Lakeland Bible Church

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Lakeland Bible Categorical Study Notes

Selected Bible Lessons

Positional Truth in Ephesians One

Definition

Positional Truth - The uniting of the believer with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The Biblical doctrine that describes the union of the believer with Jesus Christ at of the moment of the baptism by means of the Holy Spirit ( John 14:20; 17:20-22; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:5; Acts 1:5).

There are two absolute relationships between man and God that are pertinent in understanding Positional Truth. There is an everlasting (or "eternal") and unconditional relationship with God that the believer possesses at the moment of salvation. The unconditional relationship that belongs to the true believer in Jesus Christ is described herein as the believer's "Position." A synonym for "Position" is "Standing," used, inter alios, by Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse. The Position (Standing) of any human being is absolute - i.e. one is either "In Christ," or one is "In Adam"; one is either a "believer," or one is an "unbeliever" (John 3:36; 1 Cor. 15:22). The believer's Position in Christ is permanent (Rom 8:38 -39). It is not progressive (as is maturity); is not an emotional or ecstatic experience; and, is not related to human merit.

There is also a temporal (moment-by-moment) relationship with God that is conditional. The conditional relationship is categorized herein as "Spirituality," which is an absolute temporal relationship with God. At any moment in time, the believer is either "Spiritual" (controlled by the Holy Spirit) or "Carnal" (controlled by the human sin nature). The terms used to distinguish a person's Spirituality (State, Condition) are "Spiritual" or "Carnal," as well as "In Fellowship with God" or "Out of Fellowship," and again "controlled by the Holy Spirit" or "controlled by the Sin Nature." The carnal believer, though ineffective as a Christian, is as much "In Christ" as is the spiritual believer. The notion that some people are more spiritual than others is exogenous to Biblical theology.

Positional Truth may be further categorized. The believer's position In Christ is the direct result of the believer's being "baptized" into Christ by the Holy Spirit at the moment of belief in Christ as personal Savior. In theology, the term "baptize" is closely related to the word "identification," and is used with seven connotations. The term "current positional truth" designates the believer's permanent identification with Christ as He is seated at the right hand of God the Father ( Col 3:1-2). "Retroactive positional truth" designates the believer's identification with Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom 6:3-8; Eph. 2:6; Col. 2:12; 3:3). Identification with His spiritual death means separation from and rejection of human good, evil, and separation from the old sin nature.[1]

Exposition of Ephesians 1:1-10

Believers are Saints (v. 1)

1. "Saint," "sanctify." and "holy" all come from the same Greek word, hagios. In the plural it is used in Scripture of all believers and is not applied just to exceptional persons. In its verb form, hagiazo, it means "to set apart," or "to be set apart." As an adjective, it refers to God as the absolutely Holy One in His purity, majesty, and glory. When used of men and things it carries the idea of being set apart or dedicated to God. Sainthood is not an accomplishment attained by good works; it is a state into which God calls men by His grace.

2. Jesus Christ is set apart unto God, and because we are positionally "in Christ," we are set apart unto God as well.

Believers are recipients of grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 2)

1. The fact that both the Father and Jesus Christ are the givers of grace and peace is a testimony to the deity of Christ (Gal. 1:3, 6; Rom. 5:15 ).

2. Grace is a familiar term in the Bible and it has many connotations. The kind of grace mentioned here is related to believers. It refers to what God has done that has resulted in the redemption, sanctification, and glorification of His people.

3. One purpose of Christ's coming into the world was to bring spiritual peace (reconciliation) between humans and God (Luke 1:79; 2:14 ; 24:36; Mark 5:34 ; 9:50 ; Acts 10:36 ; Rom. 5:1;10; 2 Cor. 5:18,20; Gal. 5:22 ; Eph. 2:14 , 15; Phil. 4:7; Col. 1:21).

Believers are blessed with all spiritual blessings (v.3).

1. Blessing in the Old Testament includes both temporal and spiritual well being (Gen. 26:12-13; I Chr. 4:10 ), but in the New Testament it is more specifically associated with spiritual benefit (Acts 3:26 ; Eph. 1:3; Gal. 3:8-9).

2. All spiritual blessings stem from our relationship to Christ. This generally means that they are salvation blessings (Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 3:9).

Believers are chosen or elected in Christ before the foundation of the world (v. 4).

1. In eternity past, God the Father chose His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the Savior of all mankind (Acts 2:23). Hence, every believer is the direct beneficiary of that wonderful choice.

