"Be Strong in the Lord" -- Ephesians 6:10-24

The Fifteenth and Final in a Series of Sermons on Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians

One of the most distinctive features of Paul’s letters is that he opens them with doctrinal instruction and closes them with the application of that doctrine to the Christian life.  As we come to the end of Ephesians, we see Paul engage in this characteristic practice yet again–only this time with a bit of a twist.  In Ephesians 5:15, Paul directs us to “Look carefully then how you walk,” which is one of the ways Paul exhorts us to give attention to how we live our lives as Christians.  But as he often does, Paul quickly moves from generalities to specifics, as the apostle spells out how believers are to walk.  All Christians are to submit to Christ, wives are to submit to their husbands, husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, children are to obey their parents, and slaves are to obey their earthly masters.  Having discussed the order of things within the Christian household, Paul now issues a stirring call for Christians to stand firm against the spirit of the age by clothing themselves in the spiritual armor given them by God.  As Paul sees it, the Christian life is a life of spiritual warfare.  Therefore, Paul summons us to battle.  Believers must put on God’s armor all the while praying for God’s strength so that we might stand.

We wrap up our series on the Book of Ephesians as we make our way through the concluding verses of chapter six.  This section of Ephesians includes one of the most familiar and vivid images in all of Paul’s writings–Christians are to put on the whole armor of God and do combat with the forces of darkness around us.  Paul’s depiction of the Christian life as one of spiritual warfare is an apt conclusion to a letter such as this one in which Paul has spoken in big picture terms about God’s eternal purpose being worked out in history through the saving work of Jesus Christ, specifically our Lord’s sacrificial death for our sins, and his triumphant resurrection from the dead.  Since those Christians in the churches in Asia Minor to whom Paul is writing were living in a very hostile and pagan environment, the image of warfare is appropriate.  Being part of a Christian minority in a city such as Ephesus which is dominated by paganism necessitates a form of combat between two very different ways of thinking and doing.

Unfortunately, in much of contemporary evangelicalism and Pentecostalism “spiritual warfare” has become a category for talking about spiritual combat with the unseen forces of Satan in an unseen world.  While Paul does indeed speak of combating the Devil and the spirit of the age, Paul’s focus is on the objective truth of the gospel and those who deny that truth.  His focus is not on the invisible world of demons and angels, where the real action supposedly takes place.  Paul is deeply concerned about those struggling Christians in these churches who must live out their faith in daily life in the presence of those who see nothing wrong with sexual immorality, debauchery, with worshiping a pantheon of pagan “gods,” and who practice all those things which go with paganism–fertility rites, spells and incantations, divination, secret ceremonies, and the worship of creatures (the Roman emperor) rather than the creator.

Having set forth how the Christian home ought to be ordered–submission to Christ, always keeping the example of Christ’s humility and sacrifice before us, and in submitting to divinely-established authority–Paul closes the letter by once again exhorting us to live out those doctrines he has set forth in chapters 1-3.  And as is characteristic of his letters, Paul’s call for believers to stand firm in the face of the paganism all around them is grounded in the promise of the gospel.

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"The Discipline and Instruction of the Lord" -- Ephesians 6:1-9

The Fourteenth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

According to the Apostle Paul, God has built a certain order of things into creation so as to illustrate the way in which Jesus saves us from our sins.  Because of this, Christians are to submit to Jesus Christ who is both our creator and redeemer.  This is why Christian wives are to submit to their husbands, because in doing so, they imitate the sacrificial humility of Christ, as well as model the church’s submission to its bridegroom.  Husbands are to love their wives as they love their own bodies, so as to to imitate Christ’s sacrificial love for his church, which is his body.  Children are to submit to their parents as they would to the Lord, while slaves are to submit to their earthly masters just as they would to Jesus himself.  Not only does this divinely-mandated submission to proper authority arise from the way in which God has ordered creation, but the submission of wives to husbands and the requirement that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church is intended to continually keep before our eyes the relationship that Jesus Christ has to his church, his bride.  In all of this, we are reminded of Christ’s sacrificial love for his people.

