Lesson 14: “Ephesians In the Heart”
COLLEEN TINKER
Problems with this lesson:
- The lesson diminishes the point of Ephesians by overlooking the place of the cross in God’s creating one new man in Himself.
- The lesson morphs the teaching of depravity by saying people are “bent toward rebellion”.
- The lesson defines the “mystery” Paul was to explain as “the fact that God is love” instead of the mystery of the new covenant and the creation of the body of Christ.
This week’s lesson is intended to be a summary of the book of Ephesians and how the readers are supposed to internalize it. The lesson treats the book in a superficial fashion because it would contradict Adventist doctrine to actually teach what Paul says.
The lesson summarizes the mystery like this on page 179 of the Quarterly:
- In eternity, God conceives of “the mystery” or “the plan” about the church (Eph. 3:3–5, 9, 11).
- Through the life and death of Jesus, that long-hidden plan is “accomplished” (Eph. 3:11, NKJV; compare Eph. 2:11–22).
- By revelation, Paul learns“the mystery”of the church and the astonishing fact that Gentiles are to be full partners in it (Eph. 3:3–6).
- Paul participates in spreading this good news as preacher to the Gentiles of “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8, 9).
- With many won to Christ, the church, composed as it is of both Jews and Gentiles, displays “the manifold wisdom of God” to “the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10, NKJV), announcing their coming doom (compare Eph. 6:10–20). The plan to unite all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10) is underway, and their time is short.
Here is what Ephesians 2 tells us:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” [which is] performed in the flesh by human hands– [remember] that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both [groups into] one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, [which is] the Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, [thus] establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner [stone,] in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Eph 2:1-22 NASB95)
I have used the whole chapter of Ephesians 2 so that you can see how Paul explains the process of God’s creating one new man out of two: the Jews and the Gentiles. The business of becoming part of the body of Christ, of realizing that one is part of God’s elect whom He foreknew before the creation of the world, is entirely based on the work of our triune God.
We are born not merely bent toward sin, but literally spiritually dead in sin. We are born into the domain of darkness with the wrath of God condemning us before we believe (Jn. 3:18, 36). God calls us and shows us who He is while we are still dead in sin. He literally gives us the faith to believe, and when we do, we are made alive.
We, having believed and been born again, are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. We are brand-new creatures. The language of this passage is the language of Genesis 1. We are new creations. We are created IN Christ Jesus. These words aren’t mere metaphors; they describe literal reality on a spiritual level.
Significantly, we don’t become part of the “one new man” by sharing a belief system and by being part of an organization. Unfortunately, this quarterly assumes without explanation that their “church” is the true “church” described in Ephesians. It is no wonder this lesson lacks power or conviction; Adventism does not teach the biblical gospel or the true, biblical Jesus!
According to Ephesians 2 above, the one new man is created at the cross of Jesus where by His blood of sacrifice He destroyed the barrier of the law which separated Jews and Gentiles! Jesus abolished the wall “in His flesh”. He destroyed the enmity that the law defined by taking the curse of the law. He took responsibility for every sin the law defined, paid its price, and destroyed the curse of death which the law required!
By removing the curse, Jesus opened a new and living way to the Father (Heb. 10:20), and all who admit their intractable sin and throw themselves on the mercy of Jesus at His cross, accepting His payment and His removal of the curse of death, are born again and ushered into the body of Christ.
Freed from the law of sin and death, those who believe are new creations, created in Christ Jesus our Savior, and we are given the good works which He prepared in advance for us to do! These works are not works of the law; they are works assigned and prepared for us.
Moreover, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13,14) who NEVER leaves us, and He teaches us to say no to ungodliness as we learn to submit our fleshly impulses to Him as we live in the new live He has given us.
This lesson completely eclipses the power and true beauty of Ephesians. We are not just shown a magnificent idea about our role in the world as we accept Adventism. NO!
We are made new, released from the law which Jesus abolished in His flesh, and we answer directly to Him now. The indwelling Holy Spirit does not let us get away with secret sins and indulgences; He convicts us when we sin and leads us to repentance for our misdeeds and teaches us to trust Him.
He makes His word come alive in our lives, and He teaches us to understand how to live under its authority.
As this quarter closes, I suggest that each reader get a notebook and, a few verses a day, simply begin to copy the book of Ephesians into the notebook. Pray that the Lord will reveal to you what you need to know, that you will understand what He wants you to understand, and that you will see the reality of who Jesus is, of who our Father is and how He has eternal plans for the body of Christ whom He is giving to the Son. I pray that you will know the transforming reality of being born again. I pray that the true gospel will change you and that your heart will never stop worshiping our Savior whose blood has purchased you for Himself! †
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