Ep. 1:1
To the Saints and Believers
Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Ephesians 1:1-2, focusing on the recipients of Paul's letter: 'the saints and believers that are at Ephesus in Christ Jesus.' He defines 'saints' as those consecrated to God, 'believers' as those who trust in Christ, and 'in Christ Jesus' as the profound doctrine of union with Christ, which spans from eternal election to glorification. Martin emphasizes that these three characteristics are inextricably linked, demonstrating the symmetry of God's truth. He applies this by challenging unbelievers to repent and believe, and by urging believers to pray for deeper understanding of their union with Christ and to uphold a biblical understanding of church membership as composed of visible saints and conscious believers.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 7 sections · 45 min
- Introduction: Author and Recipients of Ephesians 0:03
- The Recipients: Saints and Believers in Christ Jesus 4:42
- The Meaning of 'Saints' 8:30
- The Meaning of 'Believers' 16:10
- The Profound Doctrine of Union with Christ 22:17
- The Breadth and Scope of Union with Christ 25:08
- Interrelationship of Truth and Practical Application 34:45
Key Quotes
“But as far as the substance of the word itself, it comes with full apostolic authority, which is the same as the full authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Let me say then by way of application that separation unto God and into a life lived in fellowship with Him, a life reflecting His glory, doing His will, is the whole end for which God manifested Himself in the gospel.”
“You see, the faith by which we are introduced into the possession of life becomes the principle by which all of life is then governed.”
“This phrase, in Christ Jesus, may without exaggeration be called the most important one in all the Pauline epistles.”
“Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation. Not only in its application, that is, when God saves me in time, but also in its once-for-all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ.”
“It is because he cannot think of past or future apart from union with Christ.”
“don't you talk about being in Christ if you don't believe and don't you talk about believing unless you're a consecrated one a saint and so if you trace it from saint back to in Christ in Christ up to saint it's all bound together and we see the beautiful sign symmetry of God's truth”
Applications
All listeners
- Live a life separated unto God, reflecting His glory and doing His will, as this is the whole end for which God manifested Himself in the gospel.
- Repent of your sin and believe the gospel, for it is by faith that we are brought into union with Christ.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit will open the eyes of your understanding to grasp the tremendous glory of your union with Christ as we study Ephesians.
- Challenge your thinking regarding church membership, understanding that the church is biblically conceived as a gathering of confessing disciples, visible saints, and conscious believers who are in Christ Jesus.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 78 paragraphs, roughly 45 minutes.
Introduction: Author and Recipients of Ephesians
Our verse-by-verse, word-by-word study of this great epistle, which we have just begun as far as the letter proper. Remember that we spent some four weeks looking at the biblical materials relative to the birth of this church, how God brought this church into being, as His message came through His servant, and in that very bastion of heathen worship,
in that very citadel of satanic power, God established for Himself a dwelling place. He brought into being a church. Our attention is focused for these first couple of studies upon the first two verses, which are the introduction to the letter, which, as we saw last week, contain, first of all, a word...
a word about the author of the letter, verse 1, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God. Then, secondly, a word about the recipients of the letter to the saints that are at Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus. And then, verse 2 gives us the third unit of thought, the formal salutation of the letter, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Last week we focused our attention upon the first part of the first verse. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God. And we saw that here the author is set before us, first of all, in terms of his person, who he was, this hater of Christ and of his church, who has been transformed by solitude, into Paul, the bondservant of Christ, Paul, the apostle. But then we focused more particularly upon the office which he bore and from which perspective he writes to the church at Ephesus and within which perspective he wants them to receive the letter. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God. And so we focused our attention, upon the nature of the apostolic office with its unique qualifications, with its unique authority and with its unique position. For in chapter 2 and verse 20 we read that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, that is, upon the doctrine given by apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ himself the chief cornerstone.
