Background: Letter from Paul, probably written in Rome, to the members of the Church at Ephesus, chief commercial city in Turkey. Approximately 61 AD.
Mercy, Grace and Works
READ Ephesians 1:13-14
What
does “earnest of our inheritance” mean?
“Earnest money” is a small portion of a
larger, total amount that is promised to be given as part of a transaction; it
is given by the buyer to show good faith; that the full portion will be paid
later when all of the terms are met and the deal is closed.
Earnest of our inheritance with God is
the Holy Ghost.
In this case, the earnest of our
inheritance being sealed upon us by the Holy Spirit of Promise is referring to
receiving one’s calling and election – which is a promise that you will be
exalted at a later time.
READ Ephesians 2:4-9
What
is mercy?
Not receiving the justice (punishment)
you do deserve (and don’t want).
Not getting what’s coming to you.
What
is grace?
Receiving blessings that you don’t
deserve.
Are
we really saved by the grace of God?
Yes.
As sinful, unprofitable servants, we can
never merit God’s blessings, let alone salvation on our own merits, which
requires being precisely has God and Christ are, and nothing else (see LoF
7:9).
What
is the role of works?
Works come naturally from one’s love for Christ.
People who have received a mighty change
of heart have no disposition to do evil but to do good continually.
They are an attempt to live His
commandments to the best of one’s ability (having faith in His word that there
is no commandment given to us that we can’t obey) because we aspire to be like
Him – this is worship (emulating He that we reverence).
The Cornerstone
READ Ephesians 2:12-14, 16, 19-20
Who
are we divided or far off from?
The Father.
This is another reference to the
reconciling nature of the atonement.
Who
are we reconciled to through the atonement?
God the Father and God(dess) the Mother.
The Saints on earth.
The Household of God (in Heaven) – we can
entertain angelic ministers because they are no longer grieved by our presence
and behavior.
What
is a cornerstone and why is it important in a building?
It is the stone that the whole building
is built or framed around to be “square” or “perfect”.
It is laid first – all the other stones
and beams are aligned to the cornerstone.
Why is Christ the chief cornerstone of
the household of God?
In this eternity, He is the Son of God –
the one anointed from before the universe was created to take upon Himself
flesh and condescend to rescue the rest of us from death and hell.
Everything in this telestial universe is
dependent upon Christ for salvation.
He is the First Born in this eternity.
And we must become precisely has He is
and nothing else to be saved – He is the prototype; we must all be aligned to
Him.
The Role of Prophets and Apostles
& the Road Back to God
READ LoF 2:54-56
What
is the responsibility of those who have stood in the presence of God and Christ
(i.e. apostles and prophets)?
To provide a “foundation” for the
testimony of those who have not yet stood in their presence.
To testify that they exist, that they are
approachable, and what the path is back to them.
To inspire others to have the same
experiences and gain the same relationship with Christ.
And this testimony will make true
prophets and apostles deeply and inherently hated by the rest of the whole
world.
READ Ephesians 4:11-15
Why
are there callings in the Church?
To serve and minister to each other in
the Church.
To help perfect each other (although this
cannot be a Pygmalion project – no one can really fix, let alone “perfect”
another).
To help each other find Christ.
How
do we come to a unity of the faith?
We can give feedback, have open
discussions, listen to each other with love – seeking to understand and then be
understood.
Ultimately, we cannot have a unity of the
faith until we all know Christ individually and personally – “knowledge of the
Son”.
We cannot truly be one until we are truly
perfect LIKE Christ (“unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ”); but in the meantime, this requires us to covenant with Him that we
might be perfect IN Christ.
How
do we be no more children, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine?
We must know the doctrine for ourselves –
the principle of “live and learn” is in effect here – we “know” through our own
experiences with God – it is all anecdotal.
It means we must know Christ Himself, not
just know a whole bunch ABOUT Christ (and in so doing, we will learn so much
more than the scholars ever can – being taught things by the Lord that must be
learned but cannot be taught by other men or women).
This does not mean to obtain a prideful
knowledge of the scriptures or doctrines – to know Christ is a massively
humbling experience (see Moses 1:10).
READ Ephesians 3:14-19
What
enables us to be able to comprehend the “breadth, length, depth and height” of
God?
We are first “rooted” or “grounded” in
love – the pure love of Christ = charity; which is a spiritual gift given by
grace to all who are true followers of Christ, when they pray for it with all
the energy of their hearts (see Moroni 7:48).
Be strengthened with “might, by his
Spirit” by grace (because it must be granted not earned, and Paul is praying
for the saints to be blessed with it) in the inner man – in other words, to be
“quickened” and filled with more light.
That Christ might dwell in our hearts to
the degree we exercise faith in Him.
And we are filled with a fullness of God
– of the Spirit, of the gift of charity, of glory and light… (see also Alma
12:10).
