I'm still struggling with the meaning of this epistle, however I am beginning once more with a different approach with my first post (June 20, 2026).
The Ephesian Epistle
Chapter 1 Introduction What purposes does this epistle serve for the brethren at Ephesus? 2 Tim 3:16,17 plainly answers this question, the scriptures teach us how to live a godly life, to correct us when we make mistakes. There are lessons that are the sincere milk of the word which are for the spiritual babes in Christ so the can grow spiritually. There are lessons which are more mature spiritually. And there are those which Are for the very mature spiritually. One’s spiritual life is a continual learning process that does not stop until one’s death as he grows in both grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Where do we find these scriptures for each one of these levels? They can be found many times in the same scriptures. As I go thought this epistle, I will call your attention to such scriptures which contain both simple lessons as well as more mature lessons. How do we study the Scriptures? When one of God’s children begins to seriously study the Bible, he needs to develop questions as to what he wants to know about the scriptures he is concentration on. To do this, one should select a reasonable number of verses and then read them. Look for possible questions you want to find answers to as you read, writing these questions. What catches your attention? What words do you not understand? (May require a dictionary or Strong’s concordance to find the meaning.) What do you want to learn from these scriptures? What is really written? (Sometimes what is quoted is not what is written.) What does it really mean? (Sometimes what is said about these verses is not what is really meant.) The next step is to write down the answers to your questions. With this, you have increased your knowledge. If any of your answers have shown you relationships between some of your readings, you have also gained some understanding. These questions have served me well for many decades. But more recently I realized that I was still missing something. It is a great way to get what is known as head knowledge. Understanding how various part of the Bible are related is also part of this knowledge. What was missing for me? How do I apply this information to my life? Additionally, when will I apply it? These questions requires a commitment from the people who answers their questions. Thereafter, they have the directions they should follow and when to do them. Whether he profits from using what he has learned or not is up to the individual. What periods of time are included in this epistle? Verses 1:1-3 involve the time when this epistle was written. Verse 1:4-6 are before the foundation of the world. The rest of the first chapter are a mixture from before the foundation up to the time of the epistle’s writing. There is one reference to after the end of time. Much of the rest of the epistle will apply to the present for those who have read it. (If I deem it worthwhile at the time of my writing, I will mention what period of time is included.) Salutation: Who wrote it? Who received it? 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Who is Paul? The Ephesians, at least some of them, personally knew him from the three years he preached there earlier. We have the book of Acts beginning with chapter 9 to described who he was and what he did. The number of epistles he wrote gives insights into what he believed and taught as well. These point to how the Ephesians understood who Paul was while we have these references to provide this to us as well. One thing we can ask about Paul: from whence did his zeal come? The answer is: the grace of God. And there are two scriptures that teach this: 1 Cor 15:9,10, and Philippians 2:12,13. 1 Cor 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. During the early adult years of his life, he persecuted those who believed in Christ. With his encounter with Jesus at Damascus, he realized that he had placed his zeal in the wrong belief system. So, he made that sudden change, having the same amount of zeal if not more than he had earlier. His zeal was based upon the grace which God gave him. Just as important was that he used the grace given to him. Between the two, Paul accomplished much more than many others. Phil 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. These verses reveal more about God’s grace given to Paul. It gave him the will to accomplish what God had before ordained him to do during the rest of his life. His grace also gave Paul the power to do these things. What is important to know about the Ephesians? They are the brethren to whom this epistle was written. These were very special people in the eyes of the LORD: they abounded in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How were they able to accomplish this? (Isa 28:9-11) 9 ¶Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. All of these brethren began at the same point: they were babes in Christ whether they were adults new to the faith or a child just beginning to learn. (1 Cor) 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Paul’s prayer for these brethren 2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Why Grace in particular? Grace plays a very large part of our everyday life, and in particular, our Spiritual life. Without it, we would not have the will to obey God nor the power to properly obey. We really can not do it! (This comes from Philippians 2: 12 and 13.) