“Ephesians 1”

Sunday, May 07, 2017

God had a plan in His mind before the world began, a grand scheme to redeem mankind from sin. This scheme of redemption is the theme of the Bible, the single thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation and ties the entire Bible together. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), God had three alternatives – to abandon man, to destroy man or to redeem man. He chose to save us.

More than any other book in the Bible, Ephesians summarizes the eternal plan of God for human redemption.

The first few verses (verses 1-14) emphasize the spiritual blessings that are only available in Christ Jesus our Lord. He speaks of our adoption by God, of our redemption through His blood, of our forgiveness of sins because of the grace of God. And he promises us that we are sealed with “the Holy Spirit of promise.”

In verses 15-23, we read of Paul’s sincere prayer on the behalf of the Ephesians.

One of the most impressive things that really stands out when you read Paul’s letters to both churches and individuals is how much he speaks of praying for others. Called prayers of intercession, they refer to Christians who spend much time helping others by praying for them. Paul’s relationships with other disciples were so strong that he constantly thanked God for them and continued to ask the Lord to bless them in many ways in their future.

Here, he prays for these first century disciples that they will be given “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,” and that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened to understand the exceeding greatness of God’s power.

In this section of Chapter One, Paul also emphasizes the preeminence of Christ in God’s plan. All things have been placed under His authority. And the same power that raised Jesus from the dead can also work in those of us who believe.

--Roger Hillis

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