Talking Points 7

Eph 1:5-6
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. (NKJV)

As I said in the previous Talking Points we have been predestined to adoption as sons of God in His beloved, Christ Jesus.

The purpose of our adoption is to display the glory of His grace!

Has anybody ever told you that you were chosen to follow Christ due to your beauty?

Due to the cost of replacement photo lenses I don’t have many personal photos. But, my Lord, Christ Jesus died for me! He allowed Himself to be placed on a cross and did a torturous death because of His love for me. And he did the same for you personally.

Let me make a wild guess: You think that I would disagree with you if you said, “No! I am not that beautiful.”

Wrong!

There is no doubt that you look much better than I do, but the beauty you have comes from Christ Jesus Himself. It is not due to your physical gene pool!

Christ Jesus died so that we may live.

Many years ago I told a fellow Christian that Christ Jesus paid the full and complete price for the salvation of mankind. He said that he did not believe that.

So, I asked if he knew that Christ paid the full and complete price for his personal salvation?

That was over a decade ago, and we have not talked since that day, nor has he answered my question!

Talking Points 6

Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Many Christians run from the concept of predestination, however predestination is a valid biblical concept and teaching.

This verse explains that we have been “predestinated” to adoption by Christ Jesus!

“Called” and “chosen” are also biblical teachings that many Christians accept, while others deny.

Predestinated (Gr. proorizō) speaks of something being predetermined. In Fact, the previous verse tells us explicitly that God had chosen us in Christ “before the foundation of the world, so that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”

That single verse puts everything into proper context! It establishes predestination!

Do you honestly think that the Creator of the universe would begin creating without any idea as to what He was creating and what the creation would do?

All of creation was created to follow the plan of God! We were predestinated to be adopted as children of God the Father through His Son, our lord Jesus Christ. And, that predestination is “according to “the good pleasure of His will.”

Talking Points 5

I should have taken this up during the study of verse 1, but it should be studied.

Eph 1:1-2
1 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:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s birth name was Saul. Many teach that Paul, in Latin, means short, or least, or small…and it does. Many references give the meaning in reference to Paul calling himself the “least” of the Apostles. However, in 1 Corinthians 15:9 where Paul saying that he is the least of the Apostles he uses the Greek word “elachistas.”

The Latin “Paulos” was taken into Latin from the Greek “pauoo” spelled Pi-alpha-upsilon-omega. That Greek word means “to pause.” In fact, we get the English word “pause” from that Greek word.

Paul’s ministry marks a pause in God’s focus on Israel and a momentary turning to the Gentiles. As the second coming gets closer god shall refocus on Israel. We now see that refocusing.

Luke 21:25-28
25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
26 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
(NKJV)

Talking Points 4

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Many teach that we choose Christ. That is self-salvation!

The fact is that God the Father had chosen us in God the Son before the foundation of the world!

The text states that we were chosen prior to the very conception of the Cosmos!

So, any free will choice is a false teaching.

We were chosen to be holy and blameless before God the Father in the love of Christ the Son.

If you have been saved, you are due to Christ’s salvation pure, holy, and blameless before God the Father!

But, what did you do to become pure, holy and blameless?

You did nothing!

In grace, Christ Jesus did everything.

There are two concepts that affect us even if we do not fully understand them

The Father and the Son are One! And, we have become one with Christ Jesus.

John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Did you notice that John 17:21 says that we may be one “in us”?

Romans 6:3-4
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

We are to become one as the Father and Son are one! That is why we were baptized into Christ Jesus!

Talking Points 3

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

This verse begins in a way that some may consider odd. The KJV says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In Modern English it says, “Sacred, holy, and sanctified is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

That is simply declaring the obvious!

Verse 3 tells us that Jesus Christ is our lord (Gr. kurios). That indicates that He is our owner and proprietor. Jesus bought us at Calvary. He paid the full and complete redemption price for our salvation.

This verse also tells us that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

That may also seem odd until you realize that we have been baptized into Christ Jesus, and as a result our citizenship is now in heaven where Jesus is!

If we have been baptized into Christ Jesus we are where he is! That shall become apparent within a few verses.

Some may assume that being baptized into the “body” of Christ is similar to being voted into the legislative “body” of Congress.

However…when Paul describes what all that means he uses actual body parts in his description.

1 Cor 12:12-26
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

We are blessed!

Talking Points 2

Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians was written to the “saints” at Ephesus, and "faithful in Christ Jesus."

It was written to believers!

