Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is one of the most encouraging letters he wrote; it is full of deep spiritual truths and a major source of rich blessings for the Christian today. Within it, he reminds us that all Christians are united with Christ, no matter our gender, our race or our backgrounds. The law of Moses couldn’t and can’t save anyone from their sins; we’re all saved by the grace of God if we remain ‘in Christ’.
Ephesus was a large and important city on the west coast of Asia Minor where the apostle Paul planted a church. Several factors contributed to the importance of Ephesus. The first factor was economics. Ephesus was the most favourable seaport in the province of Asia and the most important trade centre west of Tarsus.
Another factor was the size. Ephesus was the largest city in the province, having a population of perhaps three hundred thousand people. There were people from many cultures and nationalities, and it was a very immoral place. In Acts 19:8-9, we read that there were also many Jews who lived there, and in Acts 19:32-34, we read about the tension between the Jews and others.
A third factor was culture. Ephesus contained a theatre that seated an estimated twenty-five thousand people. A fourth factor was that Ephesus was politically important.
It was a free city; in other words, they governed their own affairs. The city had a clerk, Acts 19:35. The city had officials who paid for the public games, Acts 19:31, and the city had courts and proconsuls, Acts 19:38.
The fifth, and perhaps most significant, reason for the importance of Ephesus was religion. The Temple of Artemis or Diana, at Ephesus, ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. If you were around in Biblical times and thought of Ephesus, your mind would automatically think about the city where you would find the ‘temple of Diana.’
The Temple of Diana was one hundred and twenty-seven meters x sixty-six x eighteen meters high; it had one hundred and twenty-seven pillars, each a gift of a king, thirty-six of them were overlaid with gold and were studded with precious stones.
In the inner shrine was the image of Diana. The Ephesians thought she had fallen from heaven; she had many breasts, which was a sign of fertility, and people thought it was the most sacred thing in the world.
The priests of the temple were Eunuchs and the women in the temple were Melissa, that is a religious prostitute. They had very emotional, sensational worship using the flute whilst dancing.
There was an area of the temple which was provided the criminals could live in that area without being pursued by justice. The Ephesians liked their magic charms; they would use letters from some ‘official’ as they travelled, as a kind of lucky charm.
In Acts 19, we find in Ephesus, a silversmith by the name of Demetrius, who made a living out of idol making, he was causing all sorts of trouble for Paul and the other disciples. And we have recorded in Acts 19:27 that Diana was loved and worshipped by people from all over the world.
The original temple of Diana crumbled into dust many centuries ago, but when it was rebuilt, it became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. And it was to this temple that Alexander the Great came too.
He wanted his name carved on one of the one hundred and twenty-seven pillars, and so he offered all the riches of his eastern campaign for the privilege, but the city fathers turned down the offer.
And so even the mightiest mortal on earth of the time couldn’t even buy the privilege to have his name on a pillar in the temple of a god. No wonder years later the apostle Paul would write to the Ephesian church and tell them in Ephesians 2:19-22, that they were the temple, not of any old god but of Almighty God Himself.
The history of Christianity at Ephesus began around A.D. 50, perhaps as a result of the efforts of Priscilla and Aquila, as we read in Acts 18:18. Paul came to Ephesus in about A.D. 52, establishing the church and staying there for at least three years, as Acts 20:31 tells us.
It was during that time that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians and was faced with many opportunities to share the Gospel, but also faced many problems, as Acts 18:23-41 tells us.
We also know that it was in Ephesus that Paul baptised believers who apparently came to know the Gospel through disciples of John the Baptist, Acts 19:1-5, and he opposed the strong influence of magic, Acts 19:11-20.
By the time that John penned his words in Revelation 2:1-7, the church at Ephesus was busy working for the Lord but had no sincere love for Him. They had all the church programs but had no passion. They were a busy church with great statistics, but they were a church that was drifting away from their heartfelt devotion to Christ.
Ephesus was a busy church with high spiritual standards. The work had been difficult, but they had not collapsed. Looking from the outside, in every way, this church is what we would call a successful church. And from the outside, people would look in and think that this is a church that deeply loves their God.
