Ephesians; 1:3 – the Trinity; the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, part 7 (Col 1:15-20).
length: 54:42 - taught on Sep, 28 2018
Class Outline:
Friday September 28, 2018
EPH 1:3-14 - the blessing (eulogia)
EPH 1:15-23 - the thanksgiving (eucharistia)
EPH 2:1-10 - the salvation (soteria)
EPH 2:11-22 - the peace (eirene)
EPH 2:11 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 —
EPH 2:12 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.
EPH 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
EPH 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
EPH 2:15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
EPH 2:16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
We see the peace between the two groups, Jew and Gentile, and we also see the peace between them and God.
and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Peace with God is tantamount, and without it, the two groups could never be at peace. If Jew and Gentile attempted peace but were without peace with God, they would only be a group in rebellion against God. All kingdoms who rebel against God are destroyed, and almost always, that destruction comes from within themselves.
The blood of Christ established peace between man and God, and all men who are at peace with God will be at peace with one another.
God is said to give His Son to be a Savior. This does not mean that God gave the Eternal Logos or Second Person who, in turn, because a Son by being given. The Holy Spirit was also given to the world, and later, to the church. He did not become the Spirit when He was given. He is the eternal Spirit just as the Son is the eternal Son.
In Hebrews it states that the Son is appointed heir of all things. The appointment antedates the incarnation as well as “all things.”
HEB 1:1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
HEB 1:2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
HEB 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
“exact representation” - charakter = a perfect representation, an expressed image. Used of a die press to make coins.
This word was used of the engraving tool from which the coin die was made. When the die was pressed against the metal and lifted off, the coin had the exact representation of what was on the die. Therefore, the Son is the true personality of deity. Everything true of God the Father is true of God the Son in every respect. He is the precise reproduction of God the Father. He has all the same attributes of deity that the Father has. COL 1:15 used the Greek word eikon. The emphasis is the same.
All of these things together show that the Son is qualified to be a unique Revealer superior to the prophets. That makes Him qualified to be the final revealer bringing the goal of the OT prophecy to its finality in Him.
HEB 1:4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
“having become” (not “being made” as the KJV has it) means that His humanity became much better than angels. As God He always was much better.
When He became a Man, for a short time He became lower than the angels, but when He returned to heaven He became much better and there He was given a name that He alone knows.
At a later time, we will study Hebrews chapter one in detail in our investigation of the deity of the Son of God. We will not study the entirety of the doctrine of the Trinity at once.
Before moving on from the Fatherhood of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have to investigate the meaning of the terms that imply generation of the Son, “only begotten.”
Various passages imply the generation of the son - “the only begotten of the Father”; “the only begotten Son; “the only begotten of God.” On the basis of these and other terms the theological distinction is set forth to the effect that the Son is eternally generated. [Chafer]
PSA 2:1 Why are the nations in an uproar,
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
PSA 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand,
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His
Anointed:
PSA 2:3 "Let us tear their fetters apart,
And cast away their cords from us!"
PSA 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
PSA 2:5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury:
PSA 2:6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
PSA 2:7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, 'Thou art My Son,
Today I have begotten Thee.
“have begotten Thee” - yalad [used 490 times in the Bible] = to give birth.
It is used in GEN 3:16 in which God declared that “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth.”
This is not synonymous with “only begotten” which is used by the apostle John. It means to give birth. Paul quotes this very verse in reference to the Lord’s resurrection. Paul’s insight in the Spirit of God reveals “Today I have begotten Thee” to be synonymous with His title “first-born from the dead” (COL 1:18).
Look at the context. “I have installed My King upon Zion.” This points to the Second Coming, which is the return of the resurrected King. So, “I will tell of the decree,” which is future.
The nations have always been in some kind of uproar, but they will reach a fever pitch at the end of the Tribulation, just before the Second Coming. He will return with anger and fury.
This reveals to us that there is a uniqueness to Christ’s resurrection, in which He is given a title to go with a new birth, not His creation, but His resurrection from the dead - first born from the dead.
Paul indicates that this is fulfilled in the resurrection, which would make it akin to the title: first-born from the dead (COL 1:18).
