a conversation and allow the Holy Spirit to be in control.
2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us,
2:5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!—
2:6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 2:7 to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God;
2:9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.
Lord, You provided for our salvation even when not one was fit to be saved, and You ask for nothing but surrender-through-faith in return.
We are “saved by grace” because we could never have been saved through Works alone. The Lord God “sees” us through eyes of grace—the eyes of Jesus Christ.
Paul continued his explanation of how and why God has acted to redeem us:
The amazing truth that the Lord God chooses to love us and chooses to show His love through the gift of grace that is our salvation.
What does each element of Paul’s summary mean to you? Can you recall a parallel passage elsewhere in the Bible?
“Works” cannot earn salvation, salvation was only made possible by the gift of God and may only be received by accepting the Lordship of Christ—surrendering everything else, the entire world and our free will.
How did the absence of a demand for works-righteousness, by the Lord God, help to lead you to choose to surrender in faith?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone whom He has prepared to heat His Gospel.
Today I will share the truths of these verses with someone “considering Christ” and/or with a fellow believer who would be blessed and encouraged to revisit their salvation.
2:10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.
Lord, You rescued us from the eternal spiritual junkyard to which we were condenmed by our first ancestors, Adam and Eve. May we, as believers, celebrate Your rescue through lives sold-out to You.
God has a purpose and a plan for each of us: We are to “partner” with Him and invite Him to do whatever He has to do to shape us into useful servants of His perfect will.
“For we are His workmanship ...” [God does not make anything imperfect—Adam and Eve made us into junk—Jesus will restore us to “design specs” in Heaven. Rom 5:15]
“... having been created in Christ Jesus ...” [Or, re-created, “made new”. 1Cor. 15:22]
“... for good works ...” [This is post-salvation.]
“... that God prepared beforehand ...” [He wanted Adam & Eve to stay clean and do this.
Rom. 5:12]
“... so that we may do them.” [We are allowed to choose to serve God well or poorly.]
Despite the failure of Adam & Eve the Lord God provided a way that we might return to what He had planned for them before the Fall and to begin-again that relationship, this time “farming” and “fishing” for a spiritual harvest and catch.
What are some teachings elsewhere in the Bible as to what “works” God expects of His children? (Hint: Fruits of the spirit, telling His-story, loving fellow believers, using our gifts fully.)
There has been an amazing change in you before and after salvation, how your self-image was transformed (or should have been) from a slave to the world to a child of God in a love-relationship with the Creator-God of everything.
What is an example of serving the Lord God through good works, as a believer, in your life?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone whom He has led to ‘consider-Christ’.
Today I will tell someone who is “considering Christ” my story of before and after salvation. I will not pressure them to make any sort of decision but will pray for them to choose Christ.
New Life Corporately
2:11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh—who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” that is performed on the body by human hands—
2:12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Lord, You have made Your redemption of humankind available to anyone who surrenders to the Lordship of Christ, regardless of age, gender, national origin, or race. May I remember to refuse to treat people differently based on anything—other than the only thing that matters—their relationship with You.
We have now become “aliens” in this fallen world, whose prince is Satan. We are instead guaranteed eternal citizenship in Heaven with our Lord and King!
Paul began by speaking to the Gentiles, reminding them that they lacked the Jewish hope of a Messiah, and were labeled “uncircumcised” by those who associated ritual circumcision with works-salvation.
Paul then reminded them that they also were strangers to the knowledge of God, something the Jews did possess.
The Paul concluded that although they had been “far away” they “... had now been brought near by the blood of Christ” and were “in Christ Jesus”—peers with all believers, Jew and Gentile alike.
The double-gift of Christ to Gentiles, they (mostly “we”), not only gained the knowledge that a Messiah was needed and was coming, but the knowledge that He has come and He welcomes us now to His salvation-party as an honored guest—if we will but come in faith.
What are some ways that you were clueless and hopeless, in your life, as a result of unawareness of the promise of a Messiah?
What impact does the meaning of the Biblical phrases “brought near by the blood of Christ” and “in Christ Jesus” have upon you?
How would you explain the Biblical phrases “brought near by the blood of Christ” and “in Christ Jesus” with someone to whom they would be very foreign expressions and perhaps even unpleasant expressions?
Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to a Biblically-accurate but less religious-sounding explanation of the Biblical phrases “brought near by the blood of Christ” and “in Christ Jesus”.
Today I will share my less “religious-sounding” explanation with someone who has not yet chosen Christ. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me for wisdom and will share with that prayer-partner the outcome of my sharing.
2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility,
2:15 when he nullified in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees.
He did this to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace,
2:16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed.
Lord, You chose in the Garden of Eden to make a way to reconcile Your creation to you—and despite our continued rebellion even since You have never waivered. May I be more like You every day, resolute in placing You first, resolved to draw nearer to You.
Through Jesus the Christ, the Lord God has abolished the demands of the Law upon man and has instead taken them upon Himself. The “people of the Law” (Jews) and those not of the “chosen tribe” are now forever one in Christ.
Paul described Christ as “our peace” because He “... made both groups [Gentiles and Jews] into one ...”
“... He nullified in His flesh the law of commandments in decrees.” [Jesus took away the requirement of the Law that every person who ever sinned be condemned and replaced it with grace—which makes Him our righteousness instead of perfect Law-keeping.]
“He did this to create in Himself ...” [the body of believers; “The Church”, exists as an adopted part of the Lord’s family—a unique intimacy of ‘being’.]
“... one new man out of two ...” [Jew and Gentile, Law-keeper and Law-stranger.]
“... to reconcile them both in one body to God ...” [the body of believers; “The Church”.]
“... through the Cross ...” [Where the power of death was broken for all who surrendered in faith, dying to the world and the dominion of Satan, being born anew in Christ.]
“... by which the hostility has been killed.” [the curse at the Fall as recorded in Genesis.]
The Lord God has given the incredible gift and sacrifice of Christ, taking our sins to the Cross and leaving them there—powerless—so that He might then offer us the perfect hope of salvation.
How do you express the proper Biblical definition of “The Church” as the community of believers? How might you use that clarification to draw fellow Christians away from an obsession with buildings and organizations and instead to relationship (with God) and purpose (in Christ)?
The dominion of Satan in the lives of the unsaved is broken and there is a new-found freedom experienced by children of God.
What is an example of the way Jesus bridges the gap of Jew and Gentile, old and young, male and female, as all recognize that their common definition, purpose, and value comes from a common source?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a fellow believer who will be edified and encouraged to learn of the most-Biblical definition of “The Church”.
Today I will encourage a fellow believer to reconsider the Biblical meaning of “The Church” and ask them to then prayerfully consider where the Enemy may have caused distraction and diversion in their relationship with God as the result of a non-Biblical definition of “The Church”. I will commit to pray in agreement with them for wisdom as they walk through the process of adjusting their perspectives and priorities.
2:17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near,
2:18 so that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,
2:20 because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
Lord, You made a way for us to benefit from Your 'cross of grace'. May I celebrate Your gift with a life sold-out to You.
Paul reminded the people that Jesus arose and “preached peace” so that all are welcomed to accept His gift through the Holy Spirit. He is the cornerstone upon which the apostles and the prophets built His Church.
He also reminded them that Jesus came and “preached peace” to both Jew and Gentile in order to bring them together in faith and together in the Holy Spirit.
Paul used again the term “saints” to describe “fellow citizens” and “members of God’s household.”
He further explained that who they were as believers was because they “have been built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets ...”
Then, Paul used another construction metaphor “... with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.”
The strong desire of Christ that His children be unified (based on Biblical Christian principles, not the invented parameters of man, such as "political correctness" or "speech censorship", which are intended to restrict the condemnation of sin).
The apostles and the prophets taught what was necessary to an adequate knowledge-base, and they demonstrated the power of the Holy Spirit to equip believers to be unified in the love of Christ; how is that explained and practiced in your fellowship?
Believers are blessed by a powerful sense of 'belonging' that comes from the Lord God calling us "saints" and "fellow citizens" and "members of God's household."
When have you observed genuine unity among believers that overcame, and or is overcoming, worldly divisions and fears?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a new or troubled believer whom He desires to reach using you as His instrument of blessing.
Today I will share the Lord God's priority that we be united in the love of Christ. I agree to pray in-agreement that they will partner with the Holy Spirit to purge any fear or misunderstandings that may stand in opposition to their full fellowship with their fellow believers.
2:21 In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Lord, You have made every believer, and every fellowship of faithful believers a dwelling place where You make Your presence and Your plan known. May I seize every opportunity to “grow together” with like-minded intentional Biblical-Christians.
The Lord God draws together those who are His, building us into a “holy temple” and a “dwelling place of God in the Spirit”.
Paul wrote “In Him ...”, reminding them of the centrality of Christ to everything in the world of the believer.
He continued his construction metaphor “... the whole building ...” [The corporate commonality of believers.]
“... being joined together ..” [Causing believers to live in Biblical unity is a process, not an event.]
“... grows into a holy temple ...” [Believers are purposed to worship God in everything that we think, say, and do.]
“... in the Lord ...” [The centrality of Christ again.]
“... in whom you are also being built together ...” [It is a community process.]
“... into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” [The Holy Spirit is our common bond.]
It is critical to remember that Christ is in all and defines all and brings to all perspective and purpose and nothing we do as believers must ever be apart from Him as our center.
Why is there such a major problem with worldly things displacing Christ in our gatherings and in our separate daily walks?
The are many ways we can choose to enhance the centrality of Christ and to resist the distractions of the enemy.
When have you experienced or observed a community of believers either emphasizing Christ or allowing themselves to be distracted by something else. What was the result?
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a place in your walk, alone and in community, where you have allowed other things to displace Christ as the indispensable and irreplaceable center.
