There is much more to be mined from Ephesians than can be done here, but hopefully these efforts have helped us to hold it – and the rest of the word of God – closer than we did before we began. Ephesians is merely one part of the larger tapestry of Scripture, but it contains precious truths and details not found elsewhere. In some cases, those things illuminate other parts of Scripture, and in some cases other parts of Scripture illuminate Ephesians. In either case, the unmistakable core of this epistle is our life in Christ. Our provided position in Him allows for our proper mindset in Himand our proper behavior in Him; these then lead to our proper warfare for Him. Hoffman expresses it this way: “Ephesians provides a detailed study of the salvation of the believer and the proper method of growth and service through the fulness of the Holy Ghost and the word of God (Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16)” (1668). Watchman Nee summarized the epistle in a simple, memorable way by isolating three verbs: sit, walk, and stand. He says:
The Christian life consists of sitting with Christ, walking by Him, and standing in Him. We begin our spiritual life by resting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus. That rest is the source of our strength for a consistent and unfaltering walk in the world. And at the end of a grueling warfare with the hosts of darkness we are found standing with Him at the last in triumphant possession of the field. (67)
A common observation made by many others is that “sit, walk, stand” structure that Nee used to exposit the text have their negative parallel in the first Psalm: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (1:1, my emphasis added). The Psalm goes on to elaborate on the differences between the man who sits, walks, and stands in the Lord, and the man who sits, walks, and stands in the flesh. Perhaps most poignantly, Dr. Ruckman observes that Romans 16:25 serves as the theme of Ephesians (1553). Romans 16:25 states, “Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since before the world began…” What fuller exposition of that verse could we have than Ephesians, in which Paul’s gospel, the preaching of Christ, and the revelation of the mystery are not only addressed in detail, but also synthesized into cohesive, interdependent doctrine? Finally, as discussed with Ephesians 5:18-21, music has a special way of reaching the heart, and the Lord expects us to incorporate godly music into our lives. As such, it seems fitting to conclude this study of Ephesians with George Duffield’s famous 1858 hymn, which serves to summarize the epistle beautifully:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry, His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! The trumpet call obey:
Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Stand in His strength alone,
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own;
Put on the gospel armor, and watching unto prayer,
Where calls the voice of duty, be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory shall reign eternally.
Sources Referenced in This Post:
Hoffman, David Allen. The Common Man’s Study Bible. 3rd ed., Bible Baptist Church (Rensselar, IN) and First Baptist Church (Lowell, IN), 2014.
Nee, Watchman. Sit, Walk, Stand. Tyndale House Publishers, 1977.
Ruckman, Peter S. The Ruckman Reference Bible. BB Bookstore, 2009.
Sources Referenced Throughout This Series:
Adams, Jeff. D2: The Next Step in Discipleship. Reality Living Publication, 2012.
Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. Translated by Gregory Hays, Modern Library, 2002.
Copeland, Lewis. High School Subject Self Taught, Volume II. Garden City Books, 1959.
Connor, Nancy. Classical Mythology: From Mount Olympus to the Underworld. Fall River Press, 2013.
Duffield, George. “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.” Timeless Truths Free Online Library,
Fowler, H. Ramsey and Jane E. Aaron. The Little, Brown Handbook. 12th ed., Pearson, 2012.
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 6th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Little, Brown and Company, 1969.
Hoffman, David Allen. The Common Man’s Study Bible. 3rd ed., Bible Baptist Church
Knox, James W. New Testament Survey. Expanded Edition, James W. Knox, 2008.
Larkin, Clarence. Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purpose in the Ages. Rev, Clarence Larkin Est., 1918.
Lepore, Jill. “The Surprising Origin Story of Wonder Woman.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/origin-story-wonder-woman-180952710/. Accessed 7 January 2019.
Lunsford, Andrea A. Easy Writer: A High School Reference. 5th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.
Nee, Watchman. Sit, Walk, Stand. Tyndale House Publishers, 1977.
Rockwell, Jerry L., et al. Rock of Ages Study Bible. 6th ed., Rock of Ages Press, 2017.
Ruckman, Peter S. The Ruckman Reference Bible. BB Bookstore, 2009.
Stauffer, Douglas D. One Book Rightly Divided: The Key to Understanding the Bible. Expanded Edition, McCowen Mills Publishers, 2006.
Taylor, Dr. and Mrs. Howard. Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret. Hendrickson Classic Biography, 2008.
Troka, Lynn Quitman and Douglas Hesse. Simon and Shuster Handbook for Writers. 11th ed., Pearson, 2017.
Vance, Laurence M. Archaic Words and the Authorized Version. 3rd ed., Vance Publication, 2011.
Webster, Noah. Noah Webster’s First Edition of an American Dictionary of the English
Williams, Jeffery G. Line Upon Line. 2nd ed., Daystar Publishing, 2008.
White, Steven J. White’s Dictionary of the King James Language, Volume I: A-E. Steven John White, 2005.
White, Steven J. White’s Dictionary of the King James Language, Volume II: F-H. Steven John White, 2010.
Wolski, Michael T. Rightly Defining the Words of Truth. Daystar Publishing, 2017.
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