Ephesus was a city whose economy depended on trade. It was frequently visited by people wishing to see and experience one of the seven wonders of the world of their day known as the Temple of Artemis/Diana.
The economy, culture, and ethics of Ephesus all centered on the goddess of Diana and the temple built in her honor. The temple was supported by 127 giant pillars believed to have been given as gifts by 127 different kings. The temple housed many priests and priestesses who operated under a castrated male who functioned as the high priest. The male priests were in charge of offering the sacrifices to Diana, which also included human sacrifice. The female priests were unmarried women given the responsibility to be channels of worship to Diana which was performed through intercourse of any male wishing to worship Diana with her priestesses. You can see why worship in the temple of Diana was so popular.
Because the worship of Diana was the main religion in Ephesus, ritual prostitution was a dominant feature of the religious atmosphere in Ephesus. Spirits, we know as demons, frequently possessed the priestesses as well as the worshiper which should come to be no surprise, for the Bible says: “…that the things Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God” (1 Cor. 10:20). Anytime an offering is given to an idol, it is an offering given to a demon not merely an image… Diana was no exception.
When the apostle Paul stopped in Ephesus to preach, the gospel disrupted the worship of the goddess of Artemis/Diana as people in the city heard the good news about Jesus Christ and gave their lives to Him. So profound was the gospel’s impact upon the culture of Ephesus that some who made their living off the worship of Diana expressed their great concern: “…in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all. Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence” (see Acts 19:23–28).
Paul spent over two years in Ephesus where God used him to establish the same church to which he would write the epistle to the Ephesians years later, while in prison. The city of Ephesus was a very scary place full of demonic activity, full of women who were held as sex slaves, full of all kinds of perverts seeking to get cheap thrills under the guise of religion, radical feminists who distained the existence of men, public baths, and bathrooms, where modesty was considered taboo, all of which were ruled by a demon posing to be a free-spirited goddess. It is in this city that a church was birthed, cultural norms challenged, and lives transformed.
What you also need to know is that years before Paul brought the gospel to Ephesus, he tried to prevent its spread because he was convinced Christianity had to be destroyed. Of his former life as a pharisee, Paul wrote in Philippians 3, “If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (Phil. 3:4–6). Paul approved of the stoning of Stephen, who was sentenced to death because of his outspoken faith in Jesus (see Acts 7). Regarding his salvation and faith in Jesus, Paul wrote to Timothy (who would eventually become the pastor of the church in Ephesus): “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost” (1 Tim. 1:15).
What does it Mean to be a Christian?
Fred Sanders, in his masterful book, The Deep Things of God, wrote of the gospel, “The gospel so outstrips our created measurements that it can be measured only against something as immense as God himself.” Sanders further comments, “There is one place in Scripture where this sheer greatness of the gospel is most profusely described: the blessing with which Paul opens the epistle to the Ephesians.”[1] In the weeks to come, we will plumb the depths of Ephesians 1:1-14, but for now, I only want to show you who you are if you are a Christian and who you can be, by the grace of God, if you are not.
The Christian is Saved by the Will of God (v. 1)
In the very first sentence to these Christians surrounded by some of the darkest evils, Paul attributes his salvation and apostleship to the will of God. The stoning of Stephen and his part in the imprisonment and persecution of Christians was not too much for the grace of God to overcome. In fact, a survey of the Bible will show you that when it comes to the will of man and the will of God, it is the will of man to run from God and it is only because of will greater than our own that God is able to pursue us… and find us.
The Christian has the Grace and Peace of God (v. 2)
Before salvation, Paul and the Ephesian Christians stood before a holy God guilty, awaiting a judgment under the wrath of God, and the same can be said of you and me. The Bible says, “…because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Rom. 2:5). But now, because of what Jesus accomplished, the Christian has received the grace and peace of God.
The Christian has the Blessing of God (v. 3)
What the Ephesian Christians had before Paul brought the gospel to them was wrath. In fact, Paul describes what it was that they had before they met Jesus in the next chapter: “And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air… we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:1-3). However, because of the saving work of Jesus, the Christian has received, “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
The Christian is Saved by God to be Holy and Blameless Before God (v. 4)
Paul was committed to the idol of his religious legalism while the Ephesians were indulged in their worship of Diana; both were far from God, yet it was God who rescued them from their idols and from their sin. Why did God save Paul and those who made up the Ephesian Church? Why did he save any of us? Well, verse 4 answers that question for us: “…that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” God saved you to change you, and that change is moving you closer and closer to holiness and blamelessness.
