Ephesians, Chapter 1
© Copyright 1998 Darroll Evans-all rights
reserved
Ephesians 1:1-2
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which
are at
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Ephesians begins by declaring that Paul is
"an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God."
To us it would seem strange that such an
obviously called leader would need to declare that he is an Apostle.
At the time of this writing Paul was not
universally accepted.
The vast majority of Jewish Christians viewed
his message of salvation by grace with suspicion.
Even during our day most Church attendees do
not understand the simplicity or power of God's grace.
Salvation and service are by grace!
No works come attached to God’s grace.
Christ Jesus has already done all the
"work" required for our salvation.
Paul was not chosen to be an Apostle due to
self-will, self-determination, or ego.
He was chosen because of the will,
determination, choice, purpose, and inclination of God the Father.
Here is an important point. We do not choose
God.
God chose us.
Without His choosing us, our choosing Him
would be an act of futility.
The Father not only chooses us; He equips us
according the purpose of His call.
It is the faith given through His call that
gives us the strength to continue living the life of faith.
The Father's determination-in-love is the
only thing that stands between us and Satan's determination-of-death.
His grace was exhibited in, through, and
because of Christ Jesus.
Ephesians was written to the saints at
It was written to believers!
That is important in trying to understand
what Paul is saying.
The name of the city of
That has led to the theory that Ephesians is
a "general" epistle, or "open" letter.
This letter is addressed to the Saints.
In that respect it is "normal."
Only in the letter to the Philippians does
the opening include any mention of Saints by the office held.
Office holders within the Church are servants
not overlords.
Being an office holder within the Church is a
heavy responsibility.
That responsiblity should never be taken
lightly.
Much is required from those who have received
much through the grace of God's calling.
Office holders within the Church should
always be respected, but never worshipped.
As you study the greeting, notice that it is
to the "saints" AND
to "the faithful in Christ Jesus."
That simple word (and) may hold a clue as to
the makeup of the Church at
Depending on your approach, "and"
may indicate a mixed Jew/Gentile congregation.
Due to Paul's instruction that all are one in
Christ, I doubt that he meant two separate groups.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote
that there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female, because all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
Paul begins with his normal greeting,
"Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus
Christ."
This may also refer to a mixed Jew/Gentile
congregation.
The greeting (in modern English) would be,
“Grace IS yours from God, our
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
In this, I offer you thoughts concerning
God's grace, peace, mercy, and love.
This is not a great study. I am certain that
each attribute is beyond full human understanding.
Grace, peace, mercy, and love are all without
limits or boundaries.
Grace (Gr. charis/cariV) is related to the English word favor.
It indicates something that is given or done
from a spirit of good will rather than as a response to an obligation.
It is said to indicate God's unmerited favor
toward man.
While seeming to be an intangible, grace
provides results far beyond what physically tangible things are able to accomplish.
It is by grace, though faith that we are
saved!
God's grace is given to us while we are
sinners.
His grace toward us is the reason for changes
in our affections and attitudes.
It is not the result of such changes.
Peace (Gr. eireenee/eirhnh) is not the mere
absence on open hostilities.
God's peace is a serenity, or tranquility
that is ours when things around us are going terribly wrong.
God's peace within us is not the result of
human reasoning.
It goes far beyond and actually defies human
reasoning.
The eye of a hurricane represents God's
peace.
Around the eye, the water is churning
violently.
The winds are howling.
Within the hurricane's eye the seas are calm,
and the sun is shining.
Mercy (Gr. eleos/eleoV) speaks of God’s compassion for us.
While love is the engine, mercy is the spark
that ignites grace resulting in peace.
God works on our behalf because of His mercy
or compassion for us.
Without mercy, the engine that delivers us
from sin would not work.
Love (Gr. agapaoo/agapaw) is the engine that pulls salvation, the super glue
that holds the universe together.
God’s mercy is the result of His love, which
causes grace to come to us, resulting in peace with God.
Although few believe or teach it, and most
teach to the contrary, God's love never ever fails.
God’s love is incapable of failure.
God is Love, and He cannot fail!
God's grace, peace, mercy, and love are
intertwined as a strong rope with each doing its part to bring us to the
knowledge of Christ.
Without that lifeline, the windswept sea of
sin would surely cause us to drown without any hope of deliverance.
While we could rightly say that God's grace,
peace, mercy, and love are infinite, the God that exercises them is not!
We, with our finite understanding, have put
limits on the super-infinite God.
The Creator God is greater than that which He
has created.
The human word "infinite" does not
do justice in describing God.
God is greater than infinity because he
created it.
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:
Paul starts his letter in the same manner as
a prayer.