As we continue our series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we are making our way through the so-called “household code,” which runs from Ephesians 5:21 through Ephesians 6:9.  Last time we took up Paul’s discussion of the duties of Christian husbands and wives, now we take up the two remaining aspects of a Christian’s submission to divinely-ordained authority in the household; children’s submission to their parents, and slaves’ submission to their earthly masters.  While much attention is directed to Paul’s discussion about husbands and wives, we need to remember that this entire section is a one running discussion about the nature of proper submission.  What Paul says in the second half of this section about children and parents and slaves and masters flows out of the groundwork laid down in the earlier verses of this section.  Therefore, we’ll need to do a brief bit of review of Paul’s discussion of husbands and wives, before we take up our discussion of children and parents and slaves and masters.

As we saw last time, before Paul gets into any specifics about the order of authority and submission within the Christian household, he begins in Ephesians 5:21 by reminding us that all Christians must submit to Jesus, imitating his example of self-sacrifice in the Christian home.  Just as Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto death, so too Christians are to keep Jesus Christ’s self-sacrifice and humble obedience to his heavenly Father as the example of all conduct within the Christian home.

I also spent a fair bit of time on what I consider to the primary error when handling a passage such as Ephesians 5:22-33–confusion between the indicative mood (which is a statement of fact) and the imperative mood (a command) which mirrors the distinction between the law (what God commands of us) and the gospel (what God freely gives us in the gospel).  Failure to consider this distinction between indicative and imperative too often leads to this text being presented as some sort of a general ethical discourse on Christian marriage, without any regard for the fact that no one can truly obey Paul’s command to submit to Christ.  Not one wife here has ever submitted to their husbands as Paul commands.  Not one husband here ever loved his wife as Christ loved the church.  Children do not submit to their parents as they should, nor do slaves truly submit to their earthly masters.  So, on the one hand, the imperatives in this passage end up condemning all of us because not one of us has ever done that which God demands of us.

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"Christ and the Church" -- Ephesians 5:22-33

The Thirteenth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

Martin Luther once quipped that anyone who was able to master the distinction between law and gospel should be immediately awarded the doctor’s cap (the symbol of the doctor’s degree in theology).  In Ephesians 5:22-33 we come to one of those passages which requires us to make a very important determination, “is this passage law, or is this passage gospel?”  Or, is it something else?  “Wives, submit to your husbands,” sounds like law to me.  And “husbands, love your wives” is certainly a command (and therefore “law”).  But it is Paul’s assertion “I am saying that this refers to Christ and his church,” which provides the key to understanding this entire passage.

As we continue our series on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, we come to the apostle’s discussion of a Christian’s submission to divinely-established authority.  This discussion runs from verse 21 of Ephesians 5, all the way through to verse 9 of chapter 6.  Paul touches upon many aspects of the Christian household and daily life.  In verse 21, Paul lays out the general principle that all believers are to submit to Christ, before taking up the subject of duties of wives to husbands (in verses 22-24), husbands to wives (vv. 25-32), children to parents (6:1-4) and slaves to masters in the balance of this section (vv. 6-9 of chapter 6).  This passage is known as the “household code,” and in many ways it serves to establish a distinctly Christian understanding of marriage and the family.

Throughout our series on Ephesians, we have been making the point that in Ephesians 1-3 Paul sets out his understanding of the gospel–a gospel grounded in God’s gracious election of sinners in Christ, who are then saved by grace through faith, through the proclamation of the saving work of Jesus (preaching).  In chapters 4-6, Paul discusses the Christian life–the application of that doctrine which he set out in the first three chapters to specific situations facing Christians in western Asia Minor.  In talking about the contrast between Christian and pagan ways of thinking and doing, Paul has discussed Christian unity, the need to strive for maturity, as well as the importance of stripping off the old self and putting on the new.  Paul has exhorted us to imitate Christ, to walk in love, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs pour out of our hearts during Christian worship, as opposed to the partying and drinking songs which resound in the pagan temples and guild halls. 

As we work our way through Paul’s discussion of a Christian’s submission to proper authority, we need to be especially mindful of the fact that Paul’s directives found in this section are often applied without any regard for the gospel from which they flow.  How many times have we heard verses from this passage cited as though we were perfectly capable of fulfilling them?  While these verses do indeed instruct us to submit to Christ, wives to submit to husbands, husbands to love our wives, children to submit to our parents and slaves to submit to earthly masters, the fact of the matter is that no husband in this room ever loved his wife as Christ loves the church.  Not one of us has ever fully submitted to Christ as we should.  And how many of us perfectly submitted to our parents while growing up?

