Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is built around one powerful structure: if / then.
If God is already at work healing the world in Christ—if grace, not violence, is the true power shaping history—then how should we live?
In this message, we begin a four-week journey through Ephesians by sitting in the if:a bold vision of Jesus, a high Christology, and a radical redefinition of chosen, predestined, grace, and peace. Set against the backdrop of the Roman Empire’s gospel of “victory, then peace,” Paul announces an alternative good news—one where peace is already possible because of God’s self-giving love in Christ.
This sermon explores:
* The if/then structure of Ephesians
* What “chosen” and “predestined” actually mean (and what they don’t)
* Why Paul’s greeting “grace and peace” is deeply political
* How the church becomes a small working model of new creation
* What it means to live ahead of the curve of God’s healing work in the world
📖 Text: Ephesians 1🎙️ Series: If / Then📍 Commons Church, Calgary