Ephesians

Ephesians, Introduction 

When and where did the Lord make known to us the mystery of his will? And what was it that was made known?

^{John 1:17}For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The Greek word for truth is aletheia. This word begins with alpha. Alpha at the beginning of a word is often a negative particle, serving to negate that which follows – for example, asymptomatic means without symptoms. To understand what truth is, you need to understand what it is not. The word that is being negated is lanthano, which means to be hidden. Jesus brought grace and came to reveal the mystery of his will, to uncover that which had been covered from the beginning of time.

The Old Testament gave us a glimpse of what was to come: the new covenant. How this was to be implemented was one of the mysteries – hidden from the eyes of the people of the Old Testament.

^{Jeremiah 31:33}But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

We sometimes think of the new covenant as a covenant with the whole world, yet God is specific that he will make this covenant with the house of Israel. That is just the beginning of wonders, since we, who are not of the house of Israel often consider the new covenant as being applicable to us.

This new covenant was to be a complete departure from the old covenant. The two most notable points of departure were that God would write his laws on their hearts and that he would remember their sins no more. But it was more than that, for the promise had been that God would bless all nations through Abraham. How could a covenant with the house of Israel be a blessing to all nations?

He would write his laws upon their hearts as opposed to publishing a set of rules for everyone to follow. He would remember their sins no more; no longer writing their sins upon the tables of their hearts. He would covenant with the house of Israel in a way that would be a blessing to all nations. These are profound mysteries.

In Ephesians 1:9, Paul states that the mystery has been revealed. Jesus solved this mystery by answering all those questions and more. In a few short verses he exposed the system that encapsulates both the old covenant and the new covenant. With these verses, Jesus brought both grace and truth. He defined grace and he unhid the mystery of his will.

^{John 15:9}As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. ¹⁰If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. ¹¹These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full. ¹²This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

There are two relationships detailed in verse 9: the relationship between the Father and the Son, and the relationship between the Son and us. The relationship between the Father and the Son was based on the commandments of the Father, the law of the old covenant; the relationship between the Son and us is based on the commandments of the Son, the law of the new covenant. Jesus kept his Father’s commandments, thus fulfilling that law. We are to keep his commandments, thus fulfilling his law.

The Father’s relationship with his Son is to be a pattern for our relationship with Jesus. Jesus loved us as the Father loved him; we are to love one another as he has loved us. (we love one another as Jesus loved us, which is as the Father loved him, with the power of the Holy Spirit.) The big picture is this progression of love that begins with the Father, channelled through his Son to us, and from there to one another. The new covenant is the latter part of this progression. This progression defines grace, the divine love that flows from the Father to the Son, to us, through us to one another. Love is the river that flows through the old covenant, going over a waterfall, Jesus Christ, and into the new covenant. That divine love is grace.

With the new covenant comes a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. This new commandment supports the structure of the new covenant: I will write my laws in their hearts. The parable of the talents illustrates how this works.

^{Matthew 25:14}For [the kingdom of heaven is] as a man travelling into a far country, [who] called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. ¹⁵And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. ¹⁶Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made [them] other five talents. ¹⁷And likewise he that [had received] two, he also gained other two. ¹⁸But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. ²⁰And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. ²¹His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ²²He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. ²³His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ²⁴Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: ²⁵And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, [there] thou hast [that is] thine. ²⁶His lord answered and said unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: ²⁷Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. ²⁸Take therefore the talent from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten talents. ²⁹For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. ³⁰And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This parable maps directly into the new covenant. The story begins with the lord delivering his goods to his servants; these goods are called talents. In the parable, there are talents given and talents gained. The talent given is the love with which he loves us. Two of the servants gained additional talents. These talents are the love with which we love one another. 

In the parable, the talent given came with the expectation that it would be used to gain another talent. This is consistent with the new commandment, love one another as I have loved you; talent given (as I have loved you), talent gained (love one another.)