Today I will cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He leads me back to a right place with Christ.
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Ephesians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
The Apostle Paul reminded his readers of the glory and promise of God, our need for His grace and provision, and our new standing before God, as both individuals and as a family of believers.
Paul revisited the magnificence of God, the plan for Christ to create a Church of all believers, that the fruits of grace are to be shared, that discouragement due to suffering may be evidence of doubts about God’s sovereignty, that faithfulness in suffering may be strong evidence of true salvation, and that we need to be in constant awe of the love and power and provision of God.
Paul’s Relationship to the Divine Mystery
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
3:2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
3:3 that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly.
3:4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ.
Lord, Your revelation through Paul announced Your fulfillment of Your consistent promise to Adam and Eve, Abraham, and Moses. May I be faithful to tell others.
Paul’s revelation was that who you *were* is no longer who you are “in Christ”.”
He reminded his readers that his insight was a result of God’s calling and equipping—so that there was no confusion with the false teachers whose claim was to be wise in and of themselves.
Paul also wanted to be sure that his readers understood that unless they were “in Christ”, saved plus the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, so that they would be unable to understand his message well.
God forgives every sin that we (Christians) confess, and for which we are truly repentant (desire to turn away from), and He sets us free from judgment for that/those sins. God makes us new every morning.
The Lord God called and equipped Paul, once a “Jew of Jews”, a Pharisee who had no time for Gentiles and who attacked Christians, to be His emissary to Gentile-Christians.
Why might a non-Christian have trouble understanding what Paul is teaching? Why was it important for Paul to remind the Gentile believers of the source of his authority versus that of some other preacher-teachers who had not been sent by God?
The meaning of “Who you *were* is no longer who you are in-Christ” is important.
When were you unable to comprehend a Biblical teaching prior to your salvation, but once indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, you could understand?
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you something new in the Bible to both equip and mature you and to remind you of His power to transform.
Today I will thank the Lord God that He forgives every sin that we confess, and for which we are truly repentant (desire to turn away from), and that He sets us free from judgment for that sin (makes us new every morning).
3:5 Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit,
3:6 namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
Lord, You had a perfect plan from the beginning, and in Your perfect timing—following the work of Jesus the Christ on the Cross and Resurrection—You made it known through Your chosen spokesmen. May I worship Your perfection and share Your story.
There was little point to revealing this “secret” until after the Gospel had been actualized through the events of the Cross and the Resurrection.
The Lord God’s timing was perfect as the Romans had created an exceptional system for travel which equipped His messengers to spread the Word quickly and effectively—before the enemies of truth could prevent it.
When Jesus was crucified the veil between man and God was torn away forever and with the resurrection of Christ all who accept His Lordship, and reject everything that is not of Him, are welcomed into His eternal family regardless of gender, race, or social status. (Galatians 3:28)
Recalling our discussion of Ephesians 1; the New Testament chronology tells us that Ephesians is preceded chronologically by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, James, Galatians, Thessalonians, Corinthians, Romans, Philemon, and Colossians. Thus the members of the church (believers) at Ephesus would have been taught this concept. (Note: There are 24 cross references to this same concept from those Letters/Books.)
http://net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Gal&chapter=3&verse=28&tab=commentaries
The Lord God abolished all of the worldly castes and classes, artificial social hierarchies and racial distinctions. All are equal in His family.
What are some of the reason(s) why we must surrender our claims to everything in this fallen world, including our free will, in order to truly be saved?
“... the veil between man and God was torn away forever.”
When have you experienced or observed the way that an absence of artificial man-made walls, separating people into unequal sub-groups, impacted witnessing for Christ and/or encouraging fellow believers?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone “considering Christ” and/or a fellow believer whom He desires you to share His revealed secret.
Today I will share these truths with someone "considering Christ", and/or with a fellow believer, who would be blessed and encouraged to recognize and live in the freedom-from-man-made-walls that comes from being a member of the family of God.
3:7 I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power.
3:8 To me—less than the least of all the saints—this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ
3:9 and to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan—a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things.
Lord, You made salvation possible, and You have caused Your Gospel to be known far and wide. May I be faithful in gratefulness and bold in sharing Your story.
The power of the Lord God was in His provision of salvation through Jesus the Christ.
The Lord God called Paul by appearing to him then empowered him by bringing others alongside to disciple him in order that Paul might effectively challenge the religious elite (as a former peer).
Paul became a “... servant of this gospel” because of the Lord God's calling and empowering and his right-response to tell others.
Paul wrote much of the New Testament so that we might better know God and what He asks of us.
Paul reminded his readers again that God’s saving grace is for all, regardless of gender, race, or social status.
Paul, despite his history, was teachable in spirit and willing to go and to do whatever the Lord God asked, no matter the cost.
What are some of the things that you have learned about the Lord God, and what He expects of you, as a result of reading the writings of Paul?
Those whom God called to serve alongside of Paul, and those whom God calls today, have been used to faithfully teach His truths to generation after generation of new believers.
When have you experienced a faithful teacher, rightly teaching the unchanging Word of God, helping you to grow in the knowledge of God and in your maturing personal walk with Him?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind me of a faithful teacher of His Word for whom He wants me to pray.
Today I will thank the Lord God for empowering Paul to challenge the religious elite and to write so much of the New Testament that we might better know Him and what He asks of us.
3:10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.
3:11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 3:12 in whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ’s faithfulness.
Lord, You have allowed angels, demons, and humankind alike to make choices and to choose sides, and over history You promised a redeemer—while You kept the details to Yourself. As I learn from the apostles the Gospel story may I be enlightened and may I share Your story with others.
Angels and demons alike were made aware of the complete meaning and purpose of the Gospel, and especially the role of The Church (the assembly of believers, physical and/or spiritual, as an eternal family), in the great plan of the Lord God’s redemption of humankind.
Through the work of Christ we may approach the Creator and all-powerful God of everything with the confidence of a dearly loved child that we will receive all of the needed affection and provision and training from the most-perfect One.
“The Church”, the body of believers, “has become the revelation of the plan of redemption from the Lord God.
How has the “enlightenment” of the Lord God, through His Bible, His Holy Spirit, and those whom He has sent to teach you, increased your maturity and your relationship with Him?
How incredible is the love of the Lord God that we may approach Him with “... boldness and confident access”.
When have you have approached the Lord God with “... boldness and confident access” and He has responded to you with comfort, encouragement, enlightenment, equipping, and/or healing?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you have not been bringing a challenge to the Lord.
Today I will approach the Creator and all-powerful God of everything with the confidence of a dearly loved child in order to receive all of the needed affection and comfort and provision and training and wisdom from the most-perfect One.
3:13 For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
Lord, You allowed Paul to demonstrate the depth of commitment that You ask of a true follower, just as You asked Your prophets of the OT to sometimes suffer to make a point. May I be a willing instrument, even when it is inconvenient, and even when it hurts.
Because the Lord God has chosen to us The Church (believers) as His instrument of redemption in the world, we are not to “lose heart”.
No matter what happens in our time here in this fallen and foreign world God is our sufficiency, He is our comfort, He is our purpose, and He is never far from us. We must never lose hope!
Paul wanted them to understand that his suffering triggered two choices in the lives of his readers; the first was to bring them the Word of salvation—in which he prayed that they would trust—therefore resulting in the glory of their salvation; the second, that they remained strong “not to lose heart”, and thereby their faith and trust in the Lord God’s greater purpose would serve as both an evidence of their salvation and as an evidence of them “working out their salvation” in an intentionally “ultrafidian” (beyond faith) manner; itself also an expression of their “glory”—a beauty because of Him and reflected back to Him.
The Lord God provided the voluntary sacrifice of Christ which served as a model for that of the apostles.
What does “... our time here in this fallen and foreign world” mean to you?
The powerful truth is that the Lord God is our sufficiency, He is our comfort, He is our purpose, and He is never far from us.
When have you experienced, in a certain circumstance, that trusting the Lord God brought you hope when all of the worldly evidence suggested that you were without hope?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you in His own special way that no matter what happens in our time here in this fallen and foreign world He is our sufficiency, He is our comfort, He is our purpose, and He is never far from us.
Today I will thank the Lord God and I will share that Biblical perspective with a fellow believer whom I believe will be blessed by that Word of encouragement.
Prayer for Strengthened Love
3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on the earth is named.
3:16 I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,
3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,
3:18 you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
3:19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Lord, You made it possible for me to be in Your eternal family, and You then fill me with Christ so that I may mature in-You. May I seek Your wisdom, surrender to Your Lordship, and be available as Your instrument.
For this reason I kneel [“this reason” referred to salvation and their continued maturity] before the Father [We are called “the children of the Father”] from whom every family ... is named [Historically naming implied ownership, or at least a position of superiority. In the early Genesis account Adam named the animals over whom God gave him dominion.] according to the wealth of His glory He may grant [God’s glory is endless. God chooses to give from His resources, none may compel Him.] be strengthened [We acknowledge our weakness and then we set aside our pride and allow God to be our strength.]
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith [Christ “dwells” in a rhetorical sense through our attitudes, and God is more literally represented in us via his indwelling Holy Spirit. Faith is the means through which we trust the truth of Christ, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and go beyond the essentials of salvation into “ultrafidian” beyond faith surrender and service.] rooted and grounded in love ... able to comprehend ... the love of Christ [A tree draws nutrition from and is strengthened against uprooting in storms by it’s roots, so it should be for us through the love of Christ. He also gives to we selfish and stubborn people the capacity to comprehend His unique love.] be filled up to all the fullness of God [It is God’s desire that we be filled to overflowing so that the overflow may bless others.]
Incredible is the gift that we are claimed by the Lord God as His eternal-children.
