Ephesians 1-3

776 Words2 Pages

Paul is ecstatic about what the Gospel accomplishes. We all should be. So what is it that Paul is so excited about? They have everything to do with the word ‘mystery’ in verse 3 and ‘mystery of Christ’ in verse 4 that Paul used (chapter 3?). Whatever the mystery refers to, its revelation has had a tremendous influence on Paul’s life and ministry. Mystery, in the Greek language, refers to a truth unveiled rather than as in English a truth still hidden. Paul essentially says that in verse five, “Which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:5). Notice
‘which in other generations was not made known’ with ‘it has now been revealed.’
The …show more content…

They are no longer two bodies but one. We should remember, that though this does not seem to be a big problem today, but it was a great problem in the early church. At the sound of the word ‘Gentiles’ the Jews surged toward Paul to kill him. This was the beginning of a long trip to Rome in which he faced trumped up charges much like Christ for which he now was in prison.
And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ And they listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!” (Acts 22:21, 22).
Paul says this very thing in Ephesians 3:6, “To be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,” (Ephesians
3:6). Until Christ’s resurrection, if one wanted to belong to God’s people, they would have to first become a Jew. There was no other way. If you wanted to worship the holy God, then you had to become one of
God’s people. People claim that this was unfair, but we should recognize that God revealed Himself …show more content…

Man’s separation from God and man’s division among mankind. The first chapters clearly depict this and the rest of Bible and history prove it. The Gospel restores communion between God and man as well as reconciles man with man. It is here we see the power of the Gospel. This multifaceted reconciliation takes place on different levels and because of it [future emphasizes the deep connection of what is said in the first part of the book with the later.]-Not sure what this is stating. First, Paul speaks about how God initiated and brought about full restoration of man with God. The love of God is so wonderfully manifest here. Later on, though, man is instructed how he is to maintain the fullness of the relationship with God. For example, as children of God, we are to conduct ourselves in a manner after the Heavenly Father (Ephesians 5:1-8). If holiness befits God, then it is mandatory for us. Second, we see this development between man and man. God creates one body to serve Him. He calls all sorts of people from varying backgrounds to comprise His church. This church manifests the Gospel by in harmony (Ephesians 4:1-5) but also by overcoming the old man so that he can rightly live with. True unity can then only come about when man really experiences change in how he handles his bitterness and lives from a heart of love. The accompanying diagram depicts how Jesus Christ through the work on the cross has secured for us the unity of the Spirit. There

Open Document