Ephesians by Scott Risley (2011)

Paul the apostle describes the blessings God gives to those who begin a personal relationship with Him through Christ. These blessings of: complete forgiveness, adoption into God's family, and insight into God's plan for humanity are not always experienced in daily life. Christians often forget about these blessings, or do not consider them true, or fail to act, and therefore continue to live as orphans apart from God's family. An understanding and belief in the receipt of these blessings is vital for believers in Christ to live out this new identity as God's child and to experience a transformed life.

Paul continues explaining the spiritual blessings that come from having a relationship with God. Paul adds two to the list: receiving an eternal inheritance and being sealed with the Holy Spirit. Ongoing growth in knowing and experiencing God is essential for spiritual growth. God has given confident hope, value and power to His children which can positively impact their lives.\r\n

Paul contrasts God's love with the plight of humanity, i.e., physical and spiritual death. He explains the bad news resulting from human depravity and also describes God's solution to it. Because of His love and mercy God intervened by providing His Son Jesus to take on the judgment humanity deserves. It is by His grace that humanity is saved, not by works. After receiving this free gift, God gives His children the opportunity and privilege to do good works by sharing His good news with others.

Paul explains that Jews and Gentiles can have peace with God and peace with one another because of Jesus' death on the cross. There once were many barriers between Jews and Gentiles but since Jesus' death those barriers have been removed. All people in God's family are equal. There are many positive implications of this unity that impact daily life.\r\n

The mystery of Christ was revealed on earth and in heaven. It was God's will that all would be saved and called righteous because of what Jesus did on the cross. God created a plan through Jesus as the Suffering Servant and the King Messiah to give all people the opportunity to know Him. Because of God's great love He made himself known and made His grace available to everyone.\r\n

God calls us to be active members in the Body of Christ. We are to build close relationships with other believers, bear with one another, and remember our own unique roles in each other's lives.

We have all been given unique spiritual gifts as Christ's way of equipping us for works of service. Every believer is called to contribute to the body of Christ, preserve the unity among one another, love others, and reach the lost.

The existence of God is evident to all of His creation, although we may actively make the decision to ignore Him. Without God, we have no reference point for morality and seek increasing highs to fill the void. Thankfully, accepting Christ breaks this cycle and gives our lives meaning and fulfillment. Our old selves have died and we are new in Christ Jesus.

When we accept Christ's gift of salvation, we become new creatures. Our minds will be transformed as we learn to believe in our new identities, which are rooted in Christ. Since we are secure in him, we are able to focus on and love other people.

Our new identities in Christ come with several changes, including how we deal with anger and forgiveness. We are not to hold onto our anger, as that only hurts ourselves. Instead, we should make the choice to forgive. Forgiveness does not equal forgetfulness, rather, it is acknowledging that wrong was done and choosing not to dwell or take vengeance. It is more akin to a set of actions or a discipline than a feeling.

We follow God because our old selves died when we accepted His death as payment for our sins. There are certain things incompatible with our new selves, such as sex outside of marriage. We are called to live in the light, live our lives to please the Lord, and love because He first loved us.

The Bible is the ultimate tool to deciphering God's Will, however, it does not always provide direct guidance on the individual level and believers can be left wondering in areas such as career or dating. In these circumstances, God may reveal his plan for us in several different ways, the most notable being prayer and mature counsel.

Christians have interpreted scripture regarding alcohol in many different ways, however, a closer examination concludes that alcohol is not forbidden. This does not mean that it should be abused, as we are to walk in the will of the Lord and he commands us to be sober and alert. Still, alcohol can be considered a gift from God when used appropriately and even Christ himself partook in it. We should not rely on alcohol for escape or to feel good, but instead focus on gratitude and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, we are called to submit to one another. Paul explores the relationships within a traditional household and how they should interact with each other: Husbands, wives, children, slaves, and masters are all called to respect one another. Many throughout history have abused this passage and used it in support of slavery or the oppression of women. Further examination shows that this is not the case and the Bible was especially progressive for its time.

We are to put on the full armor of God so that we may resist Satan's schemes. Part of being a believer means acknowledging that spiritual warfare and Satan are real. Satan's goal is to render us ineffective and prevent us from accomplishing our mission of bringing others to Christ. He is skilled and has various ways of doing this, but one of the main ways he influences us is through our thoughts. He suggests, tempts, and accuses. We must be prepared to fight and live with a wartime mentality.

God has given us several methods of defense and one method of attack for dealing with spiritual warfare. Paul uses a soldier's uniform as a metaphor to illustrate these practices. With prayer, faith, and the sword that is God's Word, we can stand up to Satan.