"And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm,' Thou art My Son; today I have begotten Thee.'
Yet, when quoting the passage, Paul uses the Greek word gennao, which means to be born as its Hebrew equivalent (yalad) also does.
It is John who five times uses the term monogenes for Christ, “only begotten.” This word has similarities but is not synonymous.
The First-born was brought into the world. At His resurrection His divinity as the Son of God was manifested and openly attested.
concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Yet, this glory was held by Him before the world was.
“And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”
PSA 2:8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.
This line also has connection to His resurrection.
It was after His resurrection that the commission to make disciples of all nations was given to the disciples.
MAT 28:16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.
MAT 28:17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.
MAT 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
“I have installed My King upon Zion.” (PSA 2:6) The humanity of Christ will be seated at the right hand of God. This makes His return to reign from Zion a foregone conclusion.
We must be reminded that His humanity is exalted after His resurrection and that for “a little while” He became “lower than angels” as a Man. As God He always was and is superior to angels (HEB 1:1-14). He who was Lord of the angels became lower than the angels in order that He might taste (appropriate) death for everyone.
But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste (appropriate) death for everyone.
MAT 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
MAT 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
PSA 2:6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
PSA 2:7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, 'Thou art My Son,
Today I have begotten Thee.
PSA 2:8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.
PSA 2:9 'Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron,
Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.'"
PSA 2:10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
PSA 2:11 Worship the Lord with reverence,
And rejoice with trembling.
PSA 2:12 Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
Monogenes (only begotten) used by the Apostle John.
JOH 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
JOH 1:15 John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'"
JOH 1:16 For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
JOH 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
JOH 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God [many manuscripts have “only begotten Son”], who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
“only begotten, Father (vs. 14), only begotten, Son (vs. 18)” all lack “the” article. Emphasis is on characteristics and not identity.
Only begotten from the Father and only begotten Son … in each of these two usages there is no definite article with only begotten, Father, or Son and that lays stress on characteristics rather than identity.
In verse 18 John writes theos at the head of the sentence even though it is an accusative, or object of the verb seen. “God no man has seen at any time…” emphasizes deity, and again, without the article, emphasizes the characteristics of deity. The only one to explain Him is the only begotten Son.
Only begotten does imply a beginning of His Sonship, but a relationship in which He possesses the characteristics of the Father.
Monogenes [Vine] indicates that as the Son of God He was the sole representative of the Being and character of the One who sent Him. In the original the definite article is omitted both before "only begotten" and before "Father," and its absence in each case serves to lay stress upon the characteristics referred to in the terms used. The apostle's object is to demonstrate what sort of glory it was that he and his fellow apostles had seen. That he is not merely making a comparison with earthly relationships is indicated by para, "from." The glory was that of a unique relationship and the word "begotten" does not imply a beginning of His Sonship. It suggests relationship indeed, but must be distinguished from generation as applied to man.
We can only rightly understand the term "the only begotten" when used of the Son, in the sense of unoriginated relationship. [Vine]
"The begetting is not an event of time, however remote, but a fact irrespective of time. The Christ did not become, but necessarily and eternally is the Son. He, a Person, possesses every attribute of pure Godhood. This necessitates eternity, absolute being; in this respect He is not 'after' the Father" (Moule).
It is a term of deepest affection in which we see the type in OT history.
GEN 22:2 And He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
“Take now your son (ben), your only son (yachiyd = self or only).”
GEN 22:9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there, and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
GEN 22:10 And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
GEN 22:11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
GEN 22:12 And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
GEN 22:13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.
GEN 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the Lord it will be provided."
GEN 22:15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
GEN 22:16 and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
GEN 22:17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
GEN 22:18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
PSA 22:18They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.
PSA 22:19 But Thou, O Lord, be not far off;
O Thou my help, hasten to my assistance.
PSA 22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
My only [yachiyd] life from the power of the dog.
“Life” is added to clarify the translation. Literally it reads, “Deliver my soul from the sword, My only from the power of the dog.”
“And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son [yachiyd], and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born.”
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