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Notice the salutation. "Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God".
Paul never wrote a letter, and I suspect, never preached a sermon, without declaring his apostleship and his call. Then he writes what had become known as
the Apostolical Benediction, "Grace and Peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ." Grace, the free and undeserving favor and love of God and Peace,
the product or end result of the above. Both gifts of God thru Jesus Christ.
Election
["Click here for Ephesians 1:3-6"]
In verses 3 thru 14, Paul expounds on three doctrines of the Christian Faith.
Lets look at the first of these, The Doctrine of Election Chapter 1 verses 3 thru 6. Paul begins this controversial doctrine with thanksgiving and phrase. Many do not accept the doctrine of Election. They find it hard to accept the "prerogative" of God (Rom. 9:9-18), but it is a Bible teaching from Genesis to Revelation, and Paul begins by thanking God for this and other spiritual blessings.
Matthew Henry describes Election and Predestination, which many believe are the same, this way: "Election represents that lump of mankind pre-determined and foreknown by God to eternal life." "Predestination represents the blessings they are pre-determined to have." This particular blessing Paul calls, "adoption as the sons of God".
Notice when God did this. "Before the foundation of the world." Chosen from the beginning. Why did God do this? "That we should be holy and blameless." Holy? can that be so? Yes, holy and righteous, covered by the "robe of righteousness". Having righteousness "imputed" or given to us. It is a gift. Blameless? Yes, He who had chosen us is able to present us faultless, because of His imputed righteousness. This should manifest itself in love toward God and our fellow man.
There is also a third reason that Paul eludes to here. "We are elected because it
was His will." For what purpose did He will us eternal life? "That it should be
for His phrase and glory." We are His workmanship. Whatever we are, it is by His
grace, less anyone should boast. Therefore, to God be the glory, not to man.
Justification
["Click here for Ephesians 1:7-12"]
The second doctrine that he deals with here is called, "Justification by Faith." Chapter 1 verses 7 thru 12. In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption. What does "redemption" mean? Webster says it is the act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed, delivered or reclaimed. What does redemption do for us? It is a means of forgiveness of sins and a gift of life eternal. How was this accomplished? Through the "spilled" or "shed" blood of Christ. Without the shedding of blood, the guilt or stain of sin could not be removed. This was done according to His plan and the riches of His Grace. In Revelation we read that no one but Christ was found worthy to open the "Lambs Book of God".
This purpose and plan of God would have gone unnoticed without God's revelation. So His redemption was made known thru divine revelation (Gal. 1:11 "For I would have you know Brother, that the Gospel, which was preached by me (Paul), is not man's gospel but it came thru a revelation of Jesus Christ"). God has made known to us the mystery of His plan and will. REDEMPTION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST AND REVELATION THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
So we now have the knowledge that redemption exists, how do we get it? We get
redemption by FAITH, and as we see in verse 8, it is a gift of God. Jesus Christ
is the "key" to being accepted by God. There is no other name under heaven given
among men where by we must be saved. We are accepted for Christ's sake. We are
forgiven for Christ's sake.
Perseverance of the Saints
["Click here for Ephesians 1:13-14"]
The third doctrine that Paul deals with here is the Perseverance of the Saints.
Chapter 1 verses 13 and 14. "Sealed by the Spirit". We, as Saints, persevere to
the end because we as sealed by the Spirit. Thru Christ we are sealed and set
apart. Now we have our "inheritance" made known and guaranteed, by the Holy
Spirit. This was Paul's earnest prayer for the Ephesians that they, thru prayer,
would obtain all of the spiritual blessings that are theirs in Christ Jesus.
Paul's Knowledge of Them
["Click here for Ephesians 1:15-23"]
Notice that he remarks about the good that he has heard about them, their good faith in the Lord and their love for the brethren, for this, Paul never ceases to give thanks, for as we see here, it leads to other rich blessings, a spirit of wisdom and a spirit of revelation. Paul prayed for their understanding that their eyes, minds and hearts might be opened to the "truth". We must then, first, pray to be loving Christians then pray to be knowing Christians.
Notice Paul mentions three particular things that they should grow knowledgeable of. First, "The hope of their calling", the assurance of their salvation, the Spirit's guarantee.
We must acquire this assurance in order the have the joy of our salvation and the fullness of life that is ours in Christ Jesus. We must deal with God in trust. Secondly, there are "riches" to be had if we deal with God in trust. Our blessings begin the moment we accept Christ, only lack of faith and trust can limit those blessings. Paul suggests that we find out about these blessings thru reading, contemplating and praying. Like everything else in this world, to receive our rights, we must first know what they are.
The third blessing that Paul thought we should know about was the gift of God's power for those who believe. Matthew Henry says that for a person to believe in Christ, it is nothing less than a mighty act of God. God chooses us, He chose us from the beginning. This was the first of the mighty acts of God in our life. From now on we either aid or hinder His working thru us and for us.
We saw the greatness of this power demonstrated when God raised Jesus from the dead. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that saved your soul. This power supports the Church. These were the three particular blessings that Paul prayed that the Ephesians would be knowledgeable of.
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