He offers praise to God, "Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
We should always begin prayer with praise of
God.
In doing that, we honor the source of our
blessings.
"Blessed" indicates that God is
greatly to be adored.
Some may read that comment, and not
understand the term "blessed."
That we would or could "bless" God
may seem strange to non-Christians.
Blessing or adoration is the correct response
to all that God has bestowed on us.
As we have received God's true love, we are
to give true love.
Freely we have received; freely we are to
give.
We are blessed in Christ.
We should also be a blessing to others.
Paul speaks of God as the "Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ."
Father and Son cannot be separated.
The Holy Spirit cannot be separated from the
Father and Son.
Spread your fingers then move the palm of
your hand.
No matter where your palm goes, the fingers
go.
The father, Son, and Holy Spirit move and act
in unison of purpose.
Each (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
compliments the others.
God's blessings are unique He has
"blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ."
Our blessings may be here on earth, and yet
they are also stored in heavenly places.
Have you ever thought about that?
Our blessings are stored in places that the
Greek language describes as being above the sky.
Where is "above the sky?"
"Above the sky" is beyond whatever
we can see.
We can see a distance of multiple light
years.
The blessings of God are stored beyond the
farthest star, and yet they as close as a prayer.
The things of God go beyond our ability to
understand through educational research or spiritual meditation.
Ephesians 1:4-6
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:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved.
"According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world" is a powerful statement.
We have been chosen in Christ not in
ourselves.
Do you understand the complicated simplicity
of that?
Many do not believe it because it sets us
apart from the rest of humanity.
The fact is, we have been set apart.
Christians are the salt of society.
We are the reflected light of Christ Jesus in
this age.
Embrace Christ Jesus with thanksgiving.
Tell His story so that others may also
embrace the light of Jesus Christ.
We have been individually selected by God to
serve Christ Jesus.
Do you comprehend the honor that has been
given us?
At this point, I must add a disclaimer.
We have not been chosen, or selected to the
exclusion of all other people.
Most people do not understand predestination.
As firm as I am concerning the fact of
predestination, that word is never
used when describing the "lost."
None is “predestined” to be lost.
Again, let's discuss the time of the
choosing.
It happened before the "foundation"
of the world.
The Greek text indicates that God chose us
before the universe was conceived.
Before God spoke the world into existence!
He chose us, individually, in Christ, to
become the first layer of salvation.
God chose us so that "we should be holy
and without blame before him in love."
He did not choose us because we were already
holy and without blame before him.
The Greek word translated "should"
is very important here.
The Greek word is first person, singular, and
indicative.
It is used only when it presents an emphatic.
This section should have been translated
"shall."
Personal paraphrase--"That we shall
(emphatically, with premeditation) be holy and blameless before Him in
love."
Feelings are not facts.
You may not feel holy, or without blame, but
it does not depend on how you feel.
In choosing us, Jesus keeps us without blame,
unblemished, because of His love for us.
Many Christians will tell you that we are
just "old sinners."
In Christ, the old things are passed away and
we are made new.
We may be imperfect before the world, but we
are blameless, faultless before God.
We once were dead IN trespasses and sins.
Now, in Christ, we are dead TO trespasses and sins
(Ephesians 2:1).
Why go around digging up dead deeds, parading
them around as if they still had life?
Our old dead deeds had no life when we were
living in them.
They certainly have no life in Christ.
Christ is perfect.
Because He has given us His righteousness, we
are at this very moment unblemished before God.
Paul tells us that God has predestined us to
adoption as children through Jesus Christ.
That was done according to the good pleasure
of the Father's will.
We have been "predestinated" to be
Christ's.
The Greek text speaks of something that has
been predetermined.
Most do not understand the purpose of
predestination.
However, to deny the predetermined grace of
God is to deny His omnipotence and omniscience.
He chose us to become adopted as sons of God.
That may sound arrogant, but it is true.
That is what the word of God says.
The KJV Bible uses the phrase "adoption
of children."
The Greek text indicates an adoption as a
son.
As you know, in the ancient times, the
inheritance was divided among the sons.
Therefore, God, knowing that women must give
birth, and it takes men and women to procreate and sustain the human race,
decided to adopt both men and women as "sons."
The adoption of men and women as
"sons" provides for an equity that would not be otherwise understood.
In that way, neither is denied the portion
that is justly given to a child of God.
In Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew,
neither male nor female (Galatians 3:28).
In ancient days, the inheritance was divided
in this manner: If there were two sons, the estate was divided into three
portions.
The eldest son received two portions and the
younger received a single portion.
In those days, daughters did not receive a
portion.