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"Be Filled with the Spirit" -- Ephesians 5:15-21

The Twelfth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

When Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:18 to be “filled with the Spirit,” many people get a bit nervous.  The reason we get nervous is because we’ve all seen what goes on in the revivalist’s tent or on TBN.  Sadly, being “filled with the Spirit,” is easily equated with the shoddy theology and gimmickry of modern Pentecostalism, and so of course we get nervous if we think that Paul is commanding us to do what they do.  When Paul tells us to be filled with the Spirit, he is setting forth a sharp contrast between pagan self-indulgence and Christian submission to the will of God.  My prayer is that we would hear Paul’s words afresh and that we would be truly filled with the Holy Spirit in the way intended by the Apostle Paul, and that as a result, our hearts would be filled with thanksgiving and that Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs would roll off our tongues in submission to, and in adoration of our Savior Jesus Christ.

As we continue our series on Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians we are working our way through chapter 5 and considering Paul’s discussion of the Christian life.  Since sound doctrine is the foundation of Paul’s teaching regarding the Christian life, it is important we keep that doctrine in mind whenever we discuss how our faith in Christ is to be worked out in daily life.  We cannot live as God would have us to live without understanding the gospel which creates faith and which has already raised us from death to life.
 
Recall that in the opening chapter of Ephesians, Paul sets forth the big picture of our redemption.  Redemption has been decreed by God, our redemption was accomplished by Jesus Christ, and it is applied to us by the Holy Spirit.  In Ephesians 2, Paul taught us that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, while in chapter three, Paul tells us that the mystery which had been hidden in the Old Testament (the gospel), is revealed in the New.  The gospel declares to us that through his death upon the cross, Jesus Christ forms believing Jews and Gentiles into one new people–the church, which is the body of Christ.  While the cross shows us the love of God, the death and resurrection of Jesus is the proof that God is able to do for us far more than we ask or think.   

While discussing the Christian life in chapters 4-6, Paul uses a number of simple yet powerful metaphors and illustrations.  Through the use of these metaphors Paul is able to instruct us that the Christian life (and our sanctification) amounts to a complete break with non-Christian ways of thinking and doing.  This break occurred when God made us alive with Christ.  Just we as died to sin and rose to newness of life in our baptism (the sign and seal of what God has done for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus), Christians are to leave behind non-Christian ways of thinking and doing, while at the same time striving for unity within the body of Christ.  We are also to strive to grow in spiritual maturity in which all members of the body build each other up in love.  When the body functions as it should, Christians grow to maturity.  The paradox is that it is our striving for maturity which in turn builds up Christ’s body.

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"Let There Be Thanksgiving" -- Ephesians 5:1-14

The Eleventh in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

If we were to ask Paul what the Christian life should look like, I am convinced that the Apostle would direct us to the life of Jesus.  I say this because Paul does this very thing in 1 Corinthians 11:1, when he tells the Corinthians to be imitators of Christ.  But Paul also does this in Ephesians 5.  Now, in saying that Paul would point us to the life of Jesus as an example for Christians to follow, I don’t mean that Paul expects us to cast out demons, walk on water, or heal the sick with but a single command.  But from what Paul does say about Jesus–who is the very embodiment of the holiness and righteousness of God–it is clear that Jesus’ life is the model for us in terms of love, humility and forgiveness.  In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul tells us that the Christian life is much more than merely “doing what Jesus did.”  “Doing what Jesus did” only makes sense after we believe those things Jesus and the apostles taught us about the depths of our sin and the grace of God in Jesus Christ.  Once we understand that we were chosen by God in Christ before the foundation of the world, and once we understand that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, only then can we understand how the life of Jesus can serve as an example to us which we are to imitate.  What does the Christian life look like?  It should look a great deal like that life which Jesus lived.

We are in the midst of a series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.  We now make our way into Ephesians 5.  While I divided chapter 4 into three sections (so that we could spend sufficient time on Paul’s discussion of the Christian life), it immediately becomes clear in chapter five that Paul is continuing to flesh out a number of the points made in chapter four.  It is important to recall that Ephesians was a circular letter which Paul intended to be read aloud in its entirety in the churches.  So there is a sense in which we do this letter a great injustice when we preach through it such short snippets (as we have been doing).  The alternative would be an eight hour sermon–something which neither you nor I would be able to endure.  So please keep in mind that as we go through this series that all of the points Paul is making are very closely interconnected, which is why I ask that you read through the entire book several times during this series, so that we don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees.

