Ephesians: God's Care Forwarded

I am excited to begin this year by studying the Book of Ephesians with you. Some consider it the greatest book in the Bible. You will recognize many quotes and concepts as we make our journey through the sacred text in these coming months.

Bible scholars have suggested many themes for the Book of Ephesians. One suggestion I found interesting was this: Galatians is about faith; Ephesians is about grace.

The nature of the church of Jesus Christ is certainly a theme of Ephesians along with the nature of our salvation. The letter begins and ends with greetings. In between is an exposition of our life in Christ and practical applications for daily living.

My chosen title for these messages is Ephesians: Forwarding God’s Care. I have thought a lot about this approach, and I have processed it with our worship team, our church staff, and some friends who are New Testament scholars.

Emphasizing God’s care for us and our care for one another is both faithful to the Book of Ephesians and faithful to the overall message of the Bible. I think it will be interesting, intriguing, and even inspiring to look at this wonderful letter from the point of view of “care.” Surely it will be practical.

The words “care, cares, and caring” are used more than 100 times in the NIV translation of the Bible and translate multiple Greek and Hebrew words. Caring involves both providing for needs and protection from dangers. As both noun and verb, “care” is large enough to encompass the activities of love. It is love in motion.

After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church (Ephesians 5:29 NIV). “Cares” is thalpo—“to cherish with tender love; to foster with tender care.” The King James Version translates the verb with “cherisheth.” The root of the word is “to warm, to keep warm.” Body heat is the most immediate source of warmth. The word thalpo has this meaning at its root. It is an intimate, nestling, snuggling warmth that protects the fingers and toes from frost or keeps the  newborn infant warm and safe in his mother’s arms.