Ephesians 1:3-14
The book of Proverbs makes an astute comment when it says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he...” (Proverbs 23:7) In other words, what you think...you are. Part of the struggle we experience in living out the Christian life is in not seeing ourselves as God sees us. Many of us will spend our entire lives living out our old identity in Adam, rather than living out our new identity “in Christ.” It’s been said, “If you don’t believe right, you’ll never behave right.” And that’s true! In Paul’s epistles right doctrine is usually up front followed by the practical applications based on that truth. In other words, he demonstrates in his letters that we have to believe right in order to behave right.
What lies behind many of our spiritual failures is simply that we don’t know who we really are in our new relationship with Jesus Christ. We don’t see ourselves the way God sees us and consequently, we don’t tap the resources available to help us live the victorious Christian life. Ask the average church member to describe his relationship with Christ and he might respond with something like, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” While that’s a true statement, probably motivated by a person’s humility, we are so much more than this description portrays. Actually, before you came to Jesus Christ you WERE a sinner in need of grace. But, now you ARE a saint and a child of the living God. If it wouldn’t be received as being proud, we could accurately say about ourselves, “Hello, my name is...Saint David, Saint Katie, Saint Mark, Saint Linda,” etc., etc.
Someone might argue, “Well I’m not living much like a saint, therefore, I don’t think I should call myself a saint.” Is there a greater motivation to live like a saint than to believe you are a saint? The lowest form of motivation is rules/regulations and the highest form is living out your identity in Christ to the praise of His glory. Until we recognize who we are in Christ and acknowledge the blessings He has bestowed upon us, we will never experience the passionate desire to become all that God has made us to be. We don’t want to live for Christ primarily driven by the fear of punishment. We want to live for Christ because we’ve been privileged to be called “the sons of God!”
This series of messages will expose us to some of the blessings God has given to us and help us to see more clearly our true identity in Jesus. Today we will start with the simple truth that we are a blessed people. We don’t have to manipulate God to bless us; we are already blessed. In Ephesus peopled lived superstitious lives thinking they had to manipulate their false gods into favoring them. Before we get too critical of first-century Ephesus, the truth is we find people doing exactly the same thing today. By repeated promises, self-denial, large contributions, sacred pilgrimages, etc., many people believe they are convincing God to bless them. One of the most freeing thoughts comes when you realize you are ALREADY blessed...because of God’s grace!
To be blessed (1:3) is “to bestow a favor, provide with benefits,” which Christ has done for all of His children. (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000], 408) Before Paul launches into telling us what we need to do in this epistle, he first tells us what has already been done (blessings) for us by Jesus Christ (right doctrine then right practice).
Ephesians 1:3-14 is one long sentence in the Greek text that contains 202 words. It is one of the most succinct declarations in scripture of the riches that God has already bestowed on His children in Christ. A key phrase in Paul’s writings is, “in Christ.” And, we find this phrase, or something equivalent, eleven times in these twelve verses alone. One theologian writes about the importance of this phrase, “The diversity of expressions to describe being in Christ in this one long sentence (Eph. 1:3-14) is astonishing, and the sheer repetition of the formula indicates that it is crucial.” (Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology [Downers Grave, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2001], 156)
Of course, the point is that all of these blessings are the result of being “in Christ” (1:3) and the only way to be “in Christ” is to trust Him as your Savior (1:13; cf. 2:8-9).
Of the many blessings we might consider, there are six we will discuss.
1. The blessing of holiness. (1:4)
The idea of holiness has two aspects: one relates to our position (standing) and the other to our practice (state). Paul has in mind here our positional holiness and the fact that we stand before God “without blame.”
The only reason this can be true is because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. The moment a person places his/her faith in Jesus the great exchange takes place. Our sins (and their penalty) are removed and we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Consequently, God now sees us as being righteous and holy before Him because we are robed in the perfect righteousness of His Son. Recognizing this truth enables us to move away from performance-based Christianity where we are constantly trying to appease God and earn His favor. It allows us to rest in our relationship with Him without fear of losing that relationship because of some unholiness in our lives.
Knowing our standing before God in holiness should also lead to the practice of holiness in our daily lives. We will never be perfect or sinless in our obedience. But, we should increasingly reflect our actual standing in Christ, which is a standing of holiness.
“...because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16; cf. Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7).
2. The blessing of adoption. (1:5)
At this point in the text many are drawn into a debate about the Sovereignty of God and the free will of man because of Paul’s use of the words “chosen” and “predestined.” The result is that they often miss the greater blessing of what it means to be adopted into God’s family.
This idea of adoption was drawn from the Roman laws of Paul’s day. This action enabled a person to take into his own family a child not biologically his own with the intent of treating the child as if he was biologically his own. This includes bestowing all the privileges and responsibilities that are associated with the new family relationship. An adopted child had the same rights/responsibilities as a biological son and surrendered all his rights/responsibilities in his previous family. The adopted son enjoyed the exact same privileges as a natural born son. All debts are cancelled, and he is absolutely the son of his new father.
Paul uses this well known custom in the Roman Empire to demonstrate the great truth that the believing sinner, who is not God’s natural child, has been given an unchanging eternal position as an adult child in the Father’s family. This is now their new legal standing as God’s adopted “sons.”
Because we are “adopted as sons” we have a new relationship with God and a new standing before Him. He deals with us differently than He does with the rest of the world. Being “adopted” in Christ through faith is the source of our hope, the security of our future and the motivation to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1).
