Wednesday in the Word

what the Bible means and how we know

Ephesians

Who was Paul?

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Who was Paul? | WednesdayintheWord.com

Who is Paul in the New Testament?

Paul (Hebrew name: Saul) was an apostle of Jesus Christ and the author of most of the New Testament.

His Roman name is Paul and his Jewish name was Saul. When we first meet him in Scripture, he is referred to as Saul. Acts 13:9 describes the apostle as “Saul, who was also called Paul.”  From then on, Saul is referred to as Paul.

Paul was a Jew born in Tarsus in the Roman province of Cilicia (Acts 22:3).

Paul was a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:28).

We know nothing of his parents, but Paul’s sister and his sister’s son (Acts 23:16) are mentioned in Scripture.

He was from the tribe of Benjamin and trained as a Pharisee in Jerusalem under the ranking rabbi of the time Gamaliel (Phil 3:4-6; Acts 22:3).

Like all young Jewish men, he learned a trade: tent-making (Acts 18:3), a trade which was common in Tarsus.

With the support of the Sanhedrin, Paul persecuted Christians, imprisoning men and women alike (Acts 8:3; Acts 9:1-2; Acts 26:10-11; Galatians 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:13).

Paul was present at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58).

As Paul traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus to hunt down Jewish Christians (Acts 8:1-3), he met the risen Lord and converted to Christianity (Acts 9).

At Paul’s conversion, Jesus told Paul that Paul would be his messenger to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Acts 26:15-18; Galatians 1:11-16).

After his conversion Paul spent some time in Arabia, probably being taught by the Risen Lord Jesus (Gal 1:15-21).

Eventually Barnabas brought Paul to Antioch (Acts 11:19-29) to help with the newly formed church there.

Paul made three missionary journeys in which in converted many Gentiles and started many churches.

Paul was imprisoned twice in Rome. The first time he was released (approximately 63 AD). The second ended with his execution (approximately 66 AD).

Chronology of Paul

Paul’s Missionary Journeys (Map & Chart)

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Paul in Scripture

Act 13:9; Act 13:13; Act 13:16; Act 13:43; Act 13:45; Act 13:46; Act 13:50; Act 14:9; Act 14:11; Act 14:12; Act 14:14; Act 14:19; Act 15:2; Act 15:12; Act 15:22; Act 15:25; Act 15:35; Act 15:36; Act 15:38; Act 15:40; Act 16:1; Act 16:3; Act 16:9; Act 16:10; Act 16:14; Act 16:17; Act 16:18; Act 16:19; Act 16:25; Act 16:28; Act 16:29; Act 16:36; Act 16:37; Act 17:2; Act 17:4; Act 17:10; Act 17:13; Act 17:14; Act 17:15; Act 17:16; Act 17:22; Act 17:33; Act 18:1; Act 18:5; Act 18:8; Act 18:9; Act 18:12; Act 18:14; Act 18:18; Act 19:1; Act 19:4; Act 19:6; Act 19:11; Act 19:13; Act 19:15; Act 19:21; Act 19:26; Act 19:29; Act 19:30; Act 20:1; Act 20:7; Act 20:9; Act 20:10; Act 20:11; Act 20:13; Act 20:16; Act 20:37; Act 21:4; Act 21:11; Act 21:13; Act 21:18; Act 21:26; Act 21:29; Act 21:30; Act 21:32; Act 21:37; Act 21:39; Act 21:40; Act 22:25; Act 22:28; Act 22:29; Act 22:30; Act 23:1; Act 23:3; Act 23:5; Act 23:6; Act 23:10; Act 23:12; Act 23:14; Act 23:16; Act 23:17; Act 23:18; Act 23:20; Act 23:24; Act 23:31; Act 23:33; Act 24:1; Act 24:10; Act 24:24; Act 24:26; Act 24:27; Act 25:2; Act 25:3; Act 25:4; Act 25:6; Act 25:8; Act 25:9; Act 25:10; Act 25:14; Act 25:19; Act 25:21; Act 25:23; Act 26:1; Act 26:24; Act 26:25; Act 26:28; Act 26:29; Act 27:1; Act 27:3; Act 27:9; Act 27:11; Act 27:21; Act 27:24; Act 27:31; Act 27:33; Act 27:43; Act 28:3; Act 28:8; Act 28:15; Act 28:16; Act 28:25; Rom 1:1; 1Co 1:1; 1Co 1:12; 1Co 1:13; 1Co 3:4; 1Co 3:5; 1Co 3:22; 1Co 16:21; 2Co 1:1; 2Co 10:1; Gal 1:1; Gal 5:2; Eph 1:1; Eph 3:1; Php 1:1; Col 1:1; Col 1:23; Col 4:18; 1Th 1:1; 1Th 2:18; 2Th 1:1; 2Th 3:17; 1Ti 1:1; 2Ti 1:1; Tit 1:1; Phm 1:1; Phm 1:9; Phm 1:19; 2Pe 3:15.

