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I am currently working on a verse-by-verse study through the book of Ephesians that we will begin shortly. Here are some of my initial thoughts.
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I am currently working on a verse-by-verse study through the book of Ephesians that we will begin shortly. Here are some of my initial thoughts.
Comment
I am currently working on a verse-by-verse study through the book of Ephesians that we will begin shortly. Here are some of my initial thoughts.
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Dwayne from Directional Bible Ministries just finished studying if the Church is Israel. Now he's studying the book of Ephesians. He's questioning assumptions about who Paul is addressing in the book. It seems like Paul is addressing two different groups, Jewish believers and Gentiles. Dwayne will be examining who these groups are and what Paul is saying to them. He points out that there are differences in pronouns used in the verses. He wants to determine if the verses are directed at Jewish believers or Gentiles. Dwayne also mentions some interpretations from Calvinist doctrine and questions if they are accurate. He plans to start studying Ephesians in a few days. Good morning, this is Dwayne, Directional Bible Ministries, a teaching ministry that is called to rightly divide the Word of God for the people of God. I just finished up my study on, Is the Church Israel? Part 4, so take a look at that and let me know your thoughts. The next study that I'm working on is the book of Ephesians, and I've introduced this to you, I guess I mentioned it to you a few weeks ago, but I'm still studying it. I like to write out my notes longhand so that I can kind of digest them, and then from there I put them into my computer to share with you guys. I am still, let's see, in my notes I have worked down to verse 9 in my notes. Let me see, Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 1, just a little bit of a, I guess a teaser if you will. Again, I don't have any notes yet, so just share a little bit of what I'm learning and what I'm working through on my own. The book of Ephesians was written, of course, by the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians. The Ephesian church was made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers. The thing that I'm dealing with the most is the audience. We have been taught forever and a day that Paul is addressing the body of Christ from the very get-go. But as I have begun to look at this book, Questioning Assumptions, it looks like Paul is addressing two different groups of people. Now, they are members of the body of Christ and understand the body of Christ is made up of both Jew and Gentile, but when Paul writes to Jewish believers, their history, who they are, is very different than the Gentiles. And if you look in the very first verse, it says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints, which are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus. Let me see if I can get all this up here so you can read it. My Bible here, there you go. If you look at this, the first thing that stands out in this verse is the audience. Grammar dictates that he is addressing two groups, saints that are in Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus in Ephesus. I mean, clearly it says, by the will of God, to the saints, which are in Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. So, are the saints not faithful? Are the faithful the saints? I mean, he goes on and says, grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. The use of grace and peace make it clear that the audience is under the new dispensation of grace. And then verse 3, I'm just sharing a little bit of my notes with you, and this is what we're going to be studying together. We're going to question a lot of assumptions, and we're going to get uncomfortable. Because like I said, the vast majority, even the translations, make it appear that he is addressing Gentiles here, the body of Christ only, when in fact it's pretty obvious that he is making a distinction between two different people groups, saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus. And so, our study is going to be to determine who are these saints and who are these faithful in Christ Jesus. And I'll just take you down into verse number 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. How many sermons have I heard on that? But notice the pronouns of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now when he says our, is he referring to the saint and the faithful in Jesus Christ? Because as you keep going down through here, you'll see that he switches pronouns. At first glance, it would appear that he's addressing both groups with the pronouns our, us. This will fall apart when we get into verse number 13, when he transitions to ye, your. So, when we get down into verse number 13, all of a sudden, he's going to transition out of that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Well, who first trusted in Christ? It was offered to the Jews first. In whom ye also trusted. So, ye also. It's referring to somebody else outside of we, us. It's referring to you, your. In whom ye also trusted after ye heard the word of the truth. So, in other words, they heard it first, and then you heard it, the gospel of your salvation. In whom also after that, ye believe you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. So, my notes here says, with that in mind, it might be wise to realize that he is writing to Jews, who he refers to as saints, and to Gentiles, whom he refers to as the faithful in Christ Jesus. So, if that's the case, then verses 3 through 12 are directed squarely at Jewish believers. And so, the biggest part of our study is going to be showing, in the beginning, all these verses in between, when he talks about, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, according to he has chosen in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Is he referring to Gentiles there, or is he referring to Jews? Having predestined us unto the adoption. Who has he predestined to the adoption? Jews, Gentiles, both, according to the good pleasure of his will, to be the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Now, I've heard many a Calvinist point to these verses, saying that we have been predestined to the adoption, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glory and his grace. Whereby he has made us all accepted in the beloved. And, of course, that's only, quote, the elect, those who have been predestined, according to Calvinistic doctrine. Conversely, those who haven't been predestined, those who were not in the elect, God did the same thing, according to his good pleasure and to the praise of his glory and of his grace. I've heard many a sermon on that from a Calvinist. Is that really what he's saying there, or is he referring to the Jewish people only? Is he only referring to those Jewish believers? I think he's still referring to Jewish believers. So, anyway, that's just a little bit about what we're going to be talking about as we work our way through the book of Ephesians together. And I'll get my notes together, and we'll be starting that in the next couple of days, I am sure. All right, then, God bless you guys. Hope you have a great day. Remember, he loves you and wants the best for you, and is working all things out for your good.