When the lord returned, it says he reckoned with them. In the Greek, reckoned is two words meaning to turn their attention to the account, logon. Each produced their account which contained the details of their dealings. It is significant that the account is on the tables of the heart. See Matthew 12:35-37.

What did they find when they looked at the account? The account of the servant given five talents showed the five talents that were given to him and the five talents he gained. Both had been recorded in the account at some point.

In the kingdom of heaven, the talent given is the love with which we are loved. Each time the lord loves you, a new law is written in your heart; the law is the talent given. Each time you love one another with that love, a talent gained is written in your heart.

After the reckoning, the servants who had gained talents were able to keep both the talents given and the talents gained; this was to be their inheritance. In the end, both talents given and talents gained were gifts. The talent given was a gift with strings attached. The talent gained was a free gift. That is what distinguishes a gift from a free gift. 

A talent given without a corresponding talent gained is forfeited. The talent forfeited was given to another servant. From the parable, the logic for deciding who gets the forfeited talents is not clear, but also not trivial. 

Notice that the lord invited them into the joy of the lord. This answers the mysterious wording of John 15:11 – These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you. The Greek word for joy is chara, closely related to grace. The love that proceeds from the Father to the Son to you, to one another is grace. Grace is the commodity that is entered in the account, both in the giving column and the gain column. Grace is the talent spoken of in the parable. This short passage unhides the framework for the new covenant and defines grace as love, the divine love flowing from the Father to the Son to you to one another. This understanding of grace explains all the seemingly different usages of the term. It also provides a framework for understanding the gospel as well as a platform for interpreting New Testament scripture. We will be using that platform to unpack Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

We can see that the God is the Father of glory of grace because all grace starts with him.

There are so many aspects and implications of this new covenant. This page is dedicated to the unpacking of the new covenant, the better covenant.

Ephesians 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:

Paul was confident that his letter was by the will of God because the letter was in direct compliance with the new commandment. The Father had loved the Son by showing him the plan of salvation. As the Father loved the Son, so had the Son loved Paul, discipling him for three years, showing him the gospel. Paul, by writing this letter, is now loving one another with the revelations that he had been given to him by the Son. 

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

The love that Paul received from the Son was grace. Paul is passing that love to one another. Here he is stating the purpose of the letter – that grace would be unto them. Peace with God is a necessary prerequisite to grace. Peace with God requires a pure heart, one that is free from sin. Jesus’ sacrifice by death on the cross provided the step for purging sin from the heart. In Roman 4:12, Paul talked about steps of faith which allowed us to maintain a perfect heart.

^{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:

Going back to the parable of the talents, when the lord returned, the talents were given to the servants as their inheritance. In our case, when the Lord returns, we will receive our inheritance. This inheritance involves spiritual blessings. Our inheritance is in heavenly places. The us referred to here is a collective us; it is not that each of us are blessed with all spiritual blessings, but that we, collectively, are blessed with all spiritual blessings.

^{Romans 5:5}And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

They are spiritual blessings because the Holy Spirit is involved in all love transactions. The Holy Spirit is the agent involved when love of God is given to us, and the agent involved when we love one another. A single love transaction, a single instance of grace, is both a gift and a free gift. It is a gift to the one receiving the love and a free gift to the one through whom the love is given. To the one receiving the love it is a calling, a law. To the one giving the love it is justification, righteousness. It is the righteousness of God because it is the Holy Spirit that does the work. It is credited to our account because the divine love was transacted through us.

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

 Without blame refers to a perfect heart, one free from sin. In love refers to an account containing grace, both talents given and talents gained.

Predestination can turn into never-ending arguments with one side championing the sovereignty of God and the other side stressing man’s free will. Both sides are half right. Both sides are correct in championing their side, but incorrect is disparaging the other side. 

Romans 9 makes it clear that God has absolute sovereignty – Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Romans 9 also makes it clear what God, in his sovereignty, based his choice upon.

