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Daily Devotions

Ephesians

Ephesians 
Day 
Day 12

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Text: Ephesians 1:2

COMPLEX DOCTRINE OF THE GODHEAD

Understandably, the doctrine of the Godhead is profoundly difficult. Many cannot fully comprehend the distinctions in the Trinity. No matter how difficult it must have been for people to understand completely what God was like, Paul sought to teach what he believed in with great skill and integrity.

In the days when Jesus preached about how God was His Father, the Jews were incensed with His message. In great anger they exclaimed,

“The Jews answered Him, saying,
‘For a good work we do not stone You,
but for blasphemy, and because You,
being a man, make Yourself God.'”
JOHN 10:33

A STRONG CHRISTOLOGY

The apostle of Jesus Christ sought to defend the right of Jesus as co-equal with God, right from the start, from the opening words of his letter to the Ephesian Church.

1. “Grace to you and Peace from God our Father”

Not even his Jewish enemies could have found fault with Paul’s statement. That God was the Giver of “grace and peace” was an easy truth to understand and accept.

Would the Jews object to God being called “Father”? No, they would not. The doctrine of God as Father was a truth that could be traced all the way back to the teachings of Moses and the Prophets. A thrilling text from Isaiah would serve to prove this point.

“Doubtless You are our Father,
Though Abraham was ignorant of us,
And Israel does not acknowledge us,
You, O LORD, are our Father,
Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your Name.”
ISAIAH 63:16

2. “And from our Lord Jesus Christ”

Paul used a very simple but effective co-ordinate conjunction “and” to make a bold assertion. “Grace and peace” may also be said to have come from “the Lord Jesus Christ.. With this simple phrase, Paul displayed that he was an advocate of the strongest Christology ever.

It was Jesus, who at the risk of His own life declared,

“I and My Father are One.”
JOHN 10:30

There was a time when Paul must have struggled with this seemingly blasphemous statement. He had been born and bred “a Pharisee of the Pharisees”. He could not have accepted such declarations without challenging them. But over time, with deeper revelation from God and a wonderful relationship established with Jesus, Paul could not but write that both God and Jesus the Lord granted “grace and peace”. Only Deity had the power and authority to grant grace and peace!

Paul maintained and ably defended the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ most consistently in all his epistles. This was a revelation that he was willing to defend with his very life!