Christ's Ambassadors: An Expository Commentary Based upon Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians

Christ’s Ambassadors

Walking with Jesus Volume Eight

An Expository Commentary based upon Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians

(Chapter six Verses 10–24)

Robert B. Callahan Sr.

Christ’s Ambassadors

An Expository Commentary based upon Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians

(Chapter Six Verses 10–24)

Copyright © 2013 Robert B. Callahan Sr. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

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ISBN 13: 978-1-60899-652-0

EISBN 13: 978-1-63087-064-5

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, The King James Study Bible, Copyright ©1983, 1988. (Previously published as the Liberty Annotated Study Bible and as The Annotated Study Bible, King James Version) Copyright © 1988 by Liberty University. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

For my wife, Ginger,whose encouragement, faith,love, and objectivity contributed significantly to Walking with Jesus

Ephesians brings one into an atmosphere of unbounded spiritual affluence that creates within one’s heart deepest peace and assurance. It is impossible to live habitually in Ephesians and be depressed.

Ruth Paxson

Foreword

Robert Callahan’s multi-volume work of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians is both a welcomed and long-overdue guide for Christian living today. The Apostle’s sense of the eternity and greatness of God, his emphasis on the living reality and exaltation of Christ, his devotion to God’s grace as an unearned gift of enduring love, and his call to an ardent and faithful discipleship all witness to an urgency and renewal critically needed in our time. Callahan’s heart and style rise to meet this challenge and to convey God’s message of hope and promise, of presence and courage, to Christian souls of any and every contemporary Christian tradition.

Callahan’s format allows for both a devotional and studious usage. One can permit one’s soul to savor every spiritual nuance the author uncovers, verse by verse, mark the passage, and return later for further nourishment. Or one can linger from text to text, gleaning with the author both theological and spiritual insight for enhancing personal discipleship, equally applicable in the arena of church and society.

The author draws on an array of insightful theological and spiritual wisdom, garnered from scholars and saints alike, theologians and missionaries. Calvin’s Institutes guide Callahan’s expositions, as well as the work of Markus Barth—known for his commentary on Ephesians and his delineation of Pauline theology. The author cites frequent and astute observations from Barth’s exegesis of this nature. In addition, Callahan makes wise usage of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ emphasis on experiencing the living Christ. For Lloyd-Jones, as well as the author, mere intellectual knowledge of the Christ fails to undergird one’s faith or discipleship, when life’s journey truly becomes sore bestead. Callahan also draws from the great 17th century theologian William Gurnall’s delightful work: The Christian in Complete Armour. Perhaps students of Church history remember how both John Newton and Charles Spurgeon prized Gurnall’s approach and piety and preferred it to many perspicacious studies available in their time. Gurnall’s Complete Armour is known for its pithy, fervent, and wise counsel that confronts human vagaries with the truth about the self. In that respect, so too does Robert Callahan’s gentle but firm counsel enrich the Christian heart and inspire one to a higher level of discipleship. No one can fail to sense this in Walking with Jesus. Whether encouraged to venture this methodology owing to his own years as a Presbyterian elder, or as an avid member and participant of the bi-annual Calvin’s Colloquiums for the past 30 years, or as a fond reader of Ruth Paxson’s The Wealth, Walk and Warfare of the Christian, the result is the same: a powerful, inspirational, and theologically heart-warming guide to discipleship today.

Ministers, Christian educators, seminary students, laypersons, and lovers of Jesus’ life will find Callahan’s work immensely valuable. His volumes deserve our grateful and sincere attention, as we too seek to walk with Jesus.

Benjamin W. Farley

Younts Professor Emeritus of Bible, Religion, and Philosophy

Erskine College, Due West, South Carolina

Preface

Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians shows us the joy and challenge of being united to Christ in his death and resurrection. It takes us from being seated with Him in the heavenlies (chapter 2), down to the battles we must wage, in His armor, with powers of evil (Eph. 6). In a balanced and judicious manner, longtime Presbyterian elder, Bob Callahan, exercises remarkable insight in opening to believers the vital truths of Ephesians; truths that once taken in, transform the attitude towards life, and often set the soul singing!

As a professor of theology, I have carefully worked through one of his multivolumed series, and found it to be theologically sound: evangelical and scholarly at the same time. It has spiritual depth and is extremely practical; it is accessible in good, clear English. It is neither a commentary, nor a series of sermons. In some ways it reminds me of some of the ancient Patristic engagements with a series of texts of Holy Scripture. It brings the reader into the presence of the Most High, and—if considered thoughtfully and prayerfully, is likely to cause him to sit down under the canopy of God’s love.

