Paul the
apostle concluded sharing with the Ephesian church members by sending
“Tychicus” to let them know how he did and to discover how
they were doing as well. In chapter six and verse twenty-three Paul
began the conclusion to his letter by desiring that “peace, love
and faith” be upon the Ephesians where we read:
The verse begins,
“Peace be
to the brethren, and love with faith,...” Paul
began with the word, “Peace”
which means “rest, state of tranquility, exempt from rage and
havoc, harmony, concord, security, safety, prosperity and felicity”
“be to the brethren”
which refers to “the church members in Ephesus” “and
love”
which in Greek is the word “agapē”
or
“affection, good will, benevolence, brotherly unconditional love”
“with faith”
which means “the conviction that God exists and is the creator and
ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation
through Christ”. Paul desired for “rest and unconditional love
with trust in God” to be upon the Ephesians.
The
verse continues, “...from God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.” Paul added,
“from God” which
refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God
the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “the
Father” or “ancestor,
founder of a family or tribe, progenitor of a people and originator
and transmitter of anything” “and the Lord”
which means “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he
has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”
“Jesus” whose name
means “Jehovah is Salvation” and is “the Son of God, Savior of
mankind and God incarnate” “Christ”
which refers to “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”.
The “peace and love with faith”
wished upon the Ephesians were originated with “God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we admire the full extent to
which Paul shared with the Ephesians church members, and now he
concludes his words with a desire for “peace and love with
faith” to be upon them. The source of true “peace, love
and faith” is from God, and those who have a relationship with
Him and His Son Jesus know the greatest level of all three. May God
the Father, Jesus Christ His Son and the Holy Spirit help us to
experience all that Paul desired for the Ephesians.
Next
time Paul shares his final words with the Ephesians, so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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