Blogging Through the Book of Mormon

4:1-6 - Now that Paul has covered the why, how, and who of the gospel, he gets to go into more specific detail about what the Ephesians might be dealing with specifically. Let’s remember that Paul had spent many months or even years, I don’t remember, with the Ephesians and was probably in frequent contact with the church leadership there. Just like in Corinth and Galatia, I’m sure that he was receiving messages for guidance on specific topics that affected them directly. I do think it’s interesting though that the Ephesians seem to be so much further advanced spiritually than the other groups we’ve dealt with and the one difference seems to be that in Ephesus, there are no outside groups trying to actively lead the people away from the gospel. Like in Corinth and Galatia, there were groups of people trying to corrupt the saints there. It seems that there were two different groups, first were saints within the church trying to do their own thing, and second were outsiders who were fa...

3:1-5 - It is for the purpose of bringing the Jewish and Gentile converts together that Paul, “the prisoner of Jesus Christ,” writes this message to the Ephesians. The article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.org notes that Paul probably uses the word “prisoner” here because he this epistle was almost certainly written while he was in prison. Paul continues that by “revelation (God) made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.” The IM comments, “Here mystery refers to a sacred truth made known by revelation.” The article notes, “Paul employs the term mystery twenty times in his letters in discussing Christ, the gospel, the resurrection, Israel, the Gentiles, speaking in tongues, iniquity, and godliness.” Paul makes sure to teach that this doctrine is new, meaning that “in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men,” and that it was “revealed unto his hold apostles and prophet...

2:11-13 - Here is another time when the NIV is coming in handy, because honestly for the life of me, I have no idea what Paul is talking about. He just talked about why God wants all people back (love), and how that works (grace), but now there's another piece of the puzzle to reconcile, and that has to do with the Jews who had the gospel and the gentiles who are new to it. Paul reminds his audience that they were born gentiles and were "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." The IM clarifies this statement nicely, saying, "The gentiles had been 'without Christ' and were 'aliens' and 'strangers,' meaning they were not part of Israel and had not entered into covenants with God. But now that they had entered into the gospel covenant with Jesus Christ, Gentiles who were once 'far off' were 'made night by the blood of C...

2:1-2 - Chapter 1 ends with Paul explaining that the God that they worship and Jesus Christ are more powerful than any God that people made up and he continues in chapter 2 that God uses this power to “quicken” us “who were dead in trespasses and sins.” A few verses ago, Paul noted that God used His power to raise Jesus from the dead, and he might be making a connection here to Jesus being raised from physical death and our being raised from spiritual death. Paul notes that his audience once “walked according to the course of this world” and makes an interesting name for Satan, he calls him “the prince of the power of the air.” Just as a side note, the article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com quotes Joseph Fielding Smith giving an account on 10 elders and Joseph Smith taking a river boat going from Independence landing to Kirtland. During the trip there was some adverse weather, during which “Brother Phelps, in open vision by daylight, saw the destroyer in his most terrible po...

1:15-23 - The concept that gentiles were not only accepted into the gospel, but that Jesus actively wanted them in it might be difficult for some to grasp. But for those who do get it, the results are incredible resulting in great “faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints.” Their acceptance and thriving in the gospel gives Paul joy and he will “cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” He prays for “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened” that they may learn about the mysteries and greatness of the kingdom. Interestingly, he reminds them of “the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality and p...

1:11-14 - If the gentile can understand that the gospel has been meant for them from the beginning, even before the earth was created, then they would have to also accept that God’s plan for them continues on after this life as well. Paul explains that through Christ, “in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” Paul also makes a connection between hearing “the gospel of your salvation” and trusting in Christ. I know that the word “hearing” sounds passive and that it takes more than that to be converted but going to the NIV for more clarity, it continues, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to praise of his glory.” This is an...

1:7-9 - Being foreordained to receive the gospel in this life also means having access to "redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins… wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will." The IM says, "the term 'mystery of his will' refers to God's plans that a person can discover and understand only as they are revealed by God Himself. Paul was apparently speaking of the plan of salvation, a mystery to the world during times of apostasy. Paul indicated that the 'mystery of Christ' is that the 'Gentiles should be fellowheirs' and equal partakers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, an important part of the plan of salvation." Because Paul's audience is mostly gentiles, convincing them that God has intended for them to have the gospel that had been previously reserved for the Jews is important. It would be easy to these gentiles to be convinced, either by some outside...

1:1-6 - Paul introduces himself as “as apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,” and acknowledges his audience to be “the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.” He blesses them with “grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” He blesses God “who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Interestingly, Paul says that those who receive the gospel in this life were “chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,” and uses words like “predestined” and “adoption.” Now I get the whole concept of “adoption” into the family of God through the gospel, but I was under the impression that we’ve been promised that all of God’s children would have an equal opportunity to receive the gospel, so it seems contradictory to say that those who have received the gospel were ordained to do so, unless we were all foreordained for it. Maybe he’s talking about those who would receive it in this life...

When Paul wrote to the Galatians and Corinthians, he wrote in response to a very specific and significant problem that had arisen, usually because the people were having a difficult time living the gospel detached from the law of Moses. But it seems that in the case of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, it’s kind of like a general conference talk, it’s a non-specific message meant to uplift and teach higher principles. It’s a really interesting contrast in messages between Ephesians and Galatians, when Paul doesn’t have to focus on the very basics, and can go into more advanced doctrines. But then again, the basics is really interesting and profitable as well, so I guess it’s just nice to see the different messages. It reminds me of when Alma gives up being the chief judge and travels to the various cities to teach the gospel, seeing the different methods that he used to teach different groups of people in different stages of their spiritual progression. Because the Ephesians appear to ...

