"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
This has been the concentration of my study for the past week or two. I am going through this passage more closely than I ever have. I've never been much of a note taker, but I have started doing so with this passage. This is a synopsis of a few themes I've noticed.
This passage is very repetitive. I say that in an entirely non-derogatory way. I keep finding myself writing down the same or similar thoughts over and over again, but I think that was the point for Paul. Notice how many times he uses the phrase "in him" (Christ), or an equivalent to it. The letter is addressed to "the faithful in Christ Jesus." We have been blessed "in Christ" with all spiritual blessings. We have been chosen "in him." We have been adopted through "Jesus Christ." "In him" we have redemption and the forgiveness of our trespasses. All this has come about because of the great purpose of God, "set forth in Christ." This is only the first ten verses! The whole chapter is like this. If you read the book of Ephesians and don't understand that Christ is the means used by God to convey His grace, you're just reading it wrong!
Truly, the key phrase of this first chapter, and of the book in general, is "which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." This is the central idea behind the Gospel. We are covenantally united to Christ. This unity brings with it a myriad of blessings, which flow from the familial connections that it implies. Being a part of Christ means that we are part of the Father's family. As children of God, we are entitled to all the blessings available in Christ, which are enumerated throughout Ephesians and the rest of the New Testament.
Broadly speaking, the first chapter of Ephesians carries an extremely passive tone, as far as humanity is concerned. We are on the receiving line of everything God is doing through Christ. All the blessings we have received are through Christ and because of the father's will and his purpose. Salvation is all about what God is doing. Faith is the hand that receives these innumerable blessings. Paul never once tells us that God is so madly in love with us that He's just begging us to have faith. No, his plan of salvation was fool-proof, if I can put it that way. He didn't leave it to chance. He ensures that His plan of salvation is effectual by changing the hearts of those whom He predestined according to His purpose. The Father is not waiting for people to unite themselves to Christ. He is uniting them.
Our eyes should be in line with Pauls, staring at Christ and the Father.
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