Paul draws out for us how God’s great work of redemption in Christ transforms our lives, and in so doing transforms our speech. He calls us to respond-or, more specifically, to speak. In Ephesians, Paul leads us to the breathtaking mountaintop vistas of God’s glory.Īnd yet, he doesn’t leave us there.

He unfolds how God includes us in his cosmic plans to unite not just Jew and Gentile (2:15) but all things in Christ (1:10). He considers how God raises us from spiritual death to spiritual life (2:1–5). Paul shows us God’s election of and love for his people from before the foundation of the world (1:4). How do I know this? The book of Ephesians.Įphesians begins with soaring expressions of God’s sovereignty over all things (1:11). In Christ, he has freed us to use our speech for astonishing and enduring ends. Sticks and stones still break bones, but you can’t tell me words don’t hurt.įrom your computer to your church to your kitchen table, what’s been your strategy for choosing your words this year? As those who confess and serve the God who speaks, who created the world by his Word, and whose Word gives life, have we forgotten how eternally important and powerful the gift of speech is? After all, the Triune God has revealed himself through his words. On any number of issues, consider how many words people have deployed to divide rather than reconcile, to hurt rather than heal, to demean rather than lift up. To say that kind words have been in short supply over the past year would be an understatement.

Take a glance at Twitter, cable news, or your most active group texts.

What does giving grace mean