Sadly, they would learn that Christ is more concerned about what they were doing with Him, rather than what they were doing for Him. To everyone else, this was a greatly successful church, but to Christ, who is now walking amongst them, this church is in the process of falling.
It’s never been really questioned as to who wrote the letter to the Ephesians; it’s generally been accepted that the author was Paul. It was probably written around 61-21 A.D. and is known as a prison epistle.
Ephesians 6:21-22 mentions Tychicus, who probably carried the letter. The letter itself was a circular letter, probably copied and sent to other congregations. Paul’s letter to the Colossians is very similar to his Ephesian letter, but they are still different because they were written for different reasons.
Colossians speaks about the Deity of Christ, Colossians 1, in Colossians 2:8-18, we read of warnings against Gnosticism and Judaism, and in Colossians 4, we read his personal greetings.
In Ephesians 1:3-14, we read about the divine election and what it means to be ‘in Christ’. In Ephesians 3:40-41, we read about the power of spiritual prayer in Ephesians 5:23-33, we read about marriage and the union of Christ in Ephesians 6:13-17. We read about how Christians are soldiers who need to arm themselves with the armour of God.
Paul’s main aim in this letter was to highlight the oneness of the church, which was the result of Christ’s work on the cross and to present Jesus as the head over all things, especially His church.
First of all, he reminds the Ephesian Christians of God’s eternal redemptive purpose through the church, Ephesians 1:4 / Ephesians 1:5 / Ephesians 1:9 / Ephesians 1:11 / Ephesians 1:13 / Ephesians 1:20 / Ephesians 2:4 / Ephesians 2:6 / Ephesians 2:10 / Ephesians 3:11.
Secondly, he reminds this largely Gentile church of the many blessings they have as a result of being in Christ, because of God’s grace, Ephesians 1:3 / Ephesians 2:1-10. God’s plan of salvation is summed up in the church, which He will bring into an eternal dwelling after the conclusion of the world when Jesus comes again.
The theme for the letter is fairly straightforward: ‘in Christ’, what does it mean to be ‘in Christ’? ‘In the heavenly places’, what does it mean to be ‘in the heavenly places’?
Paul says he is an apostle, which is a healthy reminder for those who doubt he is. Paul states exactly at the beginning of the letter who he is, so it would be a hard lie if someone else had written it; he is an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, Ephesians 1:1 / Acts 9:15-16 / Galatians 1:5 / Galatians 1:15.
Remember the word Christ isn’t a name but merely a title; He is God’s anointed one. Christ comes from the word Christos and isn’t translated, which would have been better.
Paul writes to the saints, Ephesians 1:1, which means being holy ones, we’re holy ones when we are in Christ. We were washed and sanctified, set aside, by our Lord Jesus, 1 Corinthians 6:11 / 1 Peter 1:13.
We must note that the words ‘in Ephesus’, Ephesians 1:1, isn’t found in the early manuscripts. This had led some scholars to believe that Ephesians was intended not only for the church at Ephesus, but for all the leading churches of that district.
These saints were faithful, Ephesians 1:1, someone is faithful when he is full of faith. Faithfulness isn’t measured by church attendance; our faith reflects on every minute of our lives.
Faithfulness has to do with trusting God, Hebrews 11, and relying on His promises. Noah was obedient because, as a great act of faithfulness, he built the ark on dry land; he completely trusted God, Hebrews 11:7-9.
The main thrust of being a Christian isn’t only going to worship; it should affect every aspect of life. We’re Christian twenty-four hours a day. The important thing is how we behave in our daily lives, not that I’m a good Christian, because I go to church on Sundays.
If all you can do is go to church and that’s it for two hours, then you’d better get rid of the church and all the traditions. Why should we meet together? To love, provoke and encourage each other to do more God works. It is vital to be in worship, but it is a means to the goal, Hebrews 10:24-25.
We cannot declare someone as holy; only Christ makes someone holy, Ephesians 1:1. If someone is in Christ, they are holy. Calling someone ‘holy father’ like the Pope could cause some to think he is God on earth. This is blasphemy because nobody should call himself father, Matthew 23:8-12.
