To The Faithful in Christ Jesus
Read the entire first chapter, but focus on 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:1-2 NRSV.
Personal Letter
We formally call this book an epistle — a letter addressed to certain people.
Such letters, in the early church, were significant and written differently from we’re familiar with. We start the letter with whom we’re writing to and then end with our signature.
Paul, immediately, identifies himself as the sender: trustworthy of the message contained in the letter. He is an apostle. Not just any apostle, but an apostle by the will of God. He is chosen and vetted by God, so the reader should take his message seriously.
This letter is addressed to the church in Ephesus — Jewish and Gentile believers alike. However, many scholars agree that it was a circular letter passed from one church to another.
So, in that sense, it was addressed to you — faithful and true. It’s okay to read it.
Paul had a history with the faithful in Ephesus. As a special messenger, by the divine will of God, they knew it was not false or something that would lead them astray. They read it with a heart to know and a mind to grasp the truth.
Saints and Sinners
There’s only two kinds of people mentioned in Scripture: saints and sinners — faithful and unfaithful. We are saints, not as the Roman Catholic Church defines it, but saints nonetheless. We are saints: redeemed, consecrated, set apart, and lovers of God.
Perfect?
No. Yet perfectly held in the hands of the living God. Sinners saved by grace. No one can snatch us out of God’s hands.
We are saints, not because of anything we’ve done, but everything He’s done in and through us as we live the “with-God” life. You are faithful and pleasing to God. The faithful are loyal and steadfast in Christ. Death is in your past and life eternal is your future.
Protection from Sin’s Death Grip
No one can be intimately related to God and yet have an appetite for sin. The presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit will have none of it. However, if you find yourself sipping at the well of sin, it is impossible to continue drinking it in.
Why?
The sinful state is scary to you now and as soon as you discover that you have sinned in any way, then you run to Christ, confess your sins. Sinning separates us from God, and that’s worse than death.
Praise God that He shows us our blindspots and gives us a way out. He is faithful to forgive us of all our sins so we can remain “holy” and in right standing with Him. Yes, and so we can continue to walk with Him.
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
1 John 1:8-9 NRSV.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith…
Hebrews 12:1-2a NRSV.
No one who is born of God practices sin because His seed abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:9 NRSV
The With-God Life
Again, allow me to repeat myself: we are saints: faithful, chosen, redeemed, set apart for God and filled with the Spirit. We believe, trust in, and are loyal to God. It’s a firm, unshakable faith: the unseen is seen in our soul. That’s enough evidence to keep us steadfast. Our affections and allegiance are secure in our Christ Jesus, our Lord. We are filled with the Spirit.
To walk in the Spirit is to walk with God.
We “saints” are resolute in following God’s will and the Spirit’s lead. We will firmly resist anything or anyone who tries to persuade us otherwise. Furthermore, we are determined to stand fast “with-God”. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!
This why we need grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Grace and Peace
Grace
Grace is not merely unmerited favor, it’s the divine assistance we require for regeneration and sanctification. God’s grace is sufficient to renew us and give us a new heart. Grace is given by God Himself — a move of mercy and act of lovingkindness.
Praise God for grace.
Think about it, we live a double life with one singularity — one loyalty. We have a worldly address and a divine one. The world may be our residence, but it’s not our home. We walk in the world, but live our lives “with God.”
Peace
Additionally, even peace is God given. It surpasses all understanding. It guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Peace is not the absence of trial, tribulation, or trouble. Trust me, what it really means is that regardless of what happens, you’re safe — safe to go through it without even the smell of fire on your clothes.
King Nebuchadnezzar built a giant, golden statue and forced his people to worship it. If they refused, they would be put into a furnace of fire. Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego loved God and would not worship the king’s false god.
So, they were thrown in the furnace, so hot that the men who threw them in were burned alive. The faithful ones in the furnace were not alone. King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth like a son of the gods!” (Daniel 3:26). The king ordered them to come out of the furnace, and he called them servants of the Most High God. Not a hair on their head was burnt, their pants were not damaged, nor did they smell of smoke.
The God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego is the same God we serve, and He is the Prince of Peace.
Call to Action
Rise up, O child of God, and praise Him for His faithfulness and love. He who started a good work in you will complete it. With a grateful heart and a peaceful mind, continue to walk “with God” in His the grace and peace of His will.
Trust me. You’ll never regret it.
