Paul's Epistle to the Ephisians
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Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians Dedication It is with much delight that I dedicate this volume to the staff members of the Berean Bible Society. Without their faithful support this work would have never been possible. 2 Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians by Paul M. Sadler, Pastor President of the Berean Bible Society Editor of the Berean Searchlight Author of Exploring the Unsearchable Riches of Christ; The Triumph of His Grace; The Institution of Marriage; The Historical Beginning of the Church And other Bible studies BEREAN BIBLE SOCIETY N112 W17761 Mequon Road Germantown, WI 53022 (Metro Milwaukee) 3 Copyright, 1999 by BEREAN BIBLE SOCIETY N112 W17761 Mequon Road Germantown, WI 53022 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Sadler, Paul M. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-893874-27-3 1. Bible. 2. Grace (Theology) 3. Bible Teaching 4. Title All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews. All Scripture quotations in this book are from “The Old Scofield Reference Bible” 1909, 1917, 1937, 1945 by Oxford University Press, Inc. - King James Version Printed in the United States of America Worzalla Publishing Co. Stevens Point, Wisconsin 4 CONTENTS In Grateful Appreciation 7 Preface 8 Introduction 9 1. A Clear View From Mt. Everest 10 Date and Theme of the Epistle - To Whom Was the Epistle Written? 2. The General of Grace 16 The Secret of Paul’s Greatness – Apprehending Christ – Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind – Pressing Onward – Dispensational Distinctions 3. The Charter of the Church 22 The Believer’s Position in Christ – Blessings in the Land – Blessings in the Heavenlies 4. In God We Trust 36 Prayer, Dispensationally Considered – Paul’s Prayer Life – God’s Inheritance – The Preeminence of Christ – The Exaltation of Christ – Three Dominions of Christ’s Exaltation 5. Bitter Waters Made Sweet 50 The Anatomy of Sin – Total Depravity – The Ages To Come – One New Man – A Dark Past – A Snapshot of Ourselves in Goliath – A Change in Venue- A Dispensational View of Peace – The Dwelling Place of God – Laying the Foundation – The Building of a Temple 6. The Treasures of Grace 68 A Walk Down Memory Lane – The Dispensation of Grace – The Revelation of the Mystery – The Unique Character of the Mystery – A Controversial Passage – The Promise – The Wisdom of God 7. The Manifold Wisdom of God 85 In the Presence of Angels – The Victorious Christian Life – Love Which Passeth Knowledge 8. Time and Eternity 95 Living Under the Law – Living Under Grace – Walking Worthy of the Doctrine – Walking Worthy of our Calling – A Grand Statement of Faith – Christ’s Ascension According to Paul’s Gospel – Employed In His Service – Vital Signs 5 9. God’s Recipe for a New Heart 112 A Divine Warning – A New Man in Christ – The Teaching of Self- Esteem – Controlling Our Anger – How to Deal With Anger – Christian Behavior – Grieving the Holy Spirit 10. Soaring in Freedom 126 Imitators of God – Walk in Love – Darkness and the Origin of Evil – The Light of the Gospel – Things to Remember – Being Filled With the Spirit 11. Keeping the Home Fire Burning 147 God’s Original Blueprint – A High and Holy Calling – Love That Knows No Bounds – Headship 12. The University of Life 162 Marriage and Celibacy – Preparations for Marriage – Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage – A Great Mystery – The Bride of Christ 13. The Art of Admonition 178 The Heritage of the Lord – Deliverance in Christ – The Carpenter’s Tools 14. The Great Conflict 186 A Call to Arms – The Power of His Might – The Wiles of the Devil – The Fall of Satan – The Strategies of the Devil 15. The Panoply of God 196 The Belt of Truth – The Breastplate of Righteousness – Do You Have Your Shoes On? – The Shield of Faith – The Helmet of Salvation – The Sword of the Spirit 16. A Contagious Style 212 The Gospel of the Mystery – The Mystery of the Gospel – The Afflictions of the Gospel – The Gospel of Salvation – You’ve Got Mail Endnotes 221 6 IN GRATEFUL APPRECIATION To my family and staff who were more than patient with me when I was preoccupied with the manuscript. Surely a great recompense of reward awaits them at the Lord’s appearing. Once again, to my dear wife, Vicki, who has always encouraged me in the work. She spent many hours smoothing out the original manuscript and putting together the Scripture Index that appears in the back of the volume. To my son and faithful co-laborer, Kevin, who laid out and typeset