Skip to main content

A Prisoner With Access: Thoughts on Ephesians 3:1-13 [12]

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

Even though Paul is suffering in prison (v13 and 1), he does not want the Ephesian Gentile believers to lose heart (v13). Rather than focus on this suffering, Paul focuses on the grace given to him to be able to preach the gospel to the Gentiles and share the "unsearchable riches of Christ". Paul felt especially grateful for this because he considered himself "the very least of all the saints" since he was a persecutor of the church. Wow! I wonder if that would be my focus if I were in prison for sharing the gospel, just being thankful that God allowed me to share it!

Once again, we have this idea of access to God. Ephesians 2:18 talks about having access to the Father in one Spirit through Christ, now for both Jews and Gentiles. In chapter 3 verse 12, we again see that it is through our faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, but also have the added idea of  having boldness with confidence in our access to God through Christ. So once again, Hebrews 4 comes  to mind:  14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ephesians in Review - Unity and Honesty [25]

If you are new to this blog, I encourage you to start with  Intro [1]  and then continue in order. This is in answer to Ephesians in Review at the end of   Ephesians 6:10-24 THE LAST ONE!!! [23] . This study of Ephesians has been so rich for me.  It was one of my favorite books of the Bible before I started, but I love it even more and understand it even better now. It has also amazed me how many opportunities God has given me to share from my time studying it. It seems like Ephesians relates to EVERYTHING! 1) When I started studying Ephesians this time, I was struck by the theme of unity. I found that it was all over the place, even when the word itself was not used (for more on unity, see my post,  Unity Through and Through - Thoughts on Ephesians 4:1-16 [16] ). I was happy to receive confirmation of that when I read one of my pastor's sermons, and he said that unity was the main theme of Ephesians: "to unite all things in [Christ], things in heaven an...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ephesians 5:22-6:9 [21]

If you are new to this blog, I encourage you to start with  Intro [1]  and then continue in order. Well, we are almost done with Ephesians - only two sections left! I know it has been a lot of work, but hopefully you have seen some of the benefits of digging into God's word. Don't quit yet, persevere to the end and get that good fruit that comes from studying diligently! DAY 1 Now we move on to specific instructions for specific groups of people. So first of all, read through 5:22-6:9 and note all the different people Paul addresses. Mark them a certain way, if you would like. DAYS 2 AND 3 1) List the commands Paul gives to wives and husbands and any reasons he gives for the commands. 2) How do verses 23 and 24 help to flesh out what it means for a wife to submit to her husband? 3) How does the comparison of Christ loving the church in verses 25-27 help us to understand how husbands are to love their wives? 4) Same question for 28-30 as above... If you are a wi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Victory!!! - Thoughts on Ephesians 6:10-24 [24]

If you are new to this blog, I encourage you to start with  Intro [1]  and then continue in order. "11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore..." Ephesians 6  ESV I wondered at the emphasis on stand: stand v 11, withstand and stand firm v 13, stand v 14. Why stand? Then I thought of earthly wars. How often is a commander content that his army just stand their ground? Aren't they usually trying to advance? Gain more ground? I found what my Pastor Timothy had to say to be helpful: We stand, in this case, because the ground has already been won (cf. Thielm...
Post a Comment
Read more