Ephesians

To those who know God, there has come from His heavenly throne the blessing of salvation from sin and salvation for heaven. Now as children of God “by faith in Jesus Christ,” we are no longer aliens but sons and daughters of God because we have “received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba

Greetings to the members of His Body, [1:1-2]: We are “in Christ Jesus” (as the body is joined to the head). This is the key phrase in the epistle. We are and have all, in Him. Paul’s gift was by God’s choice. As saints we are set apart for God’s use. As the faithful in

To have the reputation of being a faithful person is certainly a very good recommendation for any person to have. To be “faithful in Christ Jesus” takes one’s reputation to a much higher level than just being one who can be trusted. This does not means that these saints were just set apart for God’s

From the heavenly places, the realms of glory, have come to us benefits that I would never have known about if I had not come to know God. Eternal life that was given to me when I first trusted Christ as my Savior, has allowed me to know God and the Lord Jesus Christ to

With the Holy Spirit in us, the Father and the Son with us and the Word of God to teach us; with the saints of God to share with us, the family of God to fellowship with us, the church of God to participate with us – we have “all spiritual blessings.” Though much of

There are at least seven different things we know that were before the foundation of the world. Our infinite God has made plans that included us before the creation took place. The Creator is the producer of all creation. Redemption and the church were no afterthought of His, but what He predetermined, He made “the

There is a purpose behind the selection of an object when we need that item for a particular work. A hammer is selected to drive a nail. A pan is selected to suit a particular use when cooking a meal. God’s people have been selected, foreordained by God, to be made like unto Christ [Rom.8:29].

Is it really possible for me to “be to the praise of the glory of His grace?” What is it that could actually demonstrate the grace of God from my personality, lifestyle and reactions to the circumstances of life? God does not issue impossible commands, and the grace He has freely given us in Christ

Our acceptance in Christ is not just an arbitrary random action on God’s part. He did not overlook one part of his character to show His great benevolence toward us to meet our need. It is quite in keeping with God’s spotless perfect character to demonstrate His love and mercy through undeserved grace. Our acceptance

Our God is infinite in all of His being so that everything He does is already known to Him completely as a finished event, before the event or work is even begun. He knows the end from the beginning. So how is it possible that He can share that which is unknown to us, with

The believers at Ephesus must have been surprised and perhaps overwhelmed at the thought they were a part of a great universal work of God that had been going on for a long time. Not only was there salvation for them personally through redemption by the blood of Christ, but they were in the plans

The Jews were those who first heard the Gospel, and even in Ephesus there were a number of Jewish men who had been baptized with John the Baptist’s baptism that was in view of national repentance and restoration of the nation of Israel to its former position among the nations. Paul and those with him

The things we have in common with other Christians is a great motivating factor for us to keep connected with them. Paul knew the believers in Ephesus because he had lived among them for some time, but at the time of his writing he was at a distance from them. His interest in them was

In his first prayer in this book of Ephesians, Paul addresses God above and beyond that with which the Jewish believers would have used. Certainly it was far more real than those who had worshipped the idol Diana would have known. Instead of “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” or the goddess Diana, Paul’s

The first prayer recorded in the book of Ephesians is not one in which requests are obscure and the words to big to grasp their meaning. Paul wanted the saints to lay hold on hope for themselves and understand there was something for God when referring to the riches of His glory, but also he

The first verses of Ephesians chapter 2 are still connected to the subject of the resurrection power that raised Christ up from among the dead. The same principle has worked in us who were spiritually separated from God. The calling of the Church is a heavenly calling by God of those who were dead and

No doubt the Ephesians who God had saved by His grace, both Jews and Gentiles, were amazed at God’s grace and grateful for their deliverance from the consequences of sin. I know I am. I can’t find the words to express what it means to me to be seated with Christ in heavenly places. This

The conflicts and separations between Jews and Gentiles that we see going on in the world today are nothing new. Right from the time God called Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to the land we call Israel today, there has been animosity between these two groups. Paul wrote to the Ephesian

The illusive experience of peace has people all over the world raising barriers that separates them from all others because each one thinks peace can only be made on my selfish terms. This has separated nations, races, cultures, religions, families and even marriages. So when the subject of grace enters into this conflict, people get