Be Rich (Ephesians) : Gaining the Things That Money Can't Buy

The "Be" Commentary

by Warren W. Wiersbe

In a society where wealth is often the measurement of success, popular author and Bible teacher Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe unravels Ephesians to reveal the countercultural nature of the gospel. Through helpful illustrations and analysis, he opens our eyes to the riches that we already have in Christ—though we rarely take advantage of them.Not only has God given us the promise of an eternity in heaven, He has given us the reality of a relationship with Him right here on earth. Be encouraged in this good news and stop seeking the things of this world, for we already have the priceless gift of eternal life in Christ!

Genres: Christian, Reference, Theology, Nonfiction, Christian Non Fiction, Christianity, Ebooks

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1976

About the author

Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of the Moody Church and general director of Back to the Bible, has traveled widely as a Bible teacher and conference speaker. Because of his encouragement to those in ministry, Dr. Wiersbe is often referred to as 'the pastor's pastor.' He has ministered in churches and conferences throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. Dr. Wiersbe has written over 150 books, including the popular BE series of commentaries on every book of the Bible, which has sold more than four million copies. At the 2002 Christian Booksellers Convention, he was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dr. Wiersbe and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Reviews

[Aurimas Gudas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knyga labai padėjo ruošiantis Biblijos studijoms nagrinėjant laišką Efeziečiams.

[Yibbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now know why these are a popular Bible study series. It was really very good. I love Wiersbe’s directness. He goes straight to the heart of the text and expands on it through careful use of other scriptures. I love the title he chose. Be Rich. It’s a succinct yet powerful encapsulation of Paul’s message. Better yet, was the way he clearly showed what Paul was teaching us about our standing with and in God. He helps the reader see how Paul built his arguments or rather how each precept builds on the last to finally call us to action.
It was a very good if quick study. I would highly recommend it.

[Derede Darden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ephesians is probably my favorite book of the Bible. It was within this book of the Bible that I discovered and accepted Christ. It was wonderful to do a deep dive into this book! Love it! It is an easy study and so soulfully nourishing!

[Frans Kempe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great study about Ephesians. He manages to come through with a clear and easy to follow overview of the main ideas of the book. I dont like his view of the prophets but otherwise a good companion while studying the Word.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like Sproul, you should know what to expect when you read Weirsbe. He expertly unpacks the text for practical application. A good read!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great commentary on the book of Ephesians. Warren Wiersbe has a way of breaking down the text to help gain a deeper understanding of the Word. We are using this book in our Women’s Mentoring Group at our church and I can’t wait to hear what everyone learns from it!

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of Ephesians, clear with good application

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent entry in the "Be" series.

[Mike Eccles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm finding it difficult to write reviews of Wiersbe's "Be" series because I am finding them almost invariably to be of a very high standard and so informative in the understanding and interpretation of the Bible.

Ephesians is a short epistle and easy to read. Within it though is a wealth of insight and guidance that is as applicable today as it was when Paul wrote the letter. Wiersbe guides us through the chapters moving from the riches we are given to our spiritual walk.

I wish I could hold in my conscious memory all that I have read... I'm not good at that, but I feel certain that subconsciously and spiritually much has been very constructively planted in my mind. I'm very grateful to both my Maker and Warren Wiersbe for that!

[Cindy Davis- Cindy's Book Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

My go-to commentaries are the "Be" series by Warren Wiersbe. I decided I wanted to read Ephesians again, so I picked up my copy of Be Rich to enhance my experience.

I always learn so much from commentaries and this was no exception. I love that Wiersbe's commentaries are easy to understand and not overly academic. Wiersbe takes small sections of each chapter and breaks them down into manageable nuggets of truth. For example, he takes chapter 1:1B-2 (a verse and a half) and takes time to explain what it means to be a saint. After he has explained that, he explains how they became saints.

If you are looking for a commentary to enhance your study of scripture, I highly recommend Warren Wiersbe's books.

[Rob Sumrall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiersbe's commentary on Ephesians is written on a lay level. While it has technical nuggets, it should not be considered a technical commentary. Its hermeneutic is solid and consistent. Its theological framework is wholly orthodox. Like other works in the "Be" series, Be Rich is a gem!

[Jan Jonaitis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs an Update

A very basic study of Ephesians. It contains a lot of pastoral stories that sound like sermons. It was published in the 1970s. I would have expected an update with less stories and more in-depth Word study.

[Bob Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for use as a personal Bible study or as part of a group setting. Mr. Wiersbe has a grasp on the material quite well. I am sure it will not appeal to the younger crowd as much as the older one because of the examples given but he speaks from what he knows.

[Dionne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Warren Wiersbe's commentaries.

[F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiersbe has hit another home-run with this volume. Practical, powerful and pointed. Rare would be the individual that did not get help from this easy-to-read but difficult-to-live volume.

[Ernie Witmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome study on Ephesians. I used this study to teach teenagers when I was a youth pastor.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for group discussions!

[Susanna Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this little book with a mentor at my Christian high school, she was great and we shared lots of happy times and talks over the material

[Bob Mendelsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Wiersbe's commentary on Paul's letters. He nails the issues raised with grace and sensitivity.

[Barbara Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warren Wiersbe’s Be Rich commentary on the book of Ephesians does not a promote the “prosperity gospel”—insert prayers and gifts to televangelists and receive health and wealth. No, as the subtitle goes on to say, Gaining the Things That Money Can’t Buy.

