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Introduction to Ephesians

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Intro to Ephesians

Ephesus had been a great Greek city going back as far as 1000 BC. It’s on the western coast of modern day Turkey. Under Rome, it was the capital of its province and a very magnificent city. Had a theatre that seated 30,000.

Paul first came to Ephesus in Acts 18:19. He experienced especially fruitful ministry here, along with excessive opposition. He leaves Ephesus to go to Jerusalem, where he is arrested and eventually taken to Rome. It is from Rome, where he would eventually be executed, that Paul probably wrote this letter to encourage the saints that he left behind.

When Paul first came to Ephesus, he preached to the Jews in the synagogue. But only a few of them received his teaching. So he withdrew and preached to the Gentiles in a place called the school of Tyrannus (19:9).

Some Terminology

Apostle

This letter is from Paul, who has been called to be an apostle, by the will of God.

Jesus

Paul is an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua, or literally “salvation.”

Christ

Christ is the title that Jesus was given. The Hebrew word for Christ is “Messiah,” Christ is the title that Jesus was given. The Hebrew word for Christ is “Messiah,” meaning someone who has been anointed with oil to set them aside for a particular office. This was done for Kings (1 Sam. 16:13); Priests (Ex. 28:41; 29:7, 21, 29; 30:22-33); and Prophets (1 King 19:16).

This anointing with oil usually corresponded to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, gifting someone in a way that related to the office that they were to fulfill.

All of these Old Testament offices, however, were pointing forward to one man, who would perfectly embody them all – namely, Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Anointed One. This is why, when Jesus begins his official ministry, his baptized and the Holy Spirit falls upon him (Mat. 3:13-17).

Saints

The letter is to the saints. The word saint means “holy one.” All Christians are saints, because we are all holy in Christ. However, he further defines what he means by “saints.” He says that they are the “faithful,” that is, those that believe in Christ Jesus.

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Get Wisdom: Part 2 (Proverbs)

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The Sons as Wisdom

In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is not just a virtue. Wisdom is a person, a person with attributes and a personality (8:12-21). Wisdom is a person that we are expected to get to know. And as you read Scripture more and more it is hard to not suspect that this person is actually the second person of the Trinity, the Son. Here are three things that hint at this connection.

Creation – Solomon says that Wisdom was not just present at creation, but was used by God to create the universe (Prov. 3:19-20, 8:30). In the New Testament, however, we are told that this was specifically the role that that Son played (John 1:1-3, Col. 1:15-16).

Son as Wisdom – In the New Testament, the Son is regularly identified as “Wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:30, Col. 2:3).

Life – Proverbs describes Wisdom as life itself (Prov. 8:35-36). But the New Testament says that Jesus is life (John 1:4-5).

So we are tempted to think that Wisdom is actually Jesus. But this has been a controversial position to hold because many throughout church history have thought this interpretation would force us to embrace a heretical understanding about the Son. But this is not actually a problem if we understand that the Son is eternally begotten.

Getting Wisdom

So if Wisdom is Jesus this makes “getting wisdom” a much bigger deal. This is why cultural issues are actually a big deal. Becoming a fool is how you fall away from Christ. Tolerating foolishness in your house (or mutually agreed upon foolishness) is how you lose your children.

Wisdom is Near

But the good news is that one of the premier attributes about wisdom is that wisdom is always near (Prov. 1:20, 8:1-3). We don’t ascend to Wisdom, because the Son came down to us. That means that nobody goes to hell for being stupid. You fall under judgment for hard heartedness, stiff-neckness, for stubbornly clinging to your foolishness. But not because you were not good at Latin.

The bad news is—this leaves you without excuse. The good news is, obedience is always right in front of you.

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Get Wisdom: Part 1 (Proverbs)

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The central theme of the book of Proverbs is getting wisdom, which Solomon describes as the principle thing (Prov. 4:7). So what is wisdom? And what is the difference between wisdom and knowledge? That is what the book of Proverbs is about.

v. 1 King Solomon was the wisest man on earth (1 Kings 4:29-30, 34). People streamed to him from all over to hear his wisdom. And out of his wisdom he spoke these Proverbs. A proverb is a pithy saying that gives you insight into the way the world works, and from this insight, exhorts you to make righteous decisions.

vv. 2-3 Solomon gives the first half of a definition for Wisdom in v.2-3. Wisdom is justice, judgment, and equity. Wisdom is not just seeing what is, but seeing what should be. It moves from is to ought. This makes it an inherently religious virtue because it is not just looking at creation, but it is looking at creation and discerning the purpose of the Creator behind it all.

vv. 4-5 One of the bizarre things about the Bible in general, but the book of Proverbs in particular, is the way that it is suited for all ages.

v. 6 The Hebrew verbs for “to speak a Proverb” is marshal. But that same verb also means “to rule, or to exercise dominion.” There is an innate connection between wisdom and ruling. Solomon was wise and everyone came to submit themselves to him. But more specifically, it is not just wisdom in general, it is the riddling of Proverbs that goes hand in hand with kings.

That is what wisdom is – it is a blessed intuition that sees not just the facts of the matter, but the bigger story, the riddle that God is telling in the lives and circumstances around you. Therefore, wisdom is also a tool for dominion. People are drawn to a wise leader.

vv. 7-9 But remember the Gospel irony, the truth that the way up will be down. Wisdom and the power to rule come first to humility, to the one ready to fear God and to sit and listen to his father and mother. Fools will kick against this. The wise man is one who stops to listen.

Wisdom is particularly attached to faithful communities. We as a congregation are blessed beyond imagination with the privilege of living and worshiping in a community like this, with a wide range of ages and experience in life, living closely together. But you will find that receiving wisdom sounds a lot better on paper than it feels in real life.

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