Thursday, July 17 – Ephesians 1, 2

1. Why does Paul say he was called to be an apostle? (Ephesians 1:1)

2. Paul told the Ephesians that God “chose us before the foundation of the world.” Does this mean we need to believe in predestination? (Ephesians 1:3-12)

3. How does Paul describe our past condition before knowing Christ? (Ephesians 2:1-3)

4. Paul says, “God raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5, 6). How can we understand this, since we still live in this world?

Today, we start studying one of the most fascinating letters of the apostle Paul, the Epistle to the Ephesians.

Paul arrived in Rome in A.D. 61, where he remained imprisoned for two years. He likely wrote the letter to the Ephesians in A.D. 62. Besides the letter to the Ephesians, it is believed that Paul also wrote the letters to the Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon during this imprisonment. This is confirmed by the fact that Tychicus carried the letter to the Ephesians and was also the traveling companion of Onesimus, the runaway and converted slave, on his way back to his former master, Philemon.

The theme of the letter to the Ephesians is unity in Christ. This letter has been called “the Alps of the New Testament” because it stands out among the peaks of the nine Pauline epistles addressed to seven churches. The allusion to the high Alpine mountains is clear; this letter reaches the summit of gospel exposition. The center of this excellent letter is Christ, both as a person and as the unifying mission of the church.

In Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul writes that believers are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.” The Greek word for “guarantee” is arrabōn, a down payment or pledge that ensures the rest will surely follow. Just as a deposit secures a future purchase, the Holy Spirit’s presence assures us that God will fulfill His promise of eternal life.

Similarly, when we believe in Christ as the Son of God and our Savior, we are declared heirs of eternal life. However, we do not receive this inheritance in full right away. Instead, we wait for the day when “this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality,” which will happen at the second coming of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:53). Until then, the Holy Spirit stays with us as the divine promise, the arrabōn, guaranteeing that the full realization of our inheritance is sure and secured.

By God’s grace and through faith in His promises, we have confidence in our salvation. Though we live in a dark world, we are already spiritually seated in heaven because Christ, our representative, is there. In this way, we are already there in a spiritual sense.

Similarly, when we accept Jesus Christ, we receive the promise of eternal life. Yet we do not fully possess it right now, as we can still die. Our eternal life is certain because Christ is eternal and seated at the Father’s side. In this sense, we already share in His everlasting life and are represented on God’s throne by our Advocate, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Paul assures the Gentiles who accept Christ that they are no longer considered strangers, because He has broken down the dividing wall between Jews and non-Jews. In this way, the Lord has created one citizenship and one family. We give glory to God for this!

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” (Ephesians 2:14, NKJV)

The SDA Bible Commentary adds: “The partition wall between Jew and Gentile has been removed and there is now only one ‘household of God,’ one temple, one church.” (SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1015 on Ephesians 2:14)

I wish you all many blessings and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. If we fully understand this letter from Paul to the Ephesians, our knowledge of grace and salvation will grow for us and those we share these glorious truths with.