EPHESIANS

APPENDIX

CHRIST JESUS  -  LORD JESUS CHRIST  -  JESUS CHRIST 
(Eph.1:1-3)

LORD:

kurios (koo'-ree-os)

owner - supreme in authority

It expresses the authority and lordship arising from and pertaining to ownership. While it is used of God, it is similarly used of the lower and human relationship of "master," as master of the house, and the relation- ship between the man and his wife. Also as a designation of any person of high position. 

JESUS:

Iesous (ee-ay-sooce')

Jehovah our Saviour, or Jehovah has become our salvation

The name associated with the shame, God becoming human, and then becoming sin.

The physical aspect - God contacting man.

CHRIST

Christos (khris-tos')

anointed, i.e. the Messiah

The Greek translation of the Hebrew "Mashiah," and has the same meaning, from "chrio,"   To Anoint. 

The noun is  used of and for the Messiah (which is the Hebrew Mashiah transliterated). 

This is Christ, the Anointed   (in the Gospels),
or the Anointing (in the Epistles). 

The Spiritual aspect - enables man to contact God.

THE TWO NATURES IN CHRIST

The constant Scriptural representations of the infinite value of Christ's atonement and of the union of the human race with God which has been secured in Him, are intelligible only when Christ is regarded not as a man OF God, but as the GOD-MAN, in whom the two natures are so united that what each does has the value of both. The universal Christian consciousness recognizes in Christ a single and undivided personality.

The person of Christ is Theanthropic, but not His nature. That is, we may speak of the God-man when we wish to refer to the Person; but we cannot speak of the Divine-Human nature, but must say the Divine nature and the Human nature in Christ.

JESUS CHRIST:
In the combination of these two names, the former is emphatic by its position, the second being subsidiary and ex- planatory. In the Gospels it means "Jesus the Messiah," In the Epistles it means Jesus who humbled Himself but is now exalted and glorified as Christ. This is the name as connected with the Apostles, and the Foundation of our faith.

CHRIST JESUS:
The above reversed. Now Christ, or the Anointing is emphatic. The One NOW EXALTED who once humbled Himself. In relationship to us as our Head.

LORD JESUS CHRIST: 
In the book of Ephesians this title is always found in relation with God as Father, and shows Jesus as exalted to the position of complete owner and ruler of all things as portrayed in 1:20-23.

GRACE
(Eph.1:2,6,7; 2:5,7,8; 3:2,7,8; 4:7,29; 6t24)

Grace

charis (khar'-ece)

AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD:
By the grace of God we mean the goodness of God manifested toward the ill-deserving. 

The exercise of grace, like that of mercy, is optional with God. He must be holy in all His actions; He may or may not show grace to a guilty sinner. 

This is the "Common Grace" of God,

The Scriptures also show that His grace is especially manifested towards those who respond to prevenient grace: 

This is God's "Special Grace".

SPECIAL OR SAVING GRACE                    Prevenient Grace

"Prevenient Grace" makes it possible for a man to respond favorably to God; but it does not compel him to do so. Because of it he can say: "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned"   (Jer.31:18,19); in other words, he can now indicate some measure of desire for God. This positive response does not yet save him: it merely gives God the "go" signal. There are further conditions to meet; and in response to man's "go" signal, God can now enable man to meet them.

These conditions are REPENTANCE and FAITH. The Scriptures repeatedly exhort men to turn to God, to repent, and to believe. But although man has already given some indication of a desire for God, he cannot do either of them, because of his DEADNESS in trespasses and sins. Therefore God, in His kindness and mercy, and because of man's favorable response, supplies that which His holiness demands: He produces repentance (Acts 501; 11:18;   11 Tim.2:25) and faith (Rom.12:3; II Pet. 1:1) in the heart of the man.

This immediately leads to the  final act in the process. According to His promise, God now actually  saves all those who repent and believe (Mk.1:15; Jn.1:12; 5:24).   

Thus God is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of Salvation. From beginning to end we owe our salvation to the grace of God which He has decided to bestow upon sinful man.

SANCTIFICATION

DEFINITION

Both the Hebrew  "qodesh" and the Greek 11hagiazoll mean essentially  "to separate,"   Broadly speaking, we can define sanctification as:

A Separation to God

An Imputation of Christ as our Holiness

Purification from Moral Evil

Conformation to the Image of Christ

A.     Positional –

1.

Separation  to God: This presupposes separation from defilement. It pertains to inanimate things in particular. Thus Hezekiah charged the Levites to sanctify the house of Jehovah by carrying forth the filthiness out of the holy place (2 Chron.29:5,15-19). In this scene the tabernacle and the temple were "sanctified" with all their furniture and vessels (Ex.40:10,11; Num.7:1; 2 Chron.7:16). In this sense also a man might "sanctify" his house or a part of his field (Lev.27:14,16). In this sense the Lord "sanctified"  Israel's firstborn to Himself (Ex.13:2; Num.3:13; Neh.8:17). In this sense Christians are "sanctified", or "set apart" at the time of their conversion (I Cor.1:1,2; I Pet.1:1,2; Heb.10:14).