By declaring both men and women to be
"sons" all adopted children receive equally.
All of that has been done “according to the
good pleasure of His will.”
The word “pleasure” carries the idea of
satisfaction, delight, kindness, wish, or purpose.
It was according to the Father's purpose that
you were chosen.
It has given Him delight to add your name to
the list of those adopted in Christ Jesus.
When you respond to His calling and accept
His Christ, the Father takes great satisfaction in you as a son.
God proclaimed us to be accepted in the
Beloved.
He has not
called us so that He might cast us aside at the slightest provocation.
We are accepted in His Beloved Jesus, our
Messiah.
The Greek implies that we have been endued
with special honor, or highly favored.
We have not
been given this favor because of who we are, or what we have done.
We also have not been honored due to our
achievements.
The Father, through the Son, freely gave all
that because it was "their" pleasure to do it.
Strict Calvinists, predestination theorists,
have produced some that are spiritual egotists.
God's calling is not a license to steal.
Yet, that is what the so-called
"Christian monarchs" practiced.
Strict Arminianists have produced those who
are spiritually paranoid.
They are Apprehensive that every move will
offend God.
The Letter to the Ephesians was written
primarily to Believers.
In these short verses (4-6) Paul is telling
Christians three things.
We have been chosen, predestined, and
accepted.
Do you understand that all Christians are
chosen, predestined, and accepted?
Ephesians 1:4 tells us that God chose us in
Christ before the foundation of the world, so that we should be holy and
without blame before Him in love.
The Greek text says that God selected us.
Why would He select us?
Are we better looking that all others?
Are we more intelligent than all others?
Do we have more wealth than all others?
We have been chosen because of none of those
things.
There are some good looking Christians.
There are some intelligent Christians.
There are some wealthy Christians.
However, we were chosen for the sake of Jesus
Christ, and for our sakes.
Salvation was not an afterthought.
God did not wake up one day and say, "I
think I'll make someone to save today."
From the beginning He planned your salvation.
You were chosen so that you should be holy and
without blame before Him in love and in the beloved.
Just as salvation is the result of what
Christ did, and not what you do!
Your holiness and blamelessness depends only
on God.
You are to be holy and without blame before
Him "in love."
I don't believe the holiest man alive
understands the extent of God's love.
You are holy, because He is holy!
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his
grace;
We must never allow the shedding of Christ's
blood to be trivialized.
It is in Him and Him alone we have
redemption.
It is through His shed blood that we have
obtained forgiveness of sins.
Christians speak of redemption, but what is
it?
Have you ever borrowed money from a bank?
In lending the money, the bank asked you to
put up collateral.
That collateral could be a house, or car, or
anything of value.
The act of paying off the loan is an act of
redemption.
The Greek text indicates a ransom paid in
full.
Christ Jesus, by the shedding of His blood,
has redeemed us from Satan.
There is no more that can or will be added to
Christ Jesus' redemptive act.
Our emotions, or acts of gratitude, are only
responses to what Christ Jesus has already accomplished.
It is according to the riches of his grace
that we are redeemed.
Life is the result of His redemption.
The grace God has bestowed on us is valuable
beyond any monetary exchange.
We can truly say that God's grace is far
beyond our conception of the word "value."
Ephesians 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded
toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
"Abound" is a translation
understatement.
The Greek indicates an overabundance, excess,
surplus, or superabundance.
God does not do things half-way.
He makes sure His representatives are well
equipped to do the tasks he has appointed them to do.
Prudence is plain old common sense.
Did you know that Christ offers you common
sense?
As we grow in godly wisdom, we learn that
spiritual matters become practical matters.
As we grow in Christ, the spiritual and
practical merge into one.
Our acts reflect His will. Our thoughts are
attuned to His wisdom.
Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us
the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed
in himself:
As Beloved children of God, He has made known
to us the mystery of His will.
It is according to His good pleasure that He
purposed in Himself.
In the letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote
that it is God that works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure
(Philippians 2:13).
In his letter to the Romans, Paul spoke to
the responsibility for salvation.
So then it is not because of the one that
wills, or the one that works (runs), but it is "of God" who shows
mercy (Romans 9:16).
Proverbs speaks of the futility of our
efforts.
"A man's heart devises his own way: but
the LORD directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
When we finally understand that God is in
charge, we can relax and enjoy the life he brings forth for us to live.
That is a mystery that many have not solved.
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:
This verse is where many commentators start meandering around
the Bible looking for an out.
However, the language is plain and it is
correct.
Ephesians 1:10 cannot be explained using
mainstream theology.
It must be explained by means of the counsel
of the Bible, not tradition.
Let me get to the point.