What are some of the blessings that the Lord God pours out to His children, and through them, overflowing to others?
What is the impact of being “... rooted and grounded in ... the love of Christ”?
When have you experienced the Lord God causing an overflow of His love in you so that you could then share the overflow with others?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you several times this day to reread and to reflect upon the prayer of Paul.
Today, as I read and reflect upon this prayer of Paul I will thank the Lord God for placing it upon his heart and for pouring it out through his letter to the Ephesians and others.
3:20 Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think,
3:21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Lord, You are the power for change for good, and You have chosen to work through Your children—The Church. May I be available and engaged as You disciple and equip me to be one of Your instruments of reconciliation to humankind in the world.
The power of Him that is working in us is both our faith, which He is growing, and is the Holy Spirit—through Whom He is growing it.
The Lord God is without-limit, something that we finite humans are cannot fully comprehend.
Paul challenged the Ephesian believers, and believers everywhere, to be honest in their prayers to the Lord God—because He is able “...to do far beyond all that we ask or think”
The phrase “... in the church” refers to the believers—which is the only place on earth that the Lord God chooses to display His glory and through whom His glory is reflected—”... the church” existed before buildings and denominations and programs and it continues to exist apart from those things.
“... in Christ Jesus the glory of God is displayed generation after generation and forever.
The meaning of a familial relationship with the God of endless power and timeless existence.
What are some ways that we may partner with the Lord God in-faith to be conduits of His glory to others?
Celebrate the Lord God’s reassurance, through Paul, that we need hold nothing back as He can and will do far more than “... all that we ask or think”
When have you the Lord God going far beyond your prayer-request of Him?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to read Paul's prayer several times today.
Today I will say Amen & Amen! To Paul's prayer and I will share it with a fellow believer and together will celebrate the Lord God's loving-perfection.
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Ephesians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
The Apostle Paul called upon the church (believers) to grow up. He implored them to learn the Word, to live the Word, and to press away the polluting influences of the sinful world to which they were formally emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual slaves.
Paul did not request, nor did he expect perfection any more than Jesus did; Jesus provided for confession, repentance, and forgiveness for good reason. Paul was clear in all of his writings that he had his own struggles and thus anticipated the same in the Christian walk of others.
Paul’s message was that we be intentional in the pursuit of holiness, that such be a major focus of our lives, because in so doing we honor God and we are continually moving away from potential temptation.
Live in Unity
4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
4:3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling,
4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
4:6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Lord, You ask us to be intentional in the pursuit of personal holiness, because You are Holy and we belong to You. May I make time for Bible study and reflection, find prayer and accountability partners, and be faithful in sacrificial service to others so that You make draw me every-nearer to You.
“... live worthily of the calling”—We are children of God, “saints”, destined for eternity in Heaven, privileged to carry His name in this temporary world.
We rightly condemn sports stars and political leaders when they behave in anti-social ways because they bring shame upon the name of their team or their nation; therefore, we must also understand that the Lord God desires that we honor His name in our conduct.
Paul was a living example of humility. He confessed his own failings in several of his letters—we are never to think ourselves better than our peers—or the apostles.
No former enemy of the Lord God (that’s us), saved by God’s grace through faith in Him alone, has justification for arrogance.
Gentleness marks the maturing believer, patience with loving endurance of occasional immaturity toward those who are learning and growing as we had to learn and to grow—older “siblings” to younger “children in the faith”.
Paul reminded us to remember that the newly saved are “The Church” [believers] and we all have the same Holy Spirit; therefore, one does not war with oneself.
The Lord God is one, and we are one as His Church (believers), and our peace comes from our joy in the eternal promise of Heaven through our trust that He is in control.
There is no conflict inside “The Church” [among believers] so long as our eyes are on Him alone.
Children often put-down their younger sibling, taunting them with “little baby” or take advantage of their lack of life experience and knowledge with tricks; sadly, many adults never mature out of this abusive, destructive, and ignorant behavior.
Old-school parents may often chide their children as they head out the door “remember not to do anything that would bring shame to the family name”, so great was their traditional belief in the value of integrity before the watching world. This has been largely lost in a fragmented society where selfishness rules—God calls us to integrity in everything we do as the bearers of the name of Christ. How might we remind children, and peers, to take care how they present the Lord God to a watching world?
Jesus and the apostles modeled humility, yet still there was a constant problem in the early church with arrogant and proud people assuming roles of leadership, the problem continues.
When have you discovered that knowing that you are a “child of God” gave you the perspective and motivation to walk away from sin that otherwise may have ensnared you?
Ask the Holy Spirit to find you teachable and guide you away from an old sin (or perhaps a new one) and toward righteousness instead.
Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement for this and will share with them what God does to honor our prayers. I will also thank the Lord God for the Holy Spirit who equips us to live worthy of God and in peace with fellow believers—doing so without Him is impossible.
4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
4:8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.”
4:9 Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth?
4:10 He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.
Lord, You came and rescued humankind—captives of sin in this fallen world—and incarnated in Jesus the Christ and Your Holy Spirit You completed Your plan to provide a path of redemption. May I understand that You love Your creation so dearly that You sacrificed on our behalf—and my response will be a grateful surrender to Your Lordship.
One school of Biblical scholarship teaches that Jesus on the Cross carried our sin down to Hell, left it there, announced our freedom, and rose again. He then ascended back to His home in Heaven to prepare a place for “the captives” whom He had rescued via the Cross. Another suggests that we may read this as a reference to Jesus leaving Heaven for His earthly ministry to later return to His home in Heaven. In either case the most important element is that Jesus is our intercessor.
“... in order to fill all things.” echoes Paul’s prior reference to God’s promises.
The US Secret Service protects the President and others. The job description of an Agent includes literally “taking a bullet” if such is necessary to defend the President from harm. Jesus “took the bullet” of sin’s eternal punishment for us.
When you study the differing views of "descended", separating what the Bible says versus what are the fanciful extra-Biblical notions of classical fictional literature by Dante and modern fictional works of Hollywood, what do you conclude?
“... in order to fill all things” is a reminder that God keeps all of his promises.
When have you discovered that knowing that God keeps His promises provided the strength and trust to walk through an otherwise very difficult experience?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone "considering Christ" with whom He would like you to share this message.
Today I will Thank God that Jesus the Christ humbled Himself to come down to earth, took and dumped our sins in Hell, rose again to Heaven to make a way for us.
Thank God that Jesus took my punishment and made a way for me back to fellowship with God, the purpose for which mankind was originally designed.
Today I will share the amazing story of God's provision for salvation through Jesus—and His continuing provision to His children. It may be on an Internet discussion list (appropriate to the list parameters), a text message, a phone call, a letter, a personal conversation, or some other format—but I make a commitment to "just do it".
4:11 It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ,
4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—
a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature.
Lord, You choose to use us as Your tools for building the quantity and quality of Your “Church” (believers) and You equip and sends those who will lead and train us in doing so. May I go and serve where I am sent and follow and learn when I need to be lead.
Between the moment of of saving faith—our absolute surrender to Christ—and our arrival in Heaven for eternity (following the Great White Throne Judgment) we are all constantly in the process of maturing.
Jesus provided everything that we needed “... to build up the body of Christ”, that is, to grow His “Church” (believers) in both quality and quantity. Among those resources are apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers (some of whom are pastors)—their job is not to build buildings, gather adoring fans, create local doctrines, or to do “the work of ministry”—the text is clear that their job is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry”, which is, “to build up the body of Christ”.
This is very important because it means that every single “saint” (believer) is called to “the work of ministry” and that it cannot be delegated-away to apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers and/or pastors.
This is also very important because it means that every single saint must be constantly-maturing so that they become more and more valuable to the Lord God in His ministry of building up the body of Christ.
Paul elsewhere (1 Cor. 12, etc.) described the various roles of members of the “body” or family of believers that is “the Church”, with an emphasis on the importance that all are serving (and are serving as-called), that none is more important nor any capable of everything. Every part of the body is dependent on the others.
Here Paul emphasized the role of the leaders, from the founding of The Church (believers) until this very day, and until Jesus calls His children home. Apostles were called to establish the Church and to equip those who would sustain the Church once they departed. Prophets, then and now, remind us of Who God is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do. Once the “canon”, the trustworthy Word of the Bible, was closed by the Lord God there is “nothing new under the sun” (or the Son), Rev. 22:18-19 makes that profoundly clear.
Evangelists and teachers (some whom are pastors) tell His-story, feed His sheep, and protect His sheep.
There is an “old school” religious tradition where all of “the work of ministry” is foisted upon the pastor-teacher. He is often expected to perform every function from prayer, teaching, caring, service, evangelism, even “church” property maintenance! This is despite the clear teaching of the Bible about the distributed responsibilities of “the body” and the instruction that the “elders” focus upon their duties as spiritual leaders and delegate overflow-tasks to “deacons”.
In what ways may a pastor-teacher emphasize the “equip(ing) of the saints for the work of ministry”? How can he be protected from becoming too-busy doing their “work” for them.? How might the pastor, and certain hyper-active “saints”, may resist leaping to do most of the “work of the ministry”—because in so doing they deny the blessing of service to others? Is it not evidence of maturity and wisdom for them to learn to to wait a bit when a need arises to allow the Lord God, through His indwelling Holy Spirit, to make clear whom He has been preparing in the body to be blessed as a conduit of His blessing?
What does the phrase “... to equip the saints for the work of ministry” mean to you?
When have you experienced an example of a faithful teacher preparing you "for the work of ministry", showing you opportunities to serve, coaching and mentoring you, but then allowing you to do and to grow and then to multiply yourself as they multiplied themselves in you and others?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you some things you have been doing which you have not been called and/or have not been gifted to do?
