Ephesians

Covers Ephesians 1

A return to gospel fundamentals through Ephesians 1 — the laundry list of what is true of us in Christ, from adoption as sons to the resurrection power of the Spirit at work in us, all received by grace through faith rather than works.

Covers Ephesians 1

It is easy to read Ephesians 1 mining it for all that is true of us in Christ and miss that Paul frames the whole list as praise to God — our excitement over identity truths should overflow back to the One who gave them.

Covers Ephesians 1

Every blessing Paul piles up in Ephesians 1 is qualified by in Christ or in Him — and that repetition is the deepest assurance, since the promises belong to Jesus and are claimed by faith apart from any works of our own.

Covers Ephesians 1-6

Joe's Bible Translation — Ephesians 1-6.

Covers Ephesians 2

Rereading Ephesians 2:10 — the good works God prepared beforehand are given to the church as a body, not a fixed individual checklist whose missed steps put you outside God's will, freeing us to make real choices as we pursue his kingdom.

Covers Exodus 30 · Ephesians 2

The careful priestly washings and barriers of Exodus 30 set against Ephesians 2 — even God's chosen Israel could never freely approach his presence, yet in Christ both Jew and Gentile become sacred space with full access to the Father, exposing the silliness of the old prejudice.

Covers Ephesians 3

Ephesians 3's closing doxology points to a God who can do far more than we ask or think according to the power at work within us — and the staggering realization that the same infinite power dwells in the believer through the indwelling Spirit.

Covers Ephesians 3

Gentile inclusion in Ephesians 3 read against Babel and Deuteronomy 32 — the cross does far more than secure personal salvation, undoing the rebellions of the Fall, Genesis 6, and Babel to bring the disowned nations back into God's family.

Covers Exodus 31 · Ephesians 3

Why God makes the Sabbath his above all else command in Exodus 31, and why Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 is simply that believers grasp Christ's love — both reveal that God values trust in him above doing the right things, simple yet far from easy.

Covers Exodus 32 · Ephesians 4

The golden calf episode and Ephesians 4 read together as a study in leadership — Aaron caving to the people's wishes versus Moses standing in the gap for God, and the call for church leaders to equip rather than merely entertain.

Covers Ephesians 6

The wish to follow Christ while still blending into the surrounding culture runs aground on Ephesians 6 — our struggle is not against flesh and blood but spiritual forces actively steering that culture away from God, so blending in means fitting in with rebellious evil.