I feel I need to give a prefatory comment. These opening verses of Ephesians carry so much theological meaning that they always strongly tempt me to delve into that aspect. But I resolved from the beginning of this exercise to focus on how these verses, this book, apply(ies) to me. Then if those applications fit with where you are in your pilgrimage with Christ, all the better. So, since the focus was on application, I discover that the comments/musings/whatever with these words and phrases end up being rather brief. But these first 3 chapters, as with most of Paul's letters, lay the groundwork for the application section in the 2nd half. So, if these musings seem too lightweight, I accept that charge. But in my musings this morning (from chapter 6), I spent 45 minutes writing and musing just on the word "peace." So stick with me if you can. More is to come. Meanwhile, any replies and interaction are eagerly welcomed.
1:8
that he lavished – wasteful outpouring [NLT: showered]
on us – the community of faith, and on me in particular
with – grace accompanied by…
all wisdom & understanding – He gives these along with grace. Or His wisdom and understanding guide the lavishness of his outpouring. Wisdom: seeing life situations from God’s perspective. Understanding: living in a way to bring greatest long-range benefit
1:9
And – in addition to “chosen,” “adopted,” & “redemption,” I/we receive what is next, i.e., revelation or insight
he made known – revealed; we cannot know everything about God and His ways; but He reveals certain things
to us – the community of believers
the mystery – definite article means this is a specific mystery, previously kept hidden, now made known
of his will – determination, purpose; the mystery depends on His will and/or it arises from His will
according to – consistent with
his good pleasure – this mystery now revealed pleases Him
which – his determined will
he purposed in Christ – set this as His goal, His reason for acting on our behalf
1:10
to be put into effect – previously a different pattern prevailed. Even that pattern was part of God’s plan leading to the unveiling of His eternal plan, here called “mystery”
when the times will have reached their fulfillment – Other places make it clearer that God caused the times to reach such a climax; that He directed events to fulfill prophecy at that point in time when Christ was born. Similarly, future perfect tense in this verse indicates that there is more to God’s plan that has yet to be revealed and fulfilled
to bring – draw, attract from distant points
all things – not just all people, but animals and inanimates too
in heaven and on earth – spirit beings as well as human beings
together – cooperation, community, agreement, common goal or purpose
under – submission, one way or another Christ will reign supreme and all creation will submit to him
one – a divided man is unstable in all his ways. A divided home, city, nation or world is unstable in all its ways. How can I hope for or work for a united world when I continue divided myself?
head – leadership, authority; at some point I must bow
even Christ – in case there was any uncertainty who the Head is
31 January 2010
30 January 2010
Ephesians 1:5-7
1:5
he predestined – determined, planned in advance
to be – for the purpose
adopted – brought into His family
as his sons [viz., children] – Is there a distinction between us as adoptees versus Christ as His Son by nature?
through – agency, avenue of entrance into His family
Jesus Christ – the One whose very nature is God provides the means of our being adopted into the family of God
in accordance with – reflects back to “predestined,” His eternal plan. He intended all along that we who trust in Christ would become—be welcomed into—His family
pleasure – it pleased Him to do this
and – equal value
will – determination, desire, plan, intention
1:6
to – goal, what goes before—choosing & adopting—leads to this goal, results in the praise
the praise – speaking the greatness, supremacy, lifting up on high
of his … grace – unmerited favor that produces a godly life
… glorious … – shiny, having glory, beyond our comprehension
which – reflects back to grace
he has freely – without cost, but also without limit [NLT: poured out]
given – reemphasizes no cost
us – this is a group who have collectively received
in [NLT: who belong to] – finding refuge in Christ; under Christ’s ownership
the One he loves – in one sense He loves all; in another manner, He loves us
who are in Christ; in yet another aspect, He loves Christ. The latter goes beyond comprehension
1:7
In him – This is all “in Christ”
we have – present tense, possession, I possess
redemption – buy back from another
through – agency, means of obtaining our redemption
his blood – life is in the blood
the forgiveness – clarification of redemption; taking my offenses on Himself
of sins – rebellion against God; it’s not a matter of a list of things to avoid. Rather, it involves an attitude of self-sufficiency. When I admit that I cannot handle a situation on my own, I learn to depend on Christ. But when I try to handle it alone—whether I violate “the list” or not—I have rebelled against God, simply by depending on self instead of on God.
in accordance with – consistent with
the riches – immeasurable wealth
of God’s grace – see above
he predestined – determined, planned in advance
to be – for the purpose
adopted – brought into His family
as his sons [viz., children] – Is there a distinction between us as adoptees versus Christ as His Son by nature?