Today I commit to partner with the Holy Spirit in “... equip[ing] the saints for the work of ministry” by teaching, coaching, equipping, and mentoring others to do what they have been called and/or have been gifted to do—so that I may focus on those things to which I have been called.
4:14 So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.
4:15 But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.
4:16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love.
Lord, You draw us together for safety and strength and from that safe place we are able to discern falsehoods and to resist manipulation. May I invest in intimate fellowship with mature fellow believers.
We are to be as teachable as children but not as gullible. Paul previously complimented the Bereans for their intentional-validation of all teaching by consulting the Word of God (as much as they had of it in their day).
We have the Word of God, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and are engaged in constant growth in maturity; therefore, we are without excuse for a lack of discernment and/or a lack of progress toward intentional-holiness.
Paul warned again that there would be people who would “craftily carry out their deceitful schemes” with the intent of creating non-Biblical fads “every wind of teaching” and that believers are not to be “tossed back and forth by waves and carried about”.
He concluded with the reminder that together, in unity from love, we may stand strong against deceivers and that the truth will be found in the atmosphere of God’s love and unity.
There may be local “preachers” as well as radio and television “preachers” who promote all manner of magical thinking; the “prosperity gospel”, magical healing from a napkin touched by them (which one may receive for a “small donation”), legalism-equals-righteousness, tradition-equals-truth, etc. They were condemned in the most strident terms by Jesus and by the faithful apostles and prophets and teachers of the New Testament Bible as well.
What is the result when people join fellowships as members, or as leaders, and then they attempt to “craftily carry out their deceitful schemes”?
If the Holy Spirit is to use the Word to guide and to protect us from the charlatans the Word needs to be in our minds for Him to reference, and the Word needs to be authoritative so that we are willing to accept a hard teaching—no matter the circumstances. Walking together with others provides us with shared wisdom and strength.
When have you shared Biblical knowledge and maturity within a fellowship and then together, in unity from love, you stood strong against deceivers. What was the result?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal new opportunities to study the Word, together with others, in order to be better equipped to discern and to resist deceivers.
Today I will ask another believer to join me in a brief topical study, in-person or online, of deceivers from the New Testament. (See http://bible.org/seriespage/instruction-concerning-false-teachers-church... )
Live in Holiness
4:17 So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.
4:19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
Lord, You rescued us from our Godless existence and You gave us purpose versus futility, understanding versus ignorance, adoption versus alienation toward You, sensitivity versus callousness, decency versus indecency, purity versus impurity, and generosity versus greediness. My I be grateful through a life surrendered to Your good works in and through me rather than the meaningless business of the world apart from You.
Paul used the colloquial term “Gentiles”, which was a Jewish slur to refer to all non-Jews, and which carried the instant-meaning, even to Gentiles, of one who is apart from the Lord God. (In the context of “neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free” it still meant the same to Christians but no longer bore the racial epithet of “non-Jewish”.)
He reminded the Ephesians that without Christ, and therefore without the indwelling Holy Spirit, all people are clueless; trapped in the “futility of their thinking”, “darkened in their understanding”, “alienated from the life of God”, crippled by the “ignorance that is in them”, compromised by the “hardness of their hearts”, and desensitized because they were “callous”.
Paul also described the result “they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.” Their lusts had no ending thus they were slaves to the hopeless pursuit of more and more of nothing that contained and true or lasting value.
The Lord God those who have surrendered to the Lordship of Christ as adults, and even teens, recall the sort of hopeless and senseless “chasing after the wind” that epitomized their choices and priorities; waking every morning desperate to prove-value in the eyes of others—who are themselves also desperate to prove their value to others who are desperate to prove their value to others ... all equally clueless about what is truly valuable.
What is the practical daily-value of knowing the huge chasm between who we were and who we are, because of “Whose” we are, and how critical that is in our battle to successfully resist Satan’s manipulations?
They “old man” Paul described earlier is a constant target of the Enemy, his evil scheming is designed to find any weakness by which he may draw us back into our pre-salvation confusion.
How have you found a way to avoid the people and the places that are rife with temptation, never underestimating either our vulnerability or our enemy?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where the influence of the world poisons you to the freedom that is right-thinking and right-living in Christ.
Today I will confess and repent, seek and accept the forgiveness of the Lord God, and invest in the priorities and relationships that keep me focused on the Lord.
4:20 But you did not learn about Christ like this,
4:21 if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus.
4:22 You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires,
4:23 to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
4:24 and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.
Lord, You have made me new—in Your existence outside of created-time You see me already made-new. May I see myself as You do, pressing-away the things that might soil my robes-of-righteousness, pressing-toward the things that draw me nearer to You.
Paul reminded the Ephesians that if they were truly saved then they would have been taught to “... lay aside the old man who is being corrupted” (as a part of their salvation-education).
He emphasized that the corruption of the temporal flesh was continual and that temptations of the flesh did not end at salvation.
“... the truth is in Jesus.” We are “... to be renewed in The Spirit of your mind”, which is to say that we are renewed by the Holy Spirit who dwells within and we are to have our spiritual-selves renewed; our thinking will thereby be radically changed. The change that comes to the way we think, heart-change, is the real-change. Change in our external conduct may or not be real as it may be evidence of internal change or merely something done to seek the approval of others.
Righteousness: ”the state of him who is such as he ought to be”http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Righteousness
Holiness: ”conformed in all things to the will of God”
http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Holiness
Truth: that which is opposed to falsehood”
http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Truth
(Truth is defined by Jesus and found in Him. Knowing Jesus is how we know truth.)
While we move in the direction of holiness and righteousness we must be realistic that perfection can never be ours until we lose what Paul referred to as "this body of death" and are made completely new in Heaven.
Picture yourself as the outline of a heart filled with squares; each square is a piece of you. Imagine that you are driving in rush-hour traffic and are stressed, or you are dealing with a difficult boss or co-worker or family member, or you are struggling with an addiction, bad habit, or an obsession. How do you surrender these things, one-by-one, to the Lordship of Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit? How do you partner with The Lord God to keep them under His control as you move on to the next and the next, making incremental progress?
It is folly to invest a great deal of energy in the non-Biblical philosophies of “positive mental attitude”, and it is misleading others and ourselves to believe that we can master our imperfections using only our own strength. Real and lasting change comes in partnership with the Lord God where we provide a willing heart and He provides the wisdom and strength.
When have you experienced the Lord God causing change where the world's philosophies and politics have failed you?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to the next place where He wants to partner with you to “take captive” one more as-yet unmastered weakness.
Today I follow where the Holy Spirit leads. I will thank the Lord God for the truth that we may, with the help of the Holy Spirit. resist “deceitful desires”, have our minds are renewed to pre-Fall Eden clarity, and that we may live more-and-more holy and righteous.
4:25 Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
4:26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger.
4:27 Do not give the devil an opportunity.
4:28 The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need.
4:29 You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear.
4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
4:31 You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk.
4:32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.
Lord, You protect Your Church (believers) from sin through mutual-accountability and when we are faithful in enforcing Your love-based standard we will have a healthy and safe household of faith. May I seek accountability and warn others when they are without.
Paul directed the Ephesians to always be honest with one another inside the church. He explained that righteous anger is appropriate but that one is never to sin in that anger. (e.g. one may be righteously-angry when someone misquotes the Bible in order to manipulate another for personal gain, but one does not curse at that person or physically-strike them.)
When he warned the Ephesians to not allow the sun to “go down on the cause of your anger” he was addressing the cause and not the symptom; righteous anger at sin inside of the Christian community, insisting that such sin must be immediately confronted “... do not let the sun go down on the cause”.
The NET Bible translator’s notes observe that this appears to be a reference to church discipline as a means of “preventing the devil from gaining a foothold” and furthermore and encouragement for church discipline that is timely and not delayed.
Paul reminded the Ephesians that the devil actively-sought opportunities to lead them into sin and to harm the fellowship—when they did not discipline themselves they created opportunities for the evil one rather than for the Lord God.
Discipline within our fellowship of believers is to be conducted in love (see Eph. 4:1-6) so that those administering the discipline are themselves not drawn into sin.
Paul described some of the sins that they were to avoid.
He warned them that while their salvation was secure, based on the “first downpayment of their salvation”, the indwelling-presence of the Holy Spirit—that same presence meant that every time they sinned they grieved Him.
When our brother or sister sins we must confront that sin immediately and in love, treating them as we would want to be treated, with respect and with a common commitment to persevere along the path to confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.
Does it help to overcome our desire to avoid conflict if we remember that when we tolerate sin within our fellowship it festers and presents a poor model for others, especially the less spiritually mature, and it provides a spiritual point of entry for the Enemy?
Paul’s list of stealing, laziness, crass talk, bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk are sins we must respond to immediately, bit they are not the only sins for which we must watch.
When have you observed the Lord God calling upon a fellowship to respond decisively to sin; what was the result of an obedient response, or the consequences of a failure to respond?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a sin in your own walk that you are failing to address.
Today I will confess and repent, seek and accept the forgiveness of the Lord God, and I will ask a fellow believer to be my accountability and prayer-partner as I partner with the Holy Spirit to purge that sin from my life.
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Ephesians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
The Apostle Paul, having reminded his readers of the glory and promise of God, our need for His grace and provision, our new standing before God, as both individuals and as a family of believers, the magnificence of God, a healthy perspective of suffering in the life of a believer, the love, power and provision of God, and His calling to a life of holiness, now described with greater specificity how one could live a life of holiness.
Ephesians Chapter 5 may be subdivided into seven subsections: 5:1-2 which describes what is to follow based on what Paul has just shared in the prior chapter, 5:3-5 where he provides a summary of some concerns, 5:6-14 includes a warning as to negative consequences, 5:15-17 promotes wisdom, 5:18-21 how we are to interact one to another, 5:22-31 Paul uses marriage as an illustration, 5:32-33 he closes with a clarification of the prior section.