As we saw last time, Paul uses the metaphor of a change in clothing to make his point that a fundamental change in our thinking and doing occurs when we come to faith in Christ.  When God makes us alive with Christ, the old self is made new.  Because the old self is now the new self, the Christian is to make a concerted effort to “take off the old self” with its sinful desires (indwelling sin), and “put on the new self” which is created in the image of Christ.  While in one sense our sanctification is already complete (Christ’s perfect righteousness is imputed to us through faith, so that God already regards us as “holy”), in another sense our sanctification is a life-long process.  This life-long process of sanctification (which results from our justification) is what Paul is discussing in this section of Ephesians.  

Paul has told us that the old self is characterized by falsehood, anger, theft, laziness and corrupting speech.  The new self is characterized by truth-telling, a desire to resolve conflict and live in peace, hard work, and will speak words of grace and blessing.  Jesus’ death and resurrection is the pattern for this.  Just as Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead (that event into which we are baptized) so too, we are to die to sin and be raised to newness of life.  Just as we strip off our dirty clothing, take a shower and put on clean clothes, so too, the Christian life is one of continuously striping off the old self and putting on the new–a theme which Paul continues to unpack in Ephesians 5.

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"Put On the New Self" -- Ephesians 4:17-32

The Tenth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

Have you ever been camping or hiking for a week or so in the woods?  What do you look forward to the most when you return to civilization?  How about a shower and change of clothing?  According to the Apostle Paul, the desire to wash off the crud and to be clean is exactly how we as Christians ought to feel as we go through the process of sanctification.  Those who have been made alive by Christ, by grace through faith, should be as disgusted by the guilt of our sins as we are with the stench of dirt and sweat on our bodies.  In fact, in Ephesians 4:17-32, Paul discusses the Christian life in terms of a change in clothing.  Paul instructs us to take off the old self with its sinful desires, and to put on the new self which is formed in the image of God.

As we continue our series on Paul’s letter to Ephesians, we are working our way through Ephesians 4, as Paul sets out the practical application of those same doctrines he set out in the first three chapters of this Epistle.  I have divided this chapter into three sections so as not to rush through this very important discussion of the Christian life.  In verses 1-6, Paul discusses the importance of Christian unity–a unity which is grounded in our common confession of faith.  “One Lord, one Faith, one baptism, one God and Father over all, in all and through all.”  In verses 7-16, Paul discusses Christ’s ascent into heaven and the gifts given to Christ’s church in the form of those who preach, teach, evangelize and shepherd God’s people, so as to bring the saints (as individual members of the one body of Christ) to maturity.  Because Christ’s body is one, when it works together as it should, the members of that body are built up in love.  As individual Christians mature, they grow together and the body functions properly.  But there is a paradox here as well.  When the body functions properly, the individual Christians mature more quickly.

In verses 17-32, Paul describes what amounts to a theological change of clothing.  In verses 17-19, Paul begins by discussing the effects of sin upon the human race through the fall of Adam.  Adam’s fall is the source of that which Paul calls the “old self”–which is that sinful human nature (or the “flesh”) into which we are were all born.  In verses 20-24, Paul exhorts us to take off this old self and to put on a new self, which is being renewed in the image of God.  Then, in verses 25-32, Paul describes the specific conduct which should result from putting on the new self.  This includes things such as speaking the truth, doing honest work, guarding our speech, and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, all the while remembering that since Jesus has forgiven us despite our many sins, so too, we are to forgive others with kindness and tenderheartedness.  This is the goal (maturity) of that body of believers which is functioning well and which has been built up in love.  Throughout this chapter (indeed, throughout this epistle), Paul places priority on sound doctrine as the basis for proper practice.  In order to grow to maturity, we need to believe the right things about God and the human predicament.

