Paul, Believers, & Blessings

Series Title: Part 1 (1-3): Our Wealth

Lesson Title: #3 – Paul, Believers & Blessings

Text: Ephesians 1:1-2

As we continue to look at the book of Ephesians, we will continue to plow into the field of the riches God has provided for us in Christ. Just as in the parable of the tenant farmer (Matt 13:44) that sold everything to but the field so that by owning the field, he owned the buried treasure. We too, have riches that are here in this book ready to be mined and claimed by faith and careful study. Unlike the riches of the stock market and other worldly investments that are subject to the ups and downs of the economy these cannot be lost or taken away because of greed or mismanagement. God's riches in Christ are eternal – never to run out or be depleted.

Beginning in verse one, it says that Paul was an Apostle appointed by Jesus Christ by the will of God. As an Apostle, he speaks for God. He is the mouthpiece for Jesus Christ. Do you realize there are only 14 men in history that could call themselves Apostles? Fourteen; the first twelve, Judas dropped out then the thirteenth was added, Mathias, and later on the fourteenth was Paul. Only 14 men could be said to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. That is a mouthpiece for Jesus Christ, especially credentialed and chosen for a special era. (Ephesians 2:20) calls them "foundation people". However, we believe they passed away with the passing of that 1^st century era. They were the Scripture writers; they were the ones who laid down the Apostle's doctrine. They were the ones who spoke for Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 9:1, he says Am I not an Apostle? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Which was the basic qualification, you had to personally see the risen Christ. Are you not my work in the Lord? Aren't you proof of it? So it is that God took this man who was a Christian persecutor, persecuting the faithful. Turned him around, made him an Apostle. That authority came from Jesus Christ and the will of God. And those two are always in agreement.

By the way, let me run by you what the Apostles duties were: First, they were to preach the gospel, (1 Cor. 1:17). Secondly, they were to teach and pray, (Acts 6:4); "Giving ourselves continually to the word and prayer." Thirdly, to do miracles, (2 Cor. 12:1, Acts 14:23). Lastly, they were to build leaders for the church. These were some of the duties of the Apostles, who were given that appointment by the resurrected Savior.

Additionally, as you look at verse one, you will notice that it says that it was written to Ephesus. However, the word "Ephesus" does not appear in all the manuscripts. In some manuscripts there is a blank. And there's a reason for that. In this Epistle, there is no local mention of any person. There is no mention of any city in this letter. There's no statement about any individuals at any congregation. And the reason there is a blank, most scholars feel, is that this is a circular letter sent to the churches of Asia Minor, one of which was Ephesus and every church would then put its own name in the blank. So, we too can put our church name there.

After Paul introduces himself as someone who's authority comes of Christ Jesus by the will of God, Paul then describes the believers he's addressing. In verse 1 it states, "The saints who are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." He calls Christians by two terms, the saints and the faithful. And that covers both sides. From God's side He's made us holy, from our side we exercise faith, we are the saints divine definition; the faithful human definition. And it is by virtue of being full of faith that we have been made saints. So a saint is anybody who is a Christian.

Everyone of us has been made holy (hagios). Every one of us has been set apart unto God in Christ. Every one of us has been made righteous in the righteousness of Christ. We are the saints, we are the faithful. We have believed in Christ and He has made us holy. Wow, isn't that a great beginning? We've been made holy in Christ.

"In Christ" by the way, is inseparable with being "saints & faithful." It means that the Christian is one who not only believes in Christ, but they are in a real sense "in Christ." As Christians we belong to Him, we are united to Him, we are joined to Him. Paul uses quite often the description of the body here in Ephesians and in 1 Corinthians.

We find the same idea in Romans 5:12-21, where Paul works out a great analogy and contrast. He says that we were all originally in Adam. Adam was not only the first man, he was also the representative of the entire human race. Everyone who has been born into this world was in Adam, a part of Adam, joined to Adam, with the result that Adam's action has brought its consequences upon all. But the Apostle goes on to argue that, as we were all 'in Adam', so we are now — those of us who are Christian—'in Christ.' As 'in Adam', so 'in Christ.' The Christian is one who is 'in Christ.' All that the Lord Jesus Christ has done becomes true of us.