As mentioned earlier, the word ‘saint’ means holy one; this name is generally abused. Calling someone holy with a circle around their head is an abuse. God is holy; this is His nature, Isaiah 6:3 / Revelation 4:8.
These faithful saints are in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 1:1. We are baptised into Christ, and we have clothed ourselves with Christ, Galatians 3:26-27. Some people are in Christ, and some people aren’t in Christ. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1. In Him, we are saved. It’s in Christ Jesus that we are new creatures and all things have become new.
To be in Christ speaks about being a spiritual being. The proper habitat for fish is in water, for birds in the sky. The proper habitat for a disciple of Jesus is in Christ, which is our spiritual environment, John 15:5. We cannot bear fruit if we are not in Christ, John 15:1-6.
In Ephesians 1:1-14, the words, ‘in Him’ are used fourteen times. This seems to be the message or the theme of the book. The word grace, Ephesians 1:2, in Greek is Charis. Some say it means God’s riches at Christ’s expense, an unmerited divine favour, which cannot be earned!
In Galatians 5:4, Paul is concerned about legalism, where they try to justify themselves with the law, but Paul tells them they have fallen from grace. We get a free gift, and we only have to accept it.
The Greek word for peace is ‘eirene’. The two words Paul uses in this letter, grace and peace, are from the Father, Numbers 6:25-26, which implies all the blessings come from the Father through the Son, Ephesians 1:2.
In the Greek text Ephesians 1:3-14, are one sentence.
Bock, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Ephesians 1:3-14 is one of the longest psalms of the New Testament, and it is a praise psalm in its form, Luke 1:46-55 / Luke 1:67-79.’
The word praise is ‘eulogétos’ in Greek, Luke 1:68 / Romans 1:25 and means blessed be the God and Creator, Romans 15:6 / 2 Corinthians 11:31. Some say that we cannot be in two places at the same time; however, we can be ‘in Christ’ and ‘in England’ at the same time. This is our physical and spiritual habitats.
What does it mean to be in Christ? It simply means to be in union with Christ, to be one with Him. We find in Him no condemnation, Romans 8:1. We find in Him salvation. We are immersed into Christ, Galatians 3:27. These are the people who are in Christ who have faithfully responded to the message but didn’t earn it, Matthew 28:19-20 / Mark 16:15-16 / Acts 2:38.
Was Abraham ‘in Christ’? No, but he was saved by faith. We, however, are new covenant people. How was John the Baptist’s standing before God? Was he in Christ? Well, he lived in the Old Testament era, but he was also saved by faith.
1 John 1:1-9 tells us that if we’re in Christ, we continue to sin and fall short. Are we then still walking in the light, and are we still in Christ? Yes, God is merciful. Everybody sins and keeps sinning.
We’re not walking in truth when we say we don’t sin anymore, but if we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, God will forgive us, and we keep being in Christ, 1 John 1:8-10.
Being in Christ isn’t dependent on how good we are; if we were to die today, would we not think, did we do bad things during the last days of our lives, and did we go to church? All this doesn’t matter; we cannot earn heaven. It’s only through grace that we are saved.
Because of the goodness in Christ, we are saved. For there is no condemnation for he who is in Christ, Romans 8:1-2. Remember that we are all sinners; even if we repent, we don’t repent enough. We fall short on all sides.
We can rebel against God and walk away from Him. If we love to sin so much, we are in danger of not remaining in Christ anymore. We may turn from God, but God never turns from us. Are you saved when you die now? If you say, I hope so, then this is almost an insult to God.
John 10:27-30 tells us that nobody can get us out of Christ; however, we can decide to remove ourselves from Christ, and it’s then that we become lost. As long as we believe and accept Christ’s grace, we are in Christ and thus saved, but we shouldn’t sin willfully, 2 Peter 2:20 / Hebrews 6:4-8 / Hebrews 10:26.
We will never be good enough, we will not be able to stop sinning, and we will not repent enough. But it doesn’t matter; it doesn’t change our standing for the Lord. We cannot speak too much about grace; we can never speak too much about what God does for us. We don’t even speak enough about what God does for us.