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"Building Up the Body" -- Ephesians 4:7-16

The Ninth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

When God called us to faith in Jesus Christ he added us to Christ’s church.  Paul refers to this church as the “body of Jesus Christ.”  Once we become members of that church we are to strive for unity within the body by living humbly, acting gently, and bearing one another’s burdens in love.  Paul’s point is that we are to strive eagerly to maintain the unity of the Spirt in the bond of peace, because it is Christ’s one body to which we’ve been added by grace through faith.   But God does not command this of us, and then leave us on our own.  When Jesus ascended into heaven, Paul says, Jesus gave to his church gifts–everything we need to ensure that Christ’s church functions properly, and so that we are equipped to be built up in love, maturing, and together growing into the fullness of Christ.

As we continue our series on Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, we have made our way into the second half of this epistle (chapters 4-6).  Paul begins to work out the application of those same doctrines he has set forth in chapters 1-3.  As we work our way through Ephesians 4, I am dividing the chapter into three sections.  We covered the first of these three sections last time–Paul’s exhortation regarding Christian unity as exemplified in the words of the creed given us by Paul in verses 4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”  Paul’s point is that we are to confess this faith with our lips, and then strive to make sure that our lives match our profession.

In verses 7-16, Paul takes up the subject of God’s provision for the spiritual health and growth of the church.  Within this section of Ephesians 4, there are two different topics which are the source of some fair bit of controversy in Reformed circles.  The first has to do with the question as to what Paul means when he speaks of Christ’s “descent into lower regions.”  The issue under debate here is “did Jesus actually descend into Hell after his death upon the cross?”  The Reformed have always said “no” to that question, following John Calvin in understanding Christ’s death upon the cross as his suffering the anguish of Hell.  Jesus himself steers us in this direction when he speaks of his own messianic mission in terms of a descent to earth, followed by an ascent to his Father upon completion of his redemptive work.  

The second point of contention arises from Paul’s discussion of Christ giving gifts to the churches so that they might grow into maturity.  Here the question is, “is it God’s desire that every member of the church be equipped for `ministry’ (the so-called `every member ministry’ model)?  Or does God give ministers to the church whose task it is to bring the saints to maturity, (a view which does not see every member of the church as a “minister” with a “ministry”).  We will tackle both of these controversies.

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"One Lord" -- Ephesians 4:1-6

The Eighth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

I grew up in churches in which the pastor would often declare “we have no creed but Christ” without noticing that his own assertion was a creed.  In the first six verses of Ephesians 4, we find an apostolic creed–“one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all”–a creed possibly used in Christian worship, and certainly used to identify those doctrines held in common by Christians in the apostolic churches, such as the church in Ephesus.  It is not an accident that this creed appears in that section of Ephesians in which is Paul stressing the importance of Christian unity.  Christians may have a common experience of the risen Christ’s presence in our midst through word and sacrament, but it is our common confession of faith which serves as our collective testimony to the truth of God’s work in our midst.  When we confess our faith together as one body with the words, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Father of all,” we are confessing that God has made us one before the eyes of the watching world.

We return to our series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and we pick up where we left off with the opening verses of Ephesians 4.  It has been a number of weeks since we worked our way through the first half of this epistle, so I would like to spend the first part of our time doing a brief recap of the opening chapters, before turning to Paul’s discussion of Christian unity in Ephesians 4:1-6.

Not only would a brief recap of the first three chapters of Ephesians be helpful to get us all up to speed after our hiatus, it is also vital, because as we move into the second half of Ephesians and turn to the so-called “application” section of this letter (chapters 4-6) we need to keep in mind what is being applied in these verses–the doctrine set forth by Paul in the first three chapters.  

Paul’s call for unity in Ephesians 4 makes little sense without considering how it is that Jesus redeemed us from our sin, and how (prior to God saving us) we were dead in sin and enslaved to the sinful desires with which we were born.  Jews and Gentiles had been divided before the coming of Christ, but now in Christ, whatever racial and cultural differences existed between them are no longer to divide God’s people.  Christ tore down the barrier wall by reconciling both groups to God through the cross.  The two peoples (Jew and Gentile) have been made one. 

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"The Love of Christ" -- Ephesians 3:14-21

The Seventh in a Series of Sermons on Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

Like the majority of his letters, Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians is divided into two parts.  In the first half of this epistle (chapters 1-3), the Apostle sets out a number of important doctrinal issues before making specific applications of these same doctrines to the Christian life in the second half (chapters 4-6).  As we conclude the first half of this letter, Paul brings us back to where he began in the first chapter–God’s eternal decree to save sinners “in Christ.”  But Paul is so moved by the very thought of how God’s eternal plan has played out on the stage of human history, as well as in the circumstances of his own life, that he wraps up the doctrinal section with a heart-felt prayer of thanksgiving for the glorious inheritance which is ours “in Christ.”  Paul wants his readers to both know and experience the glorious reality of the love of Christ.
 
