Ephesians— Blessings in Christ
03.15.23
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.. (Ephesians 1:3)
Ephesians is the first of the four Prison Epistles. These were written during Paul’s first imprisonment. Each contains references to this imprisonment. This serves in part to prove that God can use our misfortunes for his purposes. We may at some point be bound in a prison cell, but the Word of God cannot be bound! (2 Timothy 2:9)
Ephesus was a commercial, political and religious center. The great temple to the goddess Diana was located there. The gospel may have first come there with Aquila and Priscilla. Paul stopped there on his second missionary journey, and stayed for three years. From Ephesus, the gospel spread throughout all of Asia Minor. Timothy had charge of the church after Paul left, and John later made this city his headquarters.
The book, while addressed to the Ephesians, was likely intended to be circulated and read by all of the churches of Asia Minor [those mentioned in Revelation 2, 3].
Paul’s theme and focus in the book is the blessings that come from Christ. He speaks of the believer’s exalted position in Christ and the walk that should accord with this position. He gives emphasis to the unity of the Church as a whole, a unity of Jew and Gentile. This unity should be evident in the local assemblies but will be fully realized when the Church Universal meets one day in the heavenlies.
The Book has been compared to the Book of Joshua in the OT. In Joshua, when the Jews entered the Promised Land, the land of milk and honey, they received material blessings.
In Ephesians, we learn that the blessings for the Christian are primarily spiritual. They will be received in the heavenly Canaan Land.
Ephesians tells us that the source of these spiritual blessings is the Triune God—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The scope of these blessings entails all spiritual blessings in Christ. As for the sphere of the blessings, while they will be realized fully in the heavenlies, they need to be fleshed out on earth in the daily walk of the child of God.
The three key words of the book—riches, together, and walk—demonstrate the theme of the book as it flows from the riches the believer has in Christ, to the unity of the believers as they walk with God in their daily lives.
As for the general outline of Ephesians, as per usual with Paul, the first three chapters are primarily doctrinal. We find that the believer is chosen and sealed, saved and united, and equal in the Body, the Church.
The last three chapters are more practical. Paul stresses that the believer in Christ is to walk in unity, holiness, love, harmony and victory.
Paul spends a good amount of space explaining the mystery not revealed in the OT, that the church, the body of Christ, is composed of all believers, Jew and Gentile alike.
Of course, the center of each book of the Word of God is Christ Jesus. Just in the first chapter, we find that in Him the believer finds every blessing, an adoption into God’s family, redemption from sin, and an inheritance in heaven one day. The precious Holy Spirit seals the believer in Christ.
O, what a Savior! Come to Him today!