Live in Love
5:1 Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children
5:2 and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
Lord, Your love transforms. May I be teachable so that You may love others through me.
“Therefore” ... Paul described what was like to follow based on what he has just shared in the prior chapter; because we are called to lives of holiness (see Ephesians chapter 4) we are to “be imitators of God as dearly beloved children”, we are to live (walk) “in love” (out of hearts informed by Christ in us through the Holy Spirit of God).
It is generally easier to talk about theoretical holiness than it is to address the details of what that looks like in daily living. The Apostle Paul had to strike a balance between “legalism” and “license”, the error of his former thought-patterns as a legalistic “pharisee of pharisee’s” versus the devious efforts of the Enemy to constantly lure people back into immorality.
As was typical of Paul he again reminded his readers of their love-debt to Christ for His sacrifice before he brought the hard-Word of the Lord God’s challenge that they live as-Christ, rather than as as-worldly.
The sacrifice of Jesus, and the love-debt we owe Him, motivates us to live a life dedicated to increasing holiness.
What is the practical meaning of “... live in love”, as Paul described God’s desire for His children, in your life?
The amazing and incredible truth is that the Lord God, through Paul, has said that we are His “dearly loved children”.
When have you, or someone you know, been a successful-imitator of the Lord God (not continually or perfectly)—as expressed through a life that demonstrates an intentionally- sacrificial giving of self—to other believers—in love?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you one sin, one obsession, or one act of rebellion which is blocking your progress toward more-holy living.
Today I will confess and repent, seek and accept the Lord God’s forgiveness, and surrender to the Holy Spirit as He leads me toward holiness. I will welcome a fellow believer whom He may bring to walk alongside me—ministering to me through prayer and encouragement.
5:3 But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints.
5:4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving.
5:5 For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Lord, You are holy and You are our model of perfection, the goal of our discipleship. May I keep my eyes on You, rather than doctrines and traditions, expectations and standards, created by mere humans.
The Apostle Paul provided a summary of concerns; “sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, ... greed ... vulgar speech, foolish talk, ... coarse jesting ...”
He reminded his readers that who they were was because of who they had become because of Whose they were. He chose his phrases, contrasting the things of the world with the things of the faithful carefully “not fitting for the saints” and “all of which are out of character”.
As a visiting professor to a seminary once put it, “We are saints, children of God, viewed by God through the filter of Christ as cleansed, clothed in pure white, so we press away those things that would bring a stain.”
Paul provided an alternative mindset to the selfish obsessions of flesh and of the world, for the faithful believer—instead of all of those things “... rather thanksgiving”.
Some of us are more fussy about matters of cleanliness and organization than others. We all have places in our lives where we prefer clean over dirty and order over chaos; it may be in the food we eat, the tools we use, or the clothes we wear. God asks that we be as attentive to “.. the temple of His Holy Spirit” as we are to these other things.
Does the perspective that “We are saints, children of God, viewed by God through the filter of Christ as cleansed, clothed in pure white, so we press away those things that would bring a stain.” encourage you to take a stronger stand against sin in your life?
There are many places and ways that the Enemy tries to draw us into “sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, ... greed ... vulgar speech, foolish talk, ... coarse jesting ...”
When have you experienced the power of knowing your identity in God’s eyes and that empowered you to resist being drawn into “sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, ... greed ... vulgar speech, foolish talk, ... coarse jesting …”?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you an influence that threatens your purity before the Lord God.
Today I am choosing to have a heart of thanksgiving for the many gifts of the Lord God and I commit to partner with the Holy Spirit for victory in the test avoiding temptation, and if already a temptation, victory in resisting sin and in rolling-back the temptation to a test.
Live in the Light
5:6 Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience.
5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them,
5:8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light—
5:9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth—
5:10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
5:11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
5:12 For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention.
5:13 But all things being exposed by the light are made evident.
5:14 For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says:
“Awake, O sleeper!
Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!”
Lord, You rescued us from darkness, and You shine Your light in and through us. May I be faithfully alert to avoid drifting back into darkness and to make myself available to be Your light in this dark and dying world.
Paul offered a clear and chilling warning as to the negative consequences should we fail to intentionally seek lives of holiness; “... no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy ... has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
His descriptive phrases included “disobedience ... darkness ... unfruitful deeds ... shameful even to mention …”, which described every Ephesian at one moment of their lives or another.
All was not hopeless because their hope was not in their purity but in that of Christ.
Their means to overcome those disqualifying attributes was the Holy Spirit.
Their perfected-purity would not come until the threshold of Heaven where they would receive a “new body” .
Paul’s choice of words was intentional “... such a person is an idolater”. An idolater is one who places something in their life in a higher position than God; the prohibition of such was the root of the first rebellion in Heaven, the rebellion in Eden, and was the first of the Ten Commandments of God “You shall have no Gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
He warned the Ephesians to be discerning “Let nobody deceive you with empty words ...”, echoing his plea for discernment in Eph. 4.
Paul, in vs 5:8-10, contrasted all of this with hope “... for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light—for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth—trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
He spoke of a process “trying to learn” rather than an expectation of instant holiness in this fallen world.
Paul also appeared to paraphrase from Isaiah “Awake, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!” (Isa. 26:19, 51:17, 52:1, 60:1) Note here that we are “dead” IF we are without Christ and that we “Arise” with Him. Paul harkened back to Eph. 4:21 where he qualified his message to the church (believers) as intended for those who were listening but not yet saved “... if indeed you heard about Him [Christ] and were taught in Him [Christ], just as the truth is in Jesus.”
There is an old saying "Be afraid, be very afraid!" Choices have consequences, the most important being our very salvation, all else orbits that one most-meaningful exercise of free will. A truly saved person shows "fruit" of the presence of the Holy Spirit of God and that fruit is multiplied in an intentionally obedient child of God.
What are some practical ways to practice the Eph. 5:10 command that we be "... trying to learn"? (The phrase indicates that it will be challenging and tht it must be an intentional commitment—we make an investment in partnership with Christ to read His Book, to study His Book for understanding, to share His Book with others, and then to live-intentionally in accountability with others to better assure that our lives reflect His truth.)
Once again comes the Lord God's warning to resist temptation (don't fail the test), to avoid drifting back into the old ways (so that you are source of purity), and the encouragement that His Holy Spirit walks with us throughout the process of our journey toward holiness.
When have you, knowing the consequences and the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit within, been were successful in passing the test and so that you resisted temptation, or that if already tempted you resisted acting upon it?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a specific test, which could become a specific temptation for you, or a specific temptation which threatens to become an act of sin.
Today I am choosing to resist and to partner with the Holy Spirit in discerning and resisting the deceit of the Enemy who tries to drag me down.
Live Wisely
5:15 Therefore be very careful how you live—not as unwise but as wise,
5:16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
5:17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is.
Lord, You do not promise us more than today, and you instruct us to be wise in living according to Your perfect will. May I tale the time and make the effort to study and apply Your Word to my life.
The Apostle Paul promoted the importance of wisdom; at that time he would have been cognizant that Proverbs 8:22-31 taught the Ephesians that wisdom existed prior to Creation, it was not a new concept and was sometimes personalized as “she” by Old Testament authors who led their listeners and readers to appreciate the personhood of the Godhead in every attribute.
He confronted the Ephesians with good and bad choices, alternatives and consequences, “... be very careful how you live—not as unwise but as wise ... taking advantage of every opportunity ... do not be foolish, but be wise ...”
Paul explained the importance of good stewardship of time “... for the days are evil.” meaning that one could never reclaim a day that had passed, once used unwisely it had been lost to the best service for God.
He instructed his readers how to “... become wise ...” which is “... by understanding what the Lord’s will is.” This brought-forward what he had been discussing about their relationship with God, and with one-another, and it foreshadows the text to follow.
Every morning we awaken with choices to make about the usage of our resources and time and at the end of every day the wise will reflect on the quality of their choices.
How has the leading of the Holy Spirit, Who guides us in the way of wisdom through the Bible and who challenges us to understand what is the will of God, made a difference in your life?
Wisdom is bringing the knowledge we have of the Word of God to bear upon our choices. We continually seek greater understanding, as well as partnership with others, for accountability, caring, prayer, and support.
When has Biblical wisdom led you to make a better decision than you typically made prior to your salvation and discipleship?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where He wants to help you to resist the distractions of the Enemy which are keeping you from your Bible study and application.
Today I commit to set aside time every day for you, Lord God, and I will follow the leading of Your Holy Spirit in removing and resisting the many schemes of the enemy to interfere.
5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit,
5:19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord,
5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5:21 and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Lord, You have given us words and music to fill and to guide our hearts with Your love, that we might drown-out the worldly intoxicants of temptation to sin. May I fill my life with Your music and words.
Paul described for the Ephesians how they were to interact with one-another; beginning first with a warning to not “get drunk with wine”. (This was not necessarily exclusively a literal reference to alcohol-caused intoxication but another reminder of clear-thinking and good stewardship.)
He warned them against this “debauchery”. (The modern definition of debauchery refers to “sensual pleasures” but an archaic definition may be more on-target “seduction from duty” the fine art of manipulating one away from duty—the work of the Enemy to draw us away from faithful service to God.)
As always Paul offered a healthier and more God-honoring alternative to that debauchery, “... but be filled by the Spirit”. The context here makes it clear that he was continuing his theme of knowing and obeying God, the text does not indicate that he spoke of to so-called 'charismatic gifts’.
Note the text following “... speaking to one another in psalms” which are primarily wisdom literature, “... hymns” which are generally methodologies for memorization with the dual benefit of value in comfort and worship, and “... spiritual songs” (songs that are faithful to the Word of God but not literal repetitions which could easily degrade into the “vain repetitions of the pagans” (Mat. 6:7), or become ritualistic ranting.