To be in Christ speaks about the relationship with Christ. Although we are in Christ, we are not perfect, but being in Christ is a growing process. Someone who is in Christ for fifty years should bear more fruit, John 15:4 / Galatians 5:22-23, than someone who just come into Christ. If you don’t bear fruit, nobody will know that you are in Christ, John 15:6.
In Christ, we find every blessing in Him, Ephesians 1:3. We are blessed abundantly. You cannot be half in Christ; you are either in or out. If you’re in Christ, you have every blessing. Ephesians 1:20 and Ephesians 2:6 tell us that He gives blessings, and we are at war in the spiritual realms, Ephesians 3:10 / Ephesians 6:12.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In the heavenly places’ or ‘realms’ refers to the location from which these blessings come. The heavenly realms are where Paul spoke of the believer as being presently in his or her spiritual life. Whereas physically we are on the earth, spiritually we are already with Christ in the heavens, Ephesians 1:20 / Ephesians 2:6 / Ephesians 3:10 / Ephesians 6:12. God has united us with Jesus Christ, so we are in that sense with Him where He is now.’
It doesn’t matter where you live, but what matters is where we are spiritually. It’s not a physical location, it’s our spiritual address, and everybody has a spiritual address, Ephesians 6:12. Our address is in Christ.
Paul says Christ chose us, He picked us out, to be holy and blameless, Ephesians 1:4. He doesn’t want any person to perish, and according to the Scriptures, God wants everybody to be saved, 2 Peter 3:9. God appointed those in Christ to be blameless and holy.
Blameless doesn’t mean sinless; it means we are acceptable to God, He accepts our sacrifices, Romans 12:1-2, and our behaviour is to reflect that standing. This is valid only for people who are in Christ.
What does Paul mean by the use of the words ‘predestination and fore-ordination’? Is this a passage that teaches that men are foreordained to eternal life? To whom does Paul refer when he says, ‘even as He chose us in Christ’? Ephesians 1:4.
1. All Christians? A general statement.
2. Jews? Notice, ‘first hoped in Christ,’ Ephesians 1:12.
3. Apostles? Acts 9:15-16 / Galatians 1:15 / Ephesians 3:2.
If this passage is to be understood as referring to salvation, according to the plan of God from before the creation of the world, it would certainly apply to all Christians generally.
Even if Paul is speaking about himself speaking, what is true of Paul, where salvation is concerned, is true of every Christian, and some people simply take the passage as referring to the marvellous thing that God has accomplished in redemption.
Notice the contrast between the use of the words ‘we’ and ‘you’ in Ephesians 1:11 and Ephesians 1:13. Paul quite clearly puts two groups of people over against each other.
He speaks of ‘we’, including himself and ‘you’ also. It suggests that Paul is speaking of a special calling of the apostles. Take a moment to read Ephesians 1:9-12, and compare what you read with Ephesians 3:2-6.
In Ephesians 1:10, Paul uses the word ‘dispensation’ in the KJV. In the A.S.V., ‘administration’, giving the idea of stewardship, household management, provision or arrangement.
Here in Ephesians 1:10, it is in the sense of stewardship, Ephesians 3:2 / Galatians 2:7 / Colossians 1:1-25. Here, it describes Paul’s election and selection to apostleship.
Paul claims that he was, ‘set apart before he was born and called by the grace of God to the office of apostle,’ Galatians 1:15 / Acts 9:15-16. The chosen vessel is a vessel of election, Galatians 1:5.
Perhaps he is thinking of His apostleship to the Gentiles, for Paul is writing to Gentiles. Paul reminds them five times in this letter that they were Gentiles, Ephesians 2:11, for example. They had no hope, and without God.
The word ‘mystery’ in Ephesians 3:3-5 is the Greek word ‘musterion’, and it means a secret, not a mystery, because it cannot be understood, but a secret which can be understood when revealed, Colossians 1:25-27.
When Paul speaks of election, foreknowledge, predestination, choosing means something different from what the Calvinist means. Calvinism says by decree of God, some are foreordained to eternal life and others to eternal death, but Paul says by the will of God that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge, 1 Timothy 2:3.
