Category: Series: Ephesians

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a desire for more.

But that is not the way you learned Christ! Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him, in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are members of one another. “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger, and do not give the devil a foothold.

The one who steals must steal no longer, but rather must labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one in need. Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and rage and anger and clamor and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as God in Christ forgave you.

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Notes

The New Covenant calls for a new walk—and that walk flows from learning Christ. Paul doesn’t say “learn about Christ,” but rather “learn Christ”—a phrase that communicates personal relationship and transformation. What Sinai revealed in types and shadows, Christ embodies in fullness. And now, those united to Him are called to live as new creations.

The old self—rooted in Adam, corrupted by deceitful desires, dead in sin—must be put off. This is not self-improvement but death and resurrection. Paul had already declared: you were dead, but God made you alive in Christ (cf. Ephesians 2:1–5). Now, he calls believers to put on the new self—not just a better version of themselves, but a self created after God, righteous and holy through union with Jesus
(cf. Colossians 3:9–10; Romans 6:4–6).

This transformation begins with the renewing of the mind, not by external law but by the indwelling Spirit. The behavior that follows—truth-telling, working honestly, speaking grace, forgiving others—is not legalism, but the fruit of a new identity. It is not “act holy so you can be holy.” It is “you are holy in Christ—now live as one who is.”

Paul roots this entire ethical framework in relationship: we are members of one another. We are sealed by the Spirit. We are forgiven in Christ. This is not mere morality; it is new creation living—Spirit-produced, Christ-centered, and love-shaped.

We are warned not to grieve the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not a force but a Person who indwells God’s people and seals them for the day of redemption. Bitterness, rage, and slander grieve Him because they deny the gospel we profess. But kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness display the gospel we’ve received.

This is the New Covenant ethic: put off what belongs to death, put on what belongs to life. Walk in the new self. Speak truth. Work in love. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven. And let the Spirit shape you to look more and more like Jesus.

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Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received: with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, and making every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away and gave gifts to men.” What does “He ascended” mean except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God—as mature people, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow up in all things into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the working of each individual part.

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Notes

This section marks a Spirit-led transition from identity to practice—from what God has done to how the Church must walk. Paul urges believers not to strive for calling, but to walk worthy of the calling already received. This call is grounded in grace, not performance. And the character of that walk—humility, gentleness, patience, and love—flows not from self-effort but from union with Christ.

At the heart of the walk is unity, not manufactured but preserved—because the Spirit has already created it. This unity is grounded in deep, unshakable truths: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. This sevenfold unity is a complete theological framework for the New Covenant community
(cf. 1 Corinthians 12:13; John 17:20–23).

Yet unity does not mean uniformity. Christ, the ascended Lord, has given gifts to His body. These gifts are people—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—not to control, but to equip the saints. The purpose is not hierarchy but maturity. The body builds itself up when every part works properly, and the measure of maturity is not behavior but conformity to the fullness of Christ.

The Church grows by speaking the truth in love—this is not cold doctrine or sentimental affection, but gospel-shaped words lived in gospel-shaped relationships. Truth and love are not opposites in the New Covenant—they are companions.

The result of this life together is stunning: no longer infants, the Church becomes a body fitted and held together by Christ Himself. Each ligament matters. Each part contributes. And the whole grows up into Christ, the Head, from whom the body derives life, direction, and strength
(cf. Colossians 2:19).

This is the worthy walk of the New Covenant Church: unified by the Spirit, gifted by Christ, shaped by love, and growing into His fullness. The Law never produced this. But grace does. And it does so through Christ, who descended, ascended, and now fills all things.

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For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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Notes

This prayer brings us into the very heart of New Covenant life: communion with the Father, indwelling by the Son, empowerment through the Spirit, and fullness in God. Paul does not pray for changed circumstances but for a deeper experience of God’s indwelling power. He bows before the Father—not in ritual, but in reverence—acknowledging Him as the source and name-giver of every family in heaven and earth.

Paul prays first for strength through the Spirit in the inner being. This is not physical endurance, but spiritual vitality. The Spirit’s presence is not theoretical—it is experiential. He strengthens us so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. This is not a second step of salvation—it is the daily life of the New Covenant: Christ in you
(cf. Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27).

Rooted and grounded in love, the saints are now invited to explore the vast dimensions of that love—wide, long, high, deep—immeasurable and eternal. This is not intellectual knowledge only; Paul prays that we would know what surpasses knowledge. This paradox is the soul of worship: encountering the infinite love of Christ not merely with the mind but in the heart.

And then comes one of the most breathtaking phrases in all of Paul’s writings: “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” This is not a future promise—it is a present possibility through the Spirit. What the tabernacle and temple once contained, the believer and the Church now embody
(cf. John 1:16; Ephesians 2:22).

The doxology that follows is not just poetic—it is revelatory: God is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or think, not merely around us but within us, through His power already at work. And this power leads to glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus—a glory that will never fade, spanning all generations, anchored in eternity.

This is the apex of the first half of Ephesians: the Church as the temple of God, filled with Christ, rooted in love, and radiant with divine fullness. The New Covenant is not a modified law system—it is a Spirit-filled communion, where Christ lives in us, love defines us, and God’s glory is displayed through us.

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For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—surely you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.

This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power. Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to proclaim to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to illuminate for everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was hidden in God, who created all things.