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3 Accounts of Paul’s conversion

  • Acts 9:1-18 – as it occurred
  • Acts 22:6-16 – reviewed before the mob at Jerusalem
  • Acts 26:12-19 – reviewed before King Agrippa
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Paul’s recorded sermons

  • Acts 13:16-41 – First recorded sermon at Antioch in Pisidia
  • Acts 17:22-34 – Sermon at Mars Hill in Athens, Greece
  • Acts 20:13-28 – Address to Ephesian Elders at Miletus
  • Acts 21:37-22:29 – Stairway address in Jerusalem
  • Acts 24:1-23 – Defense before Felix at Caesarea
  • Acts 24:24-27 – Address before Felix & Drusilla at Caesarea
  • Acts 26:1-28 – Address before Felix, King Agrippa & Bernice at Caesarea
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Sufferings of Paul

Soon after his conversion, the Lord told Paul he would suffer for the sake of the gospel (Acts 9:15-16).

  • Paul’s record of his sufferings: 1Cor 15:30-32; 2Cor 4:7-18; 2Cor 6:3-10; 2Cor 11:23-28; 2Cor 12:5-10; Gal 5:11; Gal 6:7; 2Tim 3:10-11;
  • Jewish opposition to Paul: Acts 9:23; Acts 9:29; Acts 13:50; Acts 14:5; Acts 14:19; Acts 17:5; Acts 17:13; Acts 18:12; Acts 21:31; Acts 23:12-13; Acts 25:3.
  • Gentile opposition to Paul: Acts 14:1; Acts 18:9 Acts 19:23; Acts 16:9; Acts 18:13; Acts 19:23

Sufferings recorded in Acts

  • Acts 9:23 – His life was threatened in Damascus.
  • Acts 9:29 – life threatened in Jerusalem
  • Acts 13:50 – persecuted and run out of Antioch in Pisida
  • Acts 14:5 – faced stoning at Iconium
  • Acts 14:19 – stoned and left for dead in Lystra
  • Acts 16:23 – beaten with rods and imprisoned at Philippi
  • Acts 17:5-10 – life threatened in Thessalonica
  • Acts 17:13-14 – forced out of Berea
  • Acts 17:18 – mocked in Athens
  • Acts 18:12 – taken before the judgment seat in Corinth
  • Acts 19:23-41 – opposed by silversmiths in Ephesus
  • Acts 20:3 – Jews plot against him in Greece
  • Acts 21:27-30 – mob in Jerusalem seeks to kill him
  • Acts 22:24-29 – arrested by the Romans and barely escapes being scourged
  • Acts 23:7-11 – rescued from the mob
  • Acts 23:12-22 – plot to assassinate him
  • Acts 23:33-27:2 – imprisonment in Caesarea
  • Acts 27:39-28:1 – shipwreck on Melita
  • Acts 28:3-5 – suffered a snake bite
  • Acts 28:16 – First Roman imprisonment begins
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Paul’s visits to Jerusalem

  1. First visit – After he left Damascus and stayed with Peter 15 days (Acts 9:26-30: Galatians 1:18-20).
  2. Second visit – To bring famine relief to Jerusalem (Acts 11:27-30; Galatians 2:1-10).
  3. Third visit – To attend the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1-29; Galatians 2:1-10).
  4. Fourth visit – at the end of his second missionary journey (Acts 18:22).
  5. Fifth visit – His final visit resulted in his arrest and put in prison in Caesara (Acts 12:15 to Acts 23:35).
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Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Paul

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary: Paul the Apostle

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Paul

Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Paul

Fausset Bible Dictionary: Paul

Holman Bible Dictionary: Paul

Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Paul the Apostle

Kitto’s Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature: Paul

Morrish Bible Dictionary: Paul

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Paul, the Apostle

McClintock and Strong: Paul

The Nuttall Encyclopedia: Paul

The Jewish Encyclopedia:

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07 Holy Spirit Pledge and Seal: Ephesians 1:13-23

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07 Holy Spirit Pledge and Seal: Ephesians 1:13-23 | WednesdayintheWord.com

Paul describes believers as sealed with the Holy Spirit. A seal fulfills a past promise and pledges a future inheritance. A king’s seal had a three-fold purpose: 1) to guarantee authenticity; 2) to name the rightful owner; and 3) to protect the item sealed from being tampered with or harmed.