through – agency, avenue of entrance into His family
Jesus Christ – the One whose very nature is God provides the means of our being adopted into the family of God
in accordance with – reflects back to “predestined,” His eternal plan. He intended all along that we who trust in Christ would become—be welcomed into—His family
pleasure – it pleased Him to do this
and – equal value
will – determination, desire, plan, intention
1:6
to – goal, what goes before—choosing & adopting—leads to this goal, results in the praise
the praise – speaking the greatness, supremacy, lifting up on high
of his … grace – unmerited favor that produces a godly life
… glorious … – shiny, having glory, beyond our comprehension
which – reflects back to grace
he has freely – without cost, but also without limit [NLT: poured out]
given – reemphasizes no cost
us – this is a group who have collectively received
in [NLT: who belong to] – finding refuge in Christ; under Christ’s ownership
the One he loves – in one sense He loves all; in another manner, He loves us
who are in Christ; in yet another aspect, He loves Christ. The latter goes beyond comprehension
1:7
In him – This is all “in Christ”
we have – present tense, possession, I possess
redemption – buy back from another
through – agency, means of obtaining our redemption
his blood – life is in the blood
the forgiveness – clarification of redemption; taking my offenses on Himself
of sins – rebellion against God; it’s not a matter of a list of things to avoid. Rather, it involves an attitude of self-sufficiency. When I admit that I cannot handle a situation on my own, I learn to depend on Christ. But when I try to handle it alone—whether I violate “the list” or not—I have rebelled against God, simply by depending on self instead of on God.
in accordance with – consistent with
the riches – immeasurable wealth
of God’s grace – see above
29 January 2010
Ephesians 1:3-4
1:3
Praise be [NLT: all praise] – speak well of, brag on, give credit to
to the God & Father – change from v. 2: God our Father becomes God and Father of ….
of our Lord Jesus Christ – He is both, God our Father as well as God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again: the mystery of the Trinity
What did God do? Why should I give Him “all praise”?
The answer is to follow…
who – refers back to God
has blessed… with … blessing – repetition gives emphasis
blessed us – declare good to come on another. When God declares blessing, that word of God becomes fact. God has blessed me. God blesses me. God will bless me.
in the heavenly realms – God has given incredible physical good to everyone in my daily life. But if I were with my brothers in India or Sudan, how would I view this? Their testimonies convict me as too materialistic, because I forget the heavenly realms aspect of God’s blessing.
with spiritual blessing – What are the spiritual blessings? Salvation, sanctification, purpose, clear conscience, peace with God, access to God, privilege of influencing God (!); Holy Spirit to comfort, counsel, guide, inspire, reveal
every – Certainly, the above list is incomplete. What else can be added? ALL OF THESE GOD HAS DECLARED MINE.
in Christ [NLT = because we are united with Christ] – no merit on my part. All because I am “in Christ.”
1:4
For – what follows shows the reason/purpose of the preceding spiritual blessings
he chose us – whether Calvinist or Arminian or other, I have been chosen. Just as Paul was chosen, I have been chosen. Will I accept His choice?
in him – responding to His call by coming into Christ makes me part of His chosen.
before the creation of the world – God’s eternal plan included me/us.
to be – here comes the purpose of the choosing and the spiritual blessings
holy – pure, set apart for his purpose, later in the letter he expands this to identify no immorality, impurity, or greed. How do I live in this society but live a set-apart life? At one level, I confess that only Christ has done this or can do this. At this level, my being in Christ gives an aspect of holy. But Paul’s later applications make it clear that I have responsibility to live this holy lifestyle by His grace.
and – the 2 go together
blameless – this is not perfection; intentional failings contradict blamelessness. But unintentional ones leave room for blamelessness. It is too easy to excuse my failings as beyond my control, when in fact I have not done my part in applying and appealing for His grace
In love – motivation, source, reason, for what follows
Praise be [NLT: all praise] – speak well of, brag on, give credit to
to the God & Father – change from v. 2: God our Father becomes God and Father of ….
of our Lord Jesus Christ – He is both, God our Father as well as God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again: the mystery of the Trinity
What did God do? Why should I give Him “all praise”?
