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The Book of Ephesians part 1 – Week 37 / September 10th
Back in Heaven
Ephesians 1:1-14
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is considered the high theological point of the New Testament. It concentrates on what theologians call the mystical union between Christ and His Church. Thus as one reads it the words “in Christ” appear constantly and designate the unique standing before God that we all enjoy because of our faith in Christ. The first three chapters then explore what it means to be blessed with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” We should pay close attention because if we do not fully grasp what Paul is conveying by means of this letter we will live our Christian lives at a level lower than God intended for us.
So, here in these first fourteen verses Paul is telling us that we are back in Heaven now because of what the God of history has done for us. Being back in Heaven or, back in the garden if you will, means that we are the recipients of everything that God can possibly give us. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing not some! All of this because of:
1. What the Father has done V3-6
He has chosen us before the “foundation of the world.” Our election in Christ began before time, space and matter existed. This means that creation is merely God’s opportunity to create a perfect man. This also means that God exists outside of creation and can observe it from the beginning or end. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. (Isaiah 48:12-13) Creation is like an egg moving through nothing at millions of miles per hour! All of this is required to “manufacture” you! This demonstrates the unique dignity and destiny that you enjoy. Our Father in Heaven made everything so that you could be “holy and without blame before Him in love.” This also implies that we were certainly castaways and blamable because our natures had become evil and wicked and therefore the exact opposite of all that God is. In spite of this He has adopted us in Christ meaning that He bestows upon us all the powers and privileges of the Son by birth! This means that whatever Christ is before God we are as well! All of this is undeserving and so we should live in such a way that we give praise and glory to His grace.
2. What the Son has done V7-12
Jesus, before the foundation of the world, gave His Father the promise that He would, in time, come into the created world and die for its sinful people. (Revelation 13:8) He would thus buy back the repentant sinner by the spilling of His blood. (1Peter1:18-21) That is, by an act of vicarious suffering He would assume the sinners place before God, be subject to the sinner’s eternal penalty and thereby remove the wrath of God from the sinner’s life. (1Thessalonians 1:10) He could do this because His life was sinless and therefore indestructible. (2Corinthians 5:21) More important still He did this willingly and because He loved us. This is called grace or God’s unmerited mercy and can also be interpreted as God’s riches at Christ’s expense i.e.; G-R-A-C-E. Jesus’ death not only rescues humankind from sin but it also rescues the universe from “cosmic pollution.” (Romans 8:18-22) A redeemed man under God becomes the Landlord of Creation and so in Jesus’ death we have the buying back of all things in heaven and on earth! All that is evil will be evicted! This naturally means that by redemption and sonship in Christ we have an eternal inheritance that has to do with ruling over all of creation. (Hebrews 2:5-9) No wonder we should live in a manner now that enables us to give praise and glory to His grace!
3. What the Holy Spirit has done V13-14
The way back to God is to trust in Christ. That is, to exercise living faith in what He has done for us. When the Bible states that we should believe in Christ it means “believe into Christ.” This in turn means that by a conscious decision coupled with repentance we give all that we are over to Christ. When we do this we are “sealed” with the Holy Spirit of promise. That is; we are assured of our inheritance; we are secured for our inheritance and we are partly given our inheritance. (Acts 15:8) A little bit of Heaven becomes our real experience. (Hebrews 6:5) God our Father, by the Holy Spirit and on the grounds of what Jesus has done for us, gives us a “down-payment” of the future. The world has a right to “taste” a little bit of Heaven when it encounters us! At some point by death (sleeping) or Jesus’ second coming we will enter into everything that God bought us back to be. Until then we must live to the “praise of the glory of His grace.”
It should thus be noted that all three persons of the Godhead are involved in our redemption. This is one of the clearest statements in the Bible about the fact that God is Triune in nature. That is; one God but three persons in one. The peculiar work of each person in the Godhead is delineated by the phrase “to the praise of the glory His grace.” Indeed we are back in Heaven!
Malcolm Hedding.
©Malcolm Hedding Ministries
2013Devotional