So then as the elders would stand, stand at Ephesus and read this letter, the moment the Ephesian Christians heard these introductory words, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, they were to regard those words coming through the lips of their elders by way of the pen of the apostle as the very words of their Lord Jesus Christ. And nothing less than this does justice to that authority which Christ himself, which Christ himself, invested in the apostles as his specially commissioned spokesman. And I trust that we learn in our exposition and study of this passage to regard it increasingly with as much authority as though the Lord himself stood in the midst and spoke the words. Now I do not ask you to regard my understanding or my attempts to expound them as equal in authority, to Christ speaking of them. That is another thing. That would be to claim infallibility in interpretation and application, which no sane man claims.
But as far as the substance of the word itself, it comes with full apostolic authority, which is the same as the full authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14.37, If any man is spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. And he equates his writing with the commandments of the Lord himself.
The Recipients: Saints and Believers in Christ Jesus
So much then for a brief overview of what we considered last week, the author of the letter. Now let us focus our attention this morning upon the latter part of verse 1, the recipients of this letter. How are they set before us? To the saints that are at Ephesus, Ephesus and faithful, the faithful in Christ Jesus. A better rendering of this text would be to the saints and believers that are at Ephesus in Christ Jesus. Now my reasons for giving that rendering would involve a little bit of a Greek lesson, and Greek lessons are not the most edifying thing for hungry sheep who come to be fed the substance of God's truth. But to assure you that this is no independent conclusion, I stand with two of the most able modern expositors and exegetes, Lenski and Henriksen, who also render the passage in this way. So if you question the authority of it, I'll be glad to go into the Greek lesson later, but since I trust most of you have sufficient
confidence in me that I would not make such a statement, unless there was good grounds to do so, I will let it rest by saying that the better translation would be to the saints and believers that are at Ephesus in Christ Jesus. Now it should be obvious then that in this very what we would call mundane introduction, where Paul underscores who he is and the office he bears as he authors this letter, and then addresses himself to the recipients that we come head-on into some of the most basic and profound doctrines taught anywhere in Holy Scripture. To the saints, or consecrated ones, and immediately you've come head-on with the biblical doctrine of sanctification and holiness. And believers, you come into the whole biblical doctrine of the centrality of faith in the Christian life, that are in Christ Jesus, you come head-on into the whole biblical doctrine of the whole profound doctrine of union with Christ. And so, just in this little phrase, relative to the recipients of this letter, we have the truth of holiness, that which is indispensable to the people
of God, faith, which is the only way into such a life of holiness, and union with Jesus Christ as the spring out of which both faith and holiness grow. And they're all here in germ form in this very simple, address to the saints and believers that are at Ephesus in Christ Jesus. Now, basically, there are two areas of thought in this statement. First of all, you have who is regarded in the minds of the apostle. Whom does he have in mind when he writes his letter? Well, it's the saints and believers, and then secondly, where they are. Geographically, they're in Ephesus, but spiritually, they're in Christ Jesus. And since we spent a good bit of time with considering the city of Ephesus, their condition prior to conversion, I will pass over any extensive exposition of the significance of the phrase. They are in Ephesus, or at Ephesus, and we will focus our attention upon the character of the recipients of this letter as described in these three words, saints, believers, and in Christ Jesus.
The Meaning of 'Saints'
Jesus. Those who receive this letter are regarded by the apostle Paul as, first of all, those who are saints. Now, this is a favorite term of the writers of the New Testament. It is used some 65 times, particularly in the epistles. Next to the term brethren, it is probably the most used word to describe the people of God. If you'll take your concordance, even this afternoon, and look up the word brethren, you will find that this is the most frequently used word to describe God's people. Next to that, I believe it's accurate to say you will find this word saint, the saints of God. Now, a word that occurs as many times as this does must then have tremendous significance in the minds of the biblical writers that they would use it with such frequency.
