It is plain that the Ephesian church was praiseworthy and specially loved by Paul. They seem to be characterized by earnest and sincere faith, along with good works, and so Paul seeks to advance their doctrinal understanding in the first half of the epistle. As such, chapter one is filled with doctrinal references, including but not limited to saving faith, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, the inheritance in Christ, the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the current position of Christ, the world to come, predestination, the work of God (and God alone) in the redemption of souls, dispensations, and His good pleasure in all of this. The key phrases to each of these doctrines in chapter one is “in Christ” and the variations of it using pronouns such as “Him” and “whom.”
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Although these verses are merely a greeting, they remain important nonetheless. They present us with: 1) the human author of the epistle, and 2) the intended audience. Paul's authorship is of great importance. He is "an apostle of Jesus Christ," not merely a disciple. Furthermore, he is an apostle "by the will of God," confirming that Paul did not promote himself to this position, and further revealing that God the Father has an interest in personally appointing apostles for Christ (see also I Timothy 2:7 and II Timothy 1:11). All of this ratifies not only Paul's ministry, but also the deity of Christ.
Regarding Paul's audience, it is crucial for rightly dividing the word to keep in mind that the epistle is not merely addressed to a particular group of Gentiles in the church age, but rather to any who are "the faithful in Christ Jesus." Paul is therefore speaking to all saved members of the Body of Christ, which is comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. The significance is that like Colossians and Romans, while unlike Galatians, Philippians, Corinthians, and Thessalonians, this epistle is written to individuals rather than to a church. Perhaps this is due to its doctrinal content, or perhaps it is due to the historical context. I would tenuously suggest that it could be both – the doctrine in epistles addressed to a general audience of individual believers seem not only to address the doctrine and practical walk of the individual, but as such also may carry special significance, as previously discussed. This observation, however, does not place Ephesians above any other Pauline epistle, nor does it render other portions in Scripture in either testament as irrelevant to the church age believer. All Scripture is profitable (II Timothy 3:16), and all of Paul’s epistles are written to the Gentile-dominated church; the audience here merely denotes the emphasis on the individual believer as opposed to the corporate church.
Paul's salutation of grace and peace is typical of him, but that he wishes it from both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ conveys doctrinal truth: the Father and Christ are distinct from each other, yet equally God. This is accomplished when one complete sentence, comprised of forty-one words, spread over two verses includes three references to Jesus, each of which include His office (Christ), one of which includes His position (Lord), and two of which are directly connected to the Father.
Furthermore, it is important to see that grace is not a one-time event in the life of the believer attached to the moment of salvation, but rather it is continually needed. We are certainly saved by grace (as stated in 2:5 and 2:8), but we are also kept by grace (II Thessalonians 2:16), we are called into service by grace (Ephesians 3:7-8 and 4:7), and we become heirs by grace (Titus 3:7). Indeed, all provision and ability is given to us by grace (2 Corinthians 9:8). Thus when Paul wishes grace on his readers here and in his other epistles, it is not the grace of salvation, as they would have already received that, but rather the manifold grace of God that is lavished upon us even after salvation.
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