The Book of Ephesians

[KenH]

Thought I would pass along that my pastor has started a new Bible study series on Sunday mornings on the book of the Ephesians. The first lesson was this past Sunday.

Introduction To Ephesians

 

[37818]

". . . no conditions . . . ." Is itself a condition!

 

[KenH]

". . . no conditions . . . ." Is itself a condition!

How so?

 

[37818]

How so?

Part of some verses.
Ephesians 1:5, ". . . according to the good pleasure of his will, . . ."

Matthew 7:21, ". . . that doeth the will of my Father . . . ."

1 Peter 1:2, ". . . according to the foreknowledge of God the Father . . . ."

 

[KenH]

Part of some verses.
Ephesians 1:5, ". . . according to the good pleasure of his will, . . ."

Matthew 7:21, ". . . that doeth the will of my Father . . . ."

1 Peter 1:2, ". . . according to the foreknowledge of God the Father . . . ."

I don't see how that defends your position in your post #2 above.

 

[37818]

I don't see how that defends your position in your post #2 above.

Titus 1:2.
John 12:50.
Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23.
Ephesians 2:8-9.
1 John 5:9-13.

Eternal life's condition is it can only be had as a gift.
Romans 6:23.

Matthew 7:22, they thought they merited it because of their religous works.

 

[KenH]

Titus 1:2.
John 12:50.
Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23.
Ephesians 2:8-9.
1 John 5:9-13.

Eternal life's condition is it can only be had as a gift.
Romans 6:23.

Matthew 7:22, they thought they merited it because of their religious works.

Again, I don't see how that relates to your post #2 above.

But, anyway, have a nice day, @37818.

 

[37818]

. . . I don't see . . . .

 

[Alan Gross]

Eternal life's condition is it can only be had as a gift.
Romans 6:23.

If the receiving of it as a gift is the one condition for having Eternal life, why isn't suggested anywhere in the Old Testament or New Testament to just receive Eternal life as a gift?

It seems like, 'receive Eternal life as a gift ', would be a command or another Gospel presented in the Bible, instead of to repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, if receiving it as a gift was the only condition of having Eternal life.

Is that what you are saying?

Why isn't anything like that mentioned as imperative?

 

[KenH]

Eternal life's condition is it can only be had as a gift.

Yes, God by His free sovereign grace grants His elect the gifts of faith and repentance from dead works.

 

[37818]

If the receiving of it as a gift is the one condition for having Eternal life, why isn't suggested anywhere in the Old Testament or New Testament to just receive Eternal life as a gift?

It seems like, 'receive Eternal life as a gift ', would be a command or another Gospel presented in the Bible, instead of to repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, if receiving it as a gift was the only condition of having Eternal life.

Is that what you are saying?

Why isn't anything like that mentioned as imperative?

I think Romans 6:23 is explicit, ". . . the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. . . ."

 

[37818]

Yes, God by His free sovereign grace grants His elect the gifts of faith and repentance from dead works.

Is there one passage in God's word which specifies those two as a set of gifts?

 

[KenH]

Is there one passage in God's word which specifies those two as a set?

Do you think that matters?

 

[37818]

Do you think that matters?

Every word of God matters. Deuteronomy 8:3.
There is though Hebrews 6:1, ". . . the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, . . ."

 

[KenH]

Every word of God matters.

That was not what my question was about.

Have a nice evening, @37818.

 

[37818]

That was not what my question was about.

Do you think that matters?

Yes.

The persuasion ". . . no conditions . . . ." matters. Ephesians 1:4.

 

[Alan Gross]

I think Romans 6:23 is explicit, ". . . the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. . . ."

Romans 6:23 is explicit as a statement of fact, but how about as being anything anyone is offering, or told to offer, to receive as a gift, to have Eternal Life?

Accept Eternal life as a gift and be on your way?

How is their sin ever being dealt with?, in awareness or providing a cure for it?

Is there one passage in God's word which specifies those two as a set of gifts?

There is though Hebrews 6:1, ". . . the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, . . ."

Those two in that passage are said to be Twin Doctrines, as you know, logically sequencial, but otherwise combined together and affectively simultaneous, chronologically.

Because you can't be given faith and then given repentance of having that faith.

Repentance is granted as a gift, as in this next verse, and faith is assumed to accompany it, as implied from the teaching in your Hebrews 6:1 verse.

"When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." Acts 11:18;

Speaking of Grace in verse 7, Paul says the faith produced by His grace is the gift of God.

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The persuasion ". . . no conditions . . . ." matters. Ephesians 1:4.