What did Paul have in mind when he sat down to write this letter, and he said, now, I write as Paul, I write as an apostle, I'm going to write to the church at Ephesus, how shall I address them? What is there about their character as Christians that I want most to bring into focus as I address myself to them? And the first word he comes up with is this word, to the saints. Now, what was in the mind of the apostle when he wrote that? What is the meaning of that word, saint? Well, very briefly, the roots of this word go back into Old Testament times, when someone or something was set apart for special use in the worship or service of God. When it was thus set apart unto special use, it was called a holy thing. Now, the main idea in the beginning of the book of Acts, has nothing to do with any holiness that may be in the object, but the holiness had to do with the use of that object. You remember when Moses was standing by the bush in the wilderness, and he turned to see why the bush did not burn, God said, put off the shoes from off thy feet, for the place
wherein thou standest is what? Holy ground. Well, we know there was no moral perfection in the ground, the fact that God came there didn't suddenly take all of the inbred depravity out of the earth, the earth has no depravity, so it was holy ground in that it was ground that now was set apart as a meeting place with God. And so throughout the book of Exodus and Leviticus, when garments were used in the worship, they were called holy garments, and you had this thought, it would just be useless to list even the names that this was called holy garments and you had this thought that is all the way through, it would just be useless to even list all the words that were called holy garments and was gently set in its place forever forgot all that by God, and thought he much, much morefareoth.
of the references attempt to or even some of them this is old hat to most of us who have any acquaintance with the scriptures but now god himself takes this word to describe what he is in his character he says ye shall be holy for i am holy therefore it involves not only what we would call a positional holiness something or someone being set apart for special service and use by god but it then leads on to the idea of moral purity as the result of that thing being set apart for god when it is a person now things can have no purity but people can and so we read in first peter 2 9 that the people of god are viewed not only as an elect nation but a holy nation that is a people who by virtue of god having laid hold of them in sovereign mercy are consecrated unto him and being consecrated unto him and fellowship with him they are severed from that which is contrary to him namely evil and sin
and so the idea of being positionally set apart for god and being personally purified meet together in this word so as paul thinks of the church at ephesus and all the believers he conceives of them as being those who are consecrated unto god and to his service therefore by calling them saints he's declaring what they are he said you people of holy wants you are consecrated once you were the ones who were set apart under god but not only was he giving a declaration of what they work he was in the use of this word being an exhortation of what they thought increasingly to be and that's the pattern of the bit of concede god i get it again says the what you are in 1 holy einige dollars a new lebanese de Twinসiler Unto God, out of the realm of sin and of the world, now be what you are. Be increasingly and extensively what you are basically by the work of God's grace and God's power. Let me say then by way of application that separation unto God and into a life lived in fellowship with Him,
a life reflecting His glory, doing His will, is the whole end for which God manifested Himself in the gospel.
Jesus Christ came forth to have a people, Ephesians 5, who would be separated out of the realm of evil unto Himself in the realm of holiness and purity. The manifestation that I am a saint in practical experience is the evidence that I am a saint in the realm of holiness and purity. The manifestation that I am a saint in practical experience is the evidence that I am a saint in the realm of holiness and purity. I am indeed one who is vitally joined to Jesus Christ the Lord.
That which first moved God to conceive of me as being in His purpose when He chose me in Christ, Ephesians 1, 4, as we shall see, had as its goal, He chose us in Him, that we should be holy. When Christ died, Titus chapter 2, He gave Himself for us that He might purify us to Himself. And then when He called, It is with a holy calling, and then He directs us into a holy walk. Be ye holy, for I am holy.
So the very term saint brings together all of these strands of biblical truth and stamps upon the people of God that which was written upon the forehead of the priest, holiness unto the Lord. That's the primary characteristic of the people of God. And so Paul addresses, Then he gives a second description of their character. He calls them believers.
The Meaning of 'Believers'
And you see the word used here can either mean faithful or one who has faith. And I've chosen to interpret it along with Lenski and with Hendrickson and others as meaning in this case, believers. So that Paul conceives of these two characteristics. He uses one article at the beginning, unto these saints and believers.
He doesn't say these saints and the believers as though they are two groups. He's thinking of one group and he describes them with these two words. They are saints. They are believers.
Just as surely as they are marked as those separated unto God, so they are marked by this quality of faith. That is, those who trust in and rely upon God's revelation in Jesus Christ and frame their lives according to that trust. May I repeat that? A believer is one who trusts in and relies upon God's revelation in Jesus Christ and then frames his life according to that trust.
