Q1--What 2 things are the Ephesians commended for?

The 2 foundations of our Christian walk
     1. faith in the Lord Jesus
     2. love unto all the saints

Comment on verse 15

Here in this verse are summarized the essentials of our Christian walk. First is our relationship with God — our faith in the Lord Jesus. And next is our relationship with others — love unto all the saints. Our Christian foundation is built on faith in Christ. It is not about church membership, doing good works, or being a good person. It is about serving Christ. When we have a relationship with God, then we will want to take the next step and reach out to others in love — have love unto all the saints. So in this one verse we see the essence of Christianity — we love the Lord, and we love others.

16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Q2--What does God give us?

God gives us wisdom and reveals knowledge of himself to us

John 16:13, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Q3--What is the result of receiving from God the spirit of wisdom?

The eyes of our understanding become enlightened. The Spirit reveals new truth to us. He shows us who he is, and he helps us to understand the Bible, and he helps us to understand his direction in our life.

Comment on verse 18 by J. Vernon McGee

"What a wonderful, glorious thing it is to have the Spirit of God be the One to teach us. ... I knew a dear lady in Sherman, Texas. We all called her ‘Grandma,’ and she was a wonderful lady, but she could neither read nor write. I was just a first-year seminary student and I thought I had the answer to everything, so I went to visit her. I started out by trying to explain John 14 to her. I thought I’d make it simple for Grandma. She listened about five minutes and then said, ‘Young man, have you ever noticed this in that chapter?’—and then she went on to point out something from that Scripture. Well, to be honest, I hadn’t noticed it. I couldn’t understand how she could have such insight when she couldn’t read or write. She knew things I couldn’t find in the commentaries. How did she know? The eyes of her heart were opened by the Spirit of God."

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Q4--What is given to us who believe?

He has given us his power.

Comment on verse 19

Notice all the superlatives in this verse. According to the working of his mighty power, he gives us the exceeding greatness of his power. It is his power that bestows upon us power. We may feel insignificant and helpless, but we are not. We have the power of Christ residing inside of us. We need to face every trouble or set-back with confidence knowing that God’s power will see us through.

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Q5--Where is Christ now? How much power does he have?

Christ is now at God’s right hand in the heavenly places. Notice verse 21 indicates the mighty power which belongs to Jesus. He is all powerful, the mighty God.

22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Q6--What is Christ the head of?

Q7--If Christ is the head of the church, how much power do you think the church has?

Christ is the head of the church. Verse 23 says the fulness of Christ fills the church. The church is not weak but powerful.

Matthew 16:18, And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Comment on verses 22-23

What makes a church strong or weak is how it responds to the foundations of the Christian faith. A church with people that pray will discover a new spiritual strength. A church that studies the Bible will discover new spiritual growth. A church that reaches out to others with the message of Christ will discover a new joy. We must be faithful to these essentials of the faith.

Footnotes:

These study notes on Ephesians 1:15-23 © 1997 by David Humpal. All Rights Reserved.

All scriptures from the King James Version. Questions based on both the King James Version and the New International Version

Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, vol. 5, pg. 228 © 1983, Thomas Nelson Publishers