Ephesians
by Jack Gray

Excerpt:
"All of us, when we read the Bible, tend to do so wearing coloured spectacles. The colour of these glasses depends on our church affiliation, or on our doctrinal stance. The spectacles serve to blind us to those things in Scripture which do not line up with our way of thinking, and to emphasise what accords with our own particular denominational or theological background. I am personally aware that this has been true in my own life, and I have changed the colour of my glasses a number of times, finding, each time, truths which had been hidden before, and fresh meaning in things which I had previously thought, mistakenly, that I had fully understood. No doubt I am still seeing through spectacles which are not totally clear and free of colour, but, having laid aside all church system associations, and coming to the Epistle to the Ephesians afresh, it has again been my joyous experience to see some of the truth of this wonderful Epistle of the Church in new and exciting ways, and I find myself saying, “Why didn’t I see that before?” And I realise that it was because it had been obscured by those very spectacles I have been referring to.

Could there be any more comprehensive revelation of the utterly complete provision which Christ has made for His Church? These glorious facts lay the axe at the roots of all institutionalism, of all human headship and control, and call us into a relationship of simple faith-dependence on Christ our Head, secure in His love, His constant care and provision, and looking to Him to fulfil His word to present to Himself a Church resplendent in beauty and holiness. Where are those who are willing to come out of the ecclesiastical organisations and institutions, putting away dependence on men and casting themselves in self-abandonment into the arms of the wholly-sufficient Husband of the Church, His body of which, by grace, we are members? Only those who have the courage so to do will be in a place to prove the truths of this altogether blessed revelation. Are you ready to say, “I will” to this Husband?"