Welcome to Expositing Ephesians

THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED to one of the chief passions of my life and ministry, The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians. I believe this epistle is at the very core of the Christian life. I spent years in the study of it and then three and one half years expositing it from my pulpit. I hope this blog will be a blessing to you as I share that exposition. I also hope you will tell others about this blog. Please check for new posts each Monday .

Friday, May 13, 2011

A Picturesque Overview of Ephesians

In addition to all we’ve examined already—theme, contents, key words, and structure—let’s take one more look at Ephesians from a bird’s eye view.

There are many ways to do this, but I came across one that was especially beautiful. One author writes: “Imagine for a moment that the Body is like a great building. The ‘stones’ are redeemed human beings. Christ occupies the great throne room . . .All the parts are like ‘rooms’ in the building.” The author goes on to “walk us through” each room of this glorious building. Adapting it a bit, I close our Introduction to Ephesians with this tour. I would encourage you to keep this in mind as you read this wonderful Epistle.

Chapter 1 is the Anteroom, the foyer, which prepares our minds for the rest of the tour. As we look around, we see several wall hangings that declare great truths. One tells us that God has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Another declarers that “He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world,” and another, “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Still another proclaims that we have been predestinated “unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself” and have been made “accepted in the beloved” (1:3-6). Reading such truths truly prepares us for what is to come.

We then walk into the Audience Chamber of the King in Chapter 2, that is, into the very presence of God. Because of Christ and His Holy Spirit, the true Christian Believer has access to the Father and therefore “are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (2:13,18-19).

Continuing our walk, we come to the Throne Room in Chapter 3. Here we behold the King Himself seated upon the throne. It is here we “bow [our] knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (3:14-15).

Having been with the King, our life changes. When we leave the Throne Room and enter the Jewel Room in Chapter 4, we receive our garments of holiness. We put off the garments of the old life and put on the garments of our new life in Christ (4:22-32).

We walk on and come to the Choir and Oratory Room in Chapter 5. And what a glorious place it is! It is here that we sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in [our] heart[s] to the Lord” (5:19), and it is here that we discover a transformed social life at work and at home.

Finally, our tour brings us to the Armory in Chapter 6. We look around the great room and see armor everywhere. How I would love to visit an ancient castle that still has its Armory intact. But the Armory of Ephesians does not contain museum pieces, but rather brand new, fully functional suits and weapons that are ready for the battlefield. We, therefore, don God’s armor, prepare our hearts and minds for battle through prayer, and then step out the door to face the enemies of God.

What a glorious Epistle this is! Truly we are about to embark on a journey through the grandest, most awe-inspiring piece of writing known to man. As Church historian Philip Schaff writes of Ephesians: “It certainly is the most spiritual and devout, composed in an exalted and transcendent state of mind, where theology rises into worship, and meditation into oration. It is the Epistle of the Heavenlies . . . an ode to Christ and his spotless bride, the Song of Songs in the New Testament.”

No comments:

Post a Comment