Overview of the Book of Ephesians
The book of Ephesians is a masterpiece of revelation that bridges the principles of grace and obedience into one
solid irremovable form. The fundamental principles of grace and man's responsibility to abide by God's laws are thoroughly revealed in the Old Testament. These principles are reaffirmed by the apostle Paul in clear and concise language in the book of Ephesians.
Introduction
The book Ephesians is written to the Christians who lived in Ephesus. There were apparent race occurring in Ephesus between Jew and Gentile Christians. Paul sets out to prove that God's grace is lot distributed unequally based upon a person's race. Those who obey the gospel are recipients of God's grace no matter their skin color. Both Jew and Gentile needed to understand their united front in grace and obedience. Paul exposes those sinful things that militate against God's will for man to walk in obedience and charges the Christian to put on the whole armor of God. Whether one is in the home, church, or place of employment truth must be upheld in obedience. The driving force in man's life that will motivate him to obey the Lord's will is God's rich grace.
The City of Ephesus
A brief history of Ephesus and Bible references to the city will prove profitable in understanding the contents of the book. Ephesus was a world city of the day much like Chicago, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, or New York of our day. Ephesus was located in the southwest corner of Asia approximately 2 to 3 miles from the Aegean Sea. “Ephesus was well situated to become the chief commercial center of western Asia Minor, for it had ideally positioned passes which gave immediate access for trade both N and S to the Hermus and Maeander river valleys... So prominent was the city that during the early Christian period the population of Ephesus probably exceeded a quarter million.”
The temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the seven wonders of the then known world, was located in Ephesus. This temple measured 420’ long and 240’ wide with 117 supporting columns. The height of the temple was 60’. Artemis (Diana) was a multi breasted female deity that was supposed to represent her fruitfulness and wealth. During the months of March and April people would come from all around the world to celebrate various festivals related to the worship of Diana. There was also a great theater in Ephesus that held more than 24,000 people on sixty-six tiers of seats. There was a sports stadium just to the north of the great theater as well. The main street through Ephesus was made of marble, known as the Arkadiane. This marble road ran NW from the theater to the coast of the Aegean Sea.
Bible References to Ephesus
The apostle Paul's first encounter with Ephesus is recorded at Acts 18. Paul, Silas, and Timothy had left Antioch of Syria on rout to what is commonly referred to as Paul's second tour of preaching. The three travel through Galatia intending to make their way into Asia. The Holy Spirit; however, forbids them from entering Asia and instead they travel north toward Bithynia (Acts 16:6-7). The three preachers travel west to Troas and meet Luke (Acts 16:10). The four men cross the Aegean Sea and land at Neapolis of Macedonia and then travel to Philippi. Leaving Luke and Timothy behind in Philippi, Paul and Silas travel further southward until Paul alone comes to Corinth (Acts 18:1). Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth and the three become good friends due to a common trade (i.e., tentmakers). Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla travel through the Aegean Sea and land at Ephesus. This is the first reference to the city of Ephesus. The year is 54 AD. Paul's preaching and the obedience of some Ephesians resulted in the church being established there. Paul does not stay long in Ephesus but assured the brethren that he would return shortly (Acts 18:21). Aquila and Priscilla remain in Ephesus continuing their work of tent making and no doubt preaching the gospel. While Paul was away, Aquila and Priscilla meet Apollos, the man mighty in the scriptures, and teach him more accurately concerning the gospel message (see Acts 18:24-28).
The next year, 55 AD, Paul travels back through Galatia and arrives at Ephesus. He immediately baptized twelve men who had known only the baptism of John the baptizer (see Acts 19:1-10). The apostle Paul remains in Ephesus edifying the new church and preaching to the lost for three years (see Acts 20:31). During this time the Lord was greatly magnified by the miraculous works and preaching of Paul as many Jews and Gentiles were obeying the gospel (see Acts 19:11-20). Not all Paul's work in Ephesus was smooth sailing. Demetrius, a silversmith who made his living making shrines of Diana, stirred up the people against Paul and the gospel message. Paul's message had shed light on the vanity and sinfulness of idolatry and thereby Demetrius' trade was in jeopardy (see Acts 19:23-41). The city of Ephesus was filled with wrath and confusion yet Paul continued to preach. Paul pens the first epistle to the Corinthians while in Ephesus and writes, "I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost; for a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Corinthians 16:8-9).