Christ gave His life as a ransom for all (1
Timothy 2:6), and He did not die in vain!
The Greek word translated "he might
gather together in one," means to gather several things under one.
The Greek tense used should come into English
as a simple statement.
"That, in the dispensation of the
fullness of times, He [God the Father] gather together under One head all
things in Christ, where they be in heaven or on earth."
You may want to interpret it as all things
being gathered in God.
He shall be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:28 “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then
shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him,
that God may be all in all.”
Or, you may wish to interpret is as all thing
being gathered together under the leadership of Christ.
That is also true.
Romans 11:36 “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all
things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”
Here, we are dealing with here is an
imperative situation.
It "shall" come to pass.
Every knee SHALL bow!
Every tongue SHALL confess!
Rom 14:11 For
it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to God.
Jesus went to the cross to show all of
creation that his name is greater then or above all other names!
Phil
2:10-11
10 that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under
the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.
Isa 45:23 I
have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and
shall not return, that to Me every
(Heb. kaal-כָּל) knee shall bow, every
(Heb. kaal-כָּל) tongue shall take an oath.
It is through Christ Jesus that all Gentiles
shall serve and worship Christ!
Ps 86:9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
and shall glorify Your name.
Christ is the Agent of the Father’s creative will!
Christ Jesus made all the nations of the
earth!
John
1:3 All things were made by him; and
without him was not any thing made that was made.
All created things in Heaven and on Earth
shall bow and worship Him!
There is no way around, over, or under His
Lordship over all created things.
Christ's birth and life among men was not
mere happenstance.
It took place so that in the dispensation of
the fullness of times God the Father shall place all things under the leadership
of Christ.
All things which are in heaven, and on earth
shall be gathered, joined, united in, to, and through Him.
That is a fact!
It flies in the face of many religious
theories.
Many teachers are dispensationalists.
That seems to be a very "religious"
word.
Actually, it is a very practical word.
Dispensation just indicates the
administration of a household.
Christ appointed us as stewards of God's
household on this earth.
The economy of Christ is not measured in
dollars.
It is measured in fruit for the
The Greek word translated
"dispensation" may also be translated "stewardship."
As Good stewards we must be about our
Father's business.
We Christians talk about fruit. In Christ,
fruit comes in two categories.
One "fruit" is human. It represents
individuals born again into the
Another form of fruit the fruit of the spirit
listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
In that list, the Greek word translated fruit
is singular, thereby making this a package deal.
The fruit "is" love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
As God gathers all things into Christ, this
fruit of the Spirit will be ours in superabundance.
Now we experience them in part, but soon they
will be ours completely.
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:
Have you ever noticed that God speaks of many
things in past tense?
We have "obtained" an Inheritance
in Christ.
Our in heritance is Christ is sure simply due
to the fact that he does “all things” in accordance with “the counsel of His
will!”
He does all according to His will, not ours.
It is according to His will that we are heirs
and joint heirs with Christ! (Romans 8:17)
We have done nothing to deserve our
inheritance!
Our inheritance is ours in Christ!
And, outside of Christ we have nothing!
Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the
praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Our purpose is to Praise God!
We can only praise Him through His Son.
Through Christ, we live our lives to the
praise of His glory because we have trusted in Christ.
Ephesians 1:13 In 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,
Please allow me to present a better
translation, and not my own.
Ephesians 1:13 in whom also you, hearing
the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, (J. P. Green’s LitV)
Christ Jesus is the one in whom we trusted.
We trusted after we
"heard," or understood the word of truth.
The word translated “after” in the KJV does
not exist in the Textus Receptus Greek Text.
Christ Jesus is the one in whom we trusted.
We trusted after we "heard," or
understood the word of truth.
Here is a simple matter that passes right
over the head of many.
We could not have trusted in Christ until we
"heard" the word preached.
Yet, there are those who oppose, or neglect
evangelism.
While it is true that we are not to drag
people to Christ, we are to point them in His direction.
The act of pointing is called evangelism.
Most Christians do not feel comfortable in
the work of evangelism.
The work of making disciples of all nations
is a foreign concept to many that are considered to be Christians.
After we believed in Christ, we were sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise.
We cannot be unsealed.
Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise
of his glory.
The Holy Spirit is the "earnest" or
"up front partial payment" on our inheritance until the redemption of
the purchased possession.
That is an important concept.
I won't go into a talk about the word
"earnest."
You have probably heard it a thousand times.
You know the story about "earnest
money."
It's true, so I will not trot it out again.
"Purchased possession" comes from
just one Greek word.
It means an acquisition.
Have you ever thought of yourself as an
acquisition?
