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Paul’s Prayer For Spiritual Realities

Eph. 1:17-23

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

 

Having examined Paul’s prayer life in general, we are now prepared to look specifically at that for which he pray­ed. Generally speaking, Paul wanted his readers to understand the significance of the truths he expounded in his “song of praise.” As mentioned in the last chapter, it is not enough to know; we must also understand; it’s not enough to recognize, we must comprehend. He wanted those truths to be real to his readers, to be life changing as they are applied to Christian living.

 

As I read this passage many times during my study of it, the very first thing that struck me was Paul’s “pastor’s heart.” Unlike today, where we see a pastor’s heart defined as some syrupy sentimentality that often coddles, and even indulges, Christians more than challenging them, the desire of Paul’s heart was to see God’s people grow deeper in doctrine, to understand theological Truth. That is, indeed, the true pastor’s heart. Yes, a pastor deals with practical matters, but what is missing in most churches today are pastors who teach their people doctrine. That is, in fact, what Paul is praying for in this passage, that God’s people will comprehend doctrine, that they will know and understand theological Truth. And that is what pastors today should be praying and striving for. The primary responsibility of a shepherd is “to feed the church of God” (Acts 20:28), to provide a steady and balanced diet of doctrine and then the duty that it demands.

 

So to help his readers understand, Paul prayed that they would recognize four specific spiritual realities. Before dealing with each of these, let us list them in relationship to one another:

 

·        General Passion: That they might know God (v. 17b)

·        Detailed Petitions:
That they might know God’s Calling (v. 18a)
That they might know God’s Riches (v. 18b)
That they might know God’s Power (vs. 19‑23)

 

I. That They Might Know God (v. 17)

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

 

Human philosophy says, “Know thyself,” but as important as that is in some respects, Paul’s far greater passion was for God’s people to know God. Knowing God is the greatest knowledge a man can possibly attain. Let us look at two principles.

 

The Way To Know God

 

The story is told of William Wilberforce and William Pitt the Younger. Pitt, the son of the great 18th Century statesman William Pitt the Elder, was himself a statesman and became Britain’s youngest Prime Minister at only 24. Wilberforce, too, was a statesman and was a member of the House of Commons for 45 years. Pitt and Wilberforce met in college and eventually worked together in the abolition of the slave trade. While they were friends and shared interests, there was one big difference—Wilberforce was a devoted Christian, while Pitt was merely religious, attending Church only on special occasions but not a Believer. This concerned Wilberforce, and he prayed for his friend. He also urged Pitt to go with him to hear a London preacher named Richard Cecil. Wilberforce heard him often and reveled in his doctrinal preaching. After his excuses wore out, Pitt finally agreed to go. Wilberforce had never heard Cecil preach with more power or clarity than on that occasion. He was captivated by the truth and wondered what his friend was thinking. As the service ended, they had barely left the building when Pitt turned to his friend and said, “You know, Wilberforce, I did my very best to concentrate with the whole of my power upon what that man was saying, but I have not the slightest idea as to what he has been talking about.”1

 

What is the only way we can know God? Many people today profess to “know God” and to “be in touch with God,” but are like William Pitt, merely religious, professing something but knowing nothing. As Job asked: “Canst thou by searching find out God?” (Job 11:7). In himself man can never know God. This is exactly what Paul declared to the philosophically‑minded Corinthians: “The world by wisdom [or, philosophy] knew not God (I Cor. 1:21). All the gospel was to many in Corinth was just another philosophy to debate. But in studying I Corinthians 2:1‑5 we find that Paul did not come to “philosophize” or “psychologize” as many do today; rather he came to preach the Word of God plain­ly and boldly.

 

Likewise, that is what Jesus meant when He said of the people: “They seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matt. 13:13). In other words, even with the truth right in front of them, they cannot see it. As Arthur W. Pink illustrates,

 

No matter how clearly and vividly the landscape appears when the sun is shining, a blind man does not behold it. Christ is manifestly set forth in the gospel, but the hearer must be given spiritual insight before he will perceive the absolute suitability of such a Saviour to his own desperate need. 2

 

Because he is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3), man simply cannot and will not believe because he cannot see his need. God must intervene and give him the ability to see the Truth.