^{Romans 9:33}As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Peter makes it clear how God was able to know from the beginning who would believe.

^{1 Peter 1:2}Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

God foreknew who would believe, but God’s foreknowledge does not control man’s free will. God’s foreknowledge includes even the decisions that men have yet to make.

Could not God choose based on his foreknowledge of who would believe? As the sovereign God, could he not choose to do that? Are you not denying the sovereignty of God if you say that he is not able to do that?

God’s sovereignty encapsulates man’s free will, these two are compatible.

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

Glory is associated with grace. Grace is written upon our heart, in our account. Grace, wherein tells us that grace is within us. Grace is not God’s attitude toward us, for that is within God, not within us. The accepted in the beloved are the ones whose account contains grace, both talents given and talents received.

The beloved is the Son, Jesus Christ.

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

Redemption through his blood is a pattern for a verse in chapter 2. We understand that his blood purged our account – that was the mechanism by which our account was purged from sin. In chapter 2 we see that salvation is by grace through faith. We will see how this verse helps us with understanding Ephesians 2:8, which, I assert, is generally misunderstood.

Forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. When I offend God, when I sin, God is willing to forgive. That forgiveness is an act of love. That is a talent given. Having received that love, we are obligated to love one another as he has loved us. Failing to do that, we forfeit the talent given. The talent gained is grace. We are forgiven to the extent that we forgive. Refer to the parable of the unforgiving servant.

Understanding this, we understand how, being under grace, we are held accountable even though our sins are remembered no more.

^{Matthew 7:1}Judge not, that ye be not judged. ²For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Sometimes it is difficult to know whether you have offended someone. It is always safest to respond to offences redemptively. It is a good strategy to love your enemies, since that is the judgment you would prefer to have God mete out to you.

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

The last word of the previous verse is grace. Once again, it is followed by wherein. He abounded to us who have grace in our account, all wisdom and prudence. The Greek word for prudence is phrenesis, which has to do with meditation: muttering to one’s self. Both wisdom and meditation have to do with thought processes. Jesus visits us in our thoughts, shows us his ways, with the expectation that we will show one another what he has shown us.

^{Revelation 2:4}Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. ⁵Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

This was written to the church at Ephesus. The first love was not a passion or a feeling, but, as in verse 5, it has to do with works. The first love they had received from the Lord was an invitation into the kingdom of God. Forsaking that talent has dire consequences. That invitation is not a talent that you want to forfeit for lack of gaining a corresponding talent. That is why Romans 10:9 says if you confess with your mouth and believe with your heart you shall be saved. The confession is the fulfillment of gaining the talent, thereby securing you salvation. In Mark it says that if you believe and be baptized, baptism is your confession of faith, gaining a talent.

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

What is God’s will for your life? Is it still a mystery?

^{Philippians 2:13}For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.

Both to will and to do; these are two separate but related things. When you receive love from the Son, when you receive grace from the Son, a law is written in your account, on the tables of your heart. That law is God’s will specifically for you. That love was delivered to you by way of the Holy Spirit. When you love one another with that same love in the same way, God is also at work; that love is delivered through you to one another by way of the Holy Spirit. God, the Holy Spirit, works in you when he delivers the love to you, and also when he delivers love through you to one another.

When he delivers love to you, his work in you expresses his will for you; this is the mystery of his will. He shows you what his will is for your life by the love with which he loves you. As a follower of Jesus, you replicate that love to one another, knowing that you are performing the will of God, confident that it is the will of God, also confident that you are not expected to do that work in the power of your own strength.

^{2 Chronicles 16:9}For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

When the Holy Spirit does the work, you won’t have to explain that it was God and not you who did the work; it will be clear that you could not have done it. He shows himself strong, yet it is in your behalf. When the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in you, it is credited to your account as a talent gained.