The fact is that all saints are faithful to Christ Jesus, and all who are faithful to Christ Jesus are saints!

Let me give another reading of those two verses: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints at Ephesus, those faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours.”

You may not agree with that slight alteration, but it is important that you understand what Paul is saying.

The name of the city of Ephesus appears in both the Textus Receptus and the Majority Text, but is missing from other manuscripts.

This letter is addressed to the Saints.

Only in the letter to the Philippians does the opening include any mention of Saints by the office held.

Office holders within the Church are servants not overlords.

Being an office holder within the Church is a heavy responsibility.

That responsibility, as under-shepherds for Christ, should never be taken lightly.

Office holders within the Church should always be respected, but never worshipped.

As you study the greeting, notice that it is to the "saints" and the "faithful in Christ Jesus." “The” has been added before “faithful” it is not in the Greek text.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote that there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, because all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

In verse 2, Paul begins with his normal greeting, "Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and (the) Lord Jesus Christ."

With that in mind, I offer you thoughts concerning God's grace, peace, mercy, and love.

This is not an extensive study. I am certain that each attribute is beyond full human understanding.

Grace, peace, mercy, and love are all without limits or boundaries.

Graceis related to the English word favor.

It indicates something that is given or done from a spirit of good will rather than as a response to an obligation.

It is said to indicate God's unmerited favor toward man.

While seeming to be an intangible, grace provides results far beyond what physically tangible things are able to accomplish.

It is by grace, through faith that we are saved!

God's grace is given to us while we are sinners.

His grace toward us is the reason for changes in our affections and attitudes.

Grace is not the result of such changes. It is the reason for the changes.

Peace is not the mere absence on open hostilities.

God's peace is a serenity, or tranquility that is ours when things around us are going terribly wrong.

God's peace within us is not the result of human reasoning.

It goes far beyond and actually defies human reasoning.

The eye of a hurricane represents God's peace.

Around the eye, the water is churning violently.

The winds are howling.

But, within the hurricane's eye the seas are calm, and the sun is shining.

Mercy speaks of God’s compassion for us.

While love is the engine, mercy is the spark that ignites grace resulting in peace. God works on our behalf because of His mercy or compassion for us.

Without mercy, the engine that delivers us from sin would not work.

Love is the engine that pulls salvation, the super glue that holds the universe together.

God’s mercy is the result of His love, which causes grace to come to us, resulting in peace with God.

Although few believe or teach it, and most teach to the contrary, God's love never ever fails.

God’s love is incapable of failure.

God is Love, and He cannot fail!

1 Cor 13:8a Love never fails. (NKJV)

God's grace, peace, mercy, and love are intertwined as a strong rope with each doing its part to bring us to the knowledge of Christ.

Without that lifeline, the windswept sea of sin would surely cause us to drown without any hope of deliverance.

While we could rightly say that God's grace, peace, mercy, and love are infinite, the God that exercises them is not!

We, with our finite understanding, have put limits on the super-infinite God.

The Creator God is greater than that which He has created.

The human word "infinite" does not do justice in describing God.

God is greater than infinity because He created it.

Talking Points 1

Ephesians 1:1 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:

Ephesians begins by declaring that Paul is "an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God."

To us it would seem strange that such an obviously called leader would need to declare that he is an Apostle.

At the time of this writing Paul was not universally accepted.

The vast majority of Jewish Christians viewed his message of salvation by grace with suspicion.

Even during our day most Church attendees do not understand the simplicity or power of God's grace.

Salvation and service are by grace!

No works come attached to God’s grace.

Christ Jesus has already done all the "work" required for our salvation.

Paul was not chosen to be an Apostle due to self-will, self-determination, or ego.

He was chosen because of the will, determination, choice, purpose, and inclination of God the Father.

Romans 9:15-16
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Whatever success you have is by the will of God!

Here is an important point. We do not choose God. God chose us!

Without His choosing us, our choosing Him would be an act of futility.

The Father not only chooses us; He equips us according the purpose of His call.

He is the Potter, and we are His clay! Romans 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

It is the faith given through His call that gives us the strength to continue living the life of faith.

The Father's determination-in-love is the only thing that stands between us and Satan's determination-of-death.

His grace was exhibited in, through, and because of Christ Jesus.

As a saint, you are pure, holy, and blameless before God. Your standing in society is of little concern!

Commentary Transliteration Clarification

All Greek transliterations used in these commentaries reflect the Englishman’s style transliteration.

Omega=oo, eta=ee