2. This choice results in every believer being set apart (sanctified, holy, and without blame). This is our position in Christ (Gal. 2:20 ). We also have an experiential relationship with Christ. These two relationships are often confused. Experientially in our day-to-day life we often fail because we still have an old sin nature (God cannot sin, all humans sin because they have an old sin nature).

3. Election refers to God's plan to bring salvation to His people and his World. The doctrine of election is at once one of the most controversial, most central, and most misunderstood teachings of the Bible. Election also refers to the purpose or plan of a gracious and loving God whereby he has chosen carry out His will. The word "election" is derived from the Greek word, eklegomai (a verb), which if translated literally means, to choose or make a choice (1 Cor. 1:27 -28).

4. Donald Grey Barnhouse says,

When God, out in eternity before the foundation of the world, decided that He was going to introduce the plan of salvation, He determined that all things would center in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The depth of the love of God for Jesus Christ cannot be measured. We read in the Scriptures that God gave us to Christ because he loved Christ, and that he gave Christ to us because He loves us (John 17:6; 3:16).[2]

Believers are predestined to adoption of children by Jesus Christ and because of God's love (v. 5).

1. Since we are in Jesus Christ, we share His destiny (Rom. 8:17 ).

2. No one is predestined to Hell. Humans stand condemned already because they have not believed in Jesus Christ (John 3:17 -19). The idea that anyone is predestined to condemnation is preposterous because then there would be no need or purpose for the proclamation of the Gospel of salvation. Rejection of God's offer of salvation causes one to be lost forever (John 3:18 ).

3. "Adoption" (huiothesia, from huios, a son, and thesis, a placing, akin to tithemi, to place, signifies the place and condition of a son given to one to whom it does not naturally belong). The word is used by the Apostle Paul only in Romans 8:15, 23: 9:4; Galatians 4:5, and Ephesians 1:5.[3] The placing of believers is as mature sons not as babies or children.

Believers are accepted in the "beloved" (v. 6).

1. The Beloved refers to Jesus Christ as the one the Father loves.

2. As believers in Christ we are clearly included in that wonderful relationship.

Believers have redemption through the blood of Christ (v. 7).

1. "Redemption through His blood" refers to the death of Christ on the cross.

2. The death of Christ was a sacrifice that paid the penalty of our sins forever. His blood saves us. His blood justifies us. His blood reconciles us to God. The term "blood" always means His death on the cross. Many Passages bear this idea (Col. 1:20; Romans 5:9-10; John 6;53-56; Acts 5;28; Eph. 2:13; 1 John 5:6; Rev. 1:5; 19:13).

Believers have wisdom and understanding (v. 8).

1. The real wisdom that believers have comes from their relation to Christ who is said to be the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24 -30).

2. In the Old Testament Wisdom literature( Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon), " wisdom" often refers to mere humanly derived knowledge (Eccles. 1:13 ; Job 4:21 ). Human wisdom can bring grief and frustration (compare Eccles. 1:12 with 2:9-11).

3. However, there is a divine wisdom, given by God, which enables man to lead a productive life. Divine wisdom, when applied, keeps the commandments of God (Prov. 4:11 ), is prudent (Prov. 8:12 ), demonstrates humility (Prov. 10:8), and is based on fear of the Lord (Job 28:28; Prov. 9:10 ).

4. Only God possesses wisdom in the absolute sense (Job 12:13 ). It cannot be produced from human intelligence (Job 12:12-13; 28:12; Eccles. 7:23 ).

Believers have been given knowledge of the "mystery of God's will" (v. 9).

1. "Mystery" is from a Greek word (musterion) that means something known only to the initiates into an association or fraternity. It speaks of spiritual truth such as that which is revealed in the gospel (1 Cor. 13:2; 14:2).[4]

2. The mystery of His will is something now revealed to all believers but was not previously known. It is God's will that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and that we love one another. This requires faith and the power of the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:23 ).

3. God's will for all unbelievers is that they should believe the Gospel of salvation.

Believers have a glorious future (v. 10).

1. The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times is a reference to the millennium where Jesus Christ will reign supreme.

2. God's ultimate plan is to unite all things in Christ (Col. 1: 26-28; Eph 3:4-6).

(C) 2004

[1] Adapted from Chafer Theological Seminary Online Systematic Theology­--Glossary that is currently underdevelopment. Tom Wright, Mark Perkins, Ann Marshall, and Hugh Crowder, Editors, January 2005.

[2] Donald Grey Barnhouse, "God's Heirs," Romans 8:1-39, Expositions of Bible Doctrines Taking the Epistle to the Romans as a Point of Departure. Vol. 3, 164.

[3] W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.

[4] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr. Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.