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THE KING’S BUSINESS
must have been a blank space to be filled out, for the words, “To the saints which are” are in these manuscripts where the words “at Ephesus” are omitted, and of course, some word indicating a place must be supplied. But the whole atmosphere of the epistle and many things in it prove conclusively that it was originally intended for the Ephesians, though it may have very likely been intended for a wider cir culation also. Of course,' it does not mat ter much any way to whom it was written originally; for it is in any case intended for you and me today, and we shall get great profit from what God says to us here by the mouth of His Apostle Paul. The letter was written during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, about 62 A. D., possibly early in 63 A. D. Paul in opening makes a very brief reference to his apos tolic commission and authority. He was “an apostle (i- e., one sent) of Jesus Christ through the will of God.” That is to say, he was not an apostle from his own selection to that office, he was a properly accredited ambassador from the court of heaven, and what he has to say is as much a message of God and of Jesus Christ as if They had spoken it with audible voice from heaven. How few of our modern critics seem to realize this in their treat ment of Paul’s words. All Christians are spoken of as “saints” (cf. 1 Cor. 1:2). Every believer in Christ is a “saint,” i. e., God has sanctified him, set him apart for Himself, and has cleansed him from all guilt °f sin by the atoning death of Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:10, 14), and is cleansing him day by day from the presence of sin in his heart and life by the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Word (cf. John 15:3; Eph. 5:26; John 17:17; 1 Peter 1:2). Paul also characterizes the believers in Ephesus as “faithful.” The word translated “faithful” means primarily "believing." As a result of their believing in Christ they became worthy to be believed in themselves, “faith ful.” The sanctification which God works Paul places before their faith and faith fulness, which is the result of this sanc
tification which God has wrought. Their faithfulness was “in Christ Jesus.” “In Christ” (and synonymous expressions, “in Him,” etc.) is one of the most character istic and noteworthy phrases in this epistle. The significance of the phrase “ih Christ,” is that Jesus Christ Himself is the whole sphere of the believers life and blessing: the believer is in the sphere which Jesus Christ Himself is, in Him he lives and moves and has his being (cf. v. 3). We have nothing and are nothing except “in Christ.” Out of Christ, so far from being “faithful” we are faithless. Wednesday, June 5 . Eph. 1 : 2 . Paul prays that the saints in Ephesus may have two things: (1) “Grace,” i. e., loving favor, or unmerited favor; ( 2 ) “Peace” (i. e., inward peace of heart, cf. John 14:27). This “grace” and “peace” that Paul prays the saints in Ephesus may have, would be “from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; 4Phil. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1, 2; 2 Thess. 1:1, 2; Phile. 3). Only God the Father, and Jesus Christ His Son, our Lord, can bestow grace and peace. The man who has “grace and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ” will have all he needs. In all Paul’s epistles where grace and peace are coupled together, “grace” always precedes “peace.” The reason of this is because grace is the foundation of peace. God is "our Father,” the Father of those who believe in Christ (Gal. 3:26), and of them alone (John 1:12). All men are God’s “offspring” in that He created man in His own image (Acts' 17:28; 29), but in a full sense those only are his children who receive the Lord Jesus (John 1:12). These become actual partakers of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Note the way in which the Apostle Paul in this verse couples the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with that of God the Father. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ is coupled with that of God the Father (as the author of grace and peace) in a way in which it would be impossible to couple the
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