Review

  • The Holy Spirit is God’s agent of change in this world.
  • Broadly speaking his work can be categorized as: universal and individual. 
  • The universal work of the Spirit is the work what the Holy Spirit does in all believers to give us saving faith. 
  • The individual works of the Spirit are the gifts and opportunities to serve the kingdom of God that the Spirit gives one believer but not another.
  • Revelation is an individual work of the Spirit given to God’s chosen messengers, such that they can God’s word to the rest of us.
  • Understanding is the receptivity to embrace and believe God’s message as wisdom, which is a universal work given to all believers.
  • Most of the discussion of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament concerns the individual work of the Spirit empowering particular individuals as judges or kings to protect, defend and guide Israel, or as prophets so that they can proclaim God’s word to His people.
  • Both Testaments speak of the need for God to transform believers through the work of the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 1, Paul talks about the many great blessing we believers have in Christ. One of them is being sealed with the Spirit.

Passage

1:13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. – Ephesians 1:13-14

  • When we hear the gospel and believe it, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. 
  • This “sealing” is the fulfillment of past promises (e.g. Numbers 11:29; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Joel 2:28-29).
  • This “sealing” is also a pledge of a future inheritance.
  • In many cultures, kings and nobles used seals to guarantee their signatures.
  • This seal had a three-fold purpose: 1) to guarantee the authenticity of the documents; 2) to name their rightful owner; and 3) to protect them from being tampered with or harmed.
  • For example: Esther 8:8.
  • A “guarantee” or pledge is a down payment; It is something I give you up front to show that I fully intend to follow through on my commitment to pay in full.
  • Paul describes the Holy Spirit as the down payment which guarantees our future inheritance.

1:15For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. – Ephesians 1:13-23

  • Paul often starts his letters with a prayer of gratitude for the work God has done in the lives of his readers.
  • Very often after expressing his gratitude, he then explains what he is praying that God will do for his readers in the future, as he does here in Ephesians.
  • Paul wants God to give them a Spirit wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
  • Wisdom is seeing truth and applying it to your life. It is the skill to live life well.
  • When the Bible talks about my heart, it’s a metaphor for the inner person, the place you find my will, my desires, my hopes, my thoughts, and that place where my worldview rests.
  • Paul prays that whatever they see with their physical eyes, their inner “eyes” would recognize what’s truly valuable and wise such that they would understand their hope, their inheritance and the greatness of His power to bring it about.
  • Hope is a confident, eager expectation that something will happen. It is not wishful thinking.
  • Paul is praying that their innermost being would be captured by the reality of the hope of their inheritance such that it changes the way they live their daily lives.
  • Paul prays that the Holy Spirit would bring home to their hearts now that this importance and significance of their inheritance.

Part of the work of the Holy Spirit is ensuring that we receive our inheritance. He is the down payment and the guarantee that our inheritance is secure.

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 08 Holy Spirit Pledge and Seal: Romans 5:1-5

Previous: 06 Holy Spirit in the Old Testament: A New Heart

Series: Who is the Holy Spirit?

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What to pray when you don’t know what to pray for

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When my daughter was little she loved the Disney stories of Jasmine and Aladdin.  We were particularly enthralled by the idea of a genie who offers three wishes to some lucky victim of fate.  We had many conversations about what would we wish for, ranging from the politically correct to the entirely frivolous.

As Christians, in many ways we approach God in prayer as if He were a big blue genie.  Contrast the “prayer as wish-fulfillment” idea with the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.– Ephesians 1:18-19

Even though believers in 1st Century Ephesus were facing very difficult circumstances, Paul does not pray for their struggles.  He does not say, “I’m praying for you because I know life is tough and you’re having trouble making a living. ”  Rather,  he reminds them of the overwhelming blessings God gave believers in Christ (1:1-14),  and then he prays that they would fully comprehend those blessings.

Think about what you’d wish for if you had a genie.  Think about what you pray for.  How similar are they?

Typically our prayers are “three wishes” for:

  • heal it (I sprained my ankle, I’m feeling sick, I have headaches, make me physically better, I’m tired, etc.)
  • ease it (don’t let my hard disk crash, keep my mother-in-law from visiting, give me a good boss, let me get an A on this paper, get me there on time, etc.)
  • fix it (I’m in a jam, I made a mess of things, I did something stupid, bail me out, etc.)

The Ephesian church could certainly have prayed this kind of request.  Their lives were rough, as they were persecuted for their faith and many jobs were closed to them.  But Paul doesn’t pray for those things for them.  Instead he prays for spiritual wisdom and knowledge.  He prays that they would fully comprehend their identity as followers of Jesus.

To our ears that sounds theological and impractical.   But the spiritual understanding Paul prays for is more practical and immediately important than anything else we could pray for.  (I’m not saying we should never pray for specifics or particulars we’re worried about.  I’m suggesting there are often more important issues at stake that the cares of this world.)

