In the last post, we saw how Ephesus, and Asia Minor more generally, was a place that took spiritual power of all kinds — gods and goddesses, angels and demons, blessings and curses, and all of the spells, incantations, potions, amulets and charms one could use to manipulate them — very seriously. This likely provided … Continue reading A Question of Power: Ephesians 1.15-23 (Part II)
After having spent a few posts on the blessing in Ephesians 1.3-14, it’s finally time to move on to the next section. Here, in 1.15-23, Paul returns to his normal form, with a prayer that both intercedes on behalf of the letter’s recipients and outlines some of the theological themes for the book to come: … Continue reading A Question of Power: Ephesians 1.15-23 (Part I)
We’ve spent a lot of time in these first fourteen verse of Ephesians, but before we move on, I’d like to spend a bit of time considering the overall theme for the series, ‘Life in Christ,’ and what these first fourteen verses have to say about it. The fixed expression ‘in Christ’, or similar wordings … Continue reading ‘In Christ’ in Ephesians 1.1-14
Ephesians 1.3-14 is a liturgical blessing in praise of what God has done for us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. But, throughout the Blessing, Paul uses a lot of vocabulary that is unusual in the New Testament and that, put together, sets it apart as being particularly ‘cosmic’ in scope. Though the teaching … Continue reading Cosmic Questions in Ephesians 1.3-14
The most recent post in this Bible Study series on Ephesians looked at the wonderful liturgical blessing (1.3-14) with which Paul begins the letter. It’s a beautiful passage that boldly describes both God’s activity on our behalf and our vocation to become “holy and blameless in love” in response. But, some of the language Paul … Continue reading On Election and Predestination: Ephesians 1.4-6
Matthew Root 