Date of the Epistle to the Ephesians
Paul leaves Ephesus after preaching there for three years due to a great need among the brethren in Jerusalem
(the year was 57 AD). Paul traveled to Macedonia to collect funds for the needy saints in Jerusalem (see Romans 15:22-25). Paul eventually makes his way back to Jerusalem, after collecting monies from the Macedonian brethren, and one week later is apprehended by the Jews (Acts 21:17-27). He is imprisoned, tried, and taken to Rome for judgment (Acts 22-28).
There are references in the book of Ephesus that point toward a time when the apostle Paul was in prison (see Ephesians 3:1; 4:1). Paul said, “For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:20). If these prison statements are to be taken literally most believe that he would have written the book of Ephesians from his Roman prison during the years AD 62 – 64. Eight to ten passed between the time a church was established in the city of Ephesus and the writing of this epistle. During these few years the brethren experienced more troubles and were in need of further teaching.
The Purpose of Writing the Book of Ephesians
During these early days of the church the erring teaching of Judaizism was spreading like a wild fire (see Acts 15). Men were teaching that Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the ceremonial feast of the Mosaic Law in order to be saved. Such events was separating the Jewish Christians from Gentile Christians in the Lord's church. The epistle to the Ephesians is primarily written so that both Jew and Gentile would fully understand the magnitude of God’s promise to forgive the sins of all humanity. Both Jew and Gentile needed to understand that God’s merciful and kind favor to forgive men of their sins had ever been intended for the Gentile as well as the Jew (see Genesis 12:1-3). Paul was commissioned to preach the divine gospel message to the Gentiles because of God's eternal purpose to save all nations of men (Galatians 1:15). When the Gentile heard, believed, confessed Christ, repented of sins, and was baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins they were added to the Lord’s church (see Acts 2:38-42). Once in the body of Christ they stood on equal ground with the Jew who had done the same. Paul's point is that there is no Jewish Christian or Gentile Christian there is simply Christians. All, Jew and Gentile, were now “saints” and “fellow-citizens” in the body of Christ (Ephesians 2:19). Paul refers to Jew and Gentile as "fellow-heirs, fellow-members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (Ephesians 3:6).
Another issue dealt with, through this epistle, is man's temptation to walk as the world through disobedience to
God's laws (see Ephesians 4-5). Paul refers to the distinguishing characteristic that differentiates the “old man”
of sin (Ephesians 4:22) and the “new man” of righteousness and holiness in truth (Ephesians 4:24). This
distinction is identified as a “walk” (Ephesians 4:1, 17). Before one becomes a Christian they “walk in the
vanity of their mind” (Ephesians 4:17) and are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). The spirit of man is “renewed;”
however, when introduced to truth through hearing and learning (Ephesians 4:20-23).
He that “gives place to the devil” is marked by another character, spirit, or mind (Ephesians 4:27). Said
individual is governed not by truth but by “the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error” (Ephesians
4:14). The old man of sin walks by the “vanity, lust of deceit, falsehood, thievery, bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamor, railing, and malice” (Ephesians 4:17, 22, 25, 28, 31). Paul states, “that ye no longer walk...” inferring
that the Ephesian Christians did so once walk (Ephesians 4:17). When did the Ephesian Christians walk in craft,
deceit, falsehood, etc...? Paul tells us that it was when they walked by the standard of the devil (see Ephesians
2:2). Sons of disobedience are those who follow Satan or the prince of this world. The ways and laws of the
devil are opposed to the ways and laws of God (see Isaiah 28:17; 54:8-9; Jeremiah 10:23; Matthew 5:20; Acts 10:35; Romans 1:17 etc.).
Paul defines righteousness in all areas of life in this epistle as well. Whether the Jew or Gentile Christian is at work, home, or play righteousness must accompany their every day life. Within the home, the husband is commanded to be the head of his wife and to love her. The wife is commanded to submit to her husband in obedience (Ephesians 5:22-33). Children are commanded to obey and honor their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2). hose who work for others are to do it as though they were working for the Lord. Those who were over their slaves or employees were commanded to treat them with kindness and fairness (see Ephesians 6:5-9). Paul sums up the epistle to the Ephesians with a command to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). God's people must recognize that the devil is real and he has much at this disposal. Likewise God is real and will deliver all out of the hands of their captors as they call upon His mighty name for help.
