Part 2 of our study in Ephesians. For part 1, click here

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus”

Ephesians 1:1 NKJV

We know from verse one of chapter one that Ephesians was written by Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. Without diving too deep into who Paul is, I do want to make mention of the gift by which he writes to us.

Paul is an apostle of Jesus. Though not of the original twelve who walked with Jesus, Paul’s ministry of apostleship is especially important to us because of his unique calling as well as the great amount of his writing that found its way into the New Testament.

Apostle is not a term used to describe ministers in most churches today. The early church would have been very familiar with apostles engaging in the daily life of the church, however, and they were far more acquainted with apostleship than we are today. Apostle simply means messenger. The word as a title had a very clear meaning to the Greek speaking world of the first century. In secular Greek, an apostle referred to the admiral of a fleet sent out by the king on special assignment. This is the understanding the original twelve disciples would have had when Jesus first used the word, and it was the understanding any Greek speaking Gentile of the day would have had.

The apostle was one sent with a specific assignment and duty, and was given full authority from their king to act on the king’s behalf to accomplish his special assignment. In Ephesians, this comes into light later when Paul informs the Ephesians he was sent to preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make known the fellowship of the mystery… (Eph 3:8-9). We will look at this in great detail later.

More importantly, we must see who the king of Paul’s apostleship is. An apostle is nothing without a king. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ.

In much of western Christianity, we often equate the word Christ (or Messiah) with the idea of savior. While it is true that Jesus is savior, this is not what the word Christ is intended to communicate. Christ, or Messiah (Mashiach in Hebrew) means anointed. Similar to the word apostle (and many other biblical words), a mere definition does not do justice to the real meaning and implications of the word when used as a title.

To say, “Jesus is the Christ”, is synonymous with calling Him, “King of the Jews”. The anointing of the Christ is, biblically speaking, an anointing placed by God upon a human to rule and reign in earthly Jerusalem over the nation of Israel. Since the time of the prophet Samuel, the title, Christ/Messiah, is what is referred to as a “throne name”. Other throne names that come to mind are “Pharaoh” and “Caesar”. By the time of Paul’s writing, the Jewish people had been dispersed throughout the known world. Even many of the less educated in Paul’s day would have had at least a basic understanding of the Jewish hope for Messiah.

When Paul declared himself an apostle of Jesus Christ, believing Jews and Gentiles alike would have understood his meaning, which is this: Paul was sent and anointed by God to proclaim the greatness of Jerusalem’s king among those who are not Israel. Not only that, but Paul was called to proclaim the Gentiles’ (non-Israelis) adoption into the Jewish King’s fellowship. Paul also proclaimed Gentile inheritance as co-heirs with Israel in the promise of the Jewish King. Although there are most certainly covenantal territorial, priestly, and governmental promises which specifically belong to national and ethnic Israel, Paul’s teachings help us to better understand the blessings and inheritance offered to every tribe, nation, and tongue under heaven- so long as they receive the Jewish Messiah as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Paul was not simply proclaiming salvation to the nations. He was proclaiming inclusion into a real, tangible kingdom that is heavenly of origin, but will one day exist on earth as it does in heaven. Jesus’ kingdom on earth will have real, lasting geopolitical and cultural realities. Paul’s gospel to the Gentiles was designed to instruct and encourage us so that we could have fellowship in the blessings, power, and love of His eternal kingdom today while we wait in hope for the eternal kingdom to come to earth. Not only that, but Paul also labored in the Gospel so that we would be equipped to proclaim this Gospel of the Kingdom as a witness until Jesus returns and establishes the kingdom of the Gospel on earth in its fullness (Matthew 24).

Hopefully this will help you understand my logic as you proceed with this study of Ephesians. Without establishing the identity of Christ, many of Paul’s epistles can be easily reduced to a christian lifestyle manual. While I believe we need to pursue a lifestyle pleasing to God, I also believe we need to be intimately aware of the messianic hope and reward taught in the epistles. It answers the questions, “Why are we saved?”, “Why must we live this way”, and “What should our expectations be?”

Next week, we will begin the first chapter of the book of Ephesians. Until then, if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section. Blessings!