Ephesians 1 (meditations)

Scripture: Ephesians 1.3-6

God in our lives is a blessing all on its own. It is in Christ that we are blessed by God. “But how does God bless us in Christ?” His focus on us now is not wrath but love. He makes us whole by what He has done through Christ. He makes us holy by what He has done through Christ. We become people of God, children in His beloved family. He lavishes His gifts upon us, and He does so extravagantly. All of these blessings are given to us not because of our own merit, but because of what God has done for us. We escape His wrath because of Christ. We are made whole because of Christ. We are holy because of Christ. We are God’s people because of Christ. God lavishes His gifts upon us because of Christ. Our own efforts amount to nothing: it’s all Christ. Our receiving of God’s blessings is not dependent upon our efforts: it is dependent only upon Christ. Our behaviors do not make us any more or any less holy; holiness is a status bestowed upon us because of Christ. The scriptures exhort us to reflect this God-given status, not to attain it by our own works.

Scripture: Ephesians 1.7-10

Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we are free. “But what does this mean?” We are free from experiencing the penalties for our sin, and we are free from experiencing the punishments because of our sin. Jesus bore our penalties and punishments upon the cross so that we wouldn’t have to. We are now free to receive all we need from God, and we are free to be a part of God’s plan. And we are not just meagerly free; no, we are abundantly free! We are more free than we can possibly imagine—all because of Christ. It is in Christ that God is unfolding His great, majestic plan, this plan of bringing everything—all of creation, not just human beings—back to Himself; it is Jesus who is bringing this plan to fruition.

Scripture: Ephesians 1.11-12

In Christ, we discover both who we are and why we are here. “Who are we?” We are holy, innocent children of God; we are blameless and righteous; we are members of God’s realm; we are His co-workers, working alongside Him in his grand tasks; we are the ambassadors of God and representatives of a new humanity. “Why are we here?” We are here to serve God in whatever way He chooses to use us; we are here to reflect His nature, His holiness, His greatness in all that we do; we are here to help Him bring His great plans for creation to completion, the plans of reconciling all creation—from microbes to men to galaxies—back to Himself. And on top of all this, before we had the slightest care for God and His ways, He desired to bring us into His pasture. And while we ignored, despised, and even hated Him, He began the great work of bringing His wish to pass, a work that culminated in the death and resurrection of the Messiah and Deliverer and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Scripture: Ephesians 1.13-14

Through Christ, we are “home free”—delivered from all the condemnation, penalties, and punishments that we deserve. We are “home free” because Christ took all the condemnation, penalties, and punishments upon himself when he went to the cross. Through Christ, we have received the Holy Spirit: God dwelling in us. But this is only the beginning! A wonderful, glorious, extravagant life of reigning with God over the universe is to be ours when Jesus returns. The Holy Spirit is God’s “proof” that He will do this: that He will bring us to our inheritance in the Coming Age.

Scripture: Ephesians 1.15-19

“What is it that draws Paul to be thankful for the Ephesian Christians?” It is their solid trust in the Master Jesus Christ and the way they gush godly love onto one another that makes Paul so thankful. “What is it, specifically, that Paul asks for in his prayers to God regarding the Ephesian Christians?” He asks that God will make them intelligent and discerning in their intimacy with God (which they have only through Christ). He prays that their eyes will be focused and clear so that they can see what God wants them to do. And he prays that they will embrace the rich life found in Christ, an extravagant life of energy and strength; this life is only experienced, however, through God working in us and through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. We should follow Paul and make his prayer our prayer, for other Christians… and for ourselves.

Scripture: Ephesians 1.20-23

Here Paul explores the sovereignty of Christ. This passage puts a divine nature on Christ, because the Jews understood God alone as being sovereign, so when Paul speaks of Christ being sovereign, it is clear that he is putting Christ on the same playing-field as God, the “playing-field” of divinity. Paul declares that Christ is in charge of everything, and he is in charge forever. The church (understood here as the body of Christ, i.e. Christians all over the world) is the tool which Christ uses to act in the world. He is the Master of the church, and the world is surrounded by the church—not vice versa.

Overview of Ephesians 1

In this passage, Paul devotes much of his time to his doctrine of Christ. Other elements are mentioned (a greeting, mention of the Holy Spirit, Paul’s prayers for the Ephesians, and Paul’s words on the church), but woven throughout all of these words is Paul’s speaking of the church. These beautiful truths about Christ that Paul lies out are:

1. It is in Christ that God blesses us.
2. It is in Christ that we are liberated.
3. It is Christ who determines “who we are.”
4. It is in Christ that our purpose is revealed.
5. It is through Christ that we are given the Holy Spirit.
6. It is because of Christ that we have a new destiny.
7. It is Christ who is God, and God who is Christ.
8. It is Christ who is in charge of everything, and he is in charge forever.

It is clear, isn’t it? Christ is EVERYTHING. Nothing of true value can be found outside of him. He is the bedrock of our faith, the center of our beings, and it is only in him that we can experience true peace, joy, contentment, and fulfillment. That is the way God wants it to be. When we hunger for more out of life, whether we see it or not, we are hungering for more of Christ.