Special Insights No. 3
Fourth Quarter 2005
Adult Sabbath School Lessons
“Ephesians: The Gospel of Relationships”
(Produced by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)
What God Has Done
This week’s lesson focuses on just a few verses from the first chapter
of Ephesians, but what power-packed verses they are! When reading this
section of Scripture one gets a sense of urgency and exuberance as the
words tumble out of Paul’s mouth. Look at the punctuation. From the
beginning of the chapter all the way down to verse 12 it is one continuous
sentence. The good news is so good that Paul is beside himself in eagerness
to share it with the Ephesian congregation.
The pure Gospel message shines brightly in these opening words of Paul’s
letter to the Ephesians: “in Christ” we have been given all things necessary
to prepare us for an eternal existence with holy, heavenly beings. In
Christ, “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace” (vs. 7). Christ gave up everything
to save us from sin (Phil. 2:6-8; Matt. 1:21). He gave us Himself, exchanging
His life of righteousness for our lives of filthy rags (Rom. 5:15-19).
What a gift—who can ever appreciate it enough!
All the blessings Paul shares with his readers are found “in Christ,”
that is, God in Christ has already done something for every human being
who ever lived (2 Cor. 5:19). “In Christ” the human race has already
been blessed “with all spiritual blessings;” “in Christ” we have already
been chosen, predestined, and adopted as God’s precious children; “in
Christ” we already have redemption, reconciliation, and restoration.
No wonder Paul was so excited! Salvation is a “done deal” for the entire
human race, having been accomplished “in Christ” from the foundation
of the world (Rev. 13:8). The only way to lose these precious blessings
is to refuse to believe the good news.
Foundational Themes of the 1888 Message
This message of Christ and His righteousness was the foundation of
the “most precious message” presented by A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner
at the 1888 General Conference session in Minneapolis. It is the message
of which, after hearing Waggoner present it, Ellen White exclaimed “every
fiber of my heart said, Amen.” (1888 Materials, pp. 348-349).
The 1888 message is the preaching of “the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth” (Rom. 1:16). In 1893, A. T. Jones was as
excited as Paul when he exclaimed: “Do you not see, then, that when
we are in Christ we have the victory; we have it now. Victory is not
the only word; we have the triumph, and we have it now..... Come on,
what is the use of being afraid? The victory is ours” (1893 General
Conference Bulletin, pp. 203, 205; emphasis in original).
Faith Brings the Victory
Through faith in Christ’s work for us and corporately as us in conquering
the enemy of our souls (Rom. 8:1-3), we already have the victory. And
even our faith is a free gift. Jones explains: “Where does this faith
come from anyway? God gave it to us [Rom. 12:3]. Who is the Author of
faith [Heb. 12:2]? Christ; and that light which lighteth every man which
cometh into the world is Jesus Christ” (ibid., p. 202).
Christ is the victory. Christ and His righteousness has been given
to every man, woman, and child who ever lived. There is no excuse for
continued sinning. We can have this victory in our lives NOW, if we
will only believe in God’s power to save us.
But “self” keeps getting in the way. In 1889, E.J. Waggoner addressed
this very problem:
“We have heard many people tell how hard they found it to do right;
their Christian life was most unsatisfactory to them, being marked only
by failure, and they were tempted to give up in discouragement. No wonder
they get discouraged; continual failure is enough to discourage anybody.
The bravest soldier in the world would become faint-hearted if he had
been defeated in every battle. Sometimes these persons will mournfully
tell that they have about lost confidence in themselves. Poor souls,
if they would only lose confidence in themselves entirely, and would
put their whole trust in the One who is mighty to save, they would have
a different story to tell” (“Living by Faith,” article found in Lessons
on Faith, p. 2-3).
“In Christ” We are Worth Everything
The good news is that “in Christ” we are worth everything heaven had
to give. We are “more precious than fine gold” to God, who gave His
own Son to redeem us from sin and restore us as His beloved children.
We have already been given the righteousness, and soon we will receive
the “inheritance” promised to Abraham—the earth made new—the everlasting
covenant fulfilled (Gen. 15:5-21; Rev. 21:1-27; Isa. 65:17-25).
So we discover that in these few verses of Ephesians, Paul has encapsulated
the entire message of Christ and his righteousness—the same message
of righteousness by faith that Jones and Waggoner presented at the 1888
General Conference. In these few verses we discern: (1) the corporate
oneness of Christ with those He came to save (since “in Him” we have
all these blessings, the importance of the nature which Christ assumed
at His incarnation is a necessary corollary); (2) legal justification
for the whole human race (we are all predestined and adopted); (3) the
everlasting covenant of redemption and restoration through the unilateral
power of God; and (4) woven throughout all of this is the eternal demonstration
of the love of God (agape) toward those who rebelled against Him. What
a gracious and merciful God we serve!
The message from the cross “speaks to each child of humanity, declaring,
It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt;
for thee He spoils the domain of death, and opens the gates of Paradise”
(The Desire of Ages, p. 755). Believe this “most precious message”
of good news and your life will be transformed; nothing will stand in
the way of your personal victory over sin. God’s promises are sure and
certain, if we don’t hinder them from being fulfilled.
—Ann Walper
Note: Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is the inspired
source for many of the unique “what-Christ-has-accomplished” and “what-He
does-in-you” concepts which make the 1888 message of Christ’s righteousness
so unique. The 1888 Message Study Committee has just published Robert
J. Wieland’s accompanying commentary on Ephesians, YOU’VE BEEN “ADOPTED.”
Call (269) 473-1888 to order; ask for the special introductory price.
Read Special Insights #4 |