Foreword to the epistle to Ephesians
The hypothesis of the book of Ephesians is found at Ephesians 1:3-7. Paul uses the law of equivalences to establish the inseparable connection between God's grace and man's responsibility to keep His divine laws. These five verses (Ephesians 1:3-7) connect the Christian to being holy and without blemish to the phrase "to the praise of the glory of his grace" (Ephesians 1:6). This phrase is found three times in the first chapter (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). Man's objective of being without sin (i.e., living lawfully - see 1 John 3:4) is connected by the law of equivalences to "redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7). The obedient or redeemed by the blood of Christ receiving the forgiveness of their sins which is equated to God's rich grace.
This obedience is depicted as a "subjection" to Christ at Ephesians 1:20-23. Paul explains that it is not obedience alone that saves a man but rather one's admission of the guilt of sin in their lives conjoined with an honest effort to live lawfully in this life; i.e., "good works that we should walk in" (see Ephesians 2:7-10). The walk of the Christian is to be parallel to God's perfect approach to this life (see Ephesians 5:1). Paul terms such a perfect walk as, "Worthy of the calling wherewith you were called..." (Ephesians 4:1ff). When the Ephesians heard and obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ they were taught to live in obedience to Christ's laws rather than in the vanity of their minds (see Ephesians 4:17-24; 5:15). Paul masterfully connects God's grace with His divine laws and leaves both Ephesians and us today with a clear understanding of our responsibilities. Paul has reaffirmed the Old Testament fundamental principles of law and grace. Consider these examples. God told Abraham, “Unto thy seed will I give this land:” (i.e., the land of Canaan) (Genesis 12:7) yet from the book of Genesis to Joshua 21 we find bloody warfare on the part of Israel and Canaan over the land. When the wars were over, the Bible tells us, “so Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein” (Joshua 21:43). Note that during these wars for Canaan, God told Joshua that He had “given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor...” yet Jehovah commanded that Joshua and Israel go to war to takp the city (Joshua 6:2ff). Later in the history of Israel, God told Namaan that he would heal his leprosy if he would wash in the Jordan seven times (2 Kings 5). Why did Jesus tell the blind man of John 9:7 that he would be healed if he would “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam...”? Could it be that man is justified (forgiven of sins; i.e., is a recipient of God’s grace) through an obedient faith in Jesus Christ? Each case in the Old and New Testament that deals with God and His promises reveals a common factor of an individual being asked to obey God’s commands that he or she may receive His favor. Grace works no different today. Those who truly love truth and God will have no problem complying with God’s instructions and are thereby justified of sins by an obedient faith as was Abraham (cf. Genesis 18:19; 22:18; 26:4-5; Hebrews 11:8).
One of the most informative verses in God's word dealing with the subject of grace, the forgiveness of man's sins, is found at Isaiah 55:3. After speaking of the free nature of God's grace at Isaiah 55:1-2 the prophet writes,
"Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." The "everlasting covenant" is an eternal law that God had foreordained before the foundation of the world to inform man regarding their salvation (see Ephesians 1:3-6 and a multitude of passages such as 2 John 9-11). The apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 55:3 at Acts 13:34 in relationship to Christ and the forgiveness of man's sins (see Acts 13:34-39). Isaiah thereby makes an inseparable connection between God's grace (forgiveness) and law (the everlasting covenant). Those who follow God's laws will be recipients of His divine grace. The two are inseparably connected. Paul tells Titus that grace, "Instructs us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:12). This is why Paul referred to the gospel message of Jesus Christ as a "law of faith" (Romans 3:27) and the "law of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:2). This is why James called the gospel message, "The perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25; 2:12). Those who violate God's laws are in sin (see 1 John 3:4-10). There are erring people today who teach that man can continue in their sinful ways without fear of God rejecting them. Some refer to this as the impossibility of apostasy or once saved always saved. The idea is that God's grace abounds in one's life even though that person continues in sin. Consider what the apostle Paul said to the Romans: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to sin how shall we any longer live therein?" (Romans 6:1-2). Those who fail to see the inseparable connection between grace and law will ever learn yet nevr come to the knowledge of truth (see 2 Timothy 3:7).