That we can comprehend all things – that
when we shall appear, we shall be like Him (see TPJS 156:3, D&C 88:48-50,
and Moroni 7:48).
READ Ephesians 4:5
How
many roads lead back to Christ?
One.
Christ has set the conditions: the
process, the requirements, the terms, the timing.
But we must walk the road… with Him.
READ Ephesians 4:17-19, 22-24 and 30-32
What
are the Two Ways?
Either put off the natural man and put on
the New Man, walking in Christ’s Way, with His Spirit, and doing His works.
Or continue to walk in the vanity of your
mind, being darkened and past feeling – not even realizing you’re spiritually
dead.
Husbands and Wives
READ Ephesians 5:25, 28-29
How
did Christ love the Church?
He sacrificed His life for it.
He loved it unconditionally.
He was the “bridegroom” to the Church
(the members of the Church; this is not talking about an organization as you
can’t have an intimate relationship with an organization but with the people IN
that organization… or not in it, as an organization can’t prevent Christ with
interacting with whomever He chooses to – see Saul the Christian persecutor on
the road to Damacus while Peter the Apostle was in Jerusalem leading the
church.
READ Ephesians 5:30-32
What
is the “great mystery” of being one flesh as a married couple?
This is not a reference to sex – while it
may be sacred, it is not a great mystery.
This is a reference to being in the
“image of God” – Elohim is a plural word and the great mystery is that “God”
refers to Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother together as one (see also 1
Corinthians 11:11-12).
Principalities, Powers and the Whole
Armor of God
READ Ephesians 1:20-21 and Ephesians 6:12
What
are these “named” principalities, powers and dominions that Christ is far
above?
It is referring to orders of heavenly
beings (see D&C 121:36 – the “powers of heaven”).
They can be of light (see Ephesians 1) or
dark (see Ephesians 6).
Why
is it important to know who we fight against in this world?
Because we can underestimate our
adversary if we don’t know who and what we are fighting (see TPJS 246:1).
Because we might “take off” the whole
armor of God, thinking that we are not fighting at present or not fighting at
all.
Implied is that there is opposition in
the spiritual realm; that certain entities see us as enemies for reasons we may
not remember, know or understand but that doesn’t mean they don’t intend to
hurt us.
READ Ephesians 6:10-11, 13-18
How
do we protect ourselves in the battle that is raging around us every day that
we cannot see?
Put on the whole armor of God.
Protect ourselves by aligning with God
and doing things to resonate at a higher, more Godly frequency and/or by
engaging the protection of those entities who are aligned with God who will
help us – this association with the powers of heaven is a priesthood.
What
is the whole armor of God?
Helmet – salvation.
Breastplate – righteousness.
Leg/loin armor – truth.
Boots/shoes - the gospel.
Shield – faith.
Sword – Spirit.
Can
we truly defend ourselves from Satan and his followers?
Yes - we can shield ourselves and our
homes from him, as long as we don't introduce him back in (to ourselves or our
homes) through sin.
Obedience = light/truth/spirit; have the
Spirit with you, and filled with light.
Angels can guard you.
You can cast him out through your faith
(prayer and fasting) and the priesthood (which is an association through or
across the veil with angels and Christ).
How
does one put on the “whole armor” of God?
Through ordinances/covenants of salvation/gospel.
Through the use of our agency -
righteousness, faith.
As a result of both covenant and agency -
Spirit, truth.
Daily prayer for shields of light and
angels as guardians.
What
is the nature of this armor? How easily
can it be strapped on or removed?
Similar to the oil in the virgins’ lamps,
it is not easy to put on but like many of the elements of light, it can be
forsaken more easily than it is gained – but it is the heart/whole soul that
must reject it.
What
is the implication of this?
We are talking about a change of heart. A total change in lifestyle.
We’re not talking about strapping this
armor on for a quick tactical battle; the armor becomes a “robe of
righteousness” which is associated with the person – it is the amount of light
which is within them or the frequency of the light that is within them.
It is “acquired” through covenant and
obedience to the eternal laws of light.
It enables you to stand in the presence
of the Lord at His second coming.
If it is removed after having been truly
donned, we need to go back and READ D&C 76:31.
What
is difference between a “war” mindset and a “battle” mindset?
In a war, you fight until you conquer or
surrender (Revolutionary War or WW2).
In a battle/firefight, you fight until it
is over and then you retreat to the safety of the comforts of home (Dark Ages Saxon
fighting season or modern urban warfare).
Why
is subtly one of Satan’s greatest weapons?
He wants us to think that we’re in a
battle not a war - that “now” we’re fighting but “later” we’re not.
He wants us to think that we can be safe
- so that we seek for the kind of armor that is removable.
The “whole armor” is designed to protect
you your whole life - IT IS NOT REMOVED BECAUSE IT IS WHO YOU HAVE BECOME. The light within you and the covenants you’ve
received from God are your protection from Satan.
