Burleigh Church of Christ
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  • How Great Thou Art
  • Amazing Grace

  • Introduction

    Welcome, everyone. As you heard, we’re starting a series on the book of Ephesians—Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus. Today I’ll be looking at the background to the book and why it was written, including a brief overview of its contents.
    If you missed it, my names Malcolm, Burleigh is my home church, and I have the privilege of regularly preaching here. It’s good to be able to share what will be my last sermon here for a while, since Mable and I will be heading off to sunny England in a little over a month. These circumstances—moving to a not-entirely strange country, but one that, nonetheless, is very different from my home—made me think about Paul, and his life as an itinerant minister. The constant effort required to understand new contexts, new cultures, new traditions and practices, and to account for them in your work, must have used a lot of Paul’s energy. And yet he rarely complains about this. He had bigger things to complain about, I guess.
    In any case, I thought I should take the opportunity to share Paul’s story. Because it’s scattered through references in his own letters and a little bit of information in Acts, we rarely hear this, but it’s worth understanding who the Apostle Paul was. It will give us some insight into the letter he writes to the Ephesians. In the process of telling Paul’s story, I’ll focus on his interaction with the city of Ephesus and its people.
    Let’s get started!

    Paul’s Story

    Paul was born in the Roman city of Tarsus. Throughout the beginning of the book of Acts, Paul is called “Saul,” a Jewish name. However, Paul was born as part of the Jewish diaspora—nearly 30% of the Roman Empire was Jewish at this time—so Saul may be the name he took when he went to Jerusalem. I’ll just call him Paul throughout.
    Paul was not only a diaspora Jew, which meant he would have spoken Greek, he was also a Roman citizen. Given that less than 10% of the empire’s population were citizens, and that citizenship had significant status and many advantages, you would expect this to be a large part of Paul’s identity. However, Paul proves to be very reluctant to admit to his Roman citizenship. This is probably because Roman citizenship and its responsibilities would often conflict directly with Paul’s Jewish beliefs and practices. As a result, he relied on his citizenship sparingly.
    Tarsus, Paul’s home town, was a wealthy city, the capital of the region of Cilicia in the south of Asia Minor, and famously beautiful. Paul claims to be a citizen of the city, which means that his family must have been reasonably wealthy land-owners. In Paul’s time, the city was governed by philosophers, and the love of learning was dominant in a way that made the city unique. The Greek historian Strabo wrote,
    Geography: Books 6–14 (English) Chapter 1

    The people at Tarsus have devoted themselves so eagerly, not only to philosophy, but also to the whole round of education in general, that they have surpassed Athens, Alexandria, or any other place that can be named where there have been schools and lectures of philosophers. But it is so different from other cities that there the men who are fond of learning, are all natives, and foreigners are not inclined to sojourn there; neither do these natives stay there, but they complete their education abroad; and when they have completed it they are pleased to live abroad, and but few go back home.

    Paul himself followed this well-trod path, and moved to Jerusalem at a young age (maybe even five years old) to study. There he studied under the renowned Pharisee and rabbi Gamaliel. Gamaliel was the grandson of Hillel, and followed in his tradition. When Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin, and accuse them of killing Jesus, Gamaliel is the voice of reason, arguing for waiting, since if the Way of Christ is not from God, it won’t endure, but if it is from God, the council will be fighting God.
    By this time Paul, now Saul, has followed his path to the peak of Jewish righteousness. As a country kid, I felt the pressure to outperform city kids at university in the Big Smoke, and I wonder if Paul felt the same pressure. After all, he was a diaspora Jew, brought up speaking Greek as a citizen of a Greco-Roman city. Certainly, he portrays himself as a real high achiever in Pharisaical circles when he writes about it later to the church in Philippi.
    Philippians 3:4–6 NLT
    4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! 5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
    Whatever the case, Paul is now ready to enter God’s great plan of salvation in a shocking way.

    Paul the persecutor

    Despite Gamaliel’s words of wisdom, it isn’t long before another Christian, Stephen, also a diaspora Jew, accuses the Jewish leaders of killing their Messiah, which so incenses them that they stone him on the spot.
    Acts 7:54–8:3 NLT
    54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” 57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. 1 Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) 3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.
    This is how we first encounter Paul in the Bible. Not as a rational, intelligent student of the wise Gamaliel, but as an accomplice to murder and a violent persecutor of the church. Did Paul feel it necessary to prove himself more Jewish than the Hebraic Jews born in Palestine? He suggests as much when he later writes to the Galatian church,
    Galatians 1:13–14 ESV
    13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
    There also seemed to be something about the Way, as Christianity was then called, that Paul believed to be a deadly peril to Judaism, as he explained much later to Agrippa,
    Acts 26:9 NLT
    9 “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.
    Whatever his reasons, Paul admits to his protoge Timothy, in the twilight years of his life, that despite his great learning, he was actually ignorant:
    1 Timothy 1:13 NLT
    13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.