The Christian is Made a Son/Daughter of God (v. 5)
Before Jesus, the Christian was a “child of devil” (1 John 3:7-10) and a “child of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). But through Jesus, the Christian is adopted, “…as sons and daughters.” As a son and a daughter, you who once stood under a wrath deserved, now stand as a child of God with all the rights and privileges of a God who now takes pleasure in you! Because you are a child of God, our inheritance is no longer condemnation, but “the riches of the glory of His inheritance…” (v. 18).
The Christian is Favored by God (v. 6)
According to verse 6, the Christian is favored by God. But why is the Christian favored by God? The Christian is favored by God because of the “Beloved.” So, who is the “Beloved”? The Beloved is the Son of God. The NET Bible rightly translates verse 6 this way: “…to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.” So, what this means dear Christian, is that the only reason why you are favored by God is because you are now in His Son, Jesus Christ. You are favored not because of anything you have done but because of everything that Jesus has already done on your account and on your behalf!
The Christian is Forgiven by God (v. 7)
You who once stood condemned by God now stand forgiven through the Son. You have been redeemed through the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of all your sins. The forgiveness of your sins through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is owing only to the immeasurable riches of the grace of God.
Lord, I did not freely choose you
Till by grace you set me free;
For my heart would still refuse,
Had your love not chosen me.
The Christian is Rich in the Grace of God (v. 8)
If you are a Christian, you have redemption through Jesus and nothing owning to yourself! If there was or is any confusion as to what it was that caused a Holy God to look down upon you with favor for the purpose of redeeming you, it is simply this: “We have redemption through His blood… according to the riches of His grace.” In what way did we received His grace and how did the Almighty distribute His grace? He “lavished” his grace on us (v. 8)!
The Christian has Been Permitted to Know God (v. 9)
When it comes to knowing God, we are told, “…the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4). Furthermore, the Bible informs us that, “…a natural person [sinner] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:14). So how does a person come to know the will of God? Only through Jesus according to the “good pleasure of God.”
The Christian has a Future with God (v. 11a)
The One you sinned against, the One before Whom you once stood against in arrogance, the One you were blinded to, the One before heaven and earth has no place to hid and recoils before His infinite holiness (Rev. 20:11), and of whom the angles declare: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8), you, Christian, are now known and favored by! This is why Jesus said, “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).
The Christian has the Security of God (v. 13)
You, Christian, who was once dead in your sins (Eph. 2:1-3) and are now alive in Christ (2:4), are sealed by the Holy Spirit. This means that the One who holds you in His hand will keep you in His hand, and according to verses 13-14, He has given you His Spirit as a seal which serves as a down payment of more to come! Don’t you ever forget the words of our savior dear Christian: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).
The Christian is Treasured by God (v. 14)
Finally, you who were once far off, spiritually dead, and hostile towards God… are now treasured by God. The apostle Peter put it this way: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). One way to translate verses 13-14 from the Greek is this way: “In Jesus, you also having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the initial installment of our inheritance, until the redemption of His adopted children, who were purchased to be His treasured possession to the praise of His glory.”
Conclusion
So, who are you Christian? You are saved by the will of God. You have the grace and peace of God. You have the blessing of God. You are redeemed to be holy and blameless before God. You are a son/daughter of God. You are favored by God. You are forgiven by God. You are rich in the grace of God. You now know God. You have a future with God. You have the security of God.
You are treasured by God. Who are you? If you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you are a Christian!
So, I leave you with only two questions. First, how did God save you? He saved you through Jesus Christ; this is why the apostle Paul used the phrase “in Christ, in Him, and through Him” ten times in just fourteen verses. Second, why did God save you Christian? God did it… “for the praise of His glory.” And he uses that phrase at the end of his explanation of the Father’s role in your salvation (vv. 3-6), at the end of his explanation of the Son’s role in your salvation (vv. 7-12), and at the end of the Holy Spirit’s role in your salvation (vv. 13-14).
Amen.
