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Some Thoughts on Ephesians 1:1-14 [6]

If you are new to this blog, please start with 1 (Intro) and then continue in order.

Here are some of my thoughts on the passage... Paul starts out the letter to the Ephesians by stating his authority to do so, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God." He then turns to the Ephesians, referring to them as "the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus." Did you notice the word saints in Ephesians? If I had to guess, I would have thought it was in there, oh, maybe 3 times. I was shocked to find out that the word "saints" occurs 9 times in the book of Ephesians! Basically, Paul is saying that he is writing to the Chistians in Ephesus. But let's look a little closer at this word. I think it was Kay Arthur who said that the words bleed their meaning from the text. First we are going to look at where it is used in some other books, then we will look at some of the other instances in Ephesians.

Romans 1:7
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:2
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

It occurs several other times in both Romans and I Corinthians, but I thought it would be interesting to look at the greetings for both of those to compare them to Ephesians.

Here are just some of the other places it occurs in Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:15
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,

Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Ephesians 3:8
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

Ephesians 6:18
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

So hopefully, these verses have given you a better understanding of this beautiful word, "saints"! Now, I said that we know that Ephesians has been written to Christians. Why is this important? Well, some of the things in this letter are going to only apply to the saints or Christians at Ephesus at that time, but most of the things would apply to all Christians for all time. So I have a very important question for you. Are you a Christian? Do you believe that God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1, see verses below)? Do you understand that all of us are sinful and in need of being reconciled to God (Romans 6:23 and 3:23)? Do you believe that the only way to be reconciled to God is through faith in Jesus Christ, who loves us and gave himself up for us (John 14:6 and Romans 10:9)?

Confessing sin and asking God to forgive us should be a regular habit for professing Christians. But I think it is good for someone who has never done that, to tell God, "Yes, I believe that I am a sinner and because of my sin, I am in need of a savior. God, please forgive me."



Genesis 1:1 English Standard Version (ESV)
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Romans 6:23 English Standard Version (ESV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 3:23  ESV
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

John 14:6 English Standard Version (ESV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Romans 10:9 English Standard Version (ESV)
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

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