    Paul’s conversion

    For Paul to recognise this error required what is almost certainly the most famous conversion in all of history. Let’s jump to that.
    Acts 9:1–3 ESV
    1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.
    Notice a couple of things here. I’m using the ESV to better see the underlying Greek text. Notice that Christianity is called “the Way” there in verse 2. Also notice that in verse 3 we see Paul going “on his way.” Luke is at pains to point out Paul’s error: he is following his own way, not God’s.
    Acts 9:4–9 ESV
    4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
    There are many notable things about this encounter, but I want to just highlight one: the three days Paul spends in darkness. This reminds us of Jesus’ time in the tomb. Does Paul recall this as a time when his old self died? Did Jesus speak to Paul during those three days? Perhaps, but we don’t really know.
    Acts 9:10–16 ESV
    10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
    We often skip over Ananias’s contribution to Paul’s conversion because we don’t really know what to do with it. But I think this probably made a huge impression on Paul when he heard about it (which could have been straight away). Ananias is reluctant to deal with Paul, understandably. But Jesus persists. Why? Why does Ananias need to be involved? The answer is in verse 15. Jesus chooses us as his instruments. Paul is chosen as an instrument to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles. Ananias is chosen as an instrument to complete Paul’s process of conversion. Perhaps it is this very act that keeps Paul from abandoning the church, even when it seems to have abandoned him.
    We don’t know. What we do know is that, while Paul often struggles with the attitude of the Jerusalem church, and other churches, he never gives up on any of the churches. In fact, his letter to the Ephesians expresses the highest possible view of the church, a view that we struggle to share, let alone live up to.
    Acts 9:17–18 ESV
    17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;
    Fortunately for the world, Ananias did demonstrate the brotherly love for which the church would become known, and which would be a key drive in Paul’s ministry. And Ananias’s acceptance of Paul is not in vain. Notice how Paul’s immediate response is to spend time recovering with the disciples, not by himself. Imagine what would have happened if Ananias had not welcomed Paul into the Way, but rather he had been left by himself. Could he have become the man who changed the world? I don’t think so.
    We may think that God is asking us to do a little thing—go talk to his weird person, go help that outcast—when he is actually asking us to change the world (by doing a little thing). How important is the simple love for one another that Christ asks of his followers? Don’t ever neglect it!

    Paul’s initial ministry

    Once he has recovered, Paul throws himself into ministry.
    Acts 9:22–25 ESV
    22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. 23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
    Now, at this point we often think Paul returned to Jerusalem, but there is actually a break in the text, indicated by “when many days had passed.” What happened to make Paul a fugitive? Paul tells the Galatian church that,
    Galatians 1:17 NLT
    17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.
    So during these many days, Paul headed east into the Nabatean kingdom, quite possibly to its capital, Petra, where he presumably preached the gospel with the same vigour that he had in Damascus. Nabatea had adopted the Syrian gods, so Paul’s preaching would have placed him at odds with this powerful aspect of the culture.
    When he returned to Damascus, he didn’t escape the angry Nabateans, because the Nabateans had gained control of the city.
    2 Corinthians 11:32–33 NLT
    32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me. 33 I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.
    These events occured between AD 36 and 40, a brief period of Nabatean control of Damascus. The fact that Paul had managed to get both the Jews and the Nabateans offside may have contributed to the direction his life next took.

    Paul’s wilderness time

    Paul finally travels to Jerusalem, where he briefly meets Peter and James and then heads back to his birthplace, Tarsus. Here he spends maybe ten years. What did he do during this time? Well, obviously he didn’t preach as he had been doing, or he would have been kicked out of Tarsus, right?
    Rather, it seems that Paul is spending his time consolidating all that he has learned. This seems to have been a time that parallels Moses’ time in the desert, or Jesus forty days in the wilderness. Paul was already a brilliant scholar of the Torah, and had quickly understood Christianity. However, while God uses brilliant people, he cannot use proud ones. My own belief is that Paul spent this time growing in humility and wisdom. It seems likely that Jesus spoke directly with Paul at some point during this period, as he records in the second letter we have to the church in Corinth.
    2 Corinthians 12:2–4 NLT
    2 I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. 3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
    As he also says there, he received a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble.
    2 Corinthians 12:7–10 NLT
    7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
    These experiences prepared Paul for the rigours of his ministry. He received a certainty-building knowledge of astounding things, but also a thorn to remind him that it was in his weakness that Christ worked.
    If you are a new Christian, or if you are a smart person who has not struggled in life, it is very hard to achieve that balance of confidence and humility that allows us to represent Christ well. So, take care. As Paul says to the Philippians,
    Philippians 2:3 ESV
    3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