In this phrase “having the eyes of your heart enlightened,” Paul is praying for knowledge that is deeper than intellectual content. He prays that the Ephesians would embrace an understanding which would set their hearts on fire and change their lives from the inside out.

Look at the three things Paul prays they would fully comprehend:

  • the hope of His calling – the confident, eager, expectation that we will be made holy (Ephesians 1:4,7,18)
  • the riches of the glory of His inheritance – the incredible value and extraordinary worth of being made holy (Ephesians 1:18)
  • the surpassing greatness of His power –  the certainty of God being able to deliver this inheritance of holiness (Ephesians 1:19)

Not only does Paul want us to understand the hope we have before us (the beginnings of faith) and how incredibly valuable being made holy is (the end of faith), he also wants us to grasp how capable God is of delivering on His promises (the middle journey of faith).   His power is more than sufficient.  He has promised the call and the inheritance and He is capable of fulfilling that promise.

How do we know? We’ve seen it done. We’ve seen that power demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.   The resurrection demonstrated that God has power to conquer death (Ephesians 1:20-23).  For us, the fulfillment is just a matter of time.

God has promised an inheritance beyond our wildest dreams and better than the desires of earthly existence and He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than all that we ask or think.  Much better than a genie could.

Next time life knocks you flat and it’s so hard that you don’t even know what to pray for,  pray “for the eyes of your heart to be enlightened.”

Ephesians 1:15-23

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. – Ephesians 1:15-23

Part of the series: Ephesians: Our New Life in Christ

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What is the Glory of God?

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What is the glory of God? | WednesdayintheWord.com

When Paul writes in Ephesians 2 that believers are “growing into a holy temple in the Lord” and “being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit”, he’s drawing on rich Old Testament history.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. – Ephesians 3:19-22

A Holy Temple

In Ephesians 2, Paul contrasts who we are by nature with what we can become by the grace of God through Christ.  At the end of the chapter, Paul uses 3 metaphors to describe who we are in Christ, each more intimate that the previous:

  • “fellow citizens” (Ephesians 2:19) — members of God’s kingdom, where God rules and bestows privileges and responsibilities to His subjects;
  • “of God’s household“(Ephesians 2:10) – part of the family of God with all intimacy, loyalty, commitment and devotion a family shares;
  • “a holy temple” (Ephesians 2:21) – a holy temple, being built into a dwelling of God.

The first two make sense to most of us.  We understand what it means to be a citizen of a country and a member of a family.  But “a holy temple?”  We may know from biblical history that the temple was the place where the Jews worshiped God, but what does that have to do with the New Testament community of believers?

The temple is also the place where the glory of God dwelt with His people.  Paul is telling us that today He dwells with believers.

The Glory of God appears

One of the first places we see the glory of God is with the nation of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. The glory of God is His visible and active presence in the midst of His people.

The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. – Exodus 13:21-22

When the Israelites build the tabernacle (the tent where they meet God), the glory of God settles on it.

He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel. – Exodus 40:33-38

After the Hebrews settle in the promised land, King Solomon builds the first temple in Jerusalem.  When the work is complete, they move the Ark of the Covenant into the temple.

It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. Then Solomon said, “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. “I have surely built You a lofty house, A place for Your dwelling forever.” – 1 Kings 8:10-13

The Glory of God departs

Many years later, Ezekiel saw a vision of Israel’s impending exile, which is signaled by God withdrawing His glory — His visible and active presence — from His people.  First, the glory of God moves from mercy seat in holy of holiness to threshold of the temple.

Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. – Ezekiel 10:3-4

Then the glory of the Lord moves from the threshold of the temple to the east gate.

Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD’S house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. – Ezekiel 10:18-19

Finally the glory of the Lord departs to a mountain east of the city.

Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. – Ezekiel 11:22-23

When God’s glory is not in the temple, the temple can be destroyed.  In fact, the temple was destroyed and the Jews taken into exile.

But where does glory of Lord go from here? We would expect God’s glory to return when the exile is over and the temple is rebuilt.  But when they finish the second temple is dedicated, there is no mention of the glory of God.

and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levities, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses. – Ezra 6:15-18

The Glory of the Lord returns

Where do we see the glory of the Lord again?  It reappears in the New Testament at the birth of Jesus Christ.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. – Luke 2:8-11

When Paul writes in Ephesians 2 that believers are “growing into a holy temple in the Lord” and “being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit”, he’s drawing on this rich history.  As we mature in the faith, we are being changed into a holy people among whom God will once again dwell.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. – Romans 5:1-2

Series: Ephesians: Our New Life in Christ (13 lessons)