Year 2, Day 142: Ephesians 1

The Holy Recipients of Paul’s Epistle

When we opened Galatians, I spent a good long time talking about the writer.  In this book I’m going to use Paul’s introduction to talk about the recipients.  Literally, in Ephesians 1:1 Paul says, “to the holy ones [the ones in Ephesus] and to the faithful ones in Christ Jesus.”  The brackets represent words that are not included in our earliest copies of the letter to Ephesus but that are present in the vast majority of our copies, probably added at a later date to provide clarification to whom the letter was written as historical tradition grew more and more fuzzy.

Most translations use the word “saints” instead of “holy ones” as I did above.  William Barclay uses the word “consecrated” in his translation and his commentary.  I have no problem with “saint” or “consecrated one.”  I used “holy ones” today to make a specific point. 

The word “saint” or “consecrated one” or “holy one” has nothing to do with our work.  If it had something to do with our efforts, then Paul wouldn’t need to add the second declaration towards the people in Ephesus.  He says “to the holy ones in Ephesus” and “to the faithful ones in Christ Jesus.”  Holiness and faithfulness are related through spirituality, but they speak to different aspects of it.

Occasionally, I have spoken on the importance of understanding the difference between justification and sanctification.  Justification is a single point in history.  Literally, justification happened at the instant Christ died on the cross.  That is why whenever people ask me when I was saved I say, “2,000 years ago when Jesus died on the cross.”  Because Christ died on the cross, I – we, really – can be in a relationship with God.  We call that relationship “holiness.”  Without Christ, we cannot be in the presence of a holy God.  Only with Christ can I can know holiness.

Also remember that the word “holy” literally means “set apart” or “separate.”  God is different than us.  He is set apart from us.  In order for me to become holy, I must also be “set apart.”  Can I set myself apart?  Not meaningfully.  The only way I can be meaningfully set apart (or justified) is if the God who is already set apart does something to set me apart with Him.  Again we see why it is important to understand that my holiness is derived from God’s action and not my own.  Justification and holiness are concepts imparted upon us by God.

Sanctification, on the other hand, is not a single point of history but a process.  I am sanctified each and every day.  This is the work of the Holy Spirit.  I am sanctified as a result of my response to God’s free gift of grace.  The Holy Spirit calls me to be faithful to God as Christ was faithful to God.  I am not holy because I am faithful; I am holy because Christ was faithful.  I am also sanctified because Christ was faithful.

I think it is neat to see the theology of salvation evolving through Paul’s letters.  Because of his earlier experiences in Galatia, Paul puts even more emphasis on separating justification and sanctification.  This is true even in something that we so often gloss over like the greeting in a letter.  Paul wants to make sure that even from the beginning of this letter that the Ephesians understand that holiness and faithfulness are related but not synonyms.  Our holiness is imparted; our faithfulness is a response.

This really is the main thrust of the whole middle section of this first chapter.  As we read through Paul’s words, we hear often about God’s plan to bring grace to us through Christ.  We hear about it being His purpose – His action.  It is He who unites things to Him.  He is the initiator of life; He is the initiator of salvation.  We receive life, we receive salvation.

Sealed With the Spirit

Then we get one of my newfound favorite verses.  Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”  We are sealed with the Spirit.  The spirit is our “guarantee of our inheritance” until we possess it after this life.  Want to know if you are saved?  Genuinely ask yourself if the Holy Spirit is within you.  Are you a happy self-monger?  Or are you a repentant self-monger?  Since we are in sin, we will always wrestle with sin.  The question is, am I living a life of being genuinely repentant of my sin and seeking ways to resist the influences of sin so that I can follow God?  If so, then the Holy Spirit is alive and well within me and I have the guarantee of salvation.

Thankfulness Leads to Praising God

Finally, we come to Paul’s thankfulness.  Something really cool happens as we read through these words.  Do you notice that Paul begins speaking about being thankful for the Ephesians but he ends up actually giving praise to God?  Yes, Paul is genuinely spiritually rejoicing for the Ephesians and their faithfulness.  But all things should lead us to the glory of God.  All things should give us reason to bring praise to God.  God should be the source of our happiness and joy.

I think this is a really important point.  When we hear about something really significant in someone’s life (or our own) how quick are we to talk about how great God is?  When is the last time you heard someone talk about how great God is at a party?  “Happy birthday, God is great!”  “I’m getting married, God is great!”  “I’m going to be a grandparent, God is great!”  “I got promoted, God is great!”  Sure, occasionally we hear those kinds of thoughts, but not very often.  If we do hear them, it is usually from the genuinely faithful.  We don’t hear that kind of thinking in the world or in the people who simply pay lip service to God.  Instead what we hear is more like this.  “Happy birthday, give me presents and praise!”  “I’m getting married, I’m the center of attention!”  “I’m going to be a grandparent, that makes me feel great!”  “I got promoted, look how good I must be!”

Can you hear the self-monger?  How do we squish the self-monger?  Focus on God.  Focus on God’s calling for your life.  Become less so that He can become more.  Paul gives us a great demonstration of that process as he speaks praise to the Ephesians.  The faith of the Ephesians is great, but the fact that God has given it to them is even greater!  The more we focus on God, the less we will have to fight ourselves.

<><