The Royal Address
Introduction: Divine Postage
We live in an age that is allergic to authority. Modern man wants to be his own pope, his own king, and his own god. He wants a spirituality that bubbles up from within, a truth that he discovers in the depths of his own glorious self. He wants a message that affirms him, a gospel that serves him, and a god that looks suspiciously like him. He is, in short, an idolater, and the idol is in the mirror.
Into this sad and narcissistic room, the letter to the Ephesians arrives like a royal decree, stamped with the signet ring of the King of Heaven. It is not a suggestion. It is not a collection of helpful tips for a more fulfilling life. It is not an invitation to a dialogue. It is authoritative mail from the throne room of the universe, delivered by a credentialed ambassador. The salutation of this letter, these first two verses, is not mere pleasantry. It is a dense, theological declaration that establishes the entire framework for our reality. It tells us who is speaking, to whom he is speaking, and the fundamental blessings that define the relationship. To misunderstand this opening is to misread your own mail.
Paul is not offering his personal opinions. He is not sharing what has worked for him. He is delivering a message from outside our closed system. This is revelation. And because it is revelation, it carries with it the absolute authority of its source. We are not invited to critique it, improve it, or adjust it to our felt needs. We are called to submit to it, to believe it, and to have our lives completely reordered by it. This is the apostolic word, and it comes to us with the full weight of the one who sent the apostle.
The Text
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 1:1-2 LSB)
The Messenger's Credentials (v. 1a)
Paul begins by establishing his authority, and he does so with precision.
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God..." (Ephesians 1:1a)
He identifies himself by name, Paul, but immediately defines his office. He is an "apostle of Christ Jesus." An apostle is a "sent one," an emissary, an ambassador who speaks with the full authority of the one who sent him. When an ambassador from Rome spoke, it was as if Caesar were speaking. When Paul speaks, it is as if Christ Jesus is speaking. This is why his letters are not simply ancient correspondence; they are the Word of God. The apostolic office was a foundational, temporary office for the establishment of the church, and its authority is now permanently resident in the apostolic writings, which we call the New Testament.
But from where did he get this authority? Did he graduate from an apostolic seminary? Was he voted in by the other apostles? No. He was an apostle "by the will of God." His commissioning was not a human decision; it was a divine, sovereign act. You will recall that Paul did not seek this job out. He was violently conscripted on the road to Damascus. He was knocked off his horse, blinded, and drafted into the service of the very King he was persecuting. This is crucial. Paul's authority, and therefore the authority of his message, is grounded in the eternal, unchangeable will of God. This demolishes all human pride and pretension. God decides who His messengers are. God determines what the message is. The will of God is the ultimate bedrock of reality, and Paul's own calling is exhibit A.
The Recipient's Identity (v. 1b)
Next, Paul identifies his audience. This is the address on the envelope, and it is addressed to us.
"To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 1:1b)
He calls them "saints." In the modern mind, a saint is a spiritual superhero, someone who has achieved a state of near-perfection. This is Roman Catholic nonsense. The biblical word for saint, hagios, simply means "holy one" or "set-apart one." It is not a title you earn through piety; it is a status God declares over you at the moment of conversion. You are a saint because God has taken you out of the common, profane world and set you apart for Himself. It is a positional truth before it is an experiential one. You are not a sinner trying to become a saint; you are a saint who is learning to sin less. You must begin to live in accordance with who God says you are.
And where are these saints? They are "at Ephesus." The Christian faith is not a disembodied, gnostic philosophy. It is an earthly, grounded reality. It has addresses. These were real people in a real city, and the gospel reordered their lives in that specific place. Your faith must have a zip code. It must be lived out in your town, on your street, in your home.
Paul adds another descriptor: they are "faithful in Christ Jesus." The word "faithful" here carries the dual meaning of believing and being loyal. They are believers, those who have placed their trust in Christ. But this faith is not a one-time, intellectual ascent. It is an ongoing life of faithfulness, of loyalty to the King. And where does this identity as saints and faithful ones exist? It is "in Christ Jesus." This phrase, or its equivalent, appears dozens of times in Ephesians. It is the location of every spiritual blessing. To be "in Christ" is to be in the new world, the new creation. It is our new environment, our new atmosphere. Outside of Christ, there is only condemnation and death. Inside Christ, there is sainthood, faithfulness, and life.
The Apostolic Blessing (v. 2)
Having established the sender and the recipient, Paul now pronounces the blessing that defines their relationship.
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:2)
This is far more than "Hope you are well." This is a powerful benediction. Notice the order, for it is non-negotiable: grace, and then peace. You cannot have peace until you have received grace. Grace is God's unmerited favor. It is His free, sovereign, and undeserved kindness bestowed upon rebellious sinners. It is God giving us the opposite of what we deserve. We deserve wrath, and He gives us love. We deserve condemnation, and He gives us sonship.
The result of receiving this grace is peace. This is the Hebrew concept of shalom. It is not merely the absence of conflict, but a state of wholeness, well-being, and flourishing that comes from being in a right relationship with God. The world chases peace through treaties, therapy, and distraction, but it is a fool's errand. True peace is not a human achievement; it is a divine gift that flows exclusively from divine grace.
The Divine Source
Finally, Paul identifies the source of these twin blessings. Where do grace and peace come from?
"...from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:2)
They flow from a single, unified, divine source. Notice the grammar. Paul does not say "from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ," as if they were two separate sources. He links them together under one preposition, "from." This is one of the most profound and casual affirmations of the deity of Jesus Christ in all of Scripture. He places Jesus on the same level as God the Father as the co-equal source of divine grace and peace. No mere man, no prophet, no angel could ever be described this way. This is the language of deity.
And look at the titles. The source is "God our Father." Through grace, the sovereign Creator of the universe has become our Father. We have been adopted. We are family. And the source is "the Lord Jesus Christ." This is a complete confession of faith in one phrase. He is Lord (Kurios), the sovereign ruler to whom every knee will bow. He is Jesus, the historical man, our kinsman-redeemer who shed His blood for us. He is Christ (Christos), the Messiah, the anointed King who has established His kingdom. It is from this God, our loving Father, and through this King, our victorious Lord, that all grace and peace flow to us. This is the fountainhead of our entire Christian life.
Conclusion
So, this is the mail you have received. It comes from God Himself, through His authorized representative. It is addressed to you, not because you are worthy, but because He has made you a saint, a set-apart one. Your new address is "in Christ Jesus." And the contents of the letter, the sum and substance of the Christian life, are grace and peace.
Do you read your mail this way? Do you understand that your identity is not something you build, but something you receive? You are a saint. You are faithful in Christ. Do you live your life in submission to this apostolic word, or do you treat it as one of many competing voices? Do you try to generate your own peace, or do you live in the peace that flows from the free grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ?
Everything that follows in this glorious letter is built upon this foundation. Before we can scale the doctrinal heights of our election in eternity past or our seating in the heavenly places, we must first understand the address on the envelope. It is from God, to you, in Christ. Read your mail. Believe it. And live accordingly.