If we think about it, we know that faith is one of the most important things in our lives. We think of the word saint as describing their character in its manifestation and fruit. Then the word believers describes their character in its internal essence and its root. Saints describes what they were.
Believers describes how they became such. How does a man become a saint? By becoming a believer. Where there is no faith, there is no sainthood.
Where there is true sainthood, there is always faith. For without faith, it is impossible to please Him. The way of acceptance with God and the way of entrance into all of His salvation, both the objective and the subjective, is the way of faith. For the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.
And so no man becomes a saint, separated unto God, who is not a believer. And so Paul brings these two strands together. Now follow the progression through. Here were a group of people described in chapter 2 of this letter as dead in trespasses and sins.
Bound by the God of this world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, they were cut off from the commonwealth of Israel, aliens to the promises, chapter 2 and verse 12, far from being saints. You couldn't call them one separated unto the other. You couldn't call them one separated unto the other. You couldn't call them one separated unto the other.
You couldn't call them one separated unto the other. You couldn't call them one separated unto the other. And so these people, the living and the true God, they were wedded to their idols. They were wedded to their sins.
They were not holy ones, they were unholy ones. They were not consecrated unto God, they were devoted to their own lusts. He says, you were fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Well how did they become saints?
Well the gospel came to them. And that gospel announced the good news of God's design to deliver men from sin and its penalty, in a way perfect. Perfectly consistent with His justice and with His holiness. And what happened?
Why, they believed that gospel. And so Paul says in chapter 2, verses 7 and 8, By grace you have been saved through, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. So from being devoted and consecrated unto a life of sin and lust and darkness and blindness and spiritual death, they become those consecrated unto God through becoming believers.
By grace are you saved through, not because of or on account of, but by the instrumentality of faith. Faith became the bond by which they were united to Christ. And experienced His transforming power. Now having found acceptance with God by faith in Christ, they now live their lives in the climate of faith.
That is by staking all upon the revelation of God in His word and living accordingly. You see, the faith by which we are introduced into the possession of life becomes the principle by which all of life is then governed. That is why Paul said in Romans 1, 17, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. And the same Paul who says we are justified by faith says in 2 Corinthians 5, 8, For we walk by faith and not by sight.
So there at Ephesus, while most people go on living by sight and by sense, devoted unto their sins and their lusts, for that is the mark of an unbelieving man. His world is...
His world is what he can see and touch and taste and feel. It's the world of sense. Chapter 2, 1 to 3. Walking according to the course of this world.
The prince of the power of the air, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. The unbeliever is marked by his commitment to the life governed by the world of sense.
But when by faith he finds acceptance with God through Jesus Christ as declared in the gospel, he is... He becomes separated, consecrated unto God.
And that perspective of faith becomes increasingly pervasive. And he now walks by faith. He walks in the light of God's revelation in his word and stakes all upon it. So there at Ephesus, God has a people who are saints and believers.
The Profound Doctrine of Union with Christ
But not only are they described as saints, and as believers, but the third thing revealed about their character is that they are in Christ Jesus. The saints and believers in Ephesus, geographical location, and they are in Christ Jesus. Let me quote a word from Mr. Hendrickson concerning this little phrase, in Christ Jesus.
Now here's a man writing who has painstakingly gone through the New Testament, with a fine-tooth comb many, many times, and has written what I feel to be one of the two or three most helpful commentaries on the New Testament to be found anywhere. Because he writes as a man who was a pastor for 20 years, and then a teacher of pastors for many more years. And this is what he says about this phrase. This phrase, in Christ Jesus, may without exaggeration be called the most important one in all the...
Pauline epistles.
That's a pretty strong statement, isn't it? Suppose I asked you to put down on paper, what do you think is the most important phrase in all the Pauline epistles? Mr. Hendrickson observes, this phrase may without exaggeration be called the most important one in all the Pauline epistles.
In Ephesians, it or its equivalent in him in whom in the beloved, or near equivalence in the Lord, occur many, many times. Very quickly now, we're not going to...