Outline of the Book of Ephesians
The book of Ephesians is a masterpiece of revelation that bridges the principles of grace and obedience into one
solid irremovable form. The fundamental principles of grace and man's responsibility to abide by God's laws are thoroughly revealed in the Old Testament. These principles are reaffirmed by the apostle Paul in clear and concise language in the book of Ephesians.
Introduction
The book Ephesians is written to the Christians who lived in Ephesus. There were apparent race occurring in Ephesus between Jew and Gentile Christians. Paul sets out to prove that God's grace is lot distributed unequally based upon a person's race. Those who obey the gospel are recipients of God's grace no matter their skin color. Both Jew and Gentile needed to understand their united front in grace and obedience. Paul exposes those sinful things that militate against God's will for man to walk in obedience and charges the Christian to put on the whole armor of God. Whether one is in the home, church, or place of employment truth must be upheld in obedience. The driving force in man's life that will motivate him to obey the Lord's will is God's rich grace.
The City of Ephesus
A brief history of Ephesus and Bible references to the city will prove profitable in understanding the contents of the book. Ephesus was a world city of the day much like Chicago, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, or New York of our day. Ephesus was located in the southwest corner of Asia approximately 2 to 3 miles from the Aegean Sea. “Ephesus was well situated to become the chief commercial center of western Asia Minor, for it had ideally positioned passes which gave immediate access for trade both N and S to the Hermus and Maeander river valleys... So prominent was the city that during the early Christian period the population of Ephesus probably exceeded a quarter million.”
The temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the seven wonders of the then known world, was located in Ephesus. This temple measured 420’ long and 240’ wide with 117 supporting columns. The height of the temple was 60’. Artemis (Diana) was a multi breasted female deity that was supposed to represent her fruitfulness and wealth. During the months of March and April people would come from all around the world to celebrate various festivals related to the worship of Diana. There was also a great theater in Ephesus that held more than 24,000 people on sixty-six tiers of seats. There was a sports stadium just to the north of the great theater as well. The main street through Ephesus was made of marble, known as the Arkadiane. This marble road ran NW from the theater to the coast of the Aegean Sea.
Bible References to Ephesus
The apostle Paul's first encounter with Ephesus is recorded at Acts 18. Paul, Silas, and Timothy had left Antioch of Syria on rout to what is commonly referred to as Paul's second tour of preaching. The three travel through Galatia intending to make their way into Asia. The Holy Spirit; however, forbids them from entering Asia and instead they travel north toward Bithynia (Acts 16:6-7). The three preachers travel west to Troas and meet Luke (Acts 16:10). The four men cross the Aegean Sea and land at Neapolis of Macedonia and then travel to Philippi. Leaving Luke and Timothy behind in Philippi, Paul and Silas travel further southward until Paul alone comes to Corinth (Acts 18:1). Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth and the three become good friends due to a common trade (i.e., tentmakers). Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla travel through the Aegean Sea and land at Ephesus. This is the first reference to the city of Ephesus. The year is 54 AD. Paul's preaching and the obedience of some Ephesians resulted in the church being established there. Paul does not stay long in Ephesus but assured the brethren that he would return shortly (Acts 18:21). Aquila and Priscilla remain in Ephesus continuing their work of tent making and no doubt preaching the gospel. While Paul was away, Aquila and Priscilla meet Apollos, the man mighty in the scriptures, and teach him more accurately concerning the gospel message (see Acts 18:24-28).
The next year, 55 AD, Paul travels back through Galatia and arrives at Ephesus. He immediately baptized twelve men who had known only the baptism of John the baptizer (see Acts 19:1-10). The apostle Paul remains in Ephesus edifying the new church and preaching to the lost for three years (see Acts 20:31). During this time the Lord was greatly magnified by the miraculous works and preaching of Paul as many Jews and Gentiles were obeying the gospel (see Acts 19:11-20). Not all Paul's work in Ephesus was smooth sailing. Demetrius, a silversmith who made his living making shrines of Diana, stirred up the people against Paul and the gospel message. Paul's message had shed light on the vanity and sinfulness of idolatry and thereby Demetrius' trade was in jeopardy (see Acts 19:23-41). The city of Ephesus was filled with wrath and confusion yet Paul continued to preach. Paul pens the first epistle to the Corinthians while in Ephesus and writes, "I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost; for a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Corinthians 16:8-9).
