Doulos Iesou
Member
- Mar 22, 2013
- 3,498
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Introduction:
Ephesians 1-3 is a unit with one central message, that through the Messiah Jesus God has united a people from both Jews and Gentiles who have an equal share in every spiritual blessing, and also equal in regards to their need for grace. Throughout Ephesians 1-3 there are particular uses of pronouns that Paul uses that clues you into this train of thought.
Ephesians 1:
From v.3-11 Paul uses the language of us and we in regards to a single group, that Paul regards himself apart of, that being those in the Messiah Jesus. These people in the Messiah have an equal share to each of these blessings. These blessings are found also in the OT. God chose a people through Abraham, the nation of Israel to be Holy and blameless before him (Genesis 17:1; Deuteronomy 18:13; Leviticus 11:44-45). God has chosen this group "we" in v.4 before the foundation of the world in Him, the Messiah. He also predestined this group in the Messiah to adoption, this was also a gift given to the Israelites (Romans 9:4).
Also in him is the redemption and forgiveness of sins, this Greek word ἀπολύτρωσις (redemption) points back to the Exodus account which uses λυτρόω (redeem) for God's redeeming Israel from Egypt. It is now those who are in the Messiah who are those bought from slavery to be God's people in the promised land.
And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, ⌊slow to anger⌋, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness, 7*keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations.†(Ex 34:6–7).
The "loyal love" discussed here that God keeps is his δικαιοσύνην (righteousness in the NT) which is his Covenant love, in this Covenant he forgives sinners, no out outside of this Covenant relationship with God has forgiveness. The Messiah inaugurates by his blood the New Covenant, which then sums up all the Covenant promises and blessings in Him, to be given to all those who belong to him (getting ahead of myself here).
Moving on with my point, in v.12 Paul refers to a separate group from those of the preceding verses (not all-together separate though). He refers to them as "we who hoped before in the Messiah should be for the praise of his glory." This we is referring to believing Jews, Romans 1:16 says, "to the Jew first and also to the Greek," the gospel first went to the Jews and they were the first to believe and THEN the gospel went to the Gentiles. This is also evidenced by the personal pronoun of "we" used in this verse establishing himself as one of the Believing Jews.
In v.13 he then shifts to talk about another group "you" a personal pronoun in the second person, it will become more and more clear that these "you" (plural) are the believing Gentiles. The Gentiles, when they heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel message, were sealed by the Holy Spirit in the Messiah. "Who is the down payment (ἀρραβών) of our inheritance," notice he uses the personal possessive pronoun "our" the possessive genitive here shows that we both Gentiles and Jews possess this inheritance which is the new heavens and new earth (Romans 4:13).
I could comment in details about the rest of Ephesians 1, but for the sake of time I will continue with Ephesians 2.
Ephesians 2:
And you, although you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience,(Eph 2:1-2).
Here we continue to see the distinction in the pronouns used by Paul, here referring to the particular predicament of the Gentiles and their sinful rebellious state prior to grace.
among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath by nature, as also the rest of them were. (Eph 2:3).
Paul then goes again to the "we" the Jewish believers and displayed that their position was just as deserving of wrath as the Gentiles.
v.4-5 illustrates that that while we both Jews and Gentiles where dead in our trespasses, God being rich in mercy and because of the great love with which he loved us saved us by grace. Making US alive TOGETHER in the Messiah. Paul's use of "us" and "together" here is not accidental, he is making a case not just for the fact that salvation is through grace, but how we Gentiles and those believing Jews have been united by grace in the Messiah to be equal sharers in the Covenant blessings and future inheritance, and neither were specifically deserving of such, but were given it by grace.
v.11-22 (sorry jumping ahead again for the sake of time) is the section now where Paul sums up this whole line of reasoning with just outright saying what this all means. We Gentiles though we once were alienated from the citizenship of Israel, the Covenant promises, not having hope and without God in the world. Have finally been brought near by the shed blood of the Messiah on the Cross, who broke down the dividing wall. The fence that kept us from God's family, v.15 by invalidating the law of commandments in ordinances, that is why he became a curse on the Cross for us! So that we have access to the Father, not through the Mosaic Law, but through one Spirit, where we don't worship in a temple, but we together ARE the temple of God. Thus fulfilling Jesus' saying about those worshiping in Spirit and truth.
Ephesians 3 and Conclusion:
What then is the Mystery of the Messiah, which was previously not made known to the sons of men, but now has been revealed? I'll let Paul answer.
that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, (Eph 3:6).
It was God's predetermined purpose to unite a people from all the nations of the earth through Abraham's seed, the Messiah of Israel. To be God's chosen people and to bring about his restored kingdom and man's restored dominion in the new heavens and new earth where men who have been conformed into the image of God's Son, who is the image of God will reign with him in peace and righteousness as God has always intended.
It's not about individual salvation, although that is there, it is about God uniting a people of both Jews and Gentiles in the Messiah Jesus to be his beloved possession in the world for the praise of his glorious grace.