The journey of Christians in today’s world is very demanding indeed, and Bob’s work is intended to be a guide to help every pilgrim ‘Walking with Jesus.’ It will be a rich resource for Sunday Schools, Bible studies, as well as for individual devotions.

Douglas F. Kelly

Reformed Theological Seminary

Charlotte, NC

Acknowledgments

The crafting of Walking with Jesus was not a one man show but numerous people working together to present a formidable work. Three guiding lights have been paramount in the minds of those making significant contributions: one, presenting the theology in accord with the tenets of the Reformed Faith; two, employing language that presents the Gospel in a meaningful and understandable light; and, three, expounding upon Scripture in a clear, concise, and forthright manner.

It has been God’s blessing that the following ministers and theologians have enthusiastically and willingly provided their time and talents to enhance this work. They are:

Dr. Frank Barker, Founder and Pastor Emeritus of the Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL

Dr. Benjamin W. Farley, Younts Professor Emeritus, Bible, Religion, and Philosophy, Erskine College, Due West, SC

Dr. James C. Goodloe, IV, Executive Director, Foundation for Reformed Theology, Richmond, VA

Dr. Todd Jones, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN

Dr. Douglas Kelly, Richard Jordan, Professor of Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC

Dr. Norman McCrummen, Senior Pastor, Spring Hill Presbyterian Church, Mobile, AL

Dr. Mark Mueller, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Huntsville, AL

Dr. Richard Ray, Former Managing Director of John Knox Press, Montreat, NC

Without the knowledge, wisdom, and encouragement of these individuals this work would neither have become a reality nor available to individuals seeking a better understanding of the teachings of the Scripture and the joy of walking daily with the Lord Jesus.

Several others have labored diligently to create this work, and to produce the finished product. Our daughter, Karen Callahan Myrick, made significant contributions during the drafting process through her knowledge of grammar. Ms. Lynn Sledge, as the copy editor, judiciously reviewed the manuscript and made valuable contributions for improving it. Four ladies, Helen Marshall, D’Anne Dendy, Kelly Comferford, and Elizabeth Annan, worked tirelessly, with dedication, to prepare draft after draft and to make positive contributions to the project. In addition, Wick Skinner made invaluable contributions through his attention to details, grammar, and vocabulary.

It is not possible to thank them sufficiently for their dedication to making this volume a desirable repository of Christian truths, and in so doing to cheerfully work on draft after draft, to recommend enhancements, and to make appropriate changes in the text. Their unselfish contributions are too many to enumerate. May God bless them.

The Question of Authorship

Recent scholars have questioned the authorship of the letter to the Ephesians and have been less convinced that it was the Apostle Paul. However, for the sake of simplicity of expression we will abide by the traditional view and refer to Paul as its author.

Introduction

The creation of this work was the result of unusual developments which some would attribute to happenstance and others to God’s providence. You may be the judge after considering the following.

During May 2000 a friend invited my wife and me to visit the Spring Hill Presbyterian Church in Mobile and hear their new minister, Norman McCrummen. We accepted his invitation.

The following March, Dr. McCrummen was preaching on anything but Ephesians when he interrupted his sermon, paused long enough to slowly scan the congregation twice, and said, I want everyone to read the first and second chapters of Ephesians by next Sunday and promptly returned to his sermon. The next day I called him and said, I can’t do it a few times. Finally, his light went on and he said, What can’t you do? I said, I can’t read the first and second chapters of Ephesians by next Sunday. He asked, Why can’t you? It will only take ten to fifteen minutes. I responded, I have fifty-eight to sixty expository messages on the first two chapters of Ephesians that took thirty to thirty-five minutes to present. His response was, I want to read all those and everything else you have on Ephesians. Thus began the long, arduous, and heartwarming journey of converting handwritten notes along with printed ones into the written word. It has been a joyful, though demanding experience.

Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians has been described as The holiest of the holies. My love affair with it began in the 1980’s when I read a book containing great sermons of the twentieth century. The most impressive one was written by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. As a result, I read other works of his including his exposition of Ephesians. Thereafter, unexpectedly, I was asked to teach an adult Bible Study Group. They said they would provide the material, but I demurred and said, I would gather my own material. This set in motion the process of acquiring knowledge through the best expository works available at the time on Ephesians including Martyn Lloyd-Jones, William Gurnall, Ruth Paxson, Markus Barth, John Calvin, Otto Weber, and others.

