By the Holy Spirit, the apostles and prophets performed their work of revelation. They and the evangelists (like Philip) spread the gospel, confirmed and strengthened the souls of new saints for various lengths of time but moved on to other areas to spread the good news. It is said of them that they were “itinerant”…
If we compared the list of servants which “God has set … in the ekklesia” in 1 Cor. 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11, we will find that the apostles and prophets take first and second places respectively in each of the texts. (Cf. Chs. 2:20; 3:5). They are the first in the list because they are…
Since the Catholic Church regarded itself as the successor of Christ, they claimed the power of the Holy Spirit to enable the church. This carried a semblance of following the same pattern as Ephesians 4:11. However, Ephesians 4:16 shows a working body that includes every member, and the gifts that were given through the laying…
Since we have established the setting for the Holy Spirit’s work, and understand the purpose of His outpouring, we can now place leadership within that same context. The gifts God gave the ekklesia was a time of infancy. We may illustrate it with the stages of growth in a human being. When a baby is…
The “one new man” is the creation of the ekklesia, the body, the household, or temple of God by bringing both Jew and Gentile together. This is the mystery of the gospel. But, to accomplish this, two things are mentioned in Ephesians 2 were completed. First, He Abolished the law “He broke down the middle…
Chapter two starts with a discussion of the Gentile condition in verses 2-3 and comes back to it again in verses 11-12, each followed by the contrast of a new condition. At one time, these uncircumcised Gentiles were “dead” and “afar off” (v. 13), “separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers…
Once again, we struggle to find application to sealed and guaranteed promises that were not made to us, today. As a result of seeking to squeeze us into this same context, some believe His indwelling will manifest itself in miraculous powers but they struggle to provide any proof that what is witnessed today even resembles…
The Arrabon is a Phonetian maritime trade word that was used as a pledge granted by the buyer that guaranteed payment to the seller. It was both a pledge and a guarantee but it was not a downpayment because what was pledged was not kept as a first installment. A downpayment is an initial payment…
The effect and purpose of the seal are defined by this Greek word, “arrabon” that is translated “earnest”, “pledge”, or “guarantee”. This Greek variant of the ancient term is extant in various papyri and ostraca, where it sometimes takes on the meaning of “deposit,” “earnest money,” or “down payment.” We find it also in Aristotle’s…
To summarize, Ephesians 1: 3-11 discusses how God chose Israel, predestinated them to adoption, provided redemption, and became the vessels through whom salvation came into the world. The personal pronouns in verses 3-11 are significant because it distinguishes the “we” from the “you” as participants. The Gentiles are being added to the promise of the…