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▼ Show Notes
We talked last week about the City of Ephesus and the challenges present in its culture at the time of Paul’s authorship of this letter. The disunity, idolatry, and other cultural challenges are similar to those we experience.
Paul’s epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians are similar in many respects. They both capture the beauty of Christ’s supremacy. Although the two environments are not identical, the lessons we learn about the value of unity in the church are similar. Paul’s authorship is sometimes questioned, but these parallels and a careful study of history reveal that this criticism is unfounded.
The Supremacy of Christ
Paul addresses the challenges of Ephesus by focusing on the supremacy of Christ. He writes to the churches in a way that addresses their specific needs. Ephesians is something of a guidebook with some signposts for us and our current culture.
God’s timelessness, His being apart from time, is challenging for us to grasp. God is the uncaused cause and exists outside of time. He created time, and we are bound by time. We struggle to imagine life without time. God’s timelessness is referenced in Psalm 90. His timelessness and His being unchanging in substance gives us confidence that the God Paul discusses in Ephesus is our God today.
In Christ Jesus
“In Christ Jesus” is mentioned by Paul in the introductory part of the letter. Our being “in Christ” is an important doctrine in Ephesians, and Paul introduces this truth in the letter’s opening verses.
God is completely just and will have complete victory over all sin. It is important for us to have a long view of this when we are confronted with the “how does God allow” questions. God doesn’t author sin, but He does permit it in the short term. All the truths that Paul explains in the introduction to His letter to the Ephesians give us tremendous comfort and confidence in Him.
We can’t separate God’s attributes because He is of one substance. Paul says we are predestined, adopted, blessed, holy, blameless, redeemed, forgiven, and loved. God directs His nature toward us, and Paul summarizes this beautifully in this letter. Be encouraged! These truths are for us! We will encounter additional encouragement next week.
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“Paul addresses the challenges of Ephesus by focusing on the supremacy of Christ. Ephesians is something of a guidebook with some signposts for us and our current culture.”
John Warren
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