The objective was to present the essence of Paul’s letter as it was presented to him by the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Further, to mine the gold available in the fruitful works of those fertile minds that God had cultivated and enabled to expound upon the truths that His only begotten Son had revealed to His apostles and disciples. Therefore, it was a paramount obligation to express God’s truths in a simple, straightforward manner according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit so that the reader may grasp it and interpret it according to the will of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The need for the truths of the Gospel is as great today as it was in the first century. The conditions are similar and the challenges facing our culture reveal the need for knowing the living God and His Son. Today, the people of faith require the same spiritual nourishment as those brave souls of the early days after the Resurrection, who would rather face death than deny their Lord and Saviour.

There are people in responsible positions in Christ’s church who deny Him by: their passivity; seeking secular acceptance; and failing to honor Him in public. These apostasies negatively impact members of organized Christian churches as well as non-believers.

They create an environment in which unrighteousness flourishes. This results in irreverence as aptly described by R.W. Dale, Where there is irreverence for the divine law the vision of God becomes fainter; as the vision of God becomes fainter the restraints of the Divine Righteousness are lessened and at last the vision of God is lost altogether. May God enlighten us regarding His infallible Word so that we will hunger and thirst for righteousness, and for the vision of God to shine brighter and brighter as we serve Him with courage, wisdom, justice, and self-control.

This expository commentary is designed to bring individuals, whether they are spiritually children, adolescents or adults into a closer, more mature relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It begins with the Triune God; presents the doctrines of the Christian faith; reminds us that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro . . . but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, . . . even Christ. It continues by emphasizing the importance of being renewed in the spirit of your mind; putting on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness; using the whole armor of God to thwart the manifold attacks of Satan; and concluding with the admonition to conduct ourselves as Christ’s ambassadors.

The spiritual food contained ranges from milk and honey to tough meat. The flavor of this exposition encompasses all varieties—sweet, sour, pleasant, bitter, tart, tasteless, dry, burned, and succulent. Do not reject the nourishment because of its texture or flavor, but seek to understand it despite your preferences, since it provides food for good health and strength for joyful living. May God’s truths flourish in your heart and mind, and enable you to withstand the tests, trials, and tribulations that come your way as you are Walking with Jesus.

In presenting this work, I realize everyone has different challenges. The fascinating part of God’s Word is that it meets us where we are. The question is, will we meet Him there, hear what He has to say, and accept the nourishment He offers?

The words of William Gurnall are appropriate and enlightening in contemplating God’s Word. He said prior to expounding upon Ephesians, The fare that I shall be serving during the coming weeks will be from God’s own table. If perchance it does not go down well or should not have the flavor that you desire, please do not despise the provider of the food, but blame the cook who has prepared it and is serving it. To that I say, Amen!

The courses being served by this cook are described herein. May they provide the taste and nourishment you are seeking.

Robert B. Callahan, Sr.

1

Assurance, Change and Opposition

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places [Eph. 6:10–12].

The facts and events in the life of Christ have an impact upon the people hearing about them, just as they did on the people witnessing them. An individual’s perception or interpretation of the Master’s teachings, activities, and practices is affected by many factors, including mindset, receptivity, peer pressure, and knowledge. This is true whether or not there is complete acceptance, complete rejection, or something in-between, or because there is real faith and trust or the absence of it, or various combinations of the different factors.

When Christ is ignored or merely acknowledged as having lived, He still has an effect on people, upon individuals. When people come to hear about Him or to learn more about Him, He has an effect. When individuals come to know Him, He has a significant, positive impact upon their lives. When He dominates a person’s life, His Word grows within them producing fruit, much fruit.

This impact can produce several things in people. It can bring about assurance, change, or opposition. These elements can be seen in the Apostle John’s description of the developments occurring immediately after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Scripture reveals, he hath been dead four days, when Jesus arrived.

What happened after Lazarus came forth? What would you expect to happen? Scripture contains two different responses. First, many of the Jews who were there and saw what happened believed on Him. However, there were others who apparently did not, or they were afraid, or they had some vested interest, because they left and went to the Pharisees.