    Paul’s first missionary journeys

    Having learned these hard lessons, Paul is now ready to begin his great labour. But he doesn’t seize it, he doesn’t take control. Rather we read in Acts that he is collected by Barnabas to help him with the ministry in Antioch.
    Acts 11:25–26 NLT
    25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)
    Barnabas is a lot like Ananias, isn’t he? Like Ananias, Barnabas draws Paul into the activity of the church, this time in Antioch.
    Soon the two of them are branching out, going on the first missionary journey to the Gentiles. This journey was a mixed success, with much resistance from Jews, but responsiveness from Gentiles. The mission was considered successful despite Paul almost being stoned to death.
    Because of this positive response from the Gentiles, combined with the resistance of many Jewish Christians, who insisted that new converts must become practicing Jews, the Jerusalem church met to discuss the problem. Paul took an approach not unlike what Gamaliel might have taken, arguing that Jewish practice was not required to be a genuine disciple of Christ. This argument was strengthened by the apostle Peter’s experience with the conversion of the centurion Cornelius. Paul’s approach was approved by the council, and Paul sets off on his own missionary journey that takes him as far away as Athens.
    But it is on his third missionary trip that Paul finally came to the great city of Ephesus.

    Ephesus

    Before we continue Paul’s story, let me set the scene at Ephesus for you.
    Ephesus was the third largest and most important city in the entire empire, after only Rome and Alexandria of Egypt. It served as the administrative and commercial centre of the entire province of Asia (modern Turkey). Multiple trade routes converged on its port, linking it with the whole of Asia Minor. In fact, the mileage markers throughout the province of Asia were measured from Ephesus. It was incredibly wealthy, with many merchants, artisans, and numerous other workers.
    In this aerial photo of Ephesus today, you can see the silted up port in the foreground, with the great theater built into the hill at the back, reached from the port by the great Arkadiane, still in excellent condition. Running at ninety degrees to this road, and directly in front of the theater, is the other great road of Ephesus, the Marble Street.
    This photo shows that road joining the Agora to the rear of the photo. The structure in the foreground here is the Theater Gymnasium. Other parts of the city are off to the left.
    Over in that area is the greatest of all attributes of Ephesus: its great temple of Artemis, or Diana as the Romans called her. There is little left of this temple today, since its beautiful marble was reused in more recent buildings, such as the ones visible behind the computer reproduction here.
    It is difficult to describe just how significant this temple was to the city. The Ephesians considered themselves, not as simple citizens of a city, but as “keepers of the Artemision” (as the temple of Artemis was called). The temple was the city treasury, and in fact the largest treasury in Asia, because temples are a place of guaranteed refuge. It was also the city’s major attraction, with swarms of pilgrims coming to worship, to buy idols, and to otherwise enrich the city.
    Four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens, the Artemision was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world, and for many years was the largest building in the West. Processions and ceremonies streamed from the temple into the city almost daily, reminding the people of the importance of what they guarded and served.
    Artemis of the Ephesians, as the goddess herself was known, was much older than the Greek god she was associated with, like many local gods who had become incorporated into Alexandrian Greek culture. While Artemis was once considered a fertility god, modern scholars believe that the egg-like objects on her chest are not breasts, and the known practices of the Artemision suggest nothing like a fertility cult. Artemis was much more powerful than a mere fertility god. It seems her cult was associated with a sophisticated practice of magic, including six magical “Ephesian Letters.” Worship of Artemis of Ephesus had, by Paul’s time, spread around the Mediterranean, and there were many temples in her honour, but none compared to the great mother temple of them all in Ephesus.
    Ephesus was a truly great city with its identity firmly tied to its great temple of Artemis. How would Paul cope with this place?