6:3-6 - When it comes to forgiving someone who has wronged you and desiring them to come back to the gospel, Paul makes several interesting statements that I take to mean that everyone is responsible for their own beliefs and actions. It seems like a weird take on helping others and forgiveness but if we consider it from the stance of others trying to lead new members astray, then it makes more sense. It’s like saying that yes, there are people who are trying to manipulate you, to take away the gospel from you and replace it with a quasi-worship of them, but ultimately, we are each individual tasked with the strength of our own testimony. Even when it comes to the prophets we have currently and general conferences and all that, having access to all that preaching power and messages straight from God, it doesn’t matter unless we are actively working to put those truths into action in our lives. 6:7-9 - But what about those who are new to the gospel and look to other perhaps more exper...

6:1 - Now that Paul has thoroughly evaluated the motivations and methods of those who have tried to turn the Galatians against him, he reminds his audience "if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." What this means to me is to allow those who are wrong a chance to repent and have a place back in the gospel if they want it. I also like the last bit here which I take to mean, "remember that you've also made mistakes and been allowed to return to the gospel." It's really a good reminder that as much as we look down on what we consider the "sins" of others, we've also been guilty of "sins" that they've considered to be awful too. 6:2 - We've dissected the command to "bear one another's burdens" a lot of times because it's been commanded a lot of times, but let's consider it in the context of allowi...

5:1 -With the slavery analogy set up, Paul makes an incredibly powerful statement, saying, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” The article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com references this verse with 2 Nephi 1:13 which says, “I that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep… and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.” These chains and the bondage might be referencing sin and the law of Moses specifically in this case, but I can’t help but think about what keeps me personally from being in the “liberty” of the gospel. What does that even mean, the “liberty” of the gospel? In Abinadi’s case, that gospel gave him peace, knowledge, and confidence. In other cases, the “liberty” is happiness, gratitude, etc. The IM quotes President Howard W. Hunter as teac...

4:21-31 - Paul wants to know, for those who want to start using the law of Moses, “do ye not hear the law?” Kind of like, “ok you want to use this system, but do you even know what it entails?” Now Paul used to be a Pharisee, so if anyone knows the intricacies of the law, it’s him. Now that he has had probably decades living both the law of Moses and Christianity, Paul is in a unique situation where he can accurately describe in detail the differences between the two and the necessity of each at their appropriate times. I hadn’t considered the uniqueness of Paul’s qualifications, especially considering how critical this point would be when taking the gospel to the gentiles. I truly realized right now just how vital Paul was in this point of the gospel’s expansion. Maybe it’s because I don’t really understand much of what he’s saying because of the uniqueness of his writing style, but I just gained an appreciation for who he was and the enormity of the work that he performed. Anyway, ...

4:8-9 - If we consider our relationship with God as that of Father and child, we can look at Paul’s questions in a more understandable light. But then again, I don’t know what it’s like to have a healthy relationship with a dad, so I don’t necessarily think I could make it make sense to anyone else because I don’t understand it myself. But Paul does ask the Galatians to consider what “nature” they served before they knew God. For me, I would have to say that I mostly served addiction and depression when I didn’t have God in my life. The addiction is pretty much in check, but kept on a tight leash. The depression, well, it’s a daily battle, but I’m doing much better. It’s taken many years, but I’ve been able to develop coping strategies that allow me to stop when something comes to my mind that isn’t true. For instance, if I think “I’m so worthless,” I can stop myself and say, “that’s not true and you know it. You’re not worthless, you’re just feeling like no one values you right now. J...

4:1-7 - I swear, Paul makes some excellent points in chapter 4, but man if I didn’t have to go 4 different places to find them. This will probably be more of my paraphrasing what he’s saying because I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Now that Paul has shown all saints that their background doesn’t matter, he starts to explain their relationship to God. The IM sets it up, saying, “There are some ways in which our covenant relationship with God is like the relationship of a servant to his master. But Paul taught the Galatians that our relationship with God is better understood as that of a child to a father.” This is not really a concept that I understand so I struggle to comprehend a male leader having a vested interest in your success who does what he can to help you be successful. I’ve never had that so it doesn’t make sense to me, so I don’t really find that definition of God to be helpful for me. The IM takes it from the perspective kind of like that of an orphan, just as...

3:13 - Just to recap Paul’s letter to the Galatians so far, the new Christian converts in the area of Galatia are mostly gentiles and Jewish Christian converts have come trying to convince these unsuspecting gentiles to incorporate the law of Moses into their new religion, specifically circumcision. Again, I don’t know what it is about circumcision that makes it the crux of Judaism for so many people, but here we are. Paul is trying to teach the new converts to Christianity, both Jew and gentile, that the law of Moses is not necessary for salvation, and at this point, it hinders it. Paul also gives his conversion story and talks about a disagreement that came up between himself and Peter in which Paul proved to be in the right concerning this very doctrine that they are discussing. At this point in the letter, Paul is showing the people how the law of Moses was used for a specific time with a specific people but is no longer needed. Verse 13 is complicated, and again, I don’t underst...