As an aside, the Jesus is the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is the Eyes of the Lord. He is the one that searches the heart. When he searches the heart, he is looking at your account.

^{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:

Dispensation is an interesting word. One commentary refers to the servants of God as dispensers of grace, divine love. I rather think of us as dispensers of righteousness. A dispenser is not the product being distributed, just the instrument used to deliver the goods – like instruments of righteousness. We are used by the Holy Spirit to dispense his love to one another. Although a nice way to think about this, the Greek word for dispensation would suggest another meaning.

The Greek word for dispensation speaks of administrative management; it is the administrative part of tracking grace, keeping the records of the heart, tracking love received and love shed abroad. It is the period of time when our work on the earth affects our eternal inheritance, the period between the time the Lord distributes his goods and when he returns to reckon with us. All the records are kept in our accounts, to be gathered together all things that had been done through us. It is the righteousness of God in which we are clothed. It is also characterized as a building in 2 Corinthians 5:1-2.

All things regularly refers to all good things, which are held in the accounts of the servants of God, some being in heaven and some on earth. All things in Christ have been gathered together in the accounts of men, a huge database containing all things.

^{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:

As described in the parable of the talents, the talents are our inheritance. The talent is grace. 

The Holy Spirit works in your life after the counsel of his own will. His will is written in your account. Do not mistake the command to love one another as a generic commandment; it is not even similar to love your neighbor as yourself. The old covenant commandment encourages you to do that in your own strength (with all your strength.) The Holy Spirit works after the counsel of his own will, according to the laws that are written on your heart. The second servant was not expected to gain a talent with a talent given to the first servant. God’s will is explicit to you; how has he loved you? That is how you are to love one another. All servants have received the gospel. This is the one law common to us all and that is why it is called the great commission.

Paul, once again, brings to the forefront predestination. God’s foreknowledge enables him to work all things after the counsel of his will. God is the one doing the work, not all things like Romans 8:28 would indicate; all things don’t do the work, it is God who does the work. God is the one who works all things according to his purpose. In Romans 8:28, we see that God works together. The question is, who is the other party working with God? Who is God working together with? It is the ones who love him, the ones he has called. This gist of Romans 8:28 is that all things that we do together with God are good. We are the instruments, he is the strength, the result is God’s righteousness credited to our account.

^{Ephesians 1:12}That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. ¹³In 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, ¹⁴Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

This is like verse 6, to the praise of the glory of his grace. Here, as containers of his grace, we are to the praise of his glory. 

^{Joel 2:28}And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: ²⁹And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

The promise was that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all flesh. The Holy Spirit is the agent of righteousness, at work in us to show himself strong on the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward God. A perfect heart is one that is free from sin. It is the Holy Spirit’s work in us that is added to our account as righteousness. This is our inheritance.

In the parable of the talents, both the talents given, and the talents gained were kept by the servants of the lord after he returned. Those talents were their inheritance. Grace is God’s love to us and God’s love through us. When Jesus returns, grace found in our accounts is our inheritance.

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

We are known as Christians by our love. Our love is a sign that we are obeying the new commandment. Love is the fruit by which a tree is known.

^{Ephesians 1:16}Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; ¹⁷That 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: ¹⁸The 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,

God is the Father of glory because all rivers of love begin with him. The Father loved the Son; the Son loves us; we love one another. 

The hope of his calling is not our hope, it is God’s hope. It is God’s expectation. Jesus’ love to you is a calling. When you obey the new commandment and extend that love to one another, it is righteousness. When God gives you a talent, his hope is that you will gain other talents. When that happens, you realize the riches of the glory of his inheritance.

^{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, ²⁰Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places, ] ²¹Far 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:

This is a description of the power at work in us if we would only believe. Faith as small as a mustard will grow into a large tree, but it does need to be planted.

^{Ephesians 1:21}And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church,²²Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

The collective church is the body of Christ; we are under Christ; we are his inheritance.