by Tom Wacaster
When the prophets of old
had penned the very words of God, they no doubt laid down the pen of
inspiration, and in some instances may have even asked themselves, “What have I
just written?” Peter informs us that those inspired men “sought and searched
diligently…of the grace that should come
unto you: searching what time or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should
follow them” (1 Peter 1:10). So profound were the words of men like
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Amos and Daniel (just to mention a few), that even the
“angels desired to look into” the message from heaven (1 Peter 1:12).
This student began a
journey through Ephesians that has spanned more than four decades, and I hope
to complete my commentary on this wonderful epistle in this New Year. No
wonder men have marveled at masterpiece from the Holy Spirit! It is Heaven’s Gallery of
Spiritual Wealth, deposited in Christ, located in heavenly places, and it
rests upon He Who is the foundation of the greatest institution ever to exist
upon the face of this earth, being Himself the chief corner stone. The
picture of the church that emerges from a careful study of this epistle is one
of holiness and harmony (1:4; 4:4). If men would put aside their
prejudice and preconceived notions concerning the church, and drink deeply from
the pen of this inspired apostle, they would walk away with a concept of the
church unlike the modern day concept of a divided, denominated, and
materialistic church. In the six chapters of this epistle God unfolds for
us the eternal majesty of the church, the beautiful bride of Christ. We
are permitted to look backward into the recesses of eternity and get a small
glimpse – just a glimpse – of the majesty and wisdom of our God as He
foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ (1:5). The
door is opened into the vault of heaven’s wealth, and we are invited to partake
of the “riches” of God’s grace for men. We are granted entrance into the
library of wisdom and knowledge that surpasses that of the sages of this world,
“having the eyes of your heart enlightened” by the “revelation in the knowledge
of him” (1:17-18). We are given a panoramic view of God’s grace as He
lifted us out of spiritual death, and “raised us up with him, and made us to
sit with him in the heavenly places” (2:6). We have been granted
citizenship in that heavenly kingdom (2:19), adoption into God’s family (3:15),
admittance into the “temple in the Lord” (2:21-22), and experienced the
wonderful “love of Christ which passeth knowledge (3:19). But we have
also been reminded that with these wonderful privileges comes great obligation
and responsibility. We are to be “holy and without blemish” (1:4),
“worthy of the calling wherewith you were called” (4;1), looking “carefully how
ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise” (5:15). Clad with heaven’s armor
(6:13-20), we are encouraged to march forward “to make known with boldness the
mystery of the gospel” (6:19).
If men would study this
letter they would learn that the church is not some after-thought in the mind
of God; they would learn that you cannot have Christ without the church; they
would learn that how we live has a direct bearing upon our salvation;
that the forces of evil are real and dangerous, but that God gives us strength
in the hour of adversity. Paul’s description of the church as it appears
in this letter is a masterpiece of inspired literature. From the depths
of sin, men can be lifted out of their spiritual poverty to participate in the
wealth and riches of God’s grace. The power to live holy lives as members
of that church is promised to those who would but embrace the truths contained
herein.
Ours is an age of apathy
and indifference. Unfortunately, members of the Lord’s church have been
lulled to sleep by the steady noise of worldliness and the satanic lies of
post-modern relativism. Perhaps it is time to wipe the dust off our Bibles,
and drink deeply from God’s inspired description of the church as contained
specifically in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. The infidel
and skeptic might scoff at God’s word; modern day theologians might ridicule
the simplicity of heaven’s pattern; the weak Christian may not appreciate what
he holds in his hands. But the faithful child of God knows that he has
been privileged to walk through heaven’s gallery of spiritual wealth.