Skip to main content

Ephesians 1:1: To the saints . . .


Ephesians 1:1

[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: (ESV)

As we continue to look at these opening words of the letter Paul writes to the Ephesians, we come to an important element in any letter; the recipients.  Who is Paul writing to? The saints. Now that raises a question.  Who are the saints?  We know that the Roman Catholic Church has elevated certain people who have lived especially godly lives to the status of saint.  However, one of the stipulations about Catholic saints is this: they are dead!  Paul is writing to saints whom he expects to read his letter.  So clearly the saints that Paul is referring to are not dead.

The saints in Ephesus are those who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus. There is an important distinction to be made here.  The Catholic notion of being a saint is a reward for earthly behavior that was deemed godly.  The Biblical notion of being a saint is where those whose behavior has not been godly place their faith completely in Christ Jesus, who alone is holy, and are thereby declared to be holy, and set apart for good works in Him.  What a beautiful difference.  Our holiness, or saintliness, is based on the righteousness of Christ, which is given to those who place their faith in him.  It is not based on us.  Paul was a murderer.  Now, by the will of God he is an apostle.  Those in the church at Ephesus were all variety of sinners, but are now saints.  All of this is by the will of God, as they surrendered their will to God.

Are you a saint?  Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ?  Are you depending on the efforts of your will to achieve sainthood?  Or have you surrendered your will to Jesus Christ?  If you can, complete this sentence with your name in the blank:

 I, ______________________, am a saint, by my faith in Christ Jesus.

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 26, 2018 at 9:50 AM

    I Curtis Varble, am a saint, by my faith in Christ Jesus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Every Day DevotionJanuary 26, 2018 at 3:44 PM

      Praise God for that! His grace to us is truly amazing.

      Delete
  2. UnknownFebruary 21, 2018 at 11:39 AM

    I Laura Lynn, am a saint, by my faith in Christ Jesus and HIS grace is truly amazing. By my flesh I am not worthy but by His blood I am redeem.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,
2 comments
Read more

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu
6 comments
Read more

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co
Post a Comment
Read more