Ephesians Chapter 1

Ephesians 1:1 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:

When Paul says "an apostle' it is clear that there are other men who are apostles. Most notably the 12 apostles to Israel, of whom Peter, James and John were a part. But also, during the book of Acts there were others who were called apostles, but who were joined with Paul in his ministry.

In Acts 14:4 and 14 Barnabas is called an apostle. Barnabas and Saul were "separated by the Holy Ghost" for a work in Acts 13. It also appears that Paul refers to Apollos as an apostle in 1 Corinthians 4:6 and 9. Others who were called apostles and who were associated with Paul were Silvanus and Timothy in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6.

All of these men were Jews and had been associated with the Jerusalem churh with the exception of Timothy. Timothy was a disciple in Acts 16 and Paul took him forth with him at that time. However. it is clear from the bible that Paul is the only apostle who is THE apostle of the Gentiles. No other person anywhere in the bible makes that claim..

The verse also seems to be referring to two groups of people. That will clearly be brought out later in the chapter. It is obvious that Paul knew and was well known to the "saints at Ephesus" because he had spent a total of three years preaching and teaching among them at the time of Acts 19.

But the focus of the Ephesian letter is to people Paul did not know. He had only "heard of their faith" as in verse 15 of this same chapter. You will also be able to clearly see not one, but two groups of people described as we go on.

Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is Paul's standard way of opening his letters. But notice it says "grace be to you and peace, from God OUR father..." It is only in Paul's epistles that you find such a phrase being used. In the Hebrew epistles of Hebrews through Revelation you find "servants of God" but you never see a reference to sons of God. In order to be called sons of God they must first be overcomers. The only exception to this is in 1 John where the epistle is written to overcomers. Compare 1 John 2:3 and 14 with 1 John 3:2 and 1 John 5:4 and 5. Notice also Revelation 21:7.

In the case of members of the body of Christ in this dispensation we are overcomers IN CHRIST. Christ overcame for us, instead of us, and in our behalf. God made him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Righteousness is put to our account based on what Christ did and not what we do. He shed his blood for us. He died for our sins and was raised again for our justification. Paul's doctrine to the church, the body of Christ, is different than the tribulation doctrine of Hebrews through Revelation.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

There is a sevenfold account of these blessings which follows. They are spiritual blessings and not physical. Notice that they are in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

In Christ, we are holy and without blame. Paul says that ye are washed, as in the washing of water by the word, and  sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Members of the body of Christ were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. God promised eternal life there, as in:

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Before the world began, we were not there. But who was there? God the Son was. God the Father promised God the son eternal life back then, before the world began. At that time God foreknew those who would trust in Christ as their Saviour, hence Paul says:

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Salvation then is based on what God foreknew. It is not that God predestined some to be saved and some to be lost, but simply that God foreknew who would trust Christ as their Saviour and based upon that foreknowledge, predestinated them. Not to be saved, but to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

There again, the predestination in the verse is not unto salvation. God doesn't force anyone to be saved. But the predestination is unto the adoption of children. That's why Paul consistently refers to members of the body of Christ as children of God, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. You just don't find that position outside of Paul's epistles of Romans through Philemon.

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

So the third in the list of blessings here is that we are "accepted in the beloved." Jesus Christ is God's beloved Son, as in Matthew 3:17, declared to be the son of God by resurrection, as in Romans 1:4, and those who trust in Christ as their Saviour are ACCEPTED in him. Not trying to work to be accepted nor work to stay accepted. Notice that Colossians says:

Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

The next blessing speaks of redemption:

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

"Wherein" is a reference to the riches of God's grace. It is in that grace and by that grace that we are saved, having been redeemed by the shedding of the blood of Christ, God's own blood. When something is redeemed, a purchase is made, the price fully paid. Paul says we are "bought with a price." That price was no less than the shed blood of Jesus Christ at the cross. He also speaks of that here:

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

The next blessing has to do with a mystery:

Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

There was a mystery pertaining to God's will that had never before been made known until it was revealed to Paul and he wrote about it. This mystery pertains to the "dispensation of the fulness of times." That goes on beyond the 1000 year reign of Christ Paul referred to in Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

In the dispensation of the fulness of times there will be no more death, nor pain, nor sorrow. And at that time God will gather together in one ALL things in Christ. That is both things which are in heaven and things which are on earth. We already have an inheritance in Christ.

Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Again, the predestination is not that God chose some to be saved and some to be lost. But rather, based on His foreknowdge of what Paul brings up in the next verses those whom God foreknew would trust Christ as their Saviour were predestined according to God's purpose. God's purpose is to save sinners who cannot save themselves, and by doing that get the glory that he is due.

Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

"We" is a group of people. Paul is a part of that group. That group of people FIRST trusted in Christ. Paul was the FIRST to trust in Christ alone for salvation.

1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

It was to Paul that the WHY of the cross was revealed. Paul says in 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

Paul was the first man to receive that message and the first man to trust in that truth. That is why he says that he is the FIRST and that he is the PATTERN of salvation today. Peter did not preach in the book of Acts that Christ had died for men's sins. Peter instead says to "repent and be baptized for the remission of sins." That remission looks forward to a future day of atonement for the nation of Israel. A time when their sins will be blotted out when Jesus Christ comes again. (Acts 3:19-21)

But it was Paul who said that Christ DIED for our sins. It was Paul who wrote that he was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. It was Paul who wrote that we have "now received the atonement" that Peter preached would be brought to Israel at Christ's second coming. Paul's message is different than that of Peter.