Calvinism says neither are any redeemed by the Lord, but the elect only, but Paul says Christ gave Himself a ransom for all, 1 Timothy 2:6. Calvinism says God’s choice falls on men whilst they are still outside of Christ and in their sins, and unites them to Christ that they, the elect, might receive forgiveness.
But Paul says, when men respond to the Gospel and obey it and come to Christ, it is then that God’s choice falls upon them, that they become the elect, and enter into the blessings which before the foundation of the world, God had determined to bestow upon believers.
Calvin taught that some people who are still ‘children of wrath even as the rest’ are among those whom God has already chosen to be saved, and therefore they will eventually become children of God. Paul teaches that no man is elected until he is in Christ.
And all men are ‘non-elect’ until they accept the Gospel. Once in Christ, we are caught up in the current of God’s eternal purpose, and as His children, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing.
It’s not true that some of us are being predestined to be saved, Ephesians 1:5. God didn’t create us to condemn us; it’s God’s desire for us to be saved. Romans 9:14-29 tells us that God is always just, God is always fair, God is supremely fair, but also supremely sovereign. In Him, we are the chosen people of God.
Did He create some people to condemn them? How can God predestine? Because He is sovereign, because He loves us and because we are adopted by Him as sons, some adopt a child and treat them as their own child, Ephesians 1:5.
If you’re a foster parent, you can withdraw at any time when it becomes enough for you. But when you adopt a child, you are bound by it, you cannot withdraw. The child is now in equal standing with the new parents.
He is in all the legal rights as their own son. God adopts us also and treats us as His own children, to make us His actual children with all the legal rights, benefits and obligations.
Galatians 4:4-5 tells us He sent His son at the right time, to adopt us as sons. It wasn’t our right to be adopted, but by grace, and it’s like becoming sons by natural birth. We aren’t guests in our Father’s house; we’re family, and our Father’s house became our house, we have become joint-heirs.
Wiersbe, in his commentary, says the following.
‘You do not get into God’s family by adoption. You get into His family by regeneration, the new birth, John 3:1-18 / 1 Peter 1:22-25. Adoption is the act of God by which He gives His ’born ones’ an adult standing in the family. Why does He do this? So that we might immediately begin to claim our inheritance and enjoy our spiritual wealth!’
Barclay, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In Roman law, “When the adoption was complete, it was complete indeed. The person who had been adopted had all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family and completely lost all rights in his old family. In the eyes of the law, he was a new person. So new was he that even all debts and obligations connected with his previous family were abolished as if they had never existed.’
This all happened through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will, Ephesians 1:5. Could you imagine that this loving God deliberately creates people to be destroyed? The One He loves is Jesus.
He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son, and our sins are forgiven, Ephesians 1:13-14. Why redemption? The word ‘redemption’ is the Greek word ‘apolutroosin’, and it means buying back that which was sold under sin, redeemed by His blood. He released us, He set us free, Hebrews 9:15.
Slaves during Roman times could purchase their freedom, but here the metaphor ‘redemption’ carries with it the idea of being brought out by God because we couldn’t free ourselves, Exodus 6:6.
We have been purchased by the blood of Jesus out of the slavery of sin, from which we couldn’t deliver ourselves by works of the law or meritorious deeds, Colossians 1:14. Jesus paid the ransom price in order to redeem us, and so we are delivered from condemnation, Romans 6:23 / Romans 8:1.
The price that had to be paid was the cross, the blood offering of the Son of God, Matthew 26:28 / Acts 20:28 / Romans 3:24-26 / 1 Corinthians 6:20 / Colossians 1:14 / Colossians 1:20 / Hebrews 9:12 / 1 Peter 1:18-19.
Redemption necessitates being forgiven; the forgiveness of sins always comes with redemption by the blood of Jesus. A person receives the forgiveness of sins when they are baptised, Acts 2:38 / Acts 22:16. When a person is baptised, they receive the rich blessings of God, which come by grace. The Greek word ‘ploutos’ is riches, Ephesians 1:7 / Ephesians 1:18 / Ephesians 3:8 / Ephesians 3:16. There is grace in wisdom and understanding, Ephesians 1:8.