The persuasion is that them whom God predestinated, them He also Effectually Calls, through the preaching of the Gospel, and can you hear it by His grace and show evidence that He has granted you repentance. There is no condition on the sinners part except answering whether they have been brought to the end of any dependence on themselves and has God saved them, yet?

 

[Alan Gross]

There is though Hebrews 6:1, ". . . the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, . . ."

Just some c&p from a secondary source, because my old habit is dying hard.

From Conversion:

"Conversion is that voluntary change in the mind of the sinner, in which he turns, on the one hand, from sin, and on the other hand, to Christ.

"The former or negative element in conversion, namely, the turning from sin, we denominate repentance.

"The latter or positive element in conversion, namely the turning to Christ, we denominate faith."

"And again: "Conversion is the human side or aspect of that fundamental spiritual change which, as viewed from the divine side, we call regeneration."-A. H. Strong, in Systematic Theology, p. 460.

"We may go further than Strong goes in the last quotation, and say that regeneration, or the new birth, in its broadest sense, includes conversion.

"It is thus presented in such passages as Jas. 1:18 and I Pet. 1:23, where the Word of God is distinctly represented as the instrument of the Holy Spirit in regeneration.

"If the new birth meant only the impartation of life, then there would be no need of the instrumentality of the Word.

"So we may say that regeneration has both a divine and a human side.

"The divine side we may call quickening, and the human side we may call conversion."

From Repentance and Faith:

REPENTANCE IS A GIFT OF GOD

The three following passages prove this:

"Him did God exalt with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins" (Acts 5:31).

"And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life" (Acts ll:18).

"The Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:24,25).

"The meaning of this is simply that repentance is wrought in man by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit, as we have already noted."

FAITH IS A GIFT OF GOD;

"This is proved by the passages already quoted that designate repentance as a gift of God; for as we shall see, repentance and faith are inseparable graces.

Each one, when appearing alone in the Scriptures, embraces the other; for, if this were not true, the passages which mention only the one or the other would teach that one may be saved without both repentance and faith.

"This is proved by passages which teach that our coming to Christ and believing on Him are the result of the working of God's power. See John 6:37, 65; Eph. 1:19, 20.

"This is further proved by the fact that faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22)."

REPENTANCE AND FAITH CONSIDERED TOGETHER;

"Repentance and faith are inseparable synchronous graces.

"We have reference here, of course, to that repentance (signified by "metanoeo" and "metnaoia") which is unto salvation, and not to the kind (signified by "metamelomai") that Judas experienced.

"That repentance and faith are synchronous or simultaneous is evident from the fact that when a man is quickened into life there can be no lapse of time before he repents, nor can there be any before he believes.

"Otherwise we would have the new nature in rebellion against God and in unbelief.

"Thus there can be no chronological order in repentance and faith.

(Note: only the logical order of repentance proceeding faith, so that you don't have faith that is then repented of, etc.)

"Another thing which shows the inseparable-ness of repentance and faith is the fact that the Scripture often mentions only one of them as the means of salvation.

"Because of this fact we must think of each one, when used alone, as comprehending the other."

 

[37818]

Romans 6:23 is explicit as a statement of fact, but how about as being anything anyone is offering, or told to offer, to receive as a gift, to have Eternal Life?

1 John 5:9-13, ". . . If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. . . ."

 

[Van]

An introduction to the Book of Ephesians?
1) Does the introduction, Ephesians 1:1-14, say Jesus has saved His people as the sermon claims? Nope

Ephesians 1:1 NASB
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are at Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
____________
Footnote: Some early manuscripts do not contain "at Ephesus"​

So even if the letter was written to existing "saints" the purpose of the Apostles chosen by Christ is to make new saints, people who will become saved. So the actual doctrine is Jesus has saved and is saving His people.

2) Is belief the result of having righteousness imputed to us? Nope

Eph 1:13 NASB
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise,​

Here the opposite truth is taught, after hearing and believing the gospel of your salvation, then the believers were "sealed in Him." Not the other way around.

3) Does God "know" the sins of the saints? Nope God has forgiven our sins and promised to remember them no more forever. Hebrews 9:12

4) Is the introduction to Ephesians "gibberish" to the lost? Nope Certainly gibberish to those of the "soil number 1" hardened hearts, and those who "know" another doctrine of god. But a "few" will find the narrow path that leads to life, and scripture can lead them there. See Galatians 3:24

5 Has Jesus "satisfied" God for the sins of the whole world? Nope Jesus has provided the means of satisfaction of God for the sins of the whole world, all of humanity.

6) Is the "world" (1 John 2:2) referring to the elect? Nope. The audience is believers and non-believers, as "world" refers to the inhabitants of the whole world, all mankind.