The answer is to follow…
who – refers back to God
has blessed… with … blessing – repetition gives emphasis
blessed us – declare good to come on another. When God declares blessing, that word of God becomes fact. God has blessed me. God blesses me. God will bless me.
in the heavenly realms – God has given incredible physical good to everyone in my daily life. But if I were with my brothers in India or Sudan, how would I view this? Their testimonies convict me as too materialistic, because I forget the heavenly realms aspect of God’s blessing.
with spiritual blessing – What are the spiritual blessings? Salvation, sanctification, purpose, clear conscience, peace with God, access to God, privilege of influencing God (!); Holy Spirit to comfort, counsel, guide, inspire, reveal
every – Certainly, the above list is incomplete. What else can be added? ALL OF THESE GOD HAS DECLARED MINE.
in Christ [NLT = because we are united with Christ] – no merit on my part. All because I am “in Christ.”
1:4
For – what follows shows the reason/purpose of the preceding spiritual blessings
he chose us – whether Calvinist or Arminian or other, I have been chosen. Just as Paul was chosen, I have been chosen. Will I accept His choice?
in him – responding to His call by coming into Christ makes me part of His chosen.
before the creation of the world – God’s eternal plan included me/us.
to be – here comes the purpose of the choosing and the spiritual blessings
holy – pure, set apart for his purpose, later in the letter he expands this to identify no immorality, impurity, or greed. How do I live in this society but live a set-apart life? At one level, I confess that only Christ has done this or can do this. At this level, my being in Christ gives an aspect of holy. But Paul’s later applications make it clear that I have responsibility to live this holy lifestyle by His grace.
and – the 2 go together
blameless – this is not perfection; intentional failings contradict blamelessness. But unintentional ones leave room for blamelessness. It is too easy to excuse my failings as beyond my control, when in fact I have not done my part in applying and appealing for His grace
In love – motivation, source, reason, for what follows
27 January 2010
Ephesians 1:1-2
[NOTE: I'm not very pleased with the layout of this page. The original has it in a grid with the verse references to the left and the comments to myself in the right-hand column using a hanging indent to differentiate Bible words from my musings. PLEASE, let me know how I might improve the readability of this format.
And thank you for any and all feedback.]--gec
Chapter 1
1:1
Paul – somewhere sometime years ago, I heard that this assumed name means “little”, whereas "Saul" meant something like "great one". Don't know how accurate that is. Elsewhere calls himself “least of all”. When I humble myself, God raises the humble. How can I humble myself without self-abasement? Rom 12:3, not to think more highly of ourselves than I/we ought, but to think soberly (realistically)
an apostle – sent, missionary, cross boundaries
of – belonging to, from, carrying his message; commissioned by
Christ Jesus – whole books and libraries; more on these terms later
by the will – authority, delegated authority, God decided, determined that Paul would do this mission
of God – holy, holy, holy
To the saints – holy ones, made holy by God’s act, holy by God not self; but called to grow into his holy likeness
in Ephesus – not in original, letter easily intended for all the church of all time
the faithful [NLT: consistent followers] - steady, reliable, trustworthy. Whether I am with others or alone, I am called to be faithful to Christ, because he is always faithful with me
in [NLT: of] – which is it? “in” puts more responsibility on Christ; “of” puts more responsibility on me.
Christ – Promised, Anointed One
Jesus – earthly name for God the Son, Yeshua, Joshua, God saves
1:2
Grace – Unmerited favor, empowerment to do, Paul's letter to Titus says that grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and yes to God
and – these come together
peace – right relations with God and people
to you – to the holy and faithful in Christ
from – source, origin; perhaps obvious that grace comes from God; less obvious that peace must come from Him. I tend to think/feel that I can create right relations. But I definitely cannot do that with [toward] God. And only rarely and incompletely w/ other people.
NLT: “give” – this makes it clearer, not only that God is the source, but also that these (grace & peace) are gifts. I know salvation is a gift. And that it is a gift of grace. But I need to look to God—and then do my part—to create peace with others. With whom?
God our Father and – Mystery of Godhead, listed separately, acting as one. Both together as one is/are the source of grace & peace
Father & Lord – Both are terms of authority. “Father” clearly portrayed in Bible as a caring figure, tender authority, but still authority. “Lord” is so colored by life of Christ that it affects all references in Bible. Clearly shown as tender, caring, yet passionate. Still, the very term Lord signifies authority. As I bow to One, I bow to the total Godhead.
Jesus Christ – not sure the significance of Christ Jesus in v 1 and then switching to Jesus Christ here.