 

So, since man cannot in himself know God, the only way we can know God is by possessing the Spirit of wisdom and reve­lation. Some expositors deny that “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit because the definite article (“the”) is not present. 3 We are forced to disagree. The Greek pneuma means “breath or air,” and it is from this that the idea of spirit is derived. But the word is also used to mean “an attitude or disposition.” Therefore, some expositors say that this just means Paul is praying that we will have “a wise disposition.” Well, that is only half right.

 

Granted, since the definite article is absent, the Holy Spirit is not spoken of directly.4 But may we see that He is spoken of indirectly for at least two reasons. First, He has already been referred to in the context (vs. 13‑14), and His presence here is assumed and clearly understood. Second, and more important, there is no other me­dium through which we can receive wisdom and revelation except the Holy Spirit.5 A “wise disposition” is impossible without the power of the Holy Spirit illuminating God’s Word to our minds. So, we say again, only through the Holy Spir­it can we know God.

 

Perhaps Paul had in mind here Isaiah 11:2, where the prophet speaks of the coming Messiah: “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” At any rate, Paul presents two mani­festations of this knowledge.

 

First, the Holy Spirit imparts wisdom. We, of course, dealt with wisdom back in verse 8. The Greek is sophia, an intel­lectual understanding of ultimate realities such as life and death. Therefore, wisdom here speaks of general understand­ing of God and His Truth. It is not enough for a man to study the Bible. Out of the many resources I read during my study of Ephesians, I read one commentary written by a liberal. Despite his scholarship, the commentary is empty, devoid of life. What a difference there was between it and others I read, such as that by James Boice and Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Likewise we can look at past scholars of liberal Theology such as Karl Barth, or we can look at Orthodox Jews, all of whom “study the Scriptures” but are absolutely lost. Why? Because it is the Spirit who imparts wisdom; we cannot know God apart from the Spirit.

 

Second, the Holy Spirit imparts revelation. The Greek used here (apokalupsis) speaks of the uncovering or disclosure of previously hidden things. The most obvious example of this is the disclosure of the “mystery” of our salvation in verses 3‑14. Putting all this together we see that God has revealed His mysteries through His Spirit and has made them known to us.

 

What is Paul praying for? He is praying that we will understand that God has revealed Truth; He has opened up His mysteries that have been hid­den in ages past and has made them all known to us. Hallelujah!

 

There are those today who are looking for “new revelation.” Some say, “Oh, if I just ‘pray through’ and if I just ‘get the Spirit’, God will give me a revelation.” But may we say, “No, He will not.” That is heresy. God has already revealed to us all that He is going to reveal in His Word and through His Spirit who energizes that Word. If we would just concentrate on this, we will be so busy studying the depth of it all that we would have no time to “seek other revelations.” What revelation could possibly be grander than Ephesians 1?

 

Warren Wiersbe recounts a powerful illustration of this. The famous “newspaper publisher, William Randolph Hearst, invested a literal fortune collecting art treasures from around the world. One day Mr. Hearst found a description of some valuable items that he felt he must own, so he sent his agent abroad to find them. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had finally found the treasures. They were in Mr. Hearst’s warehouse. Hearst had been searching frantically for treasures he already owned! Had he read the catalog of his treasures, he would have saved himself a great deal of money and trouble.”

 

That graphically illustrates many Christians today, some of whom resemble the old Gnostics. Gnosticism, which came to full bloom in the 2nd Century and remains today under a new title, The New Age Movement, boasted of a deeper, superior knowledge that only certain people could acquire. Many today seek some supposed “deeper life” or “higher blessing.” Some go so far as to go back to the rituals and ceremonies of the Old Testament, thinking that they hold some deeper significance than the simple truths of the New Testament. But how foolish they are. Like William Randolph Hearst, they are clueless of what they already own. And what is the “catalog” of our treasures? The Word of God. If people will only search that, they will find all the treasures God has given.