God poured out the riches of His grace upon His children and it was in the wisdom and understanding of God that His plan of grace was revealed to mankind, 1 Corinthians 1:24 / 1 Corinthians 1:30 / 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 / 1 Corinthians 12:8 / Colossians 1:9 / Colossians 2:3. God revealed His mystery, Ephesians 1:9, which is the Greek word ‘musterion’, through Christ, a secret that has been revealed.
Barclay, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In the New Testament sense, a mystery is something which is hidden to the heathen but clear to the Christian.’
His plan of redemption was hidden from mankind until its revelation through Jesus, Matthew 13:11 / Luke 8:10 / Romans 11:25 / Romans 16:25-26 / 1 Peter 1:10-12. The mystery was revealed on the cross and written down for all to read in the New Testament, Ephesians 3:1-5 / Ephesians 5:32 / Ephesians 6:19-20 / Colossians 1:26.
The very fact that His plan of redemption was planned before the creation of man, Ephesians 1:10, is proof of the fact that grace wasn’t earned by the obedience of mankind. Quite the opposite, the very fact that God foreplanned the cross is proof that He knew that we would sin, and so would be in need of the grace of the cross.
Unlike what some people claim, Jesus dying on the cross was no accident; God had determined that He would reconcile men unto Himself through the cross of Christ, Revelation 13:8 / 2 Timothy 1:9.
We are now living in the times that are bringing to a close the history of this world. It’s God’s plan to unite all earthly and spiritual things in this era through Christ, Ephesians 1:10 / Ephesians 3:10 / Galatians 4:4 / Colossians 1:27. Christ is the completion of all things, and it was for Him that all things were created, Colossians 1:16.
Separation from God had come into the world because of sin, Genesis 3:22-24 / Romans 5:12 / 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, but in Christ, we have been reconciled again to God through the blood offering of the cross.
Jesus has now ascended to reign over all that exists, Ephesians 1:20-23 / 1 Peter 3:22. He is now King of kings and Lord of lords, 1 Timothy 6:15 / Hebrews 8:1 / Philippians 2:6-10.
God is always in charge, Psalms 115:3 / Proverbs 16:9 / Proverbs 16:33 / Daniel 4:34-35, and we have been appointed to obtain an inheritance.
Morgan, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Our God is a God who not only wills, but He works; and He works according to His will. The word counsel stands for deliberate planning and arranging, in which the ways and means of carrying out the will are considered and provided for.’
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘For the first time in this epistle, Paul made a distinction among believers. Until now, he spoke of all believers, but here he contrasted ‘we’ and ‘you’, Ephesians 1:13. The ‘we’ evidently refers to Jewish Christians and the ‘you’ to Gentile believers, as the context suggests, Ephesians 1:12-13.
We have been adopted as sons and obtained our inheritance, Ephesians 1:11. And what is the outcome? Parise and glory for Jesus, Ephesians 1:12. We receive what is promised by the Father, the promised Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13 / Acts 2:38-39.
We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13. Like the sealing of an envelope, sealed with a seal stamp, this assigns the ownership. It’s Christ who approves us before God, Romans 8:9.
If anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of God within them, they are not of Him. We know we belong to God because we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, Ephesians 1:13-14, kind of like an engagement ring. The deposit has been given, 2 Corinthians 1:21-24, that God is living within us, the Holy Spirit is the assurance and guarantee that has to come.
What if God changes His mind? We can be sure that we’re being saved because God gave us His Spirit as a deposit, as a guarantee that we get our inheritance. If God gave us His Spirit, He will also give us the rest. In Christ, we have this assurance.
The Holy Spirit is given as a pledge that delivery will be completed, the promise of full emancipation, freedom, and the promise of that which God had already made possible. Bearing in mind that the one who is sent bears the authority of the one who sends.
According to this passage, the seal of the Holy Spirit takes place at the point of salvation. It is a promise or guarantee of the Christian’s future, eternal inheritance with Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated as ‘seal’ is ‘shragizo’, which means ‘to set a seal upon, mark with a seal.’
