In Ephesians 5:22-33, Paul drew an analogy between the ...

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have sins remitted. They must believe and obey this
command of the King (Acts 2:33). Results of such faith
are forgiveness of sins by the King's authority, promise
of the King's presence in His faithful subject's life, and
eternity with the King's Father. This is but a brief
analysis of "What It Means To Preach Christ." It is to
preach his God-given authority, and man's obedience to
his commands. It is to preach the realm of his rule—his
kingdom which involves his right to make and enforce
his Father's law and to exclude unwilling subjects to
these laws. It is to preach baptism as the act of obedience
which demonstrates the willingness of the sinner's heart
to obey the King, to be "born again," i.e., newly "born of
water and the Spirit" (Jno. 3:5). This, in principle, is
what it means to preach Christ, viz. his realm of rule,
conditions of citizenship, and obedience to the King in
thought, word and deed.
AN OVERVIEW OF EPHESIANS
I find it increasingly difficult to carry out my plans for
the future. All sorts of physical circumstances make
impossible what I want to do. Unexpected health conditions
or accidents change my plans, sometimes against
my will. The plans and activities of other people (including
my own children) interfere with mine. More often
than not my own activities inadvertently bring changes
in my other plans. There is so much I do not know and
cannot predict that I sometimes wonder why I make
plans at all. Practically, however, life cannot go on if I do
not project myself at least into the immediate future.
And yet, I must do so cautiously and with the realization
that all my plans may be changed in a moment without
prior notification (James 4:13-17).
Is it not wonderful that God can plan and it all comes to
pass without change. His decision is as good as action. He
speaks and it is done. He planned before the creation and
none of his plans have failed. Thousands of years have
passed. Millions of human beings have been free to act
and interact at their own choice. Yet all of God's
unconditional plans have come to pass. We are heirs of
the greatest of these: THE "PLAN" OF SALVATION.
What wonderful evidence of His divinity, omniscience,
omnipotence, and omnipresence the plan of salvation
provides! The book of Ephesians is designed to help us to
appreciate GOD'S ETERNAL PURPOSE IN CHRIST.
God's Plan in Christ
The first chapter of Ephesians is dedicated to explaining
two great truths: a) that God's planning centers in
providing spiritual blessings; and b) that all spiritual
blessings are in Christ Jesus.
Whatever else we may think or hear preached from
today's pulpits, God is most interested in our spiritual
well-being, not in our physical or social happiness. Just
look at the list of blessings attributed to the "riches" of
his grace (1:7; 2:4, 7; 3:8, 16): He chose us (1:4); He
adopted us (1:5); He redeemed us (1:7); He forgave us
(1:7); He revealed the mystery of His will to us (1:9); He
gathered us together in one body (1:10); He provided an
inheritance for us (1:11); etc. etc. etc.! Nothing is said
here about material prosperity or physical welfare and
yet we are "rich." We really must come up higher in our
thinking and set our minds on the things of God (Phil.
4:8). He has planned wonderful blessings for us but we
will miss them if we place our affections on this earth
(Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:13-21).
God's plans find fulfillment in Christ and those who