Paul then switched mid-sentence from addressing corporate/interpersonal interactions to the heart-preparation of each of the individuals as they approach those interactions “... singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord.” He then added one more heart-condition qualifier “... always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”, again placing God first and humility toward others in the forefront.
The Lord God prepares us to speak love to one another by us first preparing ourselves "... singing and making music" in our hearts to You "... always giving thanks to God ...” then “... for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ".
How easy is it to get caught up in manipulating or being manipulated by the environment of a corporate gathering, be it a charismatic and a otherwise gifted speaker (1 Cor. 1:12-17), a talented dramatic and/or musical performer, a controversial or risk-taking leader or peer, or a cleverly sequenced series of activities, songs, and emotional appeals?
When was there a time when you were desperate for relief from a troubling situation such as loneliness, depression, hopelessness, fear, and even boredom, and you looked for a 'magical' solution and you found it—only to later realize that it was not genuine. (There is an old country-western song called "Lie to Me" and more recently a television series by the same name which explores body language for clues to deception in solving criminal cases.)
When have you experienced genuine worship which began with a thankful surrender to God, followed by placing others before yourself, and concluded in a desire for pure and undistracted worship. (If you cannot do this then you need to reconsider your understanding and practice of corporate, individual, and whole-life Biblical worship.)
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a brother or sister in-Christ for whom it will be difficult for me to pray but for whom He desires that I do so.
Today I am choosing to pray for at least one brother or sister and to encourage at least one brother or sister by sharing Your Word or a song of praise.
Exhortations to Households
5:22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,
5:23 because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church—he himself being the savior of the body.
5:24 But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
5:25 Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her
5:26 to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word,
5:27 so that he may present the church to himself as glorious—not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.
5:28 In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
5:29 For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church,
5:30 for we are members of his body.
5:31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
Lord, You created and blessed, guide and love Your Church (believers) and You sacrificed for it so that You may one day gathering it (all believers) into intimate and eternal relationship with You. May I study what you have done for the Church as I apply and teach what that means to a couple's relationship with one-another in marriage.
Paul used marriage as an illustration; he began with a reminder that Christ is the savior of the body (he taught elsewhere that every part of the body is equally important and valuable) thus competent scholarship does not allow one to read-in a greater value for a male over a female or a husband over a wife. This text is primarily about the responsibilities of the husband—whose role model must be Christ.
Read carefully Paul’s clarification of his primary purpose in Eph. 5:32b “... I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” He goes on in 5:33 to acknowledge that he has a dual-purpose for the understanding of marriage but the clarification of 5:32b should be a warning to those who attempt to proof-text in the defense of thuggish husbands.
Paul intentionally modified everything in his letter that preceded when he wrote “... --He Himself [Christ] being the savior of the body.”; therefore, when the Ephesians read “Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord” they were compelled to reflect upon why they had choose to submit to the Lord. (He was asking for the wife to make an obedient choice, but not an unconditional one, as her husband had obligations as well.) Some translations render the text “your husbands in the Lord”.
In Eph. 5:25-26 he amplified his qualification “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the Word.” Note: There are several important elements; “loved” and “gave” are past-tense to emphasize that His work as “the Word” was predicated on His first loving the Church (believers) and that His work of giving Himself “for her” was finished. This is equivalent to the act of marriage where the husband, motivated by love, gives Himself to his wife—sacrificing his non-married lifestyle (everything related to his pre-marriage relational lifestyle must be surrendered). The wife “is sanctified”, set apart from single women, so that her husband may then be used of God to “cleanse her with the washing of the Word”. A husband serves his wife at the behest of the Lord.
Eph. 5:27 refined the ultimate purpose of Christ’s investment in the church “... so that He may present the church to Himself as glorious -- not having a stain or wrinkle, or other such blemish, but holy and blameless.” Jesus the Christ was to present The Church to Himself, our Lord God. (There have been sick men who have mistaken this to mean that their obsession should be the forced-legalistic perfection of their wives. In full-context this is clearly neither within the capacity nor responsibility of the husband -- holiness is less taught than caught, rather not imposed but chosen.)
Returning to 5:24 “But as the church [believers] submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” We have already learned that the husband is an agent of the Lord in his wife’s life, we know that nothing is of value to the Christian that is not of the Lord, therefore “everything” refers to the purpose for which the Lord called the two into marriage and the process of holiness that follows—sanctification—there is nothing in the text about only women washing dishes or wifely-obligations to submit to sinful-orders from a husband in rebellion against the Lord (such a man is spiritually-impotent and an enemy of God).
Paul promoted the fullest-stewardship of the gifts of the wife, as found in Proverbs 31:10-31, and he would have had that in-mind, together with the esteem of her husband “at the city gates” where the elders provided spiritual guidance to the people.
Note in 5:27 that the church is a kind of extension of Christ; in 5:28 “In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” “Loves” is an action word, the action of giving himself for her in the process of holiness that follows her sanctification in marriage.
5:29a “For no one has ever hated his own body but feeds it and takes care of it ...”, Paul here addressed healthy people—not troubled ones who self-mutilate or who dwell in lies of the Enemy that they are somehow worthless—Jesus died on the Cross as the absolute and unchallengeable-in-all-of-Creation declaration of our value to God. Just as we eat and drink and wash and exercise and clothe and care for our bodies, Christ does this for “the body of Christ” the church (believers) and the husband is to do the same for his wife.
5:29b “... just as Christ also did for the church, for we are members of His body.” Paul reaffirmed the context of this discussion, we are all (male and female) members of the spiritual body of Christ, therefore we must seek after the same things for one another as He seeks for every member of His body.
Paul concluded by reminding his readers that this teaching is mostly about the duties of the husband and his sacrifice to facilitate the holiness of his wife. “The man will leave ...” and “... be joined to his wife ...” and “... the two will become one flesh.”; linking to the prior text Paul intended that the Ephesians would understand him to mean “... as Christ is joined to His church.”
A Christian woman must never marry a non-Christian man, nor may a Christian man marry a non-Christian woman, such is contrary to the clear teaching of the Bible and is an act of rebellion which neither should not expect the Lord God to bless. There is no such thing as dating (the common concept of "dating" is itself fraught with fraud and temptation) or marriage for the purpose of evangelism (sometimes called "missionary dating or missionary marriage). It is even dubious if there is any wisdom in marrying anyone who is not somewhat close to oneself in spiritual maturity.
What are some circumstances where some people become Christians after marriage (where they were both previously unsaved) and find themselves in the same conflict as a first century married Jew who was saved (“completed”)? Must they not consult the teaching of the Bible, to not force the unsaved mate to leave nor to not force them to remain, as the preferred goal is to be such a God-honoring witness that the spouse will also be saved (1 Cor. 7:12-16).
Just as a woman needs to clearly understand the decision (when entering into marriage) that she is making is to follow the spiritual leadership of her husband, trusting him to be a faithful servant of God, so also the man needs to understand that he makes a solemn pledge before the Lord God to bless his wife as the Lord's agent in her process toward holiness.
When have you been aware of someone making a romantic-decision, based on God's teaching, rather than based on lesser human tradition or on the lust of the flesh? Have you had the opportunity in a counseling/encouraging/mentoring context to encourage someone to do so?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of His love and sacrifice for you as you are part of ("the Church") and that marriage is your opportunity (if married) to emulate Him. Thank the Lord God also for teaching you how to serve others in marriage, expressing grace and humility as you build up your mate to God's glory and in God's service.
Today I am choosing to pray for marriage, my own if I am married and for others if not. I also pray that should the Lord lead me to marriage that I will be fully-faithful to His priorities from the first moment of the process leading to marriage and throughout my marriage. I commit to encourage and to lift up in prayer at least one specific married person right now.
5:32 This mystery is great—but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
5:33 Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Lord, You gave Yourself in order to enable believers "The Church" to become "one flesh" with You. May I invest the same way in my marriage, if married, pray for all Christian marriages (whether I am married or not), and understand-fully the commitment I am making if I am single and considering marriage.
Paul began this part of his letter to the Ephesians with a clarification of the prior section, using the phrase “This mystery ...”, because he was teaching them—using the illustration of human marriage—about the relationship between Christ and His Church (all believers).
The way that man and woman become “one flesh” was to be understood as the way that the Lord God was creating a one-flesh relationship with His “bride, The Church.
[Note: The term mystery generally refers to something that occurs in the unseen spiritual, rather in than the visible realm, yet it also may refer to something that is difficult to comprehend.]
Paul’s term “is great” acknowledged that humans will have to expend some time in prayerful study if they are to comprehend and honor it.
He made certain that he was not misunderstood, reemphasizing his primary purpose in Eph. 5:32b “... I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” As already stated earlier Paul goes on in 5:33 to acknowledge that he has a dual-purpose for the understanding of marriage but he offered the clarification of 5:32b as a warning to those who might attempt to proof-text his words in the defense of thuggish husbands.
Paul’s theme was that it was time for married Christians to step-up. Marriage was (and is) an act of sanctification—agreeing to be set apart for a special partnership in the process of holiness. Marriage is not for everyone because, as Paul remarks elsewhere, many practical aspects of marriage (and children) represent a distraction from the things of the Lord and also provided a pressure-point for the Enemy to extort cooperation.
Those who are contemplating marriage need to better understand the nature of Biblical marriage before they enter into courtship. This is one of many gross failures of church leaders for 2,000+ years and the evidence of that failure is in the broken homes all around us.