the entire manuscript. Since I tend to be a perfectionist, his job was not an easy one, but I am most thankful for his patience and understanding. Many, many thanks to Pastor David Havard, Linda Bedore, Fred Wisniewski, and Wesley Baum, all of whom painstakingly proofread the whole manuscript and offered many helpful suggestions. Since authors tend to run rough-shod over their errors, if you find a mistake I’m sure they would love to hear from you!!! A challenge some are sure to take seriously, especially since they’re like needles in a haystack. We also want to convey our appreciation to all those who contributed to this project that it might become a reality. Mere words fail to convey my appreciation for your prayers and support. Finally, thanks be unto God for supplying the opportunity and the strength to complete this work. It is the author’s earnest prayer that God will be glorified in this labor of love. The Author 7 PREFACE The ministries of the Berean Bible Society are an out-growth of Pastor C. R. Stam’s first pastorate in 1940. Since that time BBS has grown into an international organization reaching millions with the gospel of the grace of God. The purpose of the Berean Bible Society is to help believers understand the enjoy the Word of God, rightly divided. In 1987 I had the privilege of joining Mr. Stam in the work. He was becoming increasingly concerned that failing health would soon force him to hang up the spikes, as it were. Thus, to insure that his legacy would continue, I was called upon to oversee his writings. But Pastor Stam also understood that new works would need to be written to address current issues in the Church. This commentary is one such work. The Book of Ephesians has always been called the Alps of the Pauline Epistles. It most assuredly brings us to the pinnacle of Body truth where the doctrines of grace might be viewed in their fullest sense. I asked Pastor Stam, over dinner one evening, why he had never written a commentary on Ephesians. He explained that years ago Ephesians was so frequently preached in our churches that he felt most Grace believers had a fairly good understanding of the epistle. Thus, when Brother Stam began his writing ministry, he directed his attention to those areas of Paul’s revelation that weren’t dealt with as extensively from the pulpit. I guess it seemed to me that Ephesians was the logical place to begin, although I could see Pastor Stam’s point having gone through the latter part of the era he was speaking of. But times change! Today, the Grace message has spread around the world from its humble beginnings in this country. Furthermore only a small percentage of believers have the unique privilege of attending a Grace assembly. Consequently, a large number are dependent upon our Grace organizations for sound literature that they might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Mystery. If the Lord tarries, we pray this volume will be used of God to bring many into a fuller knowledge of His will. “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). - Pastor Paul. M. Sadler 8 INTRODUCTION The Berean Bible Society is a conservative Christian organization dedicated to the proclamation of Christ and Him crucified. We hold to all the fundamentals of the faith, therefore, we believe: The verbal inspiration and plenary authority of the Word of God in its original writings – the eternal trinity of the Godhead – the eternal deity and spotless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ – mankind by nature is sinful and under the condemnation of God – personal salvation is by God’s grace through faith in the crucified, risen, glorified Lord – the eternal security of all the saved – the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit – the communion of the Lord’s Supper – the resurrection of the body – the Pretribulational Rapture of the Church – the personal, Premillennial return of Christ to reign on earth, and the eternal punishment of the unsaved. We also acknowledge the distinct apostleship and message of Paul, which sets us apart from the traditional Acts 2 dispensationalists. As we shall see in the pages that follow, all Scripture is for us, but it is not all written to us, nor is it all about us. According to II Timothy 2:15, we must rightly divide the Word of truth to ascertain what God’s will is for the Church with regard to the Mystery. The Mystery “hid in God” was the divine purpose to make Jew and Gentile a whole new entity, that is, the Church, which is Christ’s Body. The revelation of this truth was committed to the Apostle Paul and as Dr.