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Note:  This article is a study through this passage of scripture using the SIDL model.  If you are unfamiliar with this, please read this summary, or this more in-depth walk through to understand what's being done here.

 

Ephesians 1:1-2 The Student Ephesians 1:1-2 The Interpreter Ephesians 1:1-2 The Disciple Ephesians 1:1-2 The Lover

 

Ephesians 1:1-2 The Student

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The opening of this letter follows the pattern that Paul has established in all his other letters. He identifies himself as the author and claims his role as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. Apostle is the technical term for the original twelve disciples and additionally Paul. It refers to those who received their commission to ministry directly from Jesus himself. Paul comments that this is his role not through anything he did himself or because of any intrinsic value, but only "by the will of God"

 

After identifying himself, Paul addresses the audience of the letter: "to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus." The "in Ephesus" is a late insertion, (see the intro to Ephesians for more on this.) so the original text actually reads "to the saints, the faithful in Christ Jesus." "Saints" is Paul's standard way of referring to the members of the church and he identified them as being "faithful in Christ Jesus."

 

Two Interesting things: First, about "saints." Saints, while accurate, is not the most helpful translation because in English this word generally implies someone who is especially holy, devout and rigerous in their practice of religion. But this is not what Paul meant. He called the believers in Corinth "saints" and clearly they were not living this kind of especially sacred life. (See I Corinthians 1:2) When Paul calls people saints, he is focusing on the fact that God has set them apart and made them holy. They are saints, not because of their righteousness, but because of God's soveriegn action.

 

Second, about "faithful in Christ Jesus." Here Paul reiterates what he always means by saints. Paul isn't saying that these saints simply believe in Jesus (i.e. have faith in Jesus). He is saying that they are positionally "in Christ" and that they are found faithful "in Christ." The faith they are exhibiting only happens when they are "in Christ Jesus." This is the first place--here in the first sentence of the letter--that we encounter what will become the theme of the entire letter: "in Christ." More on that later.

 

Paul opens all his letters with the same wish: "Grace and Peace." It's almost a short-hand summary of his theology. In Chist grace and thus peace are available. They come from "God our Father" and "the Lord Jesus Christ." While Paul identified God the Father and Jesus separately here, he also is linking them inseparably. As a Jewish writer, Paul is clearly aware that "Lord" is the Old Testament designation for the God of Israel, and so to identify Jesus Christ as "Lord" is to identify Him as the same God worshipped by Abraham, Moses and the people of Israel.

 

 

Ephesians 1:1-2 The Interpreter

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Four things stick out for application into our situation. First, Paul's role in ministry came to him "by the will of God." It was not something he set out to accomplish on his own. It was not something he earned. It came to him simply because of God's sovereign will. While we are not apostles, whatever role we have in life we have for this same reason--God's sovereign will.

 

Second, Paul identifies his audience as "saints, faithful in Christ Jesus." He would identify the church today in this same way. But we are saints, not because of our righteousness, our personal piety or any other thing we do. We are saints because God has set us apart, making us a people of His own and intending us for holiness. We are faithful, not because we muscle up a strong faith, but because we are "in Christ."

 

Third, coming to understand our identity "in Christ" is the key to knowing what this means and how it works. More on this later.

 

Fourth, Paul wished his audience "grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." It is also God's wish that we would have grace and peace. These things come to us from God the Father (the provider, the creator, the ruler) and from Jesus who is also our Lord. "Lord" means that we consider Him to be our highest authority and the one we are loyal to.

 

 

Ephesians 1:1-2 The Disciple

Note: The Disciple role looks at the passage for what it says about how to live, and can only be done with a personal application. As I look at this passage, some of what I reflect on may be subjectively directed at me--since I'm looking at the issue of how to live my life. Hopefully much of this is transferrable to you, but please remember that this is an example of one follower of Jesus applying this passage to his own life. --Marc Schelske

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What does it mean for me to accept that the role I have comes to me by the will of God? For me, this is a challenge to live gratefully. What I have is a gift of God. Also, it is a challenge to see my role as valuable, since God designed me for it and chose it for me. Also, it changes my perspective when I look around me and see no clear purpose. Instead of living depressed and without a sense of purpose, I can rest in the fact that Paul is expressing here--God has a purpose for me that He has chosen. Even if I cannot see it, it's still true.

 

What does it mean for me to be a "saint, faithful in Christ Jesus?" My state as a saint is not dependant on my acts of personal holiness (while personal holiness will result.) I am a saint because God has set me aside as one, for holiness and for his purposes. I am faithful, not because of the strength of my personal faith, but because I am "in Christ." Practically this means for me that I can rest assured in God's purposes regarding me. I do not have to earn his approval. I do not have to muscle-up my faith. I believe that a true understanding of this will ultimately lead to holiness in my life, but that holiness does not determine my status as a "saint."

 

Am I receiving grace and peace in my life? If I am a believer and I don't have a sense of peace, then there are only two possibilites. Either I misunderstand what peace is Biblically or I misunderstand (and thus have not really begun to live out) the Gospel. Grace and Peace are gifts from God that the Gospel imparts to me.

 

Do I relate to God as Father and Jesus as Lord? To relate to God as father is to trust that He has my best interest at heart and is working for my good. It also means that I understand that everything I have comes from His hand as my provider. It also means that I know that my life comes from Him and that I am in a family relationship with Him. To relate to Jesus as Lord means that I see Him as the highest authority in my life and look to Him for how to live. It also means that I am completely loyal to Him as my sovereign and live out this loyalty in my daily life.

 

 

Ephesians 1:1-2 The Lover

Note: The Lover role looks at the passage for what God is saying to the reader directly, and like the Disciple role, can only be done from a personal perspective. In this role, the reader is listening and responding to what God is saying about Himself, about the reader and about the relationshi between them. As such, I will just reflect on my own experience in this area. Remember that this is only the example of one follower of Jesus trying to her God's voice in the passage. --Marc Schelske

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Father, thank You that You have chosen me by Your will. Thank you for choosing me for life. Thank you for choosing me to be a saint and that you see me as faithful because I am in Christ Jesus. I have lived with the struggle of trying to be a saint through my own strength and I've come to see that it's a dying path and you have chosen me for life. I have struggled with my faith--wondering at times if I have enough or if my faith is strong enough to please You and I have tried by my will to have stronger faith. But this is a path that leads to deep soul fatigue. Thank You that You have provided a way for me to be faithful that depends on Your strength not mine. This gives me such a sense of peace.

 

I hear You calling me to trust You more--to know that You are a good father to me, that You do have my best interest at heart and that You do make good choices concerning me. I hear You reminding me that while I lost my earthly father twice, You are the father that will never leave me and will always provide for me. I need to rest in that promise.

 

I hear you calling me to live as Your subject, with You as my Lord. Not that I don't intend it, but so many small areas of my life remain under my own "sovereignty." And then I'm limited to my own shallow and near- sighted perspective. I need to let surrender be my first "to-do" every day. I do trust You--I just prefer to feel in control. But You are calling me to defer to You and to live loyally to You. I want this.

 

I love You for making a place for me by Your will. I love You for seeing me as a saint and for being the source of my faithfulness. I love You for the peace you place in my heart in spite of my circumstances. Thank You, for who You are.