Because of this new relationship we are given the privilege of calling God our Father. We are even encouraged to refer to Him as, “Abba Father.” The word “Abba” is an Aramaic word that could be translated as “Daddy.” It was a common term that children used to address their fathers. It signifies the close, intimate relationship of a father to his child, as well as the simple trust a child puts in his “daddy.”
For further discussion: “Election is the corporate choice of the church ‘in Christ.’ Before the foundation of the world God made his choice: Those in Christ would be his people.” (William W. Klein, The New Chosen People, A Corporate View of Election, [Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1990], 180)
“Paul’s concern in predestination is not how people become Christians nor who becomes Christians, but to describe what God has foreordained on behalf of those who are (or will be) Christians. Predestination pertains to God’s causative action in marking out the present and future benefits and the priorities which accrue to those who are his children.” (William W. Klein, The New Chosen People, A Corporate View of Election, [Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1990], 185)
3. The blessing of redemption. (1:7)
This blessing deals with our freedom in Jesus Christ! We were once slaves to sin, but Jesus paid the price to set us free. The imagery of redemption comes from the OT when the nation of Israel was in bondage to the Egyptian Pharaoh. After repeated attempts to get the Pharaoh to release the Jews from their cruel enslavement, God sent death into every household that did not apply the blood of a lamb to the doorpost of their houses. As a result, Israel was delivered from the Egyptians and set free.
Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, applied His blood to our lives and He sets us free. “...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all, but it is only efficient for the “many” that believe. (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4, 6, 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 4:14) “Many” is not used for a definite number, but for a large number set against the backdrop of the ONE sacrifice that saves.
The word translated “ransom” in Matthew 20:28 "is the one commonly employed in the papyri as the price paid for a slave who is then set free...Jesus gave his own life as the price of freedom for the slaves of sin" (A. T. Robertson).
The Lamb of God shed His blood and applied it to our lives when we believed in order that we might go free. There is no more fear of death or enslavement to sin for the Christian. Whatever has kept us in bondage no longer holds sway over us, except what power we give it. We can now put to death our old way of life and live in a brand new way.
4. The blessing of forgiveness. (1:7)
Guilt is a hard taskmaster, but for the ones that are “in Christ” God has taken away their sins forever and promised never to remember them again.
Of what deeds are you ashamed in your life? What are the regrets from which you can’t escape? What words haunt you when you let your mind think on them? What motives do you know have never been right? What lies have you believed that cost you daily? What actions do you wish you could do over? What do you keep excusing by blaming someone else? What are you hiding, praying that no one ever discovers about you?
| Of the two words in the NT translated as “forgive,” one means, “to send forth, send away,” and denotes “to remit or forgive” debts (Matthew 6:12; 18:27, 32), or sins (Matthew 9:2, 5, 6; 12:31-32; Ephesians 1:7-8; 1 John 1:9; 2:12). It is used for deliverance of the sinner from the penalty, and the complete removal of the cause of offence based on the death of Christ for the sinner. The other word literally means, “to wipe away,” “to rub out,” or “to turn one’s back on”(cf. Colossians 2:13). It is primarily about God restoring the relationship between Himself and the sinner who believes on Jesus Christ. The blessing is that “in Christ” we are totally, completely, and eternally forgiven forever. No matter what you have done or will do, Jesus paid it all. |
5. The blessing of inheritance. (1:14)
Knowing the fullness of our inheritance is not possible until we see Jesus face to face in Heaven. It is beyond our ability to fully comprehend all that God has prepared for us as His children. The riches of glory, the presence of God, our eternal home – these don't even begin to describe all of the blessings that belong to our inheritance.
In this life we struggle and hurt awaiting our deliverance. But, we must stay focused on the blessing of our future inheritance that will be a reward beyond our present comprehension.
Paul uses the metaphor of the believers “inheritance” more than any other NT writer (ex. Acts 20:32; 26:18; Ephesians 1:14, 18; Colossians 3:24). This inheritance is described as eternal and joyful existence with God. All believers are promised “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you...” (1 Peter 1:4).
6. The blessing of sealing. (1:13)
I reversed the order of these last two only for the purpose of emphasis.
Is it possible that we could somehow lose these beneficent blessings? The answer is an emphatic “NO!” The reason is because we have been “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
The practice in the ancient world was to affix a seal to personal possessions, thus demonstrating authenticity and ownership of the possession. God has imparted to each of His children the Holy Spirit that marks us as His own and secures us until the “redemption of the purchased possession...”
When recently renewing my driver’s license I was required to bring several items of proof with me. These documents included items showing that I was a U.S. citizen, that I lived in the State of WV, and that my taxes were paid. Included in the necessary documentation was my birth certificate with the official seal affixed proving it was authentic.
God has guaranteed that we are His and our blessings secure because of His authenticating mark on us (the Holy Spirit).
With His presence comes not only the blessing of authenticity and security, the Holy Spirit also empowers us, enlightens us to His Word, enhances our worship, and brings us into relationship with other believers.
Conclusion:
All of these benefits are given to us because we are “in Christ.” They are not the result of any goodness in us, but are displays of the grace of God in Whom we should glory. One of the tests as to whether somebody’s theology is good or bad is to ask who is magnified through it: God or man (1:6, 12, 14).
Application:
- Regularly recount the blessings of God so you can give praise to Him.
- Periodically relate the blessings of God so others can join you in praise to Him.