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.) As far as not completing a godly project without grace, consider 1 Cor. 15: 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Everything we do Spiritually always involves the grace of God. Why? He cares for us. He knows we can not be successful without his help, so He provides the help He knows we need to be successful. What part does peace have in out lives? Without it, we would be miserable. Go with me to Jerusalem the night after Jesus’ resurrection. The disciples had been in deep mourning after His death. They had no peace until they saw Him that night. This was in spite of the women’s witness that they had seen Him alive, spoken to Him, even touched Him until He told them to stop. Two brethren had suddenly returned from Emmaus. Jesus and they had talked extensive over more than an hour during that journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Hearing this by the disciples in the upper room was greeted with total unbelief! Yet, the women had also been depressed until that morning when they saw and touched the resurrected Jesus. Now they had a sense of peace. But it was somewhat muted by the brethren’s refusal to believe their witness. The sisters were happy, but the brethren were despondent if not totally depressed. Was any of this grieving really necessary? Jesus’ statements indicated that the answer is no. this reasoning comes from the 14th chapter of John. 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. 29 "And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe." This prayer of peace and grace by Paul for these brethren was made because he cared deeply for them and their welfare. By experience, he knew how wonderful it was to experience these two blessings many times: the grace of God working him, and the peace that passes all understanding. He wanted them to experience these also for themselves, the more, the better. This desire was not for once in a great while, it was for much as was possible! Theme of this epistle 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Why is this the theme? Throughout this epistle, Paul revealed the blessings that God has reserved for us, His children. These are the things we should know and believe, understand, and apply to our lives. They provide us with the foundation we need to live the way God requires of us. And yes, He deserves our acknowledgment of what He does: we should bless His Holy name for all of this. The blessing of God for this is not anything new. Psalm 105 as well as 136 are filled with reasons why God is be praised for his rich mercy and great love. In fact, the phrase, Praise ye the LORD, appears many places in the book of Psalms. What is so important about these reasons? They are everyday events in which God had blessed His people, Israel. The same is true today for all of God’s children. This teaches us that we should look carefully at the events of our lives to see what God had done for us, His influence in how we act. This includes the times when it seems He has left us alone. But if He had really done this, how would we have survived? We would not have is the answer. You see, there are times when we miss the evidence of His presence working His will for us. What are the heavenly places in Christ? It is best not to answer this question now as it is described soon in this chapter in some detail. It is more thoroughly answered in later chapters. I will however give these places a name, the kingdom of God (kingdom of Heaven). And yet, there are very important blessings that predate this kingdom as well. Summary of verse 3 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Where do we start when writing what this verse means? By the questions and answers, it should be obvious how vast this is. This is because it involves the entire letter! (The first chapter only introduces the contents of this epistle. So, this part of this article has to be brief. Now, its importance lies in the memory of the reader. What Spiritual blessings do you remember from the past? How close has God brought you to Himself? When has He done this? How often has this happen? Do you see God’s guiding hand in at least some events of your life? (There are more of these events than you might think.) God has purposes for your life which He requires you to complete successfully. (Eph. 2:10) Consider what you now know how to do it well, and you have greater understanding of how things are related. How did you get to know this much, gain the understanding? It took time and effort to do this. It took the will to continue until success is obtained. It also took ability, and where did this ability come from? God. Phil 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. If it is godly, then know that God has purposed for you to do this very thing. His guidance and control of your environment, whenever needed, and joys in your accomplishments are part of the Spiritual blessings that are in heavenly places in Christ. This obviously means that the letter of Ephesians applies to you today even as it did to those to whom this letter was sent! The rest of this letter is for your learning and edification as well! There is so much that can be written about this, but it is covered in more detail later in this letter. So they will have to wait until we get to these passages. Some of them are in the next section. This is the point right now. If you know by experience that God works with you, then you can be sure that He loves and blesses you. This can come in many ways. Have you had experiences in which you felt Him near? Do you care about the welfare of the brethren you worship with? Do you care about others from other churches? Are there times in a church service that you have fully enjoyed? Do you enjoy talking or listening to conversions about the Bible? Do you sometimes feel a need to do something for others to help them? Do you do your best to do your part in the upkeep of your church and ministry? Do you want to please the LORD? And there are many other questions in this line of thought. If the answer to any of these questions is yes, this means that you are His, and He expects you to obey Him. Why am I seemingly repeating myself with all these questions? I grew up during the time when our people did not see these blessings as belonging to them. They would hope so. Well, they greatly desired to have them but did not expect them. They wanted but did not know that their desires of God’s blessings were already theirs! Traditions had closed their eyes to the whole truth.
