Ephesians 1:1-14
Dear RTB’ers,
Back to the New Testament, Ephesians… One important item to note about this epistle right away is that Paul spent some 2-3 years living and preaching in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-10). [Read the whole of Acts 19 for a more complete account of his time there. It’s worth reading!] So although he is writing this letter from prison, he is well acquainted with his audience, both in Ephesus and in the six nearby cities that are mentioned in Revelation 2-3, who will probably also be reading this letter.
There is a ton of theology in these introductory verses – none of which I choose to discuss this morning. The verses that intrigued me today are those that get more personal: …we who were the first to hope in Christ… [and] …you also, when you … believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit… (vv. 12-13) The “we” at the beginning of these verses likely refers to those Jews who were Jesus’ first followers and those Jewish converts in the first couple of decades after Pentecost. But then it gets personal for me – for us! – with those two words, “you also”. No doubt Paul was referring to Gentile converts in Ephesus and the surrounding area, but you and I are among those who have believed in Him and also have subsequently been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. So, folks, as we read the rest of this letter, let’s imagine that Paul is writing to us. Yes, let’s make it personal!
Blessings!
See also: October 27 (2021) / Ephesians 1:1-23.