His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him and through faith in Him, we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.

So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

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Notes

This section opens up the glory of the New Covenant: the unveiling of the mystery that had been hidden for ages—now revealed in Christ, through the Spirit, and proclaimed by the apostles. Paul, writing from prison, sees himself not as a victim of Roman chains but as a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles. His calling is not a burden—it is a stewardship of grace.

What was once concealed is now declared: the mystery of Christ. Not simply that Gentiles would be blessed—that was hinted in the Abrahamic promises—but that they would be fellow heirs, members of the same body, and full sharers in the promise. This is radical equality in the Messiah, not by circumcision, not by Mosaic law, but by grace through faith
(cf. Romans 16:25–26; Colossians 1:26–27).

Paul’s calling is to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ—the infinite grace, beauty, and glory of the risen Lord—and to make known the administration of this mystery, which had been hidden in God from before time began. Now, through the Church, God is putting His manifold wisdom on display—not only before the world but before spiritual powers in the heavenly realms.

The Church is God’s cosmic demonstration of His eternal purpose. Through redeemed Jews and Gentiles made one in Christ, the principalities see the wisdom of the cross, the victory of grace, and the unfolding plan of God—accomplished not in law, but in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And here is the fruit of this mystery: boldness and access. We do not approach God trembling under condemnation. We come with confidence, because the veil has been torn and the Spirit now dwells within
(cf. Hebrews 10:19–22; Ephesians 2:18).

This is the New Covenant unveiled: not just personal salvation, but global reconciliation, eternal purpose, and Spirit-empowered access to the living God. Paul’s suffering is not a detour—it is part of the design. Grace has made him a servant of the mystery, and the mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

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Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh—called “uncircumcised” by those called “circumcised” (which is done in the body by human hands)—were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross, by which He put the hostility to death.

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

So then, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.

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Notes

This section unveils the New Covenant miracle: the complete inclusion of Gentiles and the formation of one unified people in Christ. Paul calls the Gentile believers to remember their former status: separated from the Messiah, cut off from Israel’s blessings, and alienated from the covenants of promise. They had no hope and no God, not because God was absent, but because they were outside His covenant mercy.

But now—in Christ Jesus—the distance has been abolished. Gentiles have been brought near not by Torah, circumcision, or temple ritual, but by the blood of Christ. His cross is the fulfillment of Passover, sacrifice, and peace offering. It is the end of hostility—not only between man and God, but between man and man
(cf. Isaiah 57:19; Colossians 1:20–22).

The dividing wall of hostility—symbolized both physically in the Jerusalem temple and spiritually through the Law—has been torn down. Christ abolished the law of commandments and decrees not by violating it but by fulfilling it in His flesh. The New Covenant does not renovate the Old; it replaces it with one new man in Christ
(cf. Hebrews 8:13; Romans 10:4).

Now, through Christ, both Jew and Gentile have access to the Father by one Spirit. The curtain has been torn. The barriers are down. The Spirit is not restricted to the temple—He now builds His dwelling in the Church. No longer outsiders, Gentile believers are now fellow citizens, family members, and living stones in a growing temple. Christ is the cornerstone, and the apostles and prophets—bearers of the New Covenant message—form the foundation
(cf. 1 Peter 2:4–5; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17).

This is not a religion. This is a new creation, a living temple, a household of God filled with the Spirit. The dwelling place of God is no longer a building but a people—redeemed, reconciled, united, and indwelt.

This is the peace Christ purchased: one new humanity, one reconciled body, one holy temple. All of it made possible not by effort but by the cross, not by ritual but by the Spirit, not by Sinai but by Zion.

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As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you followed the ways of this world, the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, made us alive together with Christ—even when we were dead in trespasses. By grace you have been saved!

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand for us to walk in.

Notes

This section declares the miracle of regeneration and resurrection in Christ—the central act of the New Covenant. Paul doesn’t say we were misguided or sick in sin, but utterly dead. There was no spark left to revive, no strength to awaken. Our lives, before Christ, were enslaved to three forces: the world, the devil, and the flesh. We followed them willingly and were by nature children of wrath.

But God. This is the gospel’s turning point. Not because we turned, but because God moved. Rich in mercy and motivated by great love, He made us alive—not independently, but with Christ. His resurrection was not only His own—it was ours too
(cf. Colossians 2:13; Romans 6:4–5).

By grace you have been saved. This is Paul’s anthem. Grace is not help—it is resurrection. Faith is not a work—it is the means by which this gift of salvation is received. There is no room for boasting, no ladder of merit, no earning. This is the heartbeat of the New Covenant: salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

But salvation is not only about forgiveness or future hope. We are already raised and seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, because we are united to Him. This is positional reality. Christ’s location is now ours—not someday, but now. We are seated because the work is finished. And in the ages to come, God will continue to display His kindness toward us—not as trophies of effort but as vessels of mercy
(cf. Titus 3:4–7; Romans 8:30).

We are His workmanship, His creation, born again in Christ Jesus. The Law could only command good works, but the Spirit produces them. The works we now walk in are prepared by God, not manufactured by the flesh. They are the fruit of a new life, not the root of it.

This is New Covenant life: raised with Christ, seated in Christ, saved by grace, and recreated for His purposes. What Sinai demanded but never produced, the cross accomplished and the Spirit applies. The dead are now alive—and they walk.

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