Blessings in Christ,
Servant of Jesus
Ephesians 1-3 is a unit with one central message, that through the Messiah Jesus God has united a people from both Jews and Gentiles who have an equal share in every spiritual blessing, and also equal in regards to their need for grace. Throughout Ephesians 1-3 there are particular uses of pronouns that Paul uses that clues you into this train of thought.
Ephesians 1:
From v.3-11 Paul uses the language of us and we in regards to a single group, that Paul regards himself apart of, that being those in the Messiah Jesus. These people in the Messiah have an equal share to each of these blessings. These blessings are found also in the OT. God chose a people through Abraham, the nation of Israel to be Holy and blameless before him (Genesis 17:1; Deuteronomy 18:13; Leviticus 11:44-45). God has chosen this group "we" in v.4 before the foundation of the world in Him, the Messiah. He also predestined this group in the Messiah to adoption, this was also a gift given to the Israelites (Romans 9:4).
Also in him is the redemption and forgiveness of sins, this Greek word ἀπολύτρωσις (redemption) points back to the Exodus account which uses λυτρόω (redeem) for God's redeeming Israel from Egypt. It is now those who are in the Messiah who are those bought from slavery to be God's people in the promised land.
And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, ⌊slow to anger⌋, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness, 7*keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations.†(Ex 34:6–7).
The "loyal love" discussed here that God keeps is his δικαιοσύνην (righteousness in the NT) which is his Covenant love, in this Covenant he forgives sinners, no out outside of this Covenant relationship with God has forgiveness. The Messiah inaugurates by his blood the New Covenant, which then sums up all the Covenant promises and blessings in Him, to be given to all those who belong to him (getting ahead of myself here).
Moving on with my point, in v.12 Paul refers to a separate group from those of the preceding verses (not all-together separate though). He refers to them as "we who hoped before in the Messiah should be for the praise of his glory." This we is referring to believing Jews, Romans 1:16 says, "to the Jew first and also to the Greek," the gospel first went to the Jews and they were the first to believe and THEN the gospel went to the Gentiles. This is also evidenced by the personal pronoun of "we" used in this verse establishing himself as one of the Believing Jews.
In v.13 he then shifts to talk about another group "you" a personal pronoun in the second person, it will become more and more clear that these "you" (plural) are the believing Gentiles. The Gentiles, when they heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel message, were sealed by the Holy Spirit in the Messiah. "Who is the down payment (ἀρραβών) of our inheritance," notice he uses the personal possessive pronoun "our" the possessive genitive here shows that we both Gentiles and Jews possess this inheritance which is the new heavens and new earth (Romans 4:13).
I could comment in details about the rest of Ephesians 1, but for the sake of time I will continue with Ephesians 2.
Ephesians 2:
And you, although you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience,(Eph 2:1-2).
Here we continue to see the distinction in the pronouns used by Paul, here referring to the particular predicament of the Gentiles and their sinful rebellious state prior to grace.
among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath by nature, as also the rest of them were. (Eph 2:3).
Paul then goes again to the "we" the Jewish believers and displayed that their position was just as deserving of wrath as the Gentiles.
v.4-5 illustrates that that while we both Jews and Gentiles where dead in our trespasses, God being rich in mercy and because of the great love with which he loved us saved us by grace. Making US alive TOGETHER in the Messiah. Paul's use of "us" and "together" here is not accidental, he is making a case not just for the fact that salvation is through grace, but how we Gentiles and those believing Jews have been united by grace in the Messiah to be equal sharers in the Covenant blessings and future inheritance, and neither were specifically deserving of such, but were given it by grace.
v.11-22 (sorry jumping ahead again for the sake of time) is the section now where Paul sums up this whole line of reasoning with just outright saying what this all means. We Gentiles though we once were alienated from the citizenship of Israel, the Covenant promises, not having hope and without God in the world. Have finally been brought near by the shed blood of the Messiah on the Cross, who broke down the dividing wall. The fence that kept us from God's family, v.15 by invalidating the law of commandments in ordinances, that is why he became a curse on the Cross for us! So that we have access to the Father, not through the Mosaic Law, but through one Spirit, where we don't worship in a temple, but we together ARE the temple of God. Thus fulfilling Jesus' saying about those worshiping in Spirit and truth.
Ephesians 3 and Conclusion:
What then is the Mystery of the Messiah, which was previously not made known to the sons of men, but now has been revealed? I'll let Paul answer.
that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, (Eph 3:6).
It was God's predetermined purpose to unite a people from all the nations of the earth through Abraham's seed, the Messiah of Israel. To be God's chosen people and to bring about his restored kingdom and man's restored dominion in the new heavens and new earth where men who have been conformed into the image of God's Son, who is the image of God will reign with him in peace and righteousness as God has always intended.
It's not about individual salvation, although that is there, it is about God uniting a people of both Jews and Gentiles in the Messiah Jesus to be his beloved possession in the world for the praise of his glorious grace.
Blessings in Christ,
Servant of Jesus