2.

Imputation of Christ as Our Holiness: This accompanies the imputation of Christ our righteousness. He is made unto us both righteousness and sanctification (I Cor.1:30). Paul says we are "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (I Cor.1:2). This holiness is obtained by faith in Christ (Acts 26:18). The "washing of water by the word" preceded this sanctification (Eph.5:26). The believer is thus reckoned holy as well as righteous, because he is clothed with the holiness of Christ. In this sense, all believers are called "saints," irrespective of the spiritual attainments (Rom.1:7; I Cor.1:2; Eph.1:1; Phil.1:1; Col.1:1). The Corinthians are a good example of this.

B. Negative

Purification From Moral Evil: This is, in reality, but another form of separation. The priests were asked to "sanctify" themselves before drawing near to God (Ex.19:22). Thus the believer today is asked to separate himself from the ungodly in general (2 Cor.6:17,18), from false teachers and doctrines (2 Tim.2:21; 2 Jn.9,10), and from his own evil nature (Rom.6:11 12; Eph.4:22,25-32; Col-3:5-9; 2 Cor-7:1; 1 Thiss.4:3,7). God has already set apart to Himself every one who believes in Christ (A, above); now the believer is to set himself apart to God for His use

C. Positive -

Conformation to the Image of Christ:  Scriptures that deal with this phase of sanctification.-  Rom. 8:29: "For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren"; Gal.5:22,23: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control"; Phil.1:6: "being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ"; Phil.3:10.- "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, becoming conformed unto his death"; 2 Cor.3:18: "but we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit"; 1 Jn.3:2: "Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him".

In point A, Positional, we see God separate the believer to Himself. 
In point B, Negative, we see the believer separate himself from the world and evil,
In point C, Positive, we see God and man together - God does the work, and man yields.

THE TIME OF SANCTIFICATION

The Initial Act of Sanctification:    The Scriptures teach that the moment a man believes in Christ he is "sanctified."

This, as we have shown, is clear from the fact that believers are called "saints" in the New Testament irrespective of their spiritual attainments (I Cor.1:2; Eph.1:1; Col.1:2; Heb.10:10; Jude 1,3). Of the Corinthians Paul explicitly says that they "were sanctified" (1 Cor.6:11), though he also declares that they are "yet carnal" (1 Cor-3:3). In Thessalonians he affirms that his readers are all  "sanctified,"  and then he prays for their sanctification (2 Thess.2:13; I Thess.5:23,24).

In other words, the moment a man believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, that very moment God reckons to him the holiness of Christ and declares him "sanctified."

The Process of Sanctification:      As a process sanctification continues throughout life.

On the basis of what the believer has done at conversion, he is admonished to do the same actually in his experience. Because he had "put off" and "put on", he is not to "put off" and to "put on" continually (Col.3:8-12).

Complete and Final Sanctification:       Complete and final sanctification awaits the sight of Christ. 

No matter how much progress we may have made in the life of holiness, entire conformity to Christ will only then be realized when "that which is perfect is come" and "that which is in part shall be done away" (I Cor.13:10). 

We have been saved from the guilt and the penalty of sin

We are being saved from the power of sin

We will ultimately be saved from the very presence of sin

Our salvation from the presence of sin will take place when we shall see the Lord, either at death (Heb.12:23) or at His coming (I Jn.3:2; Heb.9:28). There will be no further possibility of sinning after that for at least two reasons:
(1) The body of the believer will then be glorified, and will have lost any desire for sin (Phil-3:20,21; Rom. 8:32,24),
(2) There will be no temptation there (Rev.21:27).

THE MEANS OP SANCTIFICATION

This is nothing short of the GRACE of God. 

In himself man can do nothing to sanctify himself. Even in the believer God takes the initiative. Paul says: "For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil.2:13). But there are definite means that man may employ in his sanctification.  Here, as elsewhere, faith in Christ is the first step to take (Acts 26:18).

He who believes in Christ is sanctified positionally, for Christ is at that moment made unto him sanctification (1 Cor.1:30). 
Next must come the pursuit after holiness. He who does not follow after "the sanctification" shall not see God (Heb.12:14; 2 Cor.?.-1). This should lead him to study the Scriptures, for they disclose the state of the heart and point out the remedy for failure (Jn.17:17,19; Eph. 5:26; 1 Tim.4:5). The divinely instituted ministry also has its part in pointing out the need of holiness and urging the pursuit of it (Eph.4:11-13;  1 Thess.3:10). The definite surrender of the life to God constitutes the supreme condition to practical sanctification (Rom.12:1; 6:13,19-21; 2 Tim.2:21).

Since God must make man holy, if he is ever to be holy, man must yield himself  to God that He may accomplish this work in him. Thus, man is ever and always totally DEPENDANT  UPON  GOD!

End of  the  study  of  Ephesians