May 15 - June 19, 2022
Ephesians has long held a lofty place in the New Testament canon. It is concise, well- structured, and tightly argued. John Stott noted that “It was John Calvin’s favorite letter. . . .”
William Barclay quotes Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s assessment of it as “the divinest composition of man” and adds his own dictum that it is “the Queen of the epistles.” John Mackay, former President of Princeton Theological Seminary, writing in 1948 called Ephesians “the most contemporary book in the Bible” since it promises community in a world of disunity, reconciliation in place of alienation and peace instead of war.
Seventy years later, Ephesians is as contemporary as ever. Truly, Ephesians is “doctrine set to music” as Mackay said. Thus, in this series, we will strive to hear this music well, even as we consider how we can play the music in our lives. Ephesians is all about learning to think and live theologically.
William Barclay quotes Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s assessment of it as “the divinest composition of man” and adds his own dictum that it is “the Queen of the epistles.” John Mackay, former President of Princeton Theological Seminary, writing in 1948 called Ephesians “the most contemporary book in the Bible” since it promises community in a world of disunity, reconciliation in place of alienation and peace instead of war.
Seventy years later, Ephesians is as contemporary as ever. Truly, Ephesians is “doctrine set to music” as Mackay said. Thus, in this series, we will strive to hear this music well, even as we consider how we can play the music in our lives. Ephesians is all about learning to think and live theologically.
May 15There was a great rift between us and God, that has now been healed, for we have been seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Nonetheless, we still struggle against the darkness of sin within ourselves and in the structures of sin in our society. Acknowledging this essential truth is foundational to grasping all that God has done for us and in us.
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May 22By God’s work, we have redemption through Jesus’ faithful sacrifice, a solution to the dilemma of sin which no one foresaw. This is purely, 100%, God’s grace at work and, thus, none of us can boast about belonging to God. God has rescued us so that we can be Christ’s hands and feet in this time. Indeed, we are what God has made us.
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May 29All those who have faith in Christ have been reborn into one body, where there is no place and no meaning for the “otherisms” of this world. Jesus has brought us together in peace, breaking down walls, creating one new humanity. We who are Christ’s have been reborn into a new human race, reconciled in one body.
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June 5Paul directly challenges all believers: “I therefore . . . beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” And to what life are we called? To lives of humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (4:2-4). We have exchanged our old lives for new lives, renewed by the spirit of our minds (4:23).
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June 12What does it mean to live as the people into which God has made us? We are to live in the light, being filled with the Holy Spirit, giving thanks to God at all times. Paul’s teachings for these Christian households can be summed up in a single word -- mutuality, “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ” (5:21).
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June 19Living in the light isn’t always easy! The “spiritual forces of wickedness” are always seeking to pull us back into the darkness. So we must strap on the armor God has given us: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. God does not abandon us to our own devices as we struggle to lead lives worthy of our calling.
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