A seal could be used to guarantee a document or letter, Esther 3:12, which indicates ownership, Song of Songs 8:6, or protects against tampering, Matthew 27:66 / Revelation 5:1. The Holy Spirit is our seal in every sense of this word.
1. The Holy Spirit in the believer’s life helps to guarantee he or she is a child of God, Romans 8:16.
2. The seal of the Holy Spirit serves as a mark that we truly belong to Christ, Romans 8:9-10 / 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
3. The seal of the Holy Spirit helps protect against tampering or attack, Romans 8:13.
In a very real sense, God’s Spirit protects us and guarantees our eternity with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 1:22 / 1 John 5:13. At what point does the sealing of the Holy Spirit take place? The seal of the Holy Spirit offers a wonderful glimpse of God’s role in salvation.
When we receive salvation in Christ, we are given a guarantee, and we exchange our ownership for His, and we are protected against the forces of evil. The sealing begins when a person believes and responds to the Gospel, Acts 2:38 / Ephesians 4:30 / 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. At that point, God’s seal offers the promise of eternal life, John 3:16 / 1 Peter 1:3-5.
The Holy Spirit comes to live in a person when they are baptised, Acts 2:38, and He provides the assurance that they belong to God as His children, Romans 8:15–16 / Galatians 4:6. It’s God who does the sealing, not man and salvation is based on God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not on merit, Ephesians 2:8-9 / Titus 3:5.
This seal should provide wonderful encouragement for the believer against the spiritual battles in this life, Ephesians 6:12, and anticipation for the life to come, 2 Corinthians 5:5 / Ephesians 1:14 / Ephesians 4:30. Believers in Christ are now God’s possession. He has stamped us with the Holy Spirit, and because of that stamping, He declares three things.
1. Our salvation is authentic and genuine, Romans 8:1-2 / 1 John 5:13.
2. We are owned by God Almighty, 1 Corinthians 6:20 / 1 Peter 2:9.
3. We carry the authority of Jesus Christ, Matthew 28:19-20 / Acts 5:29.
If you’ve ever considered buying a house, you will know that most people will need to pay a deposit first. The reason for the deposit is to give the seller the assurance that you will pay the rest.
However, the Holy Spirit is a guaranteed pledge of our future inheritance in heaven with God. We have nothing more to pay because Christ paid it all for us, Colossians 1:14 / Revelation 5:9.
He is ‘our deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.’ And because we are sealed by Him, we can be certain that we will have a glorious future and eternal inheritance with God in heaven, 1 Peter 1:4.
Paul heard about their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints, Ephesians 1:15. Paul had already left Ephesus for some time, and after he lived there for three years, Acts 20:23-32, they were very loyal to the truth, and they loved the saints.
The Pharisees claimed loyalty to God but despised some people. If you have an eye for the truth, you don’t automatically love, John 13:14 / John 13:34-35 / Ephesians 6:23 / Colossians 1:14 / 2 Thessalonians 1:3 / 1 John 4:20.
J.B. Philips, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The love we demonstrate is the proof of our faith in Christ.’
Paul was always concerned for other people. Not only when he was with them, or as he was writing to them, but even in prayer, he remembered them to the Father, Ephesians 1:16. He keeps praying for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, Ephesians 1:17 / James 1:5 / Acts 7:2.
This enables us to approach the circumstances of life in the Spirit of God. We cannot get to know God by reading books. Do you get to know somebody through writing? You really get to know the person when you meet them. We are called to know God intimately and personally, Ephesians 1:17.
Wiersbe, in his commentary, says the following.
‘To know God personally is salvation, John 17:3. To know Him increasingly is sanctification, Philippians 3:10. To know Him perfectly is glorification, 1 Corinthians 13:9-12.’
To enlighten means to flood with light, to make clear, Ephesians 1:18. He prays that the eyes of their heart may be enlightened, Ephesians 1:18. When we read about our hearts, we speak about the seat of our feelings, not about a physical thing. The sign of a heart is the sign of love.