[Note: This Web site contains excerpts from a doctorate thesis which documents these practical matters http://bibleseven.com/thesis.html ]
Paul's last word to the Ephesians “... each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” bears careful contextual reflection. Paul was speaking to believers, not unbelievers; obedient believers, not believers in rebellion (the definition of rebellion requiring discipline is addressed elsewhere but would include volitional and unrepentant sin both physical and theological). He addressed the critical need for church discipline—and he was not addressing spiritually-divided households. [Note: Paul was always precise in defining his audience and we know from the first chapter of Ephesians that he was addressing believers. Were to have been addressing divided households, or unbelievers, in chapter 5 he would have stated such clearly.)
The Lord God's challenge is that married Christians need to step-up to a standard of sacrificial-investment in one-another equal to that of His sacrificial investment in His Church.
What are some ways that every Christian may support the "holy estate" of marriage? How might we do a better job of teaching this to children, youth, young adult and adult singles.
The Lord God has sanctified the value of marriage and provided a stern warning that it is not something into which a Christian should enter lightly.
When have you observed a couple, both believers who desired to intentionally honor God in their marriage, demonstrate the fruits of their faith-walk in the way that they encouraged and served one-another?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you at least one person who may benefit from this teaching.
Today I am choosing to pray that marriage will be seen through Your eyes rather than the silly and shallow eyes of the secular entertainment world, and I will pray for the health and protection of a specific marriage; if married I will add my own to those prayers.
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Ephesians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
The Apostle Paul had reminded his readers of the glory and promise of God, our need for His grace and provision, our new standing before God—as both individuals and as a family of believers, the magnificence of God, a healthy perspective of suffering in the life of a believer, the love, power and provision of God, and His calling to a life of holiness, and greater specificity as to how one lived a life of holiness.
In Chapter 6 he addressed parent-child relationships, slave-master relationships, and spiritual warfare.
6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.
6:2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely,
6:3 “that it may go well with you and that you will live a long time on the earth.”
6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Lord, Your blessings are conditional, they come in response to obedience. May I be salt and light in my family and community because of my obedience to You as Your devoted child.
Paul begins with a paraphrase from the 10 Commandments “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. (Exo. 20:12, Deut. 5:16) then addresses parents “... do not provoke your children to anger.”
Only a few notes are in order as the verses, at least as translated in the NET Bible, are self-explanatory.
In 6:1 the phrase “... in the Lord” may be understood in one of three ways;
The first is to infer that Paul means Christian parents—this is reasonable since his primary audience throughout the Book of Ephesians is believers.
[Note: Paul does not specifically address the obedience of children toward non-Christian parents and the admonition to the parents to “raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” may be taken to affirm exclusivity in the text to Christian parents; however, Paul is not condoning the rebellion of children against a parent merely because they are not believers.]
The second understanding infers that Paul intends that the children remember that they are Christians and that they must view their parents through the eyes of the Lord, being obedient, patient, and prayerful.
There is nothing in the context or the literal text to justify the exclusion of either the first or second inference/understanding.
The third understanding would misrepresent the apostle Paul as he does not offer “raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” as a mere suggestion but as both a way to avoid “... provoking your children to anger” and as strong directive for a true Christian parent; therefore, one may not rightly-infer that avoiding conflict and avoiding discipline is a wise form of parenting.
[Note: Paul does not encourage parents to delegate this discipline and instruction to others but is telling them that it is their direct responsibility.]
[Note: The Biblical definition of anger, it’s sources, and the correct response were discussed earlier in the Ephesians study series, for our purposes here suffice to say that absent maturity in the Lord every child will be angry and hopeless.]
[Note: Our eternal and supreme ‘parent’ is the Lord God, therefore, a Christian child may find no parental-order to sin acceptable; though a child must be willing to accept the worldly-consequences of righteous-obedience (to God) when they take a stand for holiness. It is remarkable how often a child (or an adult) may be willing to risk and receive punishment for sinful rebellion but how rare it is that they will do so for righteousness, even in Christian homes. The influence of the Fall is powerful.]
The Lord God knows what is best. God says that children are to obey their parents since there are few other sources of authority who care more or understand better; God gives parents to children for a reason. Raising a child in the discipline and instruction of the Lord helps them to be more emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually healthy and safe.
What are practical examples of the meaning of “... do not provoke your children to anger.”?
The Lord God knows that when we “raise them [children—literal and spiritual] up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” we equip them to be more emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually healthy and safe.
When have you observed the consequences of a parent’s failure to raise their child the way that the Bible teaches may cause them to drift into an angry relationship with the parent(s) and the world?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a child, be he or she a literal child or a child-in-faith, new to the family of God, for whom He would like you to pray and to minister in His Name.
Today I will offer to teach the discipline and instruction of the Lord the one whom the Holy Spirit has directed me. If I am that ‘child’ I choose to be obedient, patient, and prayerful as I humbly submit to the teaching of the one(s) whom God has sent to disciple me.
6:5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ,
6:6 not like those who do their work only when someone is watching—as people-pleasers—but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.
6:7 Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people,
6:8 because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.
6:9 Masters, treat your slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats, because you know that both you and they have the same master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Lord, You require that we give our best to every effort, no matter the circumstances. Our most important reward is with You and not here in this temporary world. May I remember this, especially when the task is dreary or unpleasant, and therefore be salt and light by example.
Paul addressed an unfortunate condition of man since early in his existence, that of slavery, in which circumstance one man compels another to provide labor without freedom. "Master" could refer to "overseer" or "slave-owner". It is important to note that Paul is in no way condoning slavery.
[Note: Slavery is a heinous tool of greed and oppression, sometimes one of the ‘spoils’ of war, sometimes driven by the selfish pursuit of power, wealth, and worldly prestige, and sometimes an expression of some twisted demographic superiority. The use of the terms “master” and “slave in this case do not appear to refer to a context parallel to African slaves captured and sold by their peers to pre-Civil War American plantations or Caribbean and central/south American plantations, nor the slavery known in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere in the past and even today but to the more common “bond-servant” arrangement.]
A bond-servant is a Biblically-described sub-category of slavery entered into willingly to resolve debt and was generally protected with a limited 7-year maximum length and dismissal at 30 years of age. Physical abuse of a bond-servant was historically-uncommon. The other most common form of slavery was typically unlike the righteously-condemned brutal and heinous slavery, which has historically received the greatest attention, but rather was one in which slaves (however they fell into bondage) were allowed a great deal of freedom to earn money, own property, and to raise their families. Many bond-servants as well as many slaves, especially those captured in war, were educated and thus were used as care-givers and teachers to children.
In Paul’s address to “Masters” he warned them to treat their slaves “... as though serving the Lord ...”. The NET Bible transliteration of the text immediately following says “...because ... both you and they have the same master in Heaven ...” actually reads “... because of both they and you, the Lord is, in Heaven ...” which implies that Jesus is Lord of both because he is addressing Christians who are in slavery.
In the Sudan today the children and parents of the Bahai, Christian and competing Muslim sect religious groups are kidnapped and forced into slavery by brutal and lawless militias. The ugliness of slavery, as but one visible evidence of fallen-nature of man, lives on.
How do you handle the challenge that when we are as 'bond-servants' as a contractor or in a place of employment, we have agreed to perform a service in return for a benefit—within the rules of that organization; do you serve with the integrity you would if they were Jesus?
When we are the equivalent of the master or the over-seer—do we treat the one(s) we supervise with the honor due a fellow, or potential, child of God?
When have you observed an example of someone who handled authority in a Biblical manner. What was the result in the workplace?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a way that He wants you to change the way that you handle authority, whether as one humbled by it, or being humble in your use of it. Ask Him to identify a specific person with whom you have been interacting with a less-Biblical attitude than you should.
Today I will intentionally and prayerfully bring myself into alignment with the Word of God. Today I am choosing to ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me and will report back to them the results. I will thank the Lord God that as a bond-servant in a contract or a job I may be a positive witness to the truth of His promise and power as I serve my employer with the integrity I would were they Jesus. If I am in a role that is the equivalent of the master or the over-seer may my conduct honor your name as I treat the one I supervise with the honor due a fellow, or potential, child of God.
Exhortations for Spiritual Warfare
6:10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.
6:11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
6:13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.
Lord, You warn us that we are in the midst of spiritual warfare, and You provide us with the tools for victory. May I be wise in gathering and using those tools daily.
Paul addressed the threat of the “schemes” or craftiness of “... the devil ...” and the need to defend oneself through the power that comes from God “... be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of His power.”
The Apostle is not stuttering or repeating himself, he is saying two similar but different things; first, “... be strengthened in the Lord”; that is, to learn and to apply what the Lord God is teaching in order to mature, second “... be strengthened ... in the strength of His power.”; that is, to leverage His power as your power as a Child of God.
“Clothe yourself with the full armor of God ...” was how he addressed the how of leveraging God’s power, and “... so that you may be able to stand ...” addressed the why.
[Note: He used the word “may”, that is because one has to have done the first part of “... strengthening in the Lord”, so as to be discerning enough to know when, informed enough to know how, and strong enough to act despite ones fear, because “... our struggle” denotes the reality of the struggle, not that it may be avoided or ignored, and explains that “... is not against flesh and blood”; therefore, we must not be too distracted by the things in the visible world, “... but against the rulers, the powers ... of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”. The battle is a spiritual battle and we are in it—like it or not.
Paul concluded with a summary; “... take up the full armor of God” to “... be able to stand your ground” “... on the evil day”. The “... evil day” is to come, and is now, both at once; every day is an “evil day” as we only get one chance to stand with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit when tested, else we to surrender our position to the Enemy, which once gone means that we have failed “to stand” and it is not reclaimable. No do-overs. The “evil day” is also yet to come in the existential sense of the day when the chains are released and the Enemy and all of his desperately evil demons are allowed to mount a final attack. In that day we will need every shred of “in Him” and from Him” spiritual power which we should have been storing up and testing out all-along.