On the cross, Christ "acquired"
you.
He is now your Lord!
Christ Jesus is your "Owner."
He now has the legal property rights to your
life!
Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I
heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
What does your reputation have to do with
Christ?
The world judges Christ by what Christians do
or don't do.
It is an unfair comparison.
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul gives us some very
good advice, "Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians
5:22).
The appearance of evil is all society needs
to condemn Christ and Christians.
Reputations are always there.
The Ephesians had a good reputation.
Paul said, "I heard of your faith in the
Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints."
Reputations have a way of "making the
rounds."
Paul knew who loved the saints, and who did
not.
Those things cannot remain hidden for long.
Do you remember the slogan, "You can't
fool all the people all the time?"
Well, you can't fool God anytime!
Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks
for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Do you make mention of the Saints in your
prayers?
Paul stood in the gap for his children of the
faith.
We should take note of what he did and
imitate him.
As you read this, Christ Jesus is interceding
for you.
Should you take more time to pray for
brothers and sisters of the faith?
It is advisable.
Ephesians 1:17-19
17 That 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:
18 The 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,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power,
This is another of Paul's prayers that can be
modified to pray for any Christian.
Use it in this manner:
"Dear Father, for (insert name), I ask
that that You, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, may give (him/her) the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation, so that (he/she) may know You better. I also pray
that the eyes of (his/her) heart may be enlightened in order that (insert name)
may know the hope to which You have called (him/her), the riches of Your
glorious inheritance in the saints, and You incomparably great power for us who
believe. In Jesus' name! Amen."
Now, let's look at each verse.
Ephesians 1:17 That 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:
God gives us so many things.
He gives us the Spirit of wisdom to deal with
sin.
He gives us the revelation of Christ Jesus.
That revelation results in salvation.
Without the revelation of Christ, all the
wisdom in the world would be of little value.
With the revelation of Christ, we have all
the wisdom needed to go forward to victory with Christ.
It is the manifestation of Christ in our
lives that gives us life.
Ephesians 1:18 The 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,
We should pray that our fellow saints gain
understanding.
We need to "see" clearly so that we
may know the hope of His calling, and the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints.
We are Christ's inheritance. He is ours.
The Greek word translated "Enlightened"
is where we get the English word "photograph."
We get a photo when we expose film to light.
We become Christian we are exposed to Christ,
Son-light.
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,
We must also understand the exceeding
greatness of His compassionate power toward those who believe.
We have the power (the Holy Spirit) within us
to change lives.
God's power in our lives is not just great.
It is exceeding greatness.
Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ,
when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places,
The power within us is the same power that
raised Christ Jesus from the dead.
It was used to set Him at God's right hand in
the heavenly places.
The power of God not only raised Christ Jesus
from the dead, it caused life to come into us.
How was Christ raised from the dead?
He received a commandment---a Law from God!
John 10:17-18
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might
take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay
it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of
my Father.
John 14:28-31
28 "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to
you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the
Father,' for My Father is greater than
29 "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to
pass, you may believe.
30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is
coming, and he has nothing in Me.
31 "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father
gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here. (NKJV)
Ephesians 1:21 Far 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:
The name "Jesus" represents the
power of God.
His name is superior to all other
principalities, powers, things of might, and dominions.
"Jesus" is superior to everything
that has been named.
His superiority extents from this age to the
age to come and beyond.
God's power allowed Christ to be restored to
His rightful place beside the Father.
It has created a situation in which our
"rightful place" is now with the Father.
Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things
under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
We do not see it at this time, but when
Christ, on the cross, said, "It is finished," that was the moment He
finished His work to have all things put under his feet.
At that point, The Holy Spirit of God within
Christ took control to establish Jesus as Lord.
The Holy Spirit within Jesus caused His
resurrection.
The Holy Spirit within us shall cause our
resurrection at Jesus' coming.
Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the
fulness of him that filleth all in all.
The Father established Jesus as head over all
things including the church and established the Church as His earthly agency.
There are those who teach that Christ shall
come back for a Church without spot or blemish. He shall!
However, the Church is already without spot
or blemish.
Some teach that the spots and blemishes
represent immaturity in the Church.
That is not true!
Spots and blemishes within the Church are
non-Christians who pretend to be something they are not.
The Church has been cleansed by the washing
of the water of the word.
Pretenders are doing "their" best
to claim spiritual cleanliness without going through Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus was emphatic!
He said, "I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
This last verse in this chapter speaks of the
Church, the body of Christ Jesus that fills or completes all things in all
people.
If you are outside of the Church of Jesus
Christ, you are incomplete!
Be complete! Be reconciled to God through
Christ Jesus!