And thank you for any and all feedback.]--gec
Chapter 1
1:1
Paul – somewhere sometime years ago, I heard that this assumed name means “little”, whereas "Saul" meant something like "great one". Don't know how accurate that is. Elsewhere calls himself “least of all”. When I humble myself, God raises the humble. How can I humble myself without self-abasement? Rom 12:3, not to think more highly of ourselves than I/we ought, but to think soberly (realistically)
an apostle – sent, missionary, cross boundaries
of – belonging to, from, carrying his message; commissioned by
Christ Jesus – whole books and libraries; more on these terms later
by the will – authority, delegated authority, God decided, determined that Paul would do this mission
of God – holy, holy, holy
To the saints – holy ones, made holy by God’s act, holy by God not self; but called to grow into his holy likeness
in Ephesus – not in original, letter easily intended for all the church of all time
the faithful [NLT: consistent followers] - steady, reliable, trustworthy. Whether I am with others or alone, I am called to be faithful to Christ, because he is always faithful with me
in [NLT: of] – which is it? “in” puts more responsibility on Christ; “of” puts more responsibility on me.
Christ – Promised, Anointed One
Jesus – earthly name for God the Son, Yeshua, Joshua, God saves
1:2
Grace – Unmerited favor, empowerment to do, Paul's letter to Titus says that grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and yes to God
and – these come together
peace – right relations with God and people
to you – to the holy and faithful in Christ
from – source, origin; perhaps obvious that grace comes from God; less obvious that peace must come from Him. I tend to think/feel that I can create right relations. But I definitely cannot do that with [toward] God. And only rarely and incompletely w/ other people.
NLT: “give” – this makes it clearer, not only that God is the source, but also that these (grace & peace) are gifts. I know salvation is a gift. And that it is a gift of grace. But I need to look to God—and then do my part—to create peace with others. With whom?
God our Father and – Mystery of Godhead, listed separately, acting as one. Both together as one is/are the source of grace & peace
Father & Lord – Both are terms of authority. “Father” clearly portrayed in Bible as a caring figure, tender authority, but still authority. “Lord” is so colored by life of Christ that it affects all references in Bible. Clearly shown as tender, caring, yet passionate. Still, the very term Lord signifies authority. As I bow to One, I bow to the total Godhead.
Jesus Christ – not sure the significance of Christ Jesus in v 1 and then switching to Jesus Christ here.
Ephesians: Intro
I have spent a few months now immersing myself in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. This has not been an academic study. For the most part that only produces information and often leads to pride. Instead I have tried to concentrate on applying the letter to myself.
I started by spending a full month, August 3 - September 3, reading the entire letter each day. Then as of Sept 4, I started writing. Each day I would explore a few words, rarely a full verse. But again, this exploration was not an academic exercise. Rather, I generally tried to just let the word or phrase speak to me. Often what came from my pen in those moments amounted to word associations. I might start with a synonym and that would lead to another and continue. A serious student of the original Greek might find fault with the suggestion that these synonyms were what Paul had in mind when he wrote the letter. The Greek expert probably is correct. But I was trying to listen to what God wanted to say to me. And I wanted to get this on paper so that I could remember it better and apply it more effectively.
All that to say, in the coming days I hope to post the results of these hours of meditation, contemplation, and application spent with Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians.
If you disagree with this approach, I'm comfortable with that. I'm not doing this for your approval but for my growth in following the Lord Jesus Christ. I think I have remained true to the spirit of Paul's letter and I know my heart remains true to the Spirit of Christ. And I am certain that I have grown through this exercise.
If reading this helps you apply something to your own life, give thanks and praise to God. If you choose to journey with me in applying this meaning-filled letter, then let's pray together that the Holy Spirit of Christ will apply the Word to your life as He has in mine.
Let's get started. Okay?
I started by spending a full month, August 3 - September 3, reading the entire letter each day. Then as of Sept 4, I started writing. Each day I would explore a few words, rarely a full verse. But again, this exploration was not an academic exercise. Rather, I generally tried to just let the word or phrase speak to me. Often what came from my pen in those moments amounted to word associations. I might start with a synonym and that would lead to another and continue. A serious student of the original Greek might find fault with the suggestion that these synonyms were what Paul had in mind when he wrote the letter. The Greek expert probably is correct. But I was trying to listen to what God wanted to say to me. And I wanted to get this on paper so that I could remember it better and apply it more effectively.
All that to say, in the coming days I hope to post the results of these hours of meditation, contemplation, and application spent with Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians.
If you disagree with this approach, I'm comfortable with that. I'm not doing this for your approval but for my growth in following the Lord Jesus Christ. I think I have remained true to the spirit of Paul's letter and I know my heart remains true to the Spirit of Christ. And I am certain that I have grown through this exercise.
If reading this helps you apply something to your own life, give thanks and praise to God. If you choose to journey with me in applying this meaning-filled letter, then let's pray together that the Holy Spirit of Christ will apply the Word to your life as He has in mine.
Let's get started. Okay?
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