 

The Importance Of Knowing God

 

I’ve had the opportunity to meet a few famous people in my lifetime. I once met Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Bart Starr, as well as the Dallas Cowboy’s quarterback Roger Staubach. I also once met and chatted briefly with golf legend Arnold Palmer. I was at a gas station a few years ago and looked over to see actor Michael Constantine on the other side of the pump island putting gas in his car and was able to speak briefly with him. I even had the joy and honor to meet Tennessee Ernie Ford, who was actually a dear Christian man. I was able to talk to him about his testimony that he had just shared on stage a few minutes before. But while I met these individuals, I could never say that I know them.

 

In contrast, however, every one of us as Christian can know God personally. Like the Ephesians, we know Christ not only in the sense of salvation, but also for growth. Knowledge is the Greek epignosis. The usual word for experiential knowledge is gnosis, but Paul intensifies it with the prefix epi (“motion upon or toward”) giving the meaning “an experiential, personal know­ledge that is full and thorough.” It also speaks of “precise and correct knowledge.” 6 How vital it is that we have full, precise, thorough, and correct knowledge of God.

 

A driving force in my own life and ministry is a passion for precision. I loathe the ambiguity and Relativism that rule our day. Paul speaks here precise of doctrine, exact knowledge, not something vague and relative to each person’s experience. The modern philosophies of “open mindedness” and “tolerance” were foreign to Paul’s thinking and they should be expunged from the thinking of Christians today.

 

No, we shall never know everything, but our knowledge is full in the sense that we know what is right and necessary for Christian living. And, of course, our knowledge continues to grow with more in­volvement with God’s Word. In other words, our knowledge can be full from moment to moment; we can right now know what God wants us to know, but tomorrow we will know more; so, each mo­ment we are living in the full potential of our present know­ledge.

 

Such knowledge of God is meant, may we repeat, for all Christians. The whole concept that only certain special individuals can “know God” is heresy. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addressed this issue in his day:

 

The danger of certain types of “soul culture” arises at this point . . . [Roman Catholic teaching] divides Christians into two groups, the “religious” and the “laity.” The “religious” are those who become specialists in the religious life—the mystics, the saints, the people who forsake the world and segregate themselves from society and give themselves only to prayer, to mediation, to mortification of the body and contemplation. These, and these alone, according to Catholic teaching, can attain to this knowledge of God. A man engaged in business or in the ordinary affairs of live, and ordinary Christian, cannot attain to such a knowledge. But according to the teaching of Scripture, this is grievous heresy . . . Paul is offering this prayer for all the members of the church at Ephesus. He is not praying for apostles, for elders, or form some exceptional Christians called “saints.” He is praying for them all, that they all may have this “spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” 7

 

This thought of knowing God was Paul’s greatest desire, not only for God’s people but himself as well. As reflected on His own life and ministry, Paul wrote to the Philippians:

 

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead (Phil. 3:7‑11).

 

The idea conveyed by the Greek for, “That I may know Him,” is, “That I may become more deep­ly and intimately acquainted with Him.” Every time I read this wonderful passage, I think of my own Christian life and ministry and say, “How inadequate I am! What a failure I am!” Here is the great Apostle Paul who after some 30 years of know­ing, loving, and serving the Lord Jesus, still says that His greatest desire is to know more about Him.

 

One of the greatest needs in the Church today is an epignosis—a deeper, fuller, more precise knowledge of God. I was thoroughly shocked and appalled the day I heard a fundamental preacher say, “Well, we really come to the place in the Christian life where we pretty much know all there is to know; from there on the Christian life is just review and constant revival.” Depending upon his attitude, that is either incredibly ignorant or blatantly arrogant. May Paul’s words ring in our ears, “THAT I MAY KNOW HIM;” He was constantly growing and deepening in knowledge and intimacy, learning more and more and more. Who are we to do any less?

As commentator Kent Hughes writes:

 

Here Paul puts his emphasis on the great need of the Church. The wisdom and focus of the world is summed up in two words: “know yourself,” and the focus of many, perhaps most, Christians is very often the same. They are occupied with getting a knowledge of self, improving their Gestalt, rather than knowing Christ! As a result they are stunted in their growth.

 

How right he is! The norm today is pop-psychology and shallow sermonizing. The Gospel has been reinvented and ministry redefined. A deep knowledge of Christ and His Word, attained primarily through doctrinal preaching, is shunned.

