In today's study we introduce the book by carefully
looking at when and where it was written, establish who the audience was,
discuss the issues of predestination and adoption, and God's wisdom and
prudence.
2 Timothy was Paul's last personal epistle and
Ephesians was his last doctrinal epistle and it seems that both were written at
the same time and that both were delivered by Tychicus. We see evidence for
that by comparing Scriptures such as 1Timothy 1:3; Ephesians 6:21-22; and
2Timothy 4:12.
Another possible proof of this is that Paul gives his
salutations at the end of 2 Timothy and not at the end of Ephesus. Maybe it was
because they were going to the same place (2Timothy 4:19 and Ephesians
6:21-24)?
Notice Onesiphorus in 2Timothy 4:19. Where was he?
2Timothy 1:16-18. Also, Acts 18:24-26 tells us that Aquila and Priscilla were
also in Ephesus.
The bottom line is that there is a lot of evidence
that Ephesians and 2 Timothy were written at the same time and delivered by
Tychicus. That would mean that Ephesians was written while Paul was awaiting
execution in Rome (Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 4:1; 2Timothy 4:6-8).
Verse 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: Notice that he says that they are in Christ Jesus. In
this book, Paul's focus is who we are in Christ.
Some have attempted to prove that Paul was addressing
two different groups of people in this letter, i.e., the saints in
Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus. I have ran that
route to its logical conclusion and completely disagree. Paul was the apostle
to the Gentiles and wrote to the Body of Christ in his epistles, and when he does
address Jews and the nation, it is obvious. Also, I have found that those who
go down that rabbit hole will find themselves in a ditch very quickly.
Verses 2-3: Grace be to you, and peace, from God
our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ: Notice that our blessings are spiritual and in
heavenly places. When do we get these spiritual blessings? We receive them at
the very moment of salvation. Paul said in 1Corinthians 12:12-13, For as the
body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being
many, are one body: so also is Christ.
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.
Verse 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: We can still have free will and God can still know
who will and who will not. He is God, right?
Notice that we should be holy. Just like
the tools in the temple, we have been set aside, made holy, and consecrated for
his purpose.
The phrase without blame is interesting.
How in the world are we without blame? Paul mentioned the concept in
1Corinthians 1:7-8 when he said, So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting
for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the
end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The
simple truth is that we are totally justified from all things by our faith in
the finished work of Christ on the cross and nothing more. The result is that
we are truly blameless. There is nothing that we can be accused of. John said
in 1John 2:1 that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. An advocate is ‘one who pleads the cause of another in a court of
civil law.’
Verse 5: Having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his
will, We must keep in mind that the adoption spoken of here speaks of coming
into full rights as an heir as Paul also mentioned in Romans 8:17-18. It has
nothing to do with anything that we must work for as that it happens at the
moment of salvation. It occurs at the same moment that we become joint-heirs
with Christ in heavenly places as he mentioned in verse 3.
Regarding predestination, it is sad how it has been so
distorted in the church today because it is not referring to whether someone is
predetermined to go to heaven or hell. Instead, it is speaking of our position
in Christ as a joint-heir, and just as our adoption, it will be completed at
the Rapture of the church because it is according to the good pleasure of
his will.
The Bible makes it clear that God is not willing that
any should perish (2Pet 3:9) and that the world through him might be saved
(John 3:17), but no where does it say that He predetermined some for heaven and
others for hell. God simply gives the invitation. Of course, he knows who will
and who will not. He is God after all and there is nothing hidden from him. It
is not that difficult in my opinion.
Verse 6: To the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In the beloved
means in Christ. It is by grace and grace alone as he has already established.
Our society may have lost absolute truth, but the Bible has not.
Interestingly, there is not one reference to the Old
Testament or the Jew in either of Paul's prison epistles.
Verse 7: In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; In
Christ, we have redemption through his blood, and this brings about the
forgiveness of sins by his grace.
The concept of redemption was not new. Job spoke of it
in Job 19:25-26, For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand
at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
The definition of redemption is to lose control of
something and to buy it back. A perfect example of this was when the world was
forfeited in the Garden of Eden and then bought back when Christ suffered on
Calvary (Isaiah 59:20; Romans 3:23, 25).
It is important to remember at this point that we, the
Body of Christ, was not redeemed from the Law as many suggest, but from the
fall that happened in the Garden (Hebrews 9:12-14, 22; 1Peter 1:18-19;
Revelation 5:9).
Verse 8: Wherein he hath abounded toward us in
all wisdom and prudence. As a result, grace made the impossible, possible;
and he did this in his wisdom and prudence. It is not saying that he gave us special
spiritual insight, but that God did this in his wisdom and prudence.
Verse 9: Having made known unto us the mystery of
his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: What
is the mystery of his will? Is it referring to the Paulene
mystery? Whatever it is, it has been made known now.
I believe that he is referring to verses 4-5 in which
he said that we have been chosen in him before the foundation of the world and
have been predestined for adoption. It is almost verbatim.
This is the mystery that was revealed to Paul (Romans
16:25). The Twelve and Jesus did not preach this gospel, period.
Ephesians 3:8-9 says that it was unsearchable because
it was purposefully hidden until it was to be revealed to Paul. The mystery was
not just Jew and Gentile as many say, but also: 1. the grace gospel that was
salvation apart from the Law (1Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 16:25), 2. redemption
through his blood by his sacrifice, not from the Law, but sin, 3. justification
as the result of our faith in that completed work, 4. our baptism into the Body
of Christ, 5. the postponement of Daniel’s 70th Week and the coming
kingdom as the result of the setting aside of the nation, 6. and the Rapture of
the Body of Christ.
The Scriptures saw the Second Coming, but they could
not have seen the Rapture because it did not see the postponement (Colossians 1:23b-26).
Sadly, just as in Paul’s day, many have rejected this message (2Timothy 1:15).
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