As we continue our series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we now come to the end of chapter three, which is also the conclusion of the first half of this letter.  Here at the end of the third chapter we will find that Paul is quite moved by the very thought of all that God has done in providing for the salvation of his people.  In the first three chapters of this letter, the Apostle to the Gentiles has laid out for us in unmistakable clarity God’s plan for those of us Gentiles who were formerly strangers and aliens, without hope, and without God in the world.  Paul has told us how we relate to God’s old covenant people (the Jews), and how in Christ, God has done the impossible–he has taken those divided by race, diet, and culture, and made them one people.  God has done all of this, Paul says, through the shed blood of Jesus, who, in his death has reconciled God to us, us to God, and Jew to Gentile.

In verses 14-21 of Ephesians 3, Paul wraps up this doctrinal section with an impassioned prayer that everything he’s just told us about the grace of God, the revelation of the mystery of Christ, as well as God’s purpose for Jew and Gentile, would be fully realized in the lives of all those reading (or hearing) this epistle.  As an English biblical scholar once put it, “who has not read and re-read the closing verses of the third chapter of the Ephesians with the feeling of one permitted to look through the parted curtains into the holiest place of the Christian life.”  This prayer is but one reason why so many of our theological forbears, like John Calvin, identify Ephesians as their favorite book of the Bible.

But in order to understand what it is exactly that Paul is praying for, and what specific blessings he desires us to experience, we need go back to that point where Paul began (Ephesians 1:3-14), and where he returns in Ephesians 3:11.  Paul clearly emphasizes that everything he has stated about the mystery of Christ and the reconciliation of God’s people “was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  God’s eternal plan has been fully realized in the person and work of Christ.

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"The Mystery of Christ" -- Ephesians 3:1-13

The Sixth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

In many ways, Christianity is like a good novel–redemptive history is an unfolding and compelling drama played out on the stage of human history.  Throughout the first half of the redemptive story (the Old Testament), the central character (Jesus) remains hidden deep in the shadows.  Early on in the story, God called a people unto himself (the nation of Israel), but as the story continues to unfold, God sends a series of prophets who declare that the good things God has promised to Israel, will one day extend far beyond the narrow confines of Israel’s borders.  The great turning point in the redemptive story comes about when Jesus leaves the shadows and takes his place on center-stage, fulfilling all of the promises made about him centuries in advance.  In his letter to the Galatians (chapter 4:4-5) the Apostle Paul speaks of this coming of Jesus as follows: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”  But in the third chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle tells us that the mystery of Christ has been revealed to him, enabling Paul to fulfill his calling as Apostle to the Gentiles.  The mystery of Jesus Christ is tied directly to God’s saving purposes, which do indeed extend well beyond the borders of Israel, just as Israel’s own prophets had promised.  In fact, the gospel which Paul preaches will go to the very ends of the earth, and God will save each and every one of his elect (Jew and Gentile) and unite them together into one body, the church of Jesus Christ.  What had been hidden is now revealed.  What had been a mystery is brought out into the open.

We have been working our way through Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, and we now come to the third chapter of this profound and remarkable letter.  Before we turn to our passage (vv. 1-13 of Ephesians 3), we need to develop the context for the key points Paul will make in this chapter, because his points flow directly out of those important themes Paul has already developed in the first two chapters.  

Recall that Paul opens the epistle by setting out the big picture of God’s redemptive purpose.  As we have seen, the Apostle takes us from eternity past unto the resurrection of our bodies at the end of the age.  The Father has chosen us “in Christ.”  The Father sends Jesus Christ to save all those whom the Father has chosen.  The Spirit then applies the work of Christ to God’s elect, ensuring that we came to faith when the gospel was first preached to us.  In the final verses of the first chapter, Paul prays that struggling Christians would be able to live confidently in the knowledge that God has chosen them “in Christ.”  He also prays that in the midst of our struggles, we might see God’s love for sinners when we look to the cross, where our Savior suffered for us, in our place.

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