 

In contrast, Harry Ironside recounts an incident in his life when as a young preacher he met an old and godly Irishman named Andrew Fraser, who was dying of tuberculosis. With lungs almost gone, he could speak only in a whisper, but asked Ironside, “Young man, you are trying to preach Christ; are you not?” Ironside replied, “Yes, I am.” “Well,” Fraser whispered, “sit down a little, and let us talk about the Word of God.” Opening his well-worn Bible, the man spoke about one great Biblical truth after another until his strength was gone. Ironside was amazed as he heard various passages expounded in ways that had never occurred to him, and before he realized it, tears were streaming down his face. He finally asked the old gentleman, “Where did you get these things? Could you tell me where I could find a book that would open them up to me? Did you learn these things in some seminary or college?” “My dear, young man,” he answered, I learned these things on my knees on the mud floor of a little sod cottage in the North of Ireland. There with my open Bible before me, I used to kneel for hours at a time, and ask the Spirit of God to reveal Christ to my soul and to open the Word to my heart, and He taught me more on my knees on that mud floor than I ever could have learned in all the seminaries or colleges in the world.” Not long after, Fraser went to be with the Lord, but Ironside never forgot what he’d said. 8

 

And may I add, after reading that incident, I don’t think I’ll forget it either. I would not trade my formal theological training for anything; it was necessary, valuable, and foundational. But I’ve learned far more since those days, and it’s been through decades of study and prayer. I must admit, instead of a mud floor, it was a comfortable office, but wherever it is, God gives His Truth to those who diligently seek it (Heb. 11:6).

 

Oh, how we need this in our churches today! May we each ask ourselves a few diagnostic questions. Is my spiritual knowledge greater today than this time last year? Is my grasp of spiritual Truth greater now than then? Am I growing just a little more each day? Am I applying that knowledge in my practical living? That is what Paul was praying for the Ephesians and is what a true godly pastor is praying for his people.

 

II. That They Might Know God’s Calling (v. 18a)

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,

 

We repeat, the first petition was general. The next three petitions are more detailed; they give the specifics of what God wants us to know. Each of these three also has a time re­ference:

 

·        The first deals with the past

·        The second deals with the future

·        The third deals with the present

Now let us see two things about this second spiritual reality (the first of Paul’s detailed petitions).

 

The Reminder

 

Paul already emphasized the fact that we can know God only by His Word energized through the Holy Spirit, but, as he often does, he reminds us of the same truth by saying it in a little different way. He here says that the eyes of our understanding must be enlightened by God. What a profound point that is! Many today speak of “seeking enlightenment,” “finding themselves,” and other such concepts. Well here is what Paul says about the matter.

Eyes translates the Greek ophthalmos, from which is derived such English words as ophthalmologist, which is, of course, an eye doctor. Used literally, it speaks of the eyes, as when our Lord healed the blind man (Mk. 8:22-26). Used metaphorically, however, as it is here, it means “to open the eyes of the mind, [that is], cause to perceive and understand.” 9 Our Lord used this word when He struck down Paul on the road to Damascus and called him to go to the Gentiles and “open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18).

 

The word understanding is the Greek dianoia, which means “ability to think, faculty of knowledge.” 10 As 1st Century Jewish Philosopher Philo said, “What the eye is to the body, that is the mind to the soul.” 11 In other words, while the eye sees, it is the mind that understands what is seen. Paul is, therefore, saying that our minds, our ability to think, our capacity for knowledge and understanding needs enlightenment. As we saw back in Chapter 5, people look for Truth in science, philosophy, and religion, but never find it. Truth is to be found only in God’s Word. So Paul is saying here that Truth is be found somewhere outside of ourselves, that we need enlightenment from an outside source.

 

Enlightened is photizo (English “photo”) and means “to give light, to shine.” It speaks here then of giving understanding. I cannot begin to count how many times during in-depth study of a particularly difficult passage, verse, or word that God has enlightened me, when, as the expression goes, “the light came on” and I saw the Truth. That’s what God does—He brings understanding of His Truth to our minds.