We each have our struggles, usually more than one. The symptom of the substance abuser is their physiological addition but there is a back-story that has a spiritual element. The obsessive-compulsive seeks control due to the false belief that through a forced and artificial ordering of their environment they may create a bubble of safety in a challenging world, but there is something more to their fears. The one in slavery to gambling, money, pornography, power, prestige, or some other idol also does so out of a false need to compensate for something and is a casualty in need of reinforced armor in waging their part of the larger spiritual battle.
What are some specific ways to practically apply Paul's teaching.
Although we all have weaknesses in our imperfect flesh, because of grace, in and through Jesus we are made strong. Acknowledge that the battle is first spiritual and then physical and that we must have His full armor to have any hope of safety.
When have you faced a challenge in your life where you have applied Paul's teaching?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a clearer understanding and implement of the disciplines necessary to prevail in spiritual warfare and where you most need strengthening.
Today I will humbly receive a better understanding of what are my weaknesses and what are the ways that the Enemy has been exploiting them. I will select one weakness and ask someone I trust to assist me with accountability, encouragement, and prayer as I partner with the Holy Spirit to overcome it.
6:14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,
6:15 by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace,
6:16 and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Lord, You equip us for battle because our choice for Jesus places us in opposition to the evil one, incurring his venal wrath. May I remember that the attacks are coming, both obvious and subtle, and therefore not be found unprepared and unarmed.
Paul addressed the how-to of the “... full armor of God ...” in defending oneself against the devil using the visual imagery of a Roman soldier. “Stand firm therefore, by”:
“... fastening, the belt of truth around your waist,” (This is to what most other elements of the armor would be attached—truth, God’s absolute truth, is the central connecting value.)
… and
“... by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,” (Clipped to the belt to keep it from moving the breastplate is defensive in purpose and is a result of applying God’s truth to our life through righteous living that keeps us safer from temptation.)
… and
“... by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace,” (The soldier’s feet were covered and protected, the believer is covered by positional standing as a child of God and protected by His power and the certainty of salvation through the peace that comes in accepting the propitiation of Christ which established our right-standing with God with whom we were formerly eternal enemies due to sin. Many of Satan’s lies go back to the Garden of Eden—certainty of Who God is and of His certain-promise to us as His eternal children is powerful protection indeed.)
“... and in all of this,”
“... by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (The shield was a defensive tool covered in metal as enemies would literally set the old wooden shields ablaze with flaming arrows, so also the believer needs the shield of faith which provides both salvation and the ‘ultrafidian’ (beyond faith) capacity to fearlessly serve God knowing that he is our defender.)
… and
“And take the helmet of salvation ...” (Another defensive tool in Paul’s illustration, looking back to Isaiah 59:17, refers to justice and righteousness.)
… and
“... the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (The only tool primarily used for offense, though surely also defensive as well. In addition to the two foot long short-sword carried by a Roman soldier for close-in fighting Paul may have had in mind the sword carried by a “bystander” Mark 14:47 and used offensively to defend Jesus from capture, a machete-like sword used against wild animals, roadside attackers, and clearing bushes and branches during off-path travel. A sword is only as useful as the abilities of it’s owner, in the hands of an impulsive or inept person it could escalate an otherwise less-violent confrontation or be taken and turned against them. Similarly the Word of God is an effective and powerful tool in the hands of a “good Berean”, or one readily misquoted and used against the careless believer by the Enemy.)
The Lord God’s absolute truth is the “belt” or anchor we need as a point of reference for stability in a chaotic world. If I view myself as a child of God, a saint, guaranteed Heaven for eternity how my certainty of salvation can help me to ward-off many of Satan’s lies about vulnerabilities that do not exist and fears that are irrational. God gives us, through the Holy Spirit, an “ultrafidian” (beyond faith) capacity to fearlessly serve God “and the very gates of Hell cannot prevail against it”. (Mat. 16:13, Gal. 10, Mal. 1:1-5)
What are some non-legalistic righteous living-based boundaries that can help to keep us safer from temptation when we are tested?
When perfect justice is defined by God, it is certain at the “End”, and it is not confused with a mere human definition of “fairness”. For the same reason, righteousness defines the way I view the world, thus my clear-thinking is protected. The Word of God is an effective and powerful tool in the battle for truth, and in warding-off the attacks of the Enemy; the better we learn to handle that tool the more valuable it will be.
When have you experienced the enemy had been lying to you about something he wanted you to believe was an impossible-to-overcome weakness or vulnerability and a better understanding of the truth of God’s Word set you free?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of His truth, His definition of righteous living, His assurance of salvation, His provision of opportunities for 'ultrafidian’ (beyond faith) service, and His standard for and provision of the last word about justice.
Today I am choosing to thank the Lord God for all of the tools that are in His “full armor”. I am choosing to put on that full armor at the beginning of the day and to walk through the process again later in the day as I feel myself weakening. I will seek an opportunity to encourage a fellow saint to do the same, or to affirm them if they are already doing so.
6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.
Lord, You have given us Your presence through Your Holy Spirit, and You have instructed that we pray for others with the guidance, perspective, and power of the Spirit. May I remember to Whom I am praying, through Whom I am praying, and for whom I am to raise most of my prayers; others.
Paul instructed the Ephesians to pray “... in the Spirit”, to “... be alert”, and to do so “... with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.”
His purpose to remind believers that their prayers are facilitated by the indwelling Holy Spirit, are motivated by Him, and are blessed. Our prayers are to be righteous, we are to be alert to deception and aware of needs, and as he noted elsewhere to “... pray without ceasing” (1Thess 5:17) for other the requests of other saints.
Paul’s instructions are tied to the preceding text as prayer is part of the “full armor”, it is necessary to wisely use the armor, and is what keeps us grounded in Christ.
Prayers are also designed to keep us constantly-close to the Lord God in conversation so that we remember Whose we are, we remember Who dwells within us, and we remember that we are to pray with hearts of loving-compassion.
The Lord God will bless and protect us if we exercise the discipline to remember to “put on the full armor” every morning there thereby we acknowledge the Holy Spirit.
When you have prayed first thing in the morning did you discover that it got your daylong conversation started with the Lord God?
When we activate the armor we become alert as a good spiritual soldier should be.
Have you experienced that persevering in prayer, especially for others, kept you humble and focused on what was most important to the Lord God?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to remember to put on the full armor of God, to pray without ceasing all day, to be alert to the deception and trickery of the Enemy, and to pray for others so that you remain in a mindset of humble service
Today I am choosing to keep a simple journal of my day and share it with a friend—noting the difference that this spiritual discipline made in my day.
6:19 Pray for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak—that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel,
6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.
Lord, it is Your message and not my own that I speak in Your Name, and my confidence comes from You and is because of You. May I be bold to share Your saving and maturing Word.
Paul asked the Ephesians that they pray in-agreement with him for the challenges that he faced.
Even Paul valued the prayers “in the Spirit” of the saints, raised in-obedience to his prior teaching and with perseverance (without ceasing).
He wanted the Ephesians to understand that no mere human, not even Jesus in the temporary human shell He occupied (and without His full glory), walked without constant refreshment from the Lord God through prayer.
The Ephesian believers had to be far more alert, due to their desperate need for the Lord God’s presence, because their enemies (physical and spiritual) were actively opposing them.
When we awake every morning and begin with a prayer of dependency on the Lord God He will bless that. When we remember fellow saints in prayer, in the morning, and all day—He honors that. When we maintain a continuous conversation with God all day He blesses us with comfort and discernment and wisdom in all that we think, say, and do.
How would you develop a practical discipline to wake every morning and begin with a prayer of dependency on the Lord God, without it becoming like a pagan chant or a mindless ritual?
We have active enemies in both the physical and spiritual realms.
When have you tried maintaining a continuous conversation with God all day? How did He bless you with comfort and discernment and wisdom in all that you thought, said, and did? Compare and contrast that with a different day when you did not do so.
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to begin your day with a prayer of dependency on the Lord God, to remember a fellow saint or saints by name in the morning and all day in prayer, and that I will maintain a continuous conversation with Him.
Today I will ask a fellow believer to join me in this, and at the end of the day (or some time the following day), we will compare our experiences.
Farewell Comments
6:21 Tychicus, my dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you, so that you too may know about my circumstances, how I am doing.
6:22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.
6:23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
6:24 Grace be with all of those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Lord, You provide grace and love and peace to Your children, and as we understand that better we experience it more profoundly. May I grow in understanding so that I may be better encouraged and equipped through Your grace and love and peace.
Paul concluded his letter to the Ephesians with a letter-of-introduction for Tychicus and a blessing for all believers.
He promised them a report of praise and of need, from his ministry to them—with the assurance that what they hear about them will “... encourage your hearts”.
Paul commended to them peace and love with faith from “... God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.
He reminded them that grace is with all “... those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”
Paul once-again affirmed the divinity of Christ when he referred to Him as “Lord”.
The concluding words of Paul contained a believer-only qualification, and a powerful word of encouragement.
The Lord God’s desire is that though grace and love we will have peace with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Does our Christian-faith flow from an undying love for Jesus that provides the grace we need to live in peace with one-another?
Give thanks to the Lord God that, if you choose the path of faithful-obedience, you will have peace and love with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
When has grace flowed to you, and/or through you to another, as a result of your intentional love-relationship with Jesus?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a specific brother or sister in Christ, with whom a loving and peaceful relationship has been difficult, for whom He wants you to pray and to reconcile.
Today I am committing to pursue peace and love with a difficult brother or sister in-Christ, beginning in prayer and followed by communication and fellowship. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me for success in this reconciliation.
Additional Resources:
Slavery http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1499
Slavery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Ephesians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.