Who is Paul writing to in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13?
Paul writes to believers, not to the whole world. He addresses those who are now believers, including believers today, and speaks of their position in Christ. They believed and had faith after hearing the Word of Truth, though the message can affect the unsaved.
Les returns to Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13, and asks who Paul is writing to. The answer is believers. Paul is not writing to the whole world; he is writing to those who are now believers, and therefore to you and me as believers today. Les notes that while Paul writes to believers, it will also have an effect on the unsaved person, but his focus is believers in our position in Christ. He then traces how we got there: it was in Him that we trusted, and trust is another word for faith or belief. In whom you also believed, in whom you also had your faith—when? After you heard the Word of Truth. Les wants these words to soak in rather than be read glibly, and he connects this to Romans 10:13.
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
More Questions
What does Paul teach in Ephesians 1:13 that is not found in the Gospels?
Paul teaches in Ephesians 1:13 that after hearing the gospel and trusting in Christ, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, and this sealing is something you do not see in the Gospels.
What is the order of events in Ephesians 1:13?
In Ephesians 1:13, the sequence is that after hearing the word of truth a person believes, and after believing that person is sealed.
What does Paul teach in Ephesians 1:13 that Les says you won't find in the Gospels?
Paul's teaching that believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise is not something you will find in the Gospels.