“ 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 –>
Paul has celebrated the exaltation of Jesus, who now sits with the Father on the throne of the cosmos. Having defined the position of Christ in relationship to the Father (“seated … at his right hand in the heavenly places” Ephesians 1:20, ESV), Paul turns to the relationship of Jesus to “the powers.” As coregent with the … Continue reading –>
In the remaining verses of Paul’s prayer report, Ephesians 1:20-23, Paul expands on the third topic of insight he hopes that the Holy Spirit will bring to believers: the enormity of God’s power, which He exercises on their behalf. He begins by pointing to two salvation history events as the premiere illustrations of God’s power: (1) … Continue reading –>
“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:16-17, ESV). In reporting his prayers, Paul records one central request that he places before the … Continue reading –>
Motivated by news that believers in Ephesus are thriving in faith toward Jesus and in love toward each other (perhaps news shared by Tychicus, Ephesians 6:21-22), Paul reports to them how he prays for them. Compare Paul’s two prayer reports in Ephesians — Ephesians 1:15-23 and Ephesians 3:14-21. What themes do the two reports share? Sometimes our default tone in prayer … Continue reading –>
