We are embarking on a study of the book of Ephesians that should prove to be encouraging to all of us. When we look at a young child, we may imagine their potential for the future. We may lament the “wasted potential” of a person who has gone down a bad path in life. But what if we as Christians are missing out on our potential of life in Christ? What exactly is available to us through God’s blessings? Ephesians speaks to these issues.

Grace and Peace

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

Grace is the kindness of God, the goodness that we don’t deserve. Are we living fully in light of God’s grace? Peace is a tranquility that comes from being made whole in relationship to God and others. Are we living 100% in God’s peace? Let us commit together to participate fully in the study of Ephesians and receive God’s grace and peace. There are three primary reasons to do so in these first two verses of the book:

1) This is a message from God.

Paul was an apostle of Christ Jesus, which means that he was sent by God. The word apostle means messenger or envoy, as one sent out to represent his master. When Jesus lived on earth, He had many disciples or followers. There were twelve listed in the Gospel accounts. After Judas betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide, the remaining eleven were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. In Acts 1:26, Matthias, who had also followed Jesus, was chosen to replace Judas among the twelve. Paul’s conversion narrative appears in Acts 9. He is considered an apostle on equal footing with the twelve.

• He was chosen by God and appointed (Acts 9)
• He witnessed the risen Christ (Acts 9)
• He was convinced that he was an apostle (1 & 2 Cor.)
• The other apostles saw him as an apostle (2 Pet. 3:15-16)
• Paul’s letters are self-evidently God’s Word and corroborate other parts of Scripture

Based on these assumptions, the book of Ephesians is part of God’s Word and should be received as such.

2) This is a message to us.

Although it is addressed to “the saints who are in Ephesus,” it applies to us as well. Throughout the New Testament, “saint” applies to every believer. We are made holy in God’s eyes because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Phil. 3:9). Apart from Christ we would be condemned as sinners, but in Christ we are saints.

Ephesus was the third largest city in the Roman empire, and the Christian church was founded roughly 20 years after Christ (see Acts 18-20). Other prominent Christians mentioned in the New Testament also spent time in Ephesus including Priscilla and Aquilla, Timothy (who was told to appoint elders there), and the Apostle John (who wrote his letters of 1-3 John there). Ephesus was also mentioned in Revelation 2 as a recipient of Jesus’ words. The letters that apostles wrote to individual churches were often circulated to other churches to share the teaching and encouragement they contained.

Paganism was prominent in Ephesus, as we’ll see in 2:1-3, so the Christians there were endeavoring to remain faithful in a difficult environment.

3) This is a message of grace and peace.

Grace and peace were typical greeting words in letters of the time, but in this case were referring to the concrete reality of God’s blessings to us. We’ll delve into this more in the weeks to come. For now, we can rest in the knowledge that God’s Word is both true and powerful. It is meant to change our lives as we draw near to God.

Discussion Questions

1) As we began during the Discipleship Hour, consider what implications we can draw from the following statements. How might this work itself out in our daily lives?

• Paul has authority
• Christians are faithful saints in their cities
• God offers grace and peace to Christians through His Word

2) Are grace and peace words that you would use to describe your life? Do your definitions of these words align with Scripture?  

3) The word grace is used repeatedly in Ephesians. How do these references help to expand our understanding of God’s grace: 1:2, 6, 7; 2:5, 7, 8; 3:2, 7, 8; 4:7, 29; 6:24?