(Note from Alan: Lately our small fellowship group has been reading and discussing Paul's letter to the Ephesians. The letter is a beautiful summary of how Paul understood God's redeeming work in Christ and through the church. After reading it numerous times in both English and Greek texts, outlining it, pondering it, consulting commentaries, and trying to teach it, I felt I had still not plumbed its depths. So as a devotional as well as intellectual exercise, I decided to paraphrase it section by section. My goal was to highlight the essential ideas while paring it down to around 1/3 its original length. If I've been successful, the reader will be able to more readily follow the sequence of Paul's thought and grasp his core message as God's apostle.)
From Paul, God’s
messenger—to the Christ followers in Ephesus:
May the Lord be with you!
Praise, praise, PRAISE
to God for the rich inheritance he has bestowed on us! Before time, God graciously chose us to
reflect his holiness in love. He
predestined us all—whether Jew or Gentile—for adoption into one God-oriented
family. This heavenly treasure is given
in Jesus Christ who paid the price for our sins and revealed God’s eternal plan
to gather up the pieces of a broken universe while reconciling everything to
God. The Holy Spirit among us here and
now is the down payment on God’s certain promise of a new creation. It’s coming for sure. Alleluia!
I’m so thankful that
you all continue to trust Jesus and love each other. I pray that you will come to know Jesus even
better. May your eyes be opened to see the glorious
destiny of your calling to be “the body of Christ”— that incarnational space
where Christ “the head” still manifests himself to the world. God showed his sovereign might by raising
Christ from the dead and giving him complete dominion over everything on our
behalf. May you together experience that
same immeasurable power, bequeathed to us who believe, in the Christ-filled
fellowship of faith.
Here’s how it
works: We were all once controlled by
forces that separate us from God in a state of spiritual death. The ways of the world, the desires of our
mortal bodies, and the tyranny of the Devil incarcerated us in a prison of
perpetual self-gratification. We had no
more power to liberate ourselves from this iron coffin than a corpse. But God rescued our accursed humanity by
raising us with Christ and restoring us to a place of honor right next to God
himself. By grace, Christ set us free to
reflect the goodness of God again. This
fabulous reversal is a pure gift from God, not because of anything we have done
to deserve it.
So you “outsiders” must
remember that though you were once aliens to God and his special people, you
have now been incorporated into a new, inclusive “Israel” by the sacrifice of
Christ on the cross. Christ has broken
down every earthly barrier that separated races and religions. Through him we all have access in one Spirit
to the Father. No more strangers! Now we are fellow citizens in the City of God
where peaceful unity has replaced judgmental hostility. Christ is the cornerstone of this re-gathered
humanity, ever expanding as we are built together into a holy temple where God
himself dwells.
(I, Paul, am in prison
on behalf of you “outsiders.” God
revealed to me his eternal purpose to make Gentiles fellow heirs with Jews of
all the messianic promises. That’s why I
preach the inexhaustible riches of Messiah everywhere and try to enlighten
everyone about God’s secret plan to make Jews and Gentiles members of one
body. The “powers that be” will be awed
by God’s wisdom when they see all you folks from disparate and once alienated
cultures flourishing together in Christ’s new society. I don’t mind suffering for this glorious
revolution, so don’t worry about me.)
Here’s what I ask from
the Father above, whose forever family spans heaven and earth: Grant us your Spirit’s power to change us
from the inside! Send the crucified and
risen Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith; keep us firmly connected to
him. Help us comprehend the
incomprehensible dimensions of Christ’s self-giving love as he stands and
serves among us. We yearn for every bit
of the treasure God has in store for us. O God, you can do more than we ask or
imagine! You are made famous by your
powerful deeds of love in Christ and in those he calls to live together! It is absolutely true!
Brothers and sisters,
this prisoner for Jesus is pleading with you to live up to your call by
patiently bearing each other’s burdens with a gentle, sacrificial spirit. Hold on firmly to what you’ve already been
given—one body, one Spirit, one God and Father of all. The heavenly Jesus speaks to us through
prophets, pastors and teachers. Such
gifts build up the body of which he is the head by preparing us to serve each
other. The goal is complete unity in and
with God’s Son, ever growing toward full Christlikeness. Don’t fall for the world’s lies and
distractions. Instead, trust Christ to
keep your fellowship vibrant with life-giving love.
Keep far away from the
dark and empty path you once followed when you were shut off from the living
God. That world of false promises is
preoccupied with sensuality and greed, but not you! You now follow one who is the real thing—Messiah
Jesus. He is the New Man, the True Man
who reflects God’s image. Fling off the
old strait-jacket of self-destruction, and imagine how the world can change
when you put on the wings of Christ. Get
rid of the acids that corrode your life together—lying, stealing, bad-mouthing,
hating—and replace them with the glue of truthfulness, generosity, kind words,
and mercy. Forgive each other as God
forgave you. Yes, mimic God and give yourselves away through love just as
Christ did.
Don’t be deceived by
those who want to pull you back into behaviors that bring divine judgment upon
the world. God’s new society has no
place for sexual immorality or piggish grasping. Don’t even joke around about things that
incur God’s displeasure. You’re not in
that dark night anymore; you’re living in the Christ-light of everything that
is good and true. If you let his
righteousness shine, the benighted will awake from their living death and join
you in the brightness. So let your
relationships ever display God’s wisdom in contrast with the world’s
foolishness. Enliven your love-feasts
with the Holy Spirit (and go easy on the wine).
When you gather, rejoice with hymns to Christ. Be thankful to God for everything.
Husbands and wives, as
you humbly serve each other in marriage you are a model of Christ’s love for
his people. In marriage, “the two become
one,” just as Christ is united with his body, the church. Husbands, love your wives. Wives, respect your husbands. Offer yourselves fully to one another in
mutual submission just as Christ gave up his life to save the ones he
loves. The husband is head of the home as
Christ is head of the church and so bears the added responsibility of leading
the way in self-sacrificial love, just as Christ did. (Marriage is a deep metaphor for Christ and
the church. He is truly one with us in a
common humanity, which he raised from corruption and purified by his
sacrifice.)
Everything in your
households should reflect the peace and goodness of Christ. Children, God will bless you if you obey your
parents. Parents, don’t be harsh with
your children, but teach them the way of Jesus.
Servants, respect your masters just as you do Christ. Christ is really the one you are serving, and
he will reward everyone for the love they show, whether rich or poor. And masters, treat your servants fairly,
without coercion, because everyone must give account to the ultimate Master who
shows no favoritism.
Finally, be strong in
Christ’s mighty power. The battle is
raging all around you, not against merely human adversaries, but with
entrenched powers of this dark world and the demonic spiritual forces that motivate
them. Put on God’s full armor, so that
when attacked you will have courage to stand in solid formation. God himself is your protection—his truth,
righteousness, and peace. Lift high the united shield of faith to
extinguish the fiery arrows of Satan. God’s
salvation is your shared helmet and his promises are the sword you wield
together against the enemy. As you march
onward, keep praying for everything and everyone. (Pray for me also, that I might continue to
fearlessly proclaim the good news, even though I am in chains.)
God bless you, dear
brothers and sisters in Christ. Our
heavenly Father will grant you grace and peace.