Again, in Romans 6, Paul works it out and says that when Christ was crucified we were crucified with Him; when He died, we died with Him; when He was buried we were buried with Him; when He rose again we rose with Him. He is seated in the heavenly places, Paul says in Ephesians 2:6, 'God hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.' We are seated in the heavenly places with Christ at this moment because we are 'in Christ.' What a tremendous, staggering, overwhelming truth—I am a part of Christ, I belong to Him, I am a member of the body of Christ! I am not my own, I have been 'bought (purchased) with a price.' I am in Christ. He is the Head, I am one of the members. All the blessings we enjoy as Christians come to us because we are 'in Christ.' It is 'of His fullness we have received, and grace upon grace.' 'I am the true vine', says our Lord Himself, 'and ye are the branches.'

Thus, we see the authority of Paul, and then Paul describes the Christian in three ways – Saint, faithful & in Christ. Moving on to verse 2 we have the results, our blessings.

The double blessings are grace and peace. The first one grace be to you is an incredible and great statement and was the typical greeting of the day. Grace is the New Testament word charis, it means kindness of God toward undeserving people. And when they met, they would say grace be to you. It was like saying, "I wish to be gracious to you." Additionally, it had a theological meaning. It meant something to them in their faith, it was a reminder that they were what they were by grace. "God's loving grace to you." "My graciousness to you." That would be a constant reminder that we are what we are by grace.

Secondly, there is the Old Testament word shalom, the New Testament equivalent is the Greek word eirene and it means peace. Grace is the fountain and peace is the stream. Because we have grace from God we have peace with God. It is because of His grace that we have His peace. There would be no peace without His grace.

Thus, we have Paul's authority, the description of believers, and the blessings of grace and peace. And, of course, it all comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul's message throughout the book of Ephesians is that you might understand God's grace, that you might possess His peace because you are a part of His church and you have at your disposal His infinite riches.

All that is for you, but only if you are a Christian. If this is so, we in all reality can't talk about our weakness or helplessness; as He is the Life, and you are joined to that Life, you are part of the Life, you are a branch in the Vine, 'in Christ.'

In closing, let me encourage you by making two brief comments.

First, why do you think that the Apostle, in describing the Christian, puts these three things in the following order—'saints', 'faithful', and 'in Christ'? The answer is very simple.

The first and the most obvious thing about the Christian always should be the fact that he or she is a 'saint.' The Apostle had the City of Ephesus in his mind's eye when he wrote his letter; he saw as it were an oasis in the desert of wealth, paganism, sorcery and loose living. Standing out in the desert, however, is this green oasis — the Church, the saints. That is a very good way of looking at the Christian. Anyone looking at this world should at once be impressed by this fact that there are certain people in it who stand out and are quite different because they are 'saints.' That should be the first impression we make; everyone — neighbors, friends, colleagues and fellow-workers, should know that we are Christians. It should be obvious, it should stand out because we are what we are, because of these things that are true of us. We read of our blessed Lord that 'he could not be hid' Mk 7:24), and that should be true of us in this sense; it should be impossible to conceal the fact. But it does not mean that I preach and force my Christianity upon people, and make myself an awkward person. I believe it is rather a quality of saintliness, something that is full of grace and charm, a faint likeness to the Lord Himself. It should be evident and obvious that we are a separate people, a different people, because we are a holy people. Jesus also talks about it in His Sermon on the Mount, where He talks about Christians being "salt and light" and that a "city on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:13-16).

Secondly, let me say that it is incredibly important in keeping intact the relationship between a saint and being faithful, and the relationship between holiness and being a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. These things should never be separated. However much we may deceive ourselves, there is no such thing as a notional Christian. It is possible to hold the doctrine of the faith in the lecture room, to give an intellectual assent to these things, but that does not make us Christian. I believe that's why Paul put 'saint' before 'faithful.' A commentator put it this way, "No one is a believer who is not holy, and no one is holy who is not a believer." These two things must never be separated, and you must never put a gap between justification and sanctification. If you are a Christian you are in Christ, and in Christ what happens is that "He is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." You cannot, you must not try to divide Christ. It is a false doctrine which says that you can be justified without being sanctified. It is impossible; you are a 'saint' before you are 'faithful.' You have been separated by God for God. That is why you believe. These things are linked together and cannot be divided. Holiness is a characteristic of every Christian, and if we are not holy, our profession of Christ is valueless. You cannot be a believer without being holy, and you cannot be holy in this New Testament sense without being a believer. "What God hath joined together let not man put asunder."