Ephesians was written to share God’s eternal plan through Jesus Christ. The first three chapters focus on what Christians should believe. People dead in their sins are made alive and gain eternal salvation “by grace … through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). The last three chapters explain the truth of God’s grace for the church, individuals, and families. It also comes to a climax with a command to stand with the armor of God against the devil. Paul wrote this letter while in prison in Rome in AD 60. He was writing to the church at Ephesus, a city on the west coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The population was primarily Gentiles, but there were also Jews, and both the Jews and Gentiles made up the Christian church of Ephesus. This Bible study of Ephesians chapter one will be the start of a series of studies in Ephesians.
Introduction
Paul starts his letter or epistle to the church by writing, “PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:” Paul identifies himself as an Apostle. Christ made him an Apostle after appearing to him in a Christophany (an appearance of Christ after his death and resurrection). To be an Apostle, you must be selected by Christ and have direct teaching from Christ himself. The word apostle means messenger or missionary, and the twelve original Apostles were to be missionaries to the Jews, and Paul was made an Apostle to the Gentiles. So, the office of Apostle included the original twelve, Matthias as the replacement for Judas and Paul. No one else can claim this office of Apostle.
Paul wrote this letter directly to the Ephesian church, which was disseminated and shared with other churches. He also addressed the mystery of the Gospel, which, according to Calvin,[1] “he [Paul] declares that he had been appointed to be, in a peculiar manner, the Apostle of the Gentiles, because, for a long period, they were “strangers and foreigners,” (Ephesians 2:19,) but are now included among the people of God. As this was an unusual event, and as its very novelty produced uneasiness in many minds, he calls it a “mystery which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, (Ephesians 3:4,5,) but “the dispensation” (Ephesians 3:2) of which had been entrusted to himself.” “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:” (Ephesians 1:9). He wanted all the faithful in Christ Jesus to read and learn from the Holy Spirit-inspired letter – both Jews and Gentiles. He completes his greeting with a blessing in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessings
He starts by blessing God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. We should always express this blessing when we pray, but Paul also used it as part of his greeting to the church at Ephesus. (Ephesians 1:3). Then, in verse four, he addresses our predestination by saying God knew us before the foundation of the world. To me, the debate of predestination versus free will election is a moot point because God is omnipresent and omniscient. So, God has known from before the foundation of the world who would accept Christ, and He knows who will use the free will he gave them to elect and accept Jesus. So, I believe that both predestination and free will election go hand-in-hand. We are predestined through God’s knowledge of all past, present, and future events, yet we must still elect to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Paul says that through his will, God provided grace that made us acceptable “in the beloved.” The word beloved addresses the elect saints of God. We have redemption through his blood and justification and sanctification by God’s grace through our faith in Christ alone for our salvation. Paul shares that God’s will is done according to His pleasure and purpose. God did this so that everyone who chooses Christ could be brought together in Christ unto salvation.
Through Christ, we are redeemed, justified, and sanctified to God’s glory and our salvation, and we are provided the Word of God to grow in our relationship with God. Through our salvation, we are sealed into the family of God through the Holy Spirit. Please notice that all three of the persons of God are present in the first thirteen verses of Ephesians. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all addressed, praised, and glorified. As I have said many times, if a person reads the Bible without any preconceived notions, they will logically understand that there is one God in three persons.
Praise for the Church in Ephesus
In verse 15, Paul praises the people of the church in Ephesus. He praises their faith and love for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and shares that he mentions them often in his prayers. He prays in verse 17 that God will give them the “spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:” in other words, he prays that God opens their hearts to the Word of God that provides wisdom and exposes them to the Gospel. Paul mentions their inheritance of the riches and glory of heaven and our eternal relationship with God.
Paul praises Jesus, “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:” (Ephesians 1:21). In heaven, they and we are predestined, and we freely elected to be in obedience to God and our reward is heaven. Paul says that God has put all things under Jesus’ feet and gave him to be the headship over all things concerning the church. His body is the “fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:23). The body of Christ, the church, will celebrate the fullness of our inheritance through Christ.
Four Points about Paul’s greeting in this and Other Epistles
First, he reveals himself as the author of the letter.
Second, he sends his greeting to the church and, sometimes, key church members.
Third, he praises God, often praising each member of the trinity.
Fourth, he praises the people of the church that he is writing to.
Bible Study of Ephesians Chapter One
In chapter one of this Bible study of Ephesians, we learn that God, through Paul, addressed his pleasure in that the Ephesians were wonderful Christians. He praised the church for their faith and their service to God. Paul took the entire first chapter to share his pleasure in how things were going in the church at Ephesus. The theme of this letter or epistle to the Ephesians addresses the topics at the very core of what it means to be a Christian. In both faith and practice, Paul addresses how to be a Christian. In other words, Christian living means obeying God’s will and God’s Word, the Bible. After you are saved by grace through your faith in Christ alone, this book can teach you how to be a Christian and grow in your sanctification. The greeting in chapter one is a jumping-off point to start our exploration of the rest of the book of Ephesians.
[1] Calvin, J. (1854). John Calvin: Commentary on Galatians and Ephesians - Christian classics ethereal library. Home - Christian Classics Ethereal Library. https://ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom41/calcom41.iv.i.html
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