 

As one who almost went into medicine, I am fascinated by anatomy and became very intrigued by Paul’s words the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. As the Psalmist declares, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14), and nowhere is this truer than the eye. It’s extremely significant that while Charles Darwin is lauded for his views, never do we hear an evolutionist quote this passage from his book Origin of Species:

 

To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree. 12

 

Of course, Darwin went on with his ludicrous views anyway,13 but the evolutionist is still at a loss to explain the miracle of sight without assuming a Designer and Creator. In view of the eyes of [our] understanding being enlightened, let’s consider some parallels.

 

Sight begins when light, in varying wavelengths, travels through the dime-­sized, transparent cornea, passes through the iris, which controls the amount of light that enters the eye, and then strikes the lens, which bends the light and focuses it on the retina. Our “spiritual eye” likewise controls the amount of information that enters and puts it into focus. This immediately reminded me of the principle of discernment, the ability to distinguish one thing from another, Truth from error. As we’ll see in a moment, our “spiritual eye” gives us discernment, which is greatly lacking in our day.

 

The retina, the innermost layer of the eye wall, lines the rear two‑thirds of the eye and is extremely sensitive to light. It converts the energy of light waves into nerve impulses, which are then transmitted along the optic nerve to the brain. In the same way our “spiritual eye” is extremely sensitive to light or the absence of it.

 

Further, the retina covers less than a square inch, the retina contains 137 million light ­sensitive receptor cells, 130 million of which are rods for black‑and­-white vision, night vision, and motion detection, and the remaining seven million are cones for color vision. The rods, which are scattered all over the retina, react to even the smallest ray of light. Light bleaches a colored pigment in the rods called rhodopsin. This bleaching action generates an electrical response (a few millionths of a volt) that in turn is fed into the straw‑sized optic nerve and carried to the brain. This entire complex electrochemi­cal process takes about two thousandths of a second. Even more intricate is the process whereby the cones sort out color. The prevailing theory is that the cones have red, green, and blue bleachable pigments and that these colors are blended to make all the other hues.

 

The analogy of this to our “spiritual eye” is dramatic. There are millions more rods than cones, showing us how important black-and-white is. In a day when Relativism rules (Chapter 6), how we need black-and-white absolutes! Color is wonderful, but it’s the rod’s reaction to even the smallest ray of light that we need so desperately. Additionally, a “spiritual eye” does all this virtually instantaneously, immediately discerning Truth from error.

 

Again, the optic nerve takes all this information to the brain for processing. One of the most fascinating aspects of this is that because light travels through the single lens of the eye, the image that it projects on the retina is actually inverted. The brain is, therefore, programmed to flip the image so we see it right side up. Binoculars and refractor telescopes, for example, have two lens, which flip the image twice so we can see it right side up. The brain does this and many other things so we can understand what we see. Likewise, our spiritual mind understands what we see.

Still another miracle of sight is our stereoscopic vision, what is called “depth perception.” We see depth because we have two eyes. This is achieved when the optic nerves from the two eyes fuse at the optic chiasma, a major nerve junction near the brain. When the image reaches the brain, the right half of a field of vision “crosses over” and registers in the left-brain, and the left half of a field registers in the right-brain. The brain is, therefore, able to superimpose the “left” picture on the “right” picture and we see depth. What a thrilling parallel this is to our spiritual sight! With two “spiritual eyes” we can see the depth of God’s Truth.

 

Indeed, Paul’s use of the phrase the eyes of your understanding being enlightened is full of significance. It is through our “spiritual eyes” that we are enlightened and know God’s truth. Dear Christian, you might not have the physical eyes of legendary fighter and test pilot Chuck Yeager, who could see enemy planes fifty miles away, but God has given you perfect spiritual sight if you but use it.

 

In contrast, the unsaved person is blind to Truth (II Cor. 4:4; II Pet. 1:9). The story is told of an old sea captain who was once present at a meeting of the Geological Society when a bottle was produced that was said to contain certain zoophytes (delicate water animals, having the form of plants). It was passed around the room for everyone to examine, most of whom made comments about the tiny animals in the fluid. When it came to the sea captain, however, he couldn’t see anything except the clear fluid, without any trace of animals dead or alive. Someone then told him what to look for, the shape, size, and general aspect of the zoophytes. He then began to notice the tiny creatures. He then marveled at how he could possibly have missed them before.14

 

Likewise, how often Christians have impaired vision and simply don’t see the Truth that is right in front of them. The principle that Paul is emphasizing is how important it is that God’s people look and think. In a day when spiritual discernment is virtually non-existent, this challenge is all the more relevant. How important it is that Christians be exposed to the Truth by their pastors and that they listen and apply the Truth they hear. Peter challenged his readers with the same principle, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your MIND, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 1:13).