Date of the Epistle to the Ephesians
Paul leaves Ephesus after preaching there for three years due to a great need among the brethren in Jerusalem
(the year was 57 AD). Paul traveled to Macedonia to collect funds for the needy saints in Jerusalem (see Romans 15:22-25). Paul eventually makes his way back to Jerusalem, after collecting monies from the Macedonian brethren, and one week later is apprehended by the Jews (Acts 21:17-27). He is imprisoned, tried, and taken to Rome for judgment (Acts 22-28).
There are references in the book of Ephesus that point toward a time when the apostle Paul was in prison (see Ephesians 3:1; 4:1). Paul said, “For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:20). If these prison statements are to be taken literally most believe that he would have written the book of Ephesians from his Roman prison during the years AD 62 – 64. Eight to ten passed between the time a church was established in the city of Ephesus and the writing of this epistle. During these few years the brethren experienced more troubles and were in need of further teaching.
The Purpose of Writing the Book of Ephesians
During these early days of the church the erring teaching of Judaizism was spreading like a wild fire (see Acts 15). Men were teaching that Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the ceremonial feast of the Mosaic Law in order to be saved. Such events was separating the Jewish Christians from Gentile Christians in the Lord's church. The epistle to the Ephesians is primarily written so that both Jew and Gentile would fully understand the magnitude of God’s promise to forgive the sins of all humanity. Both Jew and Gentile needed to understand that God’s merciful and kind favor to forgive men of their sins had ever been intended for the Gentile as well as the Jew (see Genesis 12:1-3). Paul was commissioned to preach the divine gospel message to the Gentiles because of God's eternal purpose to save all nations of men (Galatians 1:15). When the Gentile heard, believed, confessed Christ, repented of sins, and was baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins they were added to the Lord’s church (see Acts 2:38-42). Once in the body of Christ they stood on equal ground with the Jew who had done the same. Paul's point is that there is no Jewish Christian or Gentile Christian there is simply Christians. All, Jew and Gentile, were now “saints” and “fellow-citizens” in the body of Christ (Ephesians 2:19). Paul refers to Jew and Gentile as "fellow-heirs, fellow-members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (Ephesians 3:6).
Another issue dealt with, through this epistle, is man's temptation to walk as the world through disobedience to
God's laws (see Ephesians 4-5). Paul refers to the distinguishing characteristic that differentiates the “old man”
of sin (Ephesians 4:22) and the “new man” of righteousness and holiness in truth (Ephesians 4:24). This
distinction is identified as a “walk” (Ephesians 4:1, 17). Before one becomes a Christian they “walk in the
vanity of their mind” (Ephesians 4:17) and are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). The spirit of man is “renewed;”
however, when introduced to truth through hearing and learning (Ephesians 4:20-23).
He that “gives place to the devil” is marked by another character, spirit, or mind (Ephesians 4:27). Said
individual is governed not by truth but by “the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error” (Ephesians
4:14). The old man of sin walks by the “vanity, lust of deceit, falsehood, thievery, bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamor, railing, and malice” (Ephesians 4:17, 22, 25, 28, 31). Paul states, “that ye no longer walk...” inferring
that the Ephesian Christians did so once walk (Ephesians 4:17). When did the Ephesian Christians walk in craft,
deceit, falsehood, etc...? Paul tells us that it was when they walked by the standard of the devil (see Ephesians
2:2). Sons of disobedience are those who follow Satan or the prince of this world. The ways and laws of the
devil are opposed to the ways and laws of God (see Isaiah 28:17; 54:8-9; Jeremiah 10:23; Matthew 5:20; Acts 10:35; Romans 1:17 etc.).
Paul defines righteousness in all areas of life in this epistle as well. Whether the Jew or Gentile Christian is at work, home, or play righteousness must accompany their every day life. Within the home, the husband is commanded to be the head of his wife and to love her. The wife is commanded to submit to her husband in obedience (Ephesians 5:22-33). Children are commanded to obey and honor their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2). hose who work for others are to do it as though they were working for the Lord. Those who were over their slaves or employees were commanded to treat them with kindness and fairness (see Ephesians 6:5-9). Paul sums up the epistle to the Ephesians with a command to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). God's people must recognize that the devil is real and he has much at this disposal. Likewise God is real and will deliver all out of the hands of their captors as they call upon His mighty name for help.