We're not going to go into an exposition, but to show you how it comes up again and again. If we don't grasp something of the heart of its meaning now, it'll just be a non-meaning word every time we confront it. Glance quickly down through chapter 1. Notice.
Verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Christ. Verse 4. Even as he chose us,
that we should be holy and without blemish before him.
Verse 5. In the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us, beloved. Verse 7. Even as we have our redemption.
And then you go on right through. You, after time, after time, and all through the epistles, this phrase, in Christ, in him, in whom. And the best way I know to bring into focus what it's talking about is every time you encounter it, to render it this way, in union, with him. Or in connection with him.
The Breadth and Scope of Union with Christ
In other words, as I said in introducing our study this morning, the presence of this little phrase, when Paul delineates who is receiving this letter, introduces us to the great biblical theme of union with Christ Jesus. And God willing, as we attempt to work through this first paragraph, beginning with verse 3, and subsequent studies, I hope to go into much greater detail as to the significance of this phrase. But this morning I want to introduce some very basic thoughts concerning this phrase, which may help as a building block in our understanding of what Paul is thinking of when he uses the term in Christ Jesus. I want to read a couple of pages from Professor Murray's chapter in Redemption Accomplished and Applied, because I believe, more clearly than anything I've ever read, this sets forth the biblical thinking. Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation. Not only in its application, that is, when God saves me in time, but also in its once-for-all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ.
Indeed, the whole process of salvation,
has its origin in one phase of union with Christ, and has in view the realization of the other phases of union with Christ. This can readily be seen if we remember that brief expression which is so common in the New Testament, namely, in Christ. It is that which is meant by in Christ that we have in mind when we speak of union with Christ. It is quite apparent that the Scripture applies the expression in Christ, to much more than the application of redemption.
A certain aspect of union with Christ, it is true, belongs strictly to the application of redemption. With that, we shall deal later. But we would not deal properly with the subject of union with Christ unless we set forth, first of all, its broader meaning. We would not be able to appreciate that which falls within the application of redemption if we did not relate it to that which is broader.
Do you see what he's saying? If we don't back off and see this phrase in Christ in something of its broad expression, we will not appreciate it when we see it used in terms of its application to the believer when he's brought out of darkness into marvelous light. And then Professor Murray goes on and I'll just catch the high threads of his thought. Here are the main threads of his thought.
The breadth of union with Christ can be seen if we survey the teaching of Scripture respecting it. When we do this, we see, first of all, how far back it goes and next, how far forward it goes. The fountain of salvation itself in the eternal election of the Father is where? Look at verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, indicating that all spiritual blessing comes by virtue of union with Christ. There's the canopy. There's the general statement. No spiritual blessing comes apart from union with Christ.
Principle number one. Now he's going to delineate it. Trace it back. Where does union with Christ begin?
Verse 4. Even as He chose us. In other words, the very doctrine of election brings us head on into the doctrine of union with Christ. If ourselves, if our salvation in time has its spring in God's election in eternity, then we see that even that election was not apart from union with Christ.
We were chosen in Him. And then we can see at every stage along the way it was in union with Him that salvation came to us. Beginning with election, then as we've seen in our study Sunday nights, when Christ died, Romans 6, we were in Him. We died with Him.
We were buried with Him. We were raised up with Him. So in the accomplishment of redemption, we were in Christ. Then when we are actually called in time, how are we called?
Well, He tells us in this very book. For we are His workmanship, created how? Christ Jesus. And how do we live this life?
Colossians chapter 3. Our life is hid with Christ, with Christ in God. We are to abide in Him. Well, what happens when we die?
Well, it says, Blessed are they who die, how? In the Lord. That union is not severed even with. And when the Lord comes back again, who does He raise up to glorify?
Those that sleep how? Something of the scope of this nation. Upon this little phrase, in Christ Jesus. From eternity in election, to eternity in our glory, to eternity in our glorification, salvation flows.