 

Further, how tragic it is that many Christians today live in their emotions. Many strive for “emotional experiences;” they sincerely believe that it is through these experiences that they will grow. But an experience in itself does nothing for growth. What matters is not our experience but God’s Truth. This is proven throughout human history; man has made the same mistakes down through the ages because he does not learn from experience. Experience means nothing without an understanding of the ex­perience. In essence, then, many believers are striving for enlightenment through emotion.

 

But enlightenment (understanding) comes in the mind, not the emotions. Emotions must be controlled by the mind. Our Lord used both dianoia and kardia (a more emotional word for mind) when He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart [kardia], and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind [dianoia], and with all thy strength” (Matt. 22:37).

 

Emotions truly are wonderful and beau­tiful. The mind, the intellect gives us the black and white of things while emotions paint the colors. The world would be a drab place indeed without emotions. But emotions must be controlled. Left to themselves emotions spell disaster. How can the emotions be controlled? By striving for spiritual knowledge and Truth. Puritan Matthew Henry challenges us:

 

Those who have their eyes opened, and have some understanding in the things of God, have need to be more and more enlightened, and to have their knowledge more clear, and distinct, and [experiential]. Christians should not think it enough to have warm affections, but they should labour to have clear understandings; they should be ambitious of being knowing Christians, and judicious Christians. (emphasis added)

           

How different that statement is from today’s attitudes. The majority of Christianity today is relativistic and pragmatic (Chapter 6). Most Christians do not want Truth, rather entertainment, emotions, sentimentality, and “warm fuzzies.” Matthew Henry was right; what we really need is knowledge and Truth.

 

The Reassurance

 

The Apostle now comes down to the specific—God wants us to know the hope of His calling. Consider a moment at the concept of hope as it is viewed in the world today. Hope today expresses a wish or a want, such as, “I sure do hope I get that promotion,” or “I sure hope I get that raise,” or “I hope we can get that new house we want.” There is no certainty in the word as we use it today. But the exact opposite is true in Scripture; HOPE ALWAYS MEANS CERTAINTY; it always shows an attitude of absolute assurance and rest in that assurance.

 

With that in mind, ponder now what is “the certainty of His calling.” Once again, verses 3‑14 are in view, those things God alone has done in the PAST. What is in view is the certainty that:

 

·        God has chosen us (once‑for‑all) in Christ before the foundation of the world

·        God He has predestined us to final adoption

·        God has redeemed us by the blood of Christ

·        God has made known unto us the mystery of our salvation

·        God’s ultimate purpose has always been to bring us to Himself, in the fullness of times, so we can glorify Him

·        God has safely and forever sealed us by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption

 

May we say again, HALLELUJAH! In all this is true certainty, true hope. But outside of this there is no hope. The world today knows no hope. Men wander in darkness and grope in their blindness for some meaning, some glimmer of hope. At one time we all were in that very condition, but we now have hope through Jesus Christ. And it is that very hope that God wants us to know. May we also say that those dear Christians who reject the security of the believer also need to see that while they do have hope, they don’t know they have hope. Oh, to reject this doctrine is to deny the hope, the certainty, God has given, to deny what God alone has done in the past.

 

Dear Christian, may we know what is the hope of His calling, that is, the certainty of all we have in Christ, now and forever. What better could we close this point than by remembering that old hymn:

 

My hope is built on nothing less

         Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

         But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.

                     On Christ the Solid Rock, I stand;

                     All other ground is sinking sand.

 

III. That They Might Know God’s Riches (v. 18b)

and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

 

As the first detailed petition dealt with the past, we now see that the second deals with the future; that is, God wants us to know and understand what our future inheritance is in Je­sus Christ. Oh, may we see the riches we have in Christ and the inheritance that awaits us! Notice two things here.

 

The Certainty Of Blessing

 