Ephesians 1:3 says God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Just some of those blessings:

Chosen in Him (verse 4)
Adopted as sons (verse 5)
Redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (verse 7)
An inheritance (verse 11)
Believers are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (verses 13-14).

Wiersbe says, “‘In Christ’ is the most frequently used phrase in the book of Ephesians, and the point is clear: If you’re in Christ, you have everything.”

Another theme in the book is unity. Not a unity that ignores truth, but unity based on truth. Paul, the author of the letter to the Ephesians, says God’s plan was “to unite all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth” (1:10). The first half of chapter 2 tells how we can be reconciled with God; the second half says that God, through Christ, broke down the barriers between Jew and Gentile. “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God … ” (2:18-19). Chapters 4-6 share practical ways that unity in Christ is worked out in the church community, in the home, and in the workplace.

I’ve got dozens of quotes marked, but here are a few:

The Bible is our guidebook; the Holy Spirit is our Teacher. As we search the Word of God, we discover more and more of the riches we have in Christ.

Salvation is a gift, not a reward. Salvation cannot be “of works” because the work of salvation has already been completed on the cross. This is the work that God does for us, and it is a finished work (John 17: 1–4; 19: 30). We can add nothing to it (Heb. 10: 1–14); we dare take nothing from it.

By His death and resurrection, Christ overcame the world (John 16: 33; Gal. 6: 14), and the flesh (Rom. 6: 1–6; Gal. 2: 20), and the Devil (Eph. 1: 19–23). In other words, as believers, we do not fight for victory—we fight from victory! The Spirit of God enables us, by faith, to appropriate Christ’s victory for ourselves.

The Christian life is not based on ignorance but knowledge, and the better we understand Bible doctrine, the easier it is to obey Bible duties. When people say, “Don’t talk to me about doctrine—just let me live my Christian life!” they are revealing their ignorance of the way the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer. “It makes no difference what you believe, just as long as you live right” is a similar confession of ignorance. It does make a difference what you believe, because what you believe determines how you behave!

Of course, there’s much more to Ephesians and Wiersbe’s book.

Ephesians contains two of my favorite Biblical prayers that I sometimes pray for myself and others. I’ll leave you with those:

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places (1:15-20).

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (3:14-19).

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful study of Ephesians. Wiersbe is a master at taking complex Biblical truths and explaining them in such a way anyone can understand. He was an amazing expositor, and I've learned and enjoyed his writing immensely.

The book of Ephesians breaks into two parts, the first three chapters are the blessings God has given us through His son Jesus Christ. As soon as we put our faith in Him, we are blessed beyond measure and have access to God infinite supply of power. God's great plan was to combine the Jews and the Gentiles into one nation as co-heirs with Christ in heaven. We have wealth beyond measure because we are loved by the Father in heaven.

The second half of the book is our response to God's immeasurable blessings. Since we know we are so loved, and He has done so much for us, how should we seek to live. We should seek to walk in unity, purity, and harmony, and we should always be prepared to meet the Devil in battle.

This book was fantastic. I've always struggled to understand the book of Ephesians, and I wanted to break through that mental barrier. He has helped me prepare for my guest speaking spots, and I am now in love with this book of the Bible.

The Bible gets better and better the more we can study and understand it. God is so good.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warren is awesome! He does a fantastic job of going deep into scriptures without getting so intellectual that he loses the reader. Big stand outs from this study:

1) God sees us based on our future not our past.
2) We are full recipients of God's inheritance the second we accept him
3) When we are righteous, we don't have anything to hide which protects us from The Enemy

*Disclaimer - I work for the publisher

[Dennis Sy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warren Weirsbe is great

The book Be Rich is a great resource for those wanting to grow more in the Word of God.

One thing though I don’t agree with Weirsbe is his stand on the Holy Spirit and gifts since he is a cessanionist.

Great book but you don’t need to swallow everything he says!

[Colyn Sevario · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me, this book is a mix between an in depth commentary including solid biblical doctrine & a conversation. The conversation part makes reading much more smooth while tackling some great (& sometimes difficult to comprehend) topics. I wasn’t very favorable of the questions at the end of the chapters but this was a great read !!!

[Ruthe Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you find the Bible hard to understand, even a small book like Ephesians, then you will want to include Warren Wiersbe's commentaries that cover the entire bible. Ephesians is one of the best books in the bible, yet I struggled with the first chapter until Warren Wiersbe explained it in a way, I got it and loved it. Now Ephesians tops my list of favorite books of the bible.

[Kapaw Saw Hsar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It covers almost everything a Christian should know.

It will remind you that what is the real meaning of being Rich.

What is your purpose?
What is your value?

This will remind your value as a child of God.

[Ray Beauchamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritually Challenging

The "Be Rich" book by Weirsbe gives wonderful insight into God's Word. He has an uncanny ability to teach the bible in a very relatable way. I'm thankful for our discipleship groups decision to use this book to go deeper into the book of Ephesians.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great study by Mr. Wiersbe. Here's something a builder bold him, "Pastor, the most important part of this building is the foundation. If you don't go deep, you can't go high." Go deep.
these studies help you do that.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would not recommend this book. It teaches that election in the Bible is linked to salvation rather than the blessings that are there for someone who is saved. It goes on to suggest that some of these passages should be kept secret from those who are not saved.

[peter sterczela]

Wonderful bible study

Clear and concise teaching. Chapters 1 -3 show us our riches in Christ and Chapters 4-6 show us our duties and responsibilities in our walk in faith, based on those truths.