This union constituted with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And then Mr. Murray says in summary, Thus we see that union with Christ has its source in the election of God the Father before the foundation of the world, and has its fruition in the glorification of the sons of God. The perspective of God's people is not narrow.
It is broad and it is long. It's not confined to space and time. It has the expanse of eternity. Its orbit has two foci.
That's plural for focus. One, the electing love of God the Father in the councils of eternity. The other, the glorification with Christ in the manifestation of His glory. The former has no beginning.
The latter has no end. Glorification with Christ at His coming will be but the beginning of a consummation that will encompass the ages of the ages. So shall we ever be with the Lord. It is a perspective with the past and with the future.
But neither the past nor the future is bounded by what we now know as our temporal history. And because temporal history falls within such a perspective, it has meaning and it has hope. What is it that binds past and present and future together in the life of faith and in the hope of glory? Why does the believer entertain the thought of God's determinate counsel with such joy?
Why can he have patience in perplexities and adversities of the present? Why can he have confident assurance with reference to the future and rejoice in hope of the glory of God? Here's the answer. It is because he cannot think of past or future apart from union with Christ.
It is union with Christ now in the virtue of His death and in the power of His resurrection that certifies to him the reality of His election in Christ, glorification with Christ, constituted in eternity, secured and certainly wrought my salvation in time. Then that union will know the certainty its full fruition when we shall be like Him in His very resurrection. But apart from Christ and union with Christ we cannot view past, present or future with anything but dismay and Christless dread. By union with Christ the whole complexion of time and eternity is changed and the people of God may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Union with Christ is a very inclusive subject. It embraces the wide span of salvation from its ultimate source in the eternal election of God to its final fruition in the glorification of the elect.
It's not simply a phase of the application of redemption. It underlies every aspect of redemption both in its accomplishment and in its application. Union with Christ binds all together and ensures that all for whom Christ has purchased redemption He effectively applies and communicates the same. And they tell me that reading theology will make you dry as dust.
Interrelationship of Truth and Practical Application
My friend, I've read that chapter I don't know how many times. And I intend to read it many many more times and each time I do I think I get maybe a little bit better glimpse of the glory of this basic truth to the saints and believers that are in Christ Jesus. Union with Christ is this great doctrine that undergirds and is the as it were the wellspring out of which all saving mercy flows. Paul can't think of a group of Christians at Ephesus and think of any other term which describes more vividly and more accurately how they came to be saints separated ones how they came to be believers it's because they were joined with Christ there in time. But then as he starts his great eulogy he tells them and tells us that that union which they now enjoy in time did not begin in time as an afterthought in the mind of God it stretches back into eternity when they were chosen in Him called in Him brought to life in Him and ultimately will be glorified with Him. And so then this letter comes to people who are described as saints
as believers as those that are in Christ Jesus. As we summarize and as I seek to bring this to some practical application can you see now in these three characteristics of those to whom the letter comes this tremendous interrelationship of God's truth if you start with the word saint and move to believer and move to union with Christ there is progression they are set apart unto God they've been cleansed and renewed they've been made holy why? because they've come to faith they are believers and why did they come to faith? because they were in Christ in the eternal purpose of God and He called them in time or if you start with in Christ and move backwards this way they are in Christ well how do they know they're in Christ? how can you know you're in Christ? only if you believe how can you know if you believe? if you're a saint don't you talk about being in Christ if you don't believe and don't you talk about believing unless you're a consecrated one a saint and so if you trace it from saint back to in Christ in Christ up to saint it's all bound together and we see the beautiful sign symmetry of God's truth you think Paul was just sort of half asleep or getting himself awake when he picked up his pen and said I'll just call them saints and believers no no