In the Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:1-23, we see it’s in our hearts where the seed grows. Our emotions, working with the mind, are in our hearts. It’s what makes us, us.
‘Elpis’ is the Greek word for hope, and it means more than our hope. We say we hope that the weather will be nice tomorrow, but this isn’t the hope the Bible speaks about; our hope is a confident expectation, 2 Corinthians 3:12.
We just don’t hope that we go to heaven like we hope the bus will come. But this is my hope, I am confident, and I know for sure that it will happen. The blessed hope in Christ, Titus 2:13. We are going to inherit far more than some gold on earth; nothing on earth can match what is in heaven.
Here we read about the supreme demonstration of Divine power, Ephesians 1:19 / John 10:17-18 / Acts 2:24 / Acts 10:14. The surpassing grace of God, 2 Corinthians 9:14, the surpassing love of God, 2 Corinthians 3:19.
‘Dynamos’ is the Greek word for power, God’s tremendously mighty power. The same power that resurrected Jesus is at work in us today, Ephesians 1:19. The power that Jesus raised has placed Him above all authorities; all things are at His feet, Ephesians 1:20-21.
Bruce, in his commentary, says the following.
‘If the death of Christ is the supreme demonstration of the love of God, the resurrection of Christ is the supreme demonstration of his power.’
The accounts in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 focus on the creation of physical things. There’s nothing said about the creation of the heavenly realms, Ephesians 1:20. We read in the Bible about cherubim, angels, heaven, etc. We don’t know when they came into being. Genesis 1 wasn’t written to give a full history.
It’s only written that we know the creation in relation to God. A lot of people have no other thought than our physical existence here on earth. They think when we die, it is done, there’s nothing anymore.
Because we don’t understand the heavenly realms and only think of physical things, God had to come to the earth in bodily form in order for us to understand, John 1:1-2 / John 1:14.
Jesus now reigns and is seated on the right hand of God, Ephesians 1:20, this is the symbolic place of highest honour and authority, Psalm 110:1 / Acts 2:29-35 / 1 Corinthians 15:23-28 / Mark 16:19 / Matthew 28:18.
The manifold wisdom of Christ made known through the church and rulers, powers, world forces, and evil forces are in heavenly realms, Ephesians 3:10-11 / Ephesians 6:12. God has raised Him, exalted Him, Philippians 2:9 / Philippians 2:11, and made Him head over the body, Ephesians 1:22.
Christ is the head of the body and is also head over all other things and rulers, our Master is King of the universe, Ephesians 1:21-22. This leaves no room for other authorities like the Pope, my grandfather, etc.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Christ’s ascension has resulted in His exaltation over every other authority, Colossians 1:16, human and angelic, Philippians 2:8-11, present and future, 1 Corinthians 15:23-28.’
His resurrection was the final proof of Jesus’ Deity, Ephesians 1:23. The resurrection gives us hope for the future. Some people say, ‘if someone would simply rise from the dead,’ but Jesus has risen from the dead; why not believe Him? Romans 1:3-4 / 1 Corinthians 14:1-8. The resurrection of Christ is essential in our belief; we couldn’t have hope without the resurrection, 1 Peter 1:3-5.
The fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, Ephesians 1:23 / Colossians 2:9. The word fullness, Ephesians 1:23, is the word ‘pleroma’ in Greek; the fullness of God dwells within Jesus. Christians are supposed to be a picture of God to the world.
God revealed Himself through Israel, but it wasn’t a clear picture of God. The church is to be a demonstration of God to the world. We are the fullness of Christ, but we aren’t in the world to pass judgment on others.
Jesus made God His own Father, making Him equal with God according to the Jews, John 5:18. We also call God our Father, Matthew 6:9, because we have been adopted, Ephesians 1:5 / Galatians 4:4-5. God and Jesus share Deity just as our parents and ourselves share humanity.
We cannot draw a picture of God, because He is Spirit, John 4:24. How can we draw the Trinity on a board? It’s just not possible. The dead body in a coffin isn’t the person as they were alive; this is only the flesh and bones. The real you, we didn’t see. How do we know that God did these things through Jesus? Because we read it in the Scriptures, by faith.