Christ performed this great miracle, but not all who witnessed it believed. The word believe in this instance means to trust and to have confidence. Miracles may produce vastly different results. They can prepare a person for faith, or they can confirm it, as Calvin notes.

On the other hand, there are those who reject the evidence with hearts as hard as stone. Ungodliness infects and corrupts the works of God. Consequently, the hearts of some who were present when Lazarus came forth from the grave turned against Christ and went to the Pharisees. Changes were brought about among the witnesses, the leaders, and observers. Many believed; some did not.

It is difficult to imagine people being present when Jesus performed this miracle and not believing in Him, not accepting Him, not admiring and praising Him. However, there are those who reject or ignore what Christ has done, who are opposed to His practices. Unbelief is always proud and a despiser of God; but, it does not always breakout into open conflict with God, according to John Calvin’s insightfulness regarding those who reject the Triune God.

It is interesting concerning the people who went to the Pharisees. They told them what Jesus had done; they did not deny it, but affirmed it. Yet they knew that the Pharisees were opposed to Christ and wanted to kill Him. Why did they want to stir up more opposition and hatred? Possibly to ingratiate themselves with the authorities or to receive favors from the clergy of that day. Or, they did not want people following Christ.

Remember what happened after Jesus fed the five thousand. They followed Him to Capernaum. Why? Jesus provides the answer saying, Not because ye saw the miracles (signs), but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled [John 6:26]. Then Jesus proceeded to tell them what they must do: they must partake of what He has to offer, namely Himself, His teachings, and His obedience to the Father. What happened to the large group that followed him to Capernaum? From that time many of his disciples went back (away), and walked no more with him [John 6:66]. Why? There may have been many reasons, but basically they were interested in themselves, what they were doing, and their relationships to other people or groups; they wanted to continue to see miracles and to receive material blessings and tangible rewards; they did not accept Him as the Messiah, the Son of God; and something kept coming between themselves and God, namely self.

When the Pharisees heard how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and the reports of many other witnesses, what did they do? They concerned themselves with how they could oppose Him, how they could take additional action against Him, and how they might get rid of Him!

They thought if they opposed Him they could block His path, prevent people from following Him, send Him into oblivion, and not hear of Him anymore, and then He would never bother them again. People through the ages have done the same thing. They tell the authorities what He is doing and that they oppose Him. The same thing is happening in the twenty-first century, but it does not work.

What concerned the Pharisees and the high priests was that Jesus would continue doing miracles. Further, if they left Him alone, others would believe on Him and follow Him. As a result, the Romans would come and destroy the temple and the nation. If these things happened, the Pharisees’ status quo would be upset, and conditions would change. Therefore, Caiaphas made both a judgment and a prophesy at one and the same time. He did not intend to do so, but he did because of the Holy Spirit.

Caiaphas thought it would be expedient to get rid of Jesus. Therefore, he uttered these prophetic words, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not [John 11:45–50].

Further, Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad [John 11:51–52]. Caiaphas did not intend to prophesy. He wanted to render a judgment. He wanted to preserve the position of the scribes and Pharisees. He wanted to eliminate any opposition.

However, God used Caiaphas. These verses show that our salvation is accomplished by bringing the scattered sheep together into one flock. The people of God are gathered together into the body of Christ.

God foreordained that one man will die for those people, that they shall not perish. It is through that one person that the sinners, the alienated, dispersed, and scattered are brought together and made one as members of Christ’s body. This prophesy of Caiaphas’s should remind us That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him [Eph. 1:10]. Then, as Scripture says, . . . all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death [Matt. 27:1].

We see in John’s Gospel assurance, change, and opposition. Yet, we should see something having a greater impact and effect: the hand of God working, and God using both followers and opponents to achieve His purposes. Yes, we love to hear about what Jesus did during His earthly ministry. Yes, we want to believe. We are like the father who brought the child with the dumb spirit to Jesus [Mark 9:17–26]. The father said to Jesus with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief [Mark 9:24].

But there is something more that we seek, and it is important. We seek assurance, but do we really want it? These words and this thought are important. Do we really want assurance? Consider the question, do we want the assurance that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and that through Him we receive salvation and life eternal [2 Pet. 1:1–11]? Remember, the same Word that offers us pardon calls us to repentance and obedience.

It is well to ask, what happens when we receive assurance? There will be a change. We will seek to learn and to know the truth as it is revealed in the Lord Jesus. We will seek to stop, look, listen, and obey His commandments. We will