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.
Graceis 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.
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