Never Stop

1) What is the reason Paul never stops giving thanks for the Ephesian saints? (verses 4-15)
The first three chapters of Ephesians contain one long prayer of Paul toward those who were in Christ Jesus. It begins with praise to God in the first chapter verse 3 and ends with praise to God in the third chapter verses 20-21. Grammatically speaking, the beloved apostle had a tendency toward run-on sentences in his letters. His enthusiasm about his salvation often cause him to interrupt his own thoughts as he could not contain his praise! After the initial greeting, Paul cannot help but rehearse all the blessings that accompany redemption (“the purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom.” Biblestudytools.com) In fact, in the original Greek there is no structural break in verses 4-14. It is all one very long sentence. Usually after his greetings Paul would offer his thanks toward his readers, but in this letter, he changes the order and spends a few minutes rehearsing “every spiritual blessing” (verse 3) that is theirs in Christ. Theologian Darrell L. Bock said “it is a praise psalm in its form” (A Biblical Theology of the New Testament) like the prayers of praise by Mary (Luke 1:46-55) and Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79). When Paul thinks about such a great salvation, and when he remembers his brothers and sisters in Ephesus, he summarizes the reason for his thanksgiving toward them, “This is why, since I heard about your faith … that I never stop giving thanks.”

2) What is Paul’s first thought when he remembers the Ephesian saints? (verse 16)
Paul’s first thought is thanksgiving. Since he has taken so much time to review their spiritual blessings, we can know Paul’s gratitude was directed toward their relationship with Christ. We should not miss the significance of this connection. Bible history tells us Paul’s farewell to the Ephesians in Acts 20 was around 52 AD. When this letter was written to them, around 60 AD,  Paul had been likely gone for several years with little to no communication. This absence had inevitably created a deep longing within Paul to know how they were all progressing in the Faith that had begun when he was with them. Once news of their devotion to Christ had reached Paul in Rome, he was able to rejoice with them through his prayers. Hearing about their faith had so deeply affected Paul that he could not stop thanking God for them. When Paul thought about the endless blessings of salvation, his joyful prayers on their behalf were also endless. Just as Paul’s run-on sentence in verses 4-14 was evidence of his constant praise to God, his words to the saints in verse 16 were evidence of his constant prayers for them. Praise and prayer were well developed habits in the apostle’s life. (1 Thessalonian 5:16-18)

3) What are the two overarching requests Paul makes in his prayer for the Ephesian saints? (verses 17-19)
Paul prays two main things for the saints. 1) That God would give them spiritual wisdom and revelation about Himself. 2) That the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened to know what is the hope, the wealth, and the power of knowing Christ. In the previous verses in chapter 1, Paul spent time sharing with his readers the blessings belonging to them because of their salvation. He now tells them he is praying they will know and experience these blessings deep within their souls. This desire for them is not so they may gain some sort of mystical insight into the thoughts of man, but he wanted them to grow in spiritual understanding so they would have a better “knowledge of Him”, that is God. “One of the first effects of true religion is on the understanding. It enlarges its views of truth; gives it more exalted conceptions of God; corrects its errors; raises it up toward the great Fountain of love.” (Barnes, biblehub.com) Paul also prayed for the Ephesians to know the incalculable benefit of the believer’s hope to which they were called, a glorious, future hope! He wanted them to know the wealth accompanying this hope he had referred to in verse 7. He wanted them to know these riches were the result of God’s fulfilled purpose through the work of Christ. Everything was brought together at the perfect time and fit God’s perfect plan, and it is He who gets all the glory! (Ephesians 1:9-12)