    Paul and Ephesus

    Paul treated Ephesus just like any other city, leaving the Artemision up to God to worry about!
    The first thing he did when he entered Ephesus was to correct the beliefs of a group of disciples of John the Baptist. From this he went on to preach to the Jews for three months. As usual, this eventually met with resistance and he moved with his converts to the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
    Paul seems to have used Ephesus as a base for the whole of Asia Minor, which it was ideally suited for. He stayed there for three years. Given the rest of Paul’s ministry, three years is an extraordinarily long time for Paul to stay in a city. Ephesus thus seems to have a special place in Paul’s ministry.
    Paul’s normal approach was to teach and lecture, but in Ephesus, countering the dominance of Artemis, the Holy Spirit also worked powerful miracles through Paul, even his handkerchiefs had power! The Jewish sons of Sceva, a high priest, tried to emulate Paul’s miracles, but failed horribly, amplifying Paul’s ministry. Ultimately, the converts were so persuaded of the folly of their old ways and the truth of the new way of Christ, that:
    Acts 19:19 NLT
    19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars.
    You can see why Ephesus became famous as a church that truly loved Christ. What would it take for us to commit millions of dollars of wicked material to the fire, I wonder!
    When you think about it, it is extraordinary that a city with one of the most powerful cults and temples in the entire empire becomes such a fertile mission field for Paul. Doesn’t that give us hope for the hedonistic Gold Coast?
    But now things started getting more difficult for Paul. His teaching was having an impact on the central business of Ephesus: the Artemision.
    Acts 19:23–29 NLT
    23 About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. 25 He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows: “Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! 27 Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!” 28 At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.
    Things eventually calm down, and Paul leaves the city to prevent further trouble for the church. But he doesn’t forget them. On his way back to Jerusalem at the end of this long mission trip, he drops by Miletus and catches up with the elders of the Ephesian church, encouraging them and reminding them of his ministry there, and receiving their love in return.
    At Jerusalem, Paul was arrested, detained for years, and eventually sent to Rome, where he waited, under house arrest, for the judgement of Ceasar, busily building the church in the meantime, both in Rome and, via his letters, throughout the empire. It was during this time that he wrote Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon, and sent them via Tychicus.

    Paul’s letter to Ephesus

    Why did Paul write to Ephesus? To understand that a little, we first need to take a quick look at the letter itself.
    The letter to the Ephesians is a medium length letter. It starts, after a brief address, with an introductory sentence that paints an extraordinary picture of what Christ has done for us. It continues with a thanksgiving that again gets carried away with worshiping Jesus. Paul then rehearses the salvation the Ephesians had experienced, and emphasizes the unity of Jew and Gentile, going on to explain how surprising this unity is. Paul finishes this theological section of the letter with yet another praise filled prayer to Christ.
    In the second half of the letter, Paul urges the Ephesians to become more like Christ in various ways. First, he talks about the importance of unity within the diversity of the church, not ethnic diversity, but functional and gifting diversity. Then he talks about putting on the new self, and living that out in practical ways in all aspects of life. Next, he warns against becoming partners with sinful people or sinful activities, and urges to instead live out holy lives. Paul then maps out a Christian approach to the core relationships in society: husbands and wives, parents and children, and masters and slaves (or employees). Finally, Paul exhorts Christians to put on spiritual armour, and closes with brief greetings.
    Why would Paul write a letter like this? It is worth noting that the letter to the Colossians, written around the same time, is a slightly shorter version of very similar material. Colossians does seem to address a false teaching, while Ephesians addresses no problems at all. Given the similarity of Colossians and Ephesians, it is reasonable to conclude that Paul discerned a general threat to the church, and wrote to his beloved Ephesians to encourage them. If that is the case, Paul is addressing a temptation to devalue Christ and his work of salvation, including the church. He is determined to see Jews, Gentiles, and people of all abilities serving and worshiping Christ in unity, and finally he wants to explicitly map out a Christian ethic for the most important areas of life.
    Perhaps Paul was thinking of the ongoing pressure of the Artemision and its workers on the Ephesian church, and his encouragement to the Ephesian church to lift their eyes and lives to Christ was a counter to that pressure. If so, then John’s letter to the Ephesian church in Revelation is particularly sad, because it seems that the church has been profoundly wounded by that pressure:
    Revelation 2:1–7 NLT
    1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: 2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. 7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
    As we read through this wonderful letter of Paul’s over the next few weeks and months, let us not respond to it with grudging assent, or with patient suffering. Instead, let us resist the pressure of the world we live in by joining Paul in joyous praise of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Let us love our Lord with all our hearts, minds and souls.
    Let’s finish with Paul’s words to the Ephesians as our prayer.
    Let’s pray.
    Ephesians 2:4–10 NLT
    4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
    Amen!

      • Philippians 3:4–6NIV2011

      • Acts 7:54–8:3NIV2011

      • Galatians 1:13–14NIV2011

      • Acts 26:9NIV2011

      • 1 Timothy 1:13NIV2011

      • Acts 9:1–3NIV2011

      • Acts 9:4–9NIV2011

      • Acts 9:10–16NIV2011

      • Acts 9:17–18NIV2011

      • Acts 9:22–25NIV2011

      • Galatians 1:17NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 11:32–33NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 12:2–4NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 12:7–10NIV2011

      • Philippians 2:3NIV2011

      • Acts 11:25–26NIV2011

      • Acts 19:19NIV2011

      • Acts 19:23–29NIV2011

      • Revelation 2:1–7NIV2011

      • Ephesians 2:4–10NIV2011

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