Walking Through The Bible - Day 1

Day 1: Ephesians 1

Greeting

¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul in his introductory greetings made the following points clear:

a. He was an apostle of Jesus Christ – This means that his ministry was on behalf of Jesus Christ. The lesson; in every ministry we do, our gifts are of Jesus Christ. It is Him we serve and our allegiance is first to Him.

b. By the will of God - Paul meant that he never applied to be an apostle but it was at God’s discretion, that he was appointed as an apostle.

Acts 9:15-16

 ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Emphasis added)

#  On his way to Damascus to persecute the church, Paul encountered Christ.  God told Ananias that Paul was His appointed vessel to bear His name. Paul’s appointment was in place, even when he was still persecuting the church. This teaches us that God’s appointment is on an individual even when they are walking in rebellion; however, it’s upon us to actualize the appointment through obedience to God. 

c.   To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:- Paul made it clear of his target audience, the saints in Ephesus. He also emphasized that the saints were faithful in Christ Jesus.  Faithfulness to Christ is a key component for every saint. 

To be faithful means:

#  Unwavering in belief-believing firmly in something or somebody, especially a religion or a political doctrine

#  Consistently loyal - consistently trustworthy and loyal, especially to a person, promise, or duty

#  Somebody or something reliable - a person or thing that can be trusted and relied upon

#  Being faithful in Christ Jesus therefore means unwavering belief – believing firmly in His doctrine.

#  Consistently loyal - being consistently loyal to Christ Jesus, His promise and His duty.

#  To be reliable - trusted or relied upon.

Verse 2

Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – Paul made clear that the source of grace and peace was from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A. Grace

The New Testament definition of grace

Grace, as revealed in the New Testament, has a broad meaning and application. Grace comes from the Greek word, “CHARIS”, which means: “God’s divine, gracious, favor and blessing; gracious care, help, goodwill, benefit, gift, goodness, benefaction and endowment” (Arnt & Gingrich, Greek Lexicon). Grace, therefore, is a multifaceted word, showing many aspects of God the Father’s gracious LOVE as mercifully manifested through Jesus Christ.

Based on the above definition, we learn several facts about grace:

• Grace is based on LOVE

The first coming of Jesus Christ was an expression of love by God the Father revealing His grace and salvation through the birth, life, crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is why John wrote, “By this act IS THE LOVE ” Of the father revealed.

John. 3:16
For God so LOVED the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him [the Greek: pisteuon eis, the one who is believing into Him. This belief is a profound interacting, dynamic faith and belief. This kind of belief is more than a mental concept, it is a spiritual interaction between the believer and Jesus Christ] should not perish, but may have everlasting life”  (Emphasis added)

• God the Father’s grace ONLY comes through Jesus Christ

John 1:14, 16-17
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

• We are called through grace

God’s calling is the beginning of His grace in our lives. God the Father personally initiates our calling, spiritually drawing us to Him through His Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace

In Galatians 1:6, 15 he shows that grace called him. “...[God the Father] called me through His GRACE.” (Emphasis added)

Here, the apostle Paul is showing that God’s calling is accomplished through the operation of God the Father’s grace. It is one of the functions of His mercy and gracious intervention in our lives.

Throughout the New Testament, belief  in the Lord Jesus Christ is shown as absolutely necessary for salvation. John was inspired to write:

John 20:31
“...these things have been written, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, The Son of God, and that believing you may have life through His name”

From where does this belief in Jesus Christ come? Do we have it or possess it ourselves? How is it that we come to believe? Do we work it up? No we do not!

Acts 18:27
In fact, we cannot work up this belief on our own. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior through God’s GRACE! “[Apollos]... when he was come [to those in Achaia], helped them much which had believed THROUGH GRACE” (Emphasis added)

So we see that it is through God’s grace, His blessing and goodness, that we believe.

• We believe in Jesus Christ through grace

Romans 3:23-24
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

• Grace and the forgiveness of sins

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

• Justification through grace

Titus 3:3-7
For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

• Adam’s sin brought death but God’s grace brings eternal life

Romans 5:15-21
But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. ¹⁹ For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

• Christians stand in grace

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

• By grace you have been saved

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)

• God gives grace to the humble

James. 4:6
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

• God's grace can be perverted and rejected

The first way one can fall from GRACE is through sin and the rejection of God’s salvation, our birthright in the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 12:15-17
Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.  For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

The second way one can reject God’s GRACE is by turning grace into a license to do evil and sin. This is a PERVERSION OF GOD’S GRACE.

It’s clear that grace and peace cannot be available from this world. Our peace is not dependent on our happenings but from is God.

B. Peace: The Lord Is Peace

Judges 6:24

²⁴ So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (Hebrew YHWH Shalom)

One of the names of God is Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is Peace. What Paul was saying is that we have a guaranteed peace:

# From God our Father - Paul describes God as our Father. This means that we are God’s children. The implication here is that God as a Father has a responsibility to care for His children while we His children should obey and trust His leadership as our Father.

# Lord Jesus Christ - Lord – master, ruler or head Jesus – Yeshua. In Hebrew, Yeshua means both "Salvation," and the concatenated form of Yahoshua, the "LORD who is Salvation."

# Another explanation of the name Yehoshua is that it comes from the root ישע yod-shin - ‘ayin, meaning "to deliver, save, or rescue".  Christ - Christ is the English term for the Greek Χριστός (Khristós) meaning “the anointed one”

Paul used three titles to describe Jesus

o   He was saying that as Lord He is the master, ruler and head over the church: Knowing Him as master, ruler and head would help us live a victorious life. He is the master over all things, He rule over everything in the natural and in the spiritual.

o   Jesus/ Yeshua - the word means salvation or to save, deliver or rescue:  Paul was introducing a savior. He was simply saying that peace comes from the salvation that Jesus provides to those who believe in Him.

o   As Christ - He was being introduced as the anointed one. Any victory in Christian living is through anointing. Paul was saying our peace as we fight the battles of life, comes from our connection with Christ, the “anointed one”.

Philippians 2:8-11

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

#  Jesus Christ is highly exalted and His name is ABOVE every name

#  This means that He is above everything that has a name- whatever it is if it has a name, Jesus is above it

#  At the name of Jesus everything should bow

#  Jesus is Lord over the   heaven, the earth and under the earth.

Prayer:

Lord opens our eyes to see the truth that is in your word. Let these truth shared transform our lives.


~ Apostle Dr. David Karanja. 


Apostle Dr. David Karanja is the visionary of Africa Transformation Mission, a ministry under Christ Harvesters Ministries.