The Big Picture

One of the most incredible photographs in our age is the photo taken of the earth by the Apollo 11 Lunar landing team. Never before in history has mankind had such a perspective on the earth as the one conveyed through this historic photograph. It is both majestic and fragile, large and yet small, and definitely beautiful!

We gain something in terms of our own worldview when we are able to see the "Big Picture." From such a vantage point, we are able see how everything fits together and we don't get lost in the minute details and miss the big picture all together.

Ephesians gives us that kind of picture. Paul has a chance to write about what he feels is important rather than address specific problems and issues going on in a particular place. With such an opportunity, we get a very large picture from Paul about what God has done and how we view ourselves in God's plan. Several of you commented on how the view of "Adoption" was so eye opening for you. The truth that God's plan before the foundation of the world was layed was to choose us in Christ to be holy and blameless and adopt us into his family is a big picture view of what God is doing in our world. In that process of adoption, he has created "one new humanity" in the person of Christ so all the hostility that divides human beings is replaced with peace. His desire is to gather us together as his children and renew the world by purging it of evil.

With this big picture in mind, Paul then defines what we - as the community that follows Christ - are to look and act like. In our class this Thursday we will look deeper into what Paul observes should then be a chief preoccupation as followers of Christ in terms of this big picture he shares in chapters 1 and 2. What should we behave like, what should our relationships be like, how do we battle evil as a community and what should continually be our focus. These are the questions and observations we will make as we finish reviewing Ephesians.

Digging Deeper

If you want to dig a bit deeper you may want to familiarize yourself with the historical doctrine of election [how does God go about "choosing"] as it comes up in the language of Paul in terms of God choosing and predestining humanity and creation. I was fairly clear in class about where my opinion lies on the issue of election. For a good read on this visit the following blog post "Inviting Uncle Ned to Dinner or Divine Election Rethought."