So Paul says that a group of people, called 'WE' first trusted in Christ. Paul is included in that group. That group would include the Romans, the Corinthians, the Galatians and the Thessalonians, people to whom Paul preached and wrote during the time period of the book of Acts.

The book of Acts covers a period of time which was a "time of promise." The people who heard Paul preach during that time were IN the promises made to the fathers, as in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob being the fathers of the nation of Israel. Paul found those people in the synagogues of the Jews and associated with the Jews. They feared the God of Abraham, they called Abraham "father," they were seeking the wisdom of the God of Abraham as well as the blessings of the God of Abraham.

That would NOT be true of this next group of people:

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

The WE of verse 12 is obviously different than the YE of verse 13. It is a different group of people. This group of people, which we find in verse 15 that he had never met, were not IN the promises, but rather were STRANGERS from them, as in Ephesians 2:11-12. The verse says that they had been without Christ, without God and without hope in the world.

Those in verse 12 were not without hope. They had hope in the God of Abraham. They were IN the promises. Notice Paul in the synagogue of the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia:

Acts 13:26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

Notice that THIS salvation was sent, at the time, to two groups of people. Decendents of Abraham and to those who feared the God of Abraham. That would not match the Ephesians, the YE ALSO of Ephesians 1:13 above. The people to whom the Ephesian letter was written, had not in the past been associated with the Jews, not in the synagogues of the Jews, and instead of fearing the God of Abraham they had had their own "gods." In Acts 19 they are worshipping "Dianna of the Ephesains."

But somebody had preached to these people and they had trusted in Christ. So Paul says that after they believed that they were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise:

Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The purchased possession is the church, the body of Christ. It was redeemed and it was purchased by the shed blood of Christ as we saw earlier. The redemption of the  purchased posession refers to a future day called the Rapture of the church in which our vile bodies will be changed and made like unto the glorious body of the Lord Jesus Christ, as in Phillipians 3:20-21.

These Ephesians have become members of the body of Christ, and it is the SAME BODY according to Ephesians 3:6. It is not a second body of Christ or a different body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

The SAME BODY would be the same body as this one:

Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

The same as this one:

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

And the same as this one:

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

In other words, the church, the body of Christ began with Paul, he being the first and the pattern. Then Paul went out and during the time of the book of Acts preached the gospel of Christ, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. He refers to the gospel of Christ as MY gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. (Romans 16:25)

He said in Romans 11:11 that through the FALL of Israel, not their rise as in old testament prophecy, that salvation had come to the Gentiles. He is the apostle of the Gentiles and was given the message of salvation for the Gentiles.

So during the time period of the book of Acts, a time of promise, a time in which God had not cast away his people which he foreknew but instead was saving them, not to be part of a holy nation and royal priesthood that Peter wrote about (1 Peter 2:9) but rather to become members of a joint body of believers called the church, the body of Christ, saved and sealed and bound for Heaven, not the promised land of Israel.

That is who the WE is in Ephesians 1:12. It includes Paul, Titus, Timothy and all the people Paul preached to during that time: The Romans, the Corinthians, the Galatians and the Thessalonians. Paul wrote letters to them during that period of time. They are called the "Acts period" epistles as being distinct from the seven books written by Paul referred to as the "prison epistles" which were written by Paul after the close of the book of Acts.

Paul knew those people who are called "we who first trusted in Christ." He spent time with them and he taught them. They knew him. But that is not the case with the people in verse 13 that he refers to as YE ALSO.

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

So Paul, having heard of these people, prays for them and he writes this letter to them. The purpose of the letter is to make them know who they are and what they are in Christ. It was not so that they could read it and then get saved. They are obviously already saved, having trusted Christ and having been sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

Paul was a praying man. He refers to praying or prayer some 43 times in the epistles of Romans through Philemon. 13 times he prays for others and 7 times he asks for prayer for himself from others. But here he prays for these people.

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Paul wants these people to understand so that they can know what IS the hope of his calling. People are called by the gospel. God decided by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. The Ephesians had believed. Now Paul wants them to understand these things he writes about.

Take the time to notice how many times, from verse 13 on down, that Paul refers to you and ye and your. Notice the contrast between those words and the WE of verse 12. It's unmistakeable. These are two groups of people. They could be called allies and aliens. Those who were allied with Israel and those who had been aliens from Israel. But now they are members of the SAME body, the church, the body of Christ.

Notice the great power involved in that:

Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Jesus Christ is above all. Above any principality, above any power, above any might, above any dominion and above any name. And that includes any such either in this world or in the world to come. All things are put under his feet. But God GAVE Christ for something also:

Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Jesus Christ "filleth all in all" and here Paul says that the body of Christ is the fulness of him. There are other people in who are "in Christ," but they are not a part of the "fulness of him," they are not a part of the body of Christ. All of the believers who heard and believed Peter's preaching in the book of Acts were in Christ redemptively. That is, they were redeemed by the blood of THE Lamb that John the Baptist pointed out in John chapter one. "The lamb of God." But you can clearly see that redemption and atonement are two different things. Paul writes in Romans 5:11 that we "have now received the atonement." But Peter preaches and writes of a future DAY of atonement for the natiion of Israel. Being "in the vine" of John chapter 15, those people must abide in the vine, enduring unto the end as in Matthew 24:13 in order to become a "partaker of Christ" as in Hebrews 3:6 and 14.

Only Paul says this. Only Paul speaks of our atonement as being past tense. Only Paul writes that we are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption, the day of the Rapture. No other writer in the bible refers either to the gospel of Christ, or to the church, the body of Christ. Only Paul has the doctrine to the church, the body of Christ.