no no beautiful fusion of truth in the mind of the apostle as he was illuminated and directed by the spirit well then what should all of this say to us in a very practical way as we close our study this morning may I very earnestly address a word to you who may be strangers to Christ and may I give you a good test as to whether or not you're a stranger to Christ unless you had an unusual problem maybe you were awake with the kids half the night and came here very very tired this morning and weary barring some unusual physical or psychological problem that would cause your mind and spirit to be utterly unable to rise to the truth what was the reaction of your spirit as I read those pages from professor Murray and you saw something of the sweeping truth something of the sweeping compass of salvation in Christ and heard the mention of his name about two or three dozen times in the space of five to seven minutes did your heart go out at the sound of your beloved did it did you sit there and just say did your heart leap within you as the writer of the song of Solomon says did it what was your reaction did you say oh God that's beyond me I can't fathom that that seems it seems too much for me
and yet what I can't fathom that's the number of wonders that's the Christ whom I trust and by your grace Lord I am a believer by your grace I am in Christ Jesus oh my friend listen I don't know what you may have of religious language and form and knowledge but if you're not in Christ by a lively faith as the old writers would say a faith which works by love a faith which produces the fruit of godliness then I entreat you and plead with you command you in the name of that Christ to repent of your sin and believe the gospel for it's by faith that we are brought into union with him then I would address a word to you who are the people of God will you not pray that as we come to this study of the book of Ephesians that the Holy Spirit will do for us what Paul prayed he'd do for the Ephesians that he would open the eyes of our understanding that we might be enlightened in order to know something of the tremendous glory of this truth of our union with Christ I feel in my own study of the scriptures that I'm standing as it were on just the edge of a great great plane of blessed truth and perhaps God in his grace would lead us as a congregation
to see things we've never seen before will you not make it your plan in prayer that the Holy Spirit will enable you to grasp the significance of that little phrase in Christ and then my last word and I can't pass this over because it's here in the text and if I try to tack it on next week it'll be awkward we have a very vital lesson here with regard to the nature of the church as Paul thinks of the church at Ephesus what does he think of he thinks of a group of people who in the judgment of charity not infallibly there are probably some fakes in there because he said in chapter 20 of Acts people will rise up from your own midst who will draw away disciples after them but to the extent that they were true believers how does he conceive of the church he conceives it to be a body of saints and of believers who are in Christ Jesus how does he know they're in Christ because they believe and how does he know they believe because they're saints in other words he conceives of the church as a gathering together of confession together of confessing disciples not confessing disciples and their children if there are those present here who have in the past or present hold to convictions that children should be regarded as baptized members of the church of Christ though non-communicant I don't say this to be nasty or angry or take pot shots
I say it to challenge your thinking if children whom we have no grounds to believe are yet in Christ and who certainly are not believers and who certainly are not sanctified ones at least mine aren't by nature if they are conceived of as being an integral and organic part of the church then how could Paul conceive of the church as a body of saints and believers who are in Christ Jesus and I'm convinced that these introductory words addressing these epistles to the church where Paul describes the church indicates that when he thought of them he thought of the church he did not conceive it to be a body of believers and their children who are neither in the eyes of so many in Adam or in Christ but hung up in some no man's land no no there may be children in the church yes if they're in Christ and if they're sanctified ones and there apparently were some at Ephesus because in chapter 6 he says children obey your parents he believed that children could be converted and when converted make confession of their faith in the ordinance of baptism and when having done so be received into the fellowship of the church no problem whatsoever so don't allow anyone to cajole you with the idea we believe in adult baptism only no no or adult church membership
no no we believe the scripture conceives the church to be a body of visible saints conscious believers of those whom we have grounds to believe are in Christ Jesus and I believe that that perspective is set before us very clearly in these introductory words well that was kind of an awkward point to make but I didn't know where else to stick it on and so I'll have to go back to my books on homiletics and find a chapter on what to do with points that seem awkward to stick on but must be underscored and see if I can get some help who writes the letter? Paul the very presence of his name is a manifestation of grace he writes it as an apostle with full apostolic authority he addresses it to the saints and believers dwelling at Ephesus and yet most of all dwelling in Jesus Christ in union with him may God grant that we who sit before the exposition of this letter may sit before it as saints and believers who are in Christ Jesus let us pray
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
These verses serve as the introduction to the letter, defining the author and, more extensively in this sermon, the recipients as 'saints and believers... in Christ Jesus'.
Texts Expounded
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