Foreword to the epistle to Ephesians
The hypothesis of the book of Ephesians is found at Ephesians 1:3-7. Paul uses the law of equivalences to establish the inseparable connection between God's grace and man's responsibility to keep His divine laws. These five verses (Ephesians 1:3-7) connect the Christian to being holy and without blemish to the phrase "to the praise of the glory of his grace" (Ephesians 1:6). This phrase is found three times in the first chapter (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). Man's objective of being without sin (i.e., living lawfully - see 1 John 3:4) is connected by the law of equivalences to "redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7). The obedient or redeemed by the blood of Christ receiving the forgiveness of their sins which is equated to God's rich grace.
This obedience is depicted as a "subjection" to Christ at Ephesians 1:20-23. Paul explains that it is not obedience alone that saves a man but rather one's admission of the guilt of sin in their lives conjoined with an honest effort to live lawfully in this life; i.e., "good works that we should walk in" (see Ephesians 2:7-10). The walk of the Christian is to be parallel to God's perfect approach to this life (see Ephesians 5:1). Paul terms such a perfect walk as, "Worthy of the calling wherewith you were called..." (Ephesians 4:1ff). When the Ephesians heard and obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ they were taught to live in obedience to Christ's laws rather than in the vanity of their minds (see Ephesians 4:17-24; 5:15). Paul masterfully connects God's grace with His divine laws and leaves both Ephesians and us today with a clear understanding of our responsibilities. Paul has reaffirmed the Old Testament fundamental principles of law and grace. Consider these examples. God told Abraham, “Unto thy seed will I give this land:” (i.e., the land of Canaan) (Genesis 12:7) yet from the book of Genesis to Joshua 21 we find bloody warfare on the part of Israel and Canaan over the land. When the wars were over, the Bible tells us, “so Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein” (Joshua 21:43). Note that during these wars for Canaan, God told Joshua that He had “given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor...” yet Jehovah commanded that Joshua and Israel go to war to takp the city (Joshua 6:2ff). Later in the history of Israel, God told Namaan that he would heal his leprosy if he would wash in the Jordan seven times (2 Kings 5). Why did Jesus tell the blind man of John 9:7 that he would be healed if he would “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam...”? Could it be that man is justified (forgiven of sins; i.e., is a recipient of God’s grace) through an obedient faith in Jesus Christ? Each case in the Old and New Testament that deals with God and His promises reveals a common factor of an individual being asked to obey God’s commands that he or she may receive His favor. Grace works no different today. Those who truly love truth and God will have no problem complying with God’s instructions and are thereby justified of sins by an obedient faith as was Abraham (cf. Genesis 18:19; 22:18; 26:4-5; Hebrews 11:8).
One of the most informative verses in God's word dealing with the subject of grace, the forgiveness of man's sins, is found at Isaiah 55:3. After speaking of the free nature of God's grace at Isaiah 55:1-2 the prophet writes,
"Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." The "everlasting covenant" is an eternal law that God had foreordained before the foundation of the world to inform man regarding their salvation (see Ephesians 1:3-6 and a multitude of passages such as 2 John 9-11). The apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 55:3 at Acts 13:34 in relationship to Christ and the forgiveness of man's sins (see Acts 13:34-39). Isaiah thereby makes an inseparable connection between God's grace (forgiveness) and law (the everlasting covenant). Those who follow God's laws will be recipients of His divine grace. The two are inseparably connected. Paul tells Titus that grace, "Instructs us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:12). This is why Paul referred to the gospel message of Jesus Christ as a "law of faith" (Romans 3:27) and the "law of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:2). This is why James called the gospel message, "The perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25; 2:12). Those who violate God's laws are in sin (see 1 John 3:4-10). There are erring people today who teach that man can continue in their sinful ways without fear of God rejecting them. Some refer to this as the impossibility of apostasy or once saved always saved. The idea is that God's grace abounds in one's life even though that person continues in sin. Consider what the apostle Paul said to the Romans: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to sin how shall we any longer live therein?" (Romans 6:1-2). Those who fail to see the inseparable connection between grace and law will ever learn yet nevr come to the knowledge of truth (see 2 Timothy 3:7).
Outline of the Book of Ephesians