Philip Dampier's Blog

Heavenly Places (1) Paul uses the term ‘Heavenly Places’ five times in the Ephesian letter. Paul’s reference to heavenly places he is talking about the non-material world. Heavenly places predate the present world and will continue after the present world is removed. It is where the real spiritual battles are…

Chapter 2, Verses 11, 12, 13 “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and…

Chapter 2, Verse 10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Paul really wants the faithful saints in Ephesus to get this right. The Jews had a history of trying to appease God with deeds…

Chapter 2, Verses 8, 9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The belief that salvation is by grace and not by works was…

Chapter 2, Verses 6, 7 “and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Wow! Look at what happened…

Chapter 2, Verses 4, 5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved–“ God in his mercy and great love raised Jesus from…

Chapter 2, Verse 3 “…among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” You have to admire Paul for being honest here. The ‘you’ of…