Further Thought: Underlying the Epistle to the Ephesians is a story that is often rehearsed in part or alluded to in it. The major events in the narrative are these: God’s choice of the people “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4-5, Ephesians 1:11). Their past, lost existence (Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 2:11-12; Ephesians 4:17-19, Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians 5:8). The intervention … Continue reading –>
Read back through Ephesians 2:1-10, focusing on Paul’s conclusion in verses 8-10. What points does he highlight as he concludes the passage? In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul documents that the salvation of the believers in Ephesus does not occur because of their good behavior or winsome qualities. When the story begins, they are spiritually dead. There’s not a spark … Continue reading –>
Compare God’s planning for salvation in Ephesians 1:3-4, with the eternal results of that plan described in Ephesians 2:7. What are essential elements and goals of God’s “plan of salvation”? Graduation ceremonies are wonderful celebrations, whether for kindergarten or a Ph.D. A graduation marks an important accomplishment, the move to a different stage of life or career. It is … Continue reading –>
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us” (Ephesians 2:4, NKJV). Here, with two powerful words, “But God,” Paul pivots from his doleful portrait of the past lives of his audience (Ephesians 2:1-3) to the new, hope-filled realities that mark their lives as believers (Ephesians 2:4-10). What sense do believers … Continue reading –>
“ All of us also lived among them [the disobedient] at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3, NIV). Apart from the intervention of God, human existence is dominated not only by the external forces mentioned in Ephesians 2:2-3, … Continue reading –>
Read Ephesians 2:1-10. What is the main idea that Paul is giving us here about what Jesus has done for us? Paul has already described the salvation given to Christians (Ephesians 1:3-14, Ephesians 1:15-23) and told, in brief, the story of the believers in Ephesus (Ephesians 1:13). In Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul will now tell their conversion story in more detail, with … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 2:1-10; Ephesians 5:14; Romans 5:17; Ephesians 5:6; 2 Timothy 1:7. Memory Text: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5, ESV). On October 14, 1987, eighteen-month-old Jessica McClure was playing in her … Continue reading –>
Three Books, One Answer By John Bradshaw As a child, I had a lot of questions for which I couldn’t find answers. Why did I have to confess my sins to a priest? Why should I pray to saints when Jesus could surely hear my prayer? Would God burn people in hell forever? I enjoyed … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Study these two descriptions of Christ’s exaltation from the writings of Ellen G. White: “When Christ passed within the heavenly gates, He was enthroned amidst the adoration of the angels. As soon as this ceremony was completed, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in rich currents, and Christ was indeed glorified, even … Continue reading –>
Early Christians saw in Psalm 110:1 a prophecy of the exaltation of Jesus: “The LORD says to my LORD: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (ESV). They read in the same way, with its affirmation that God has “put all things under his feet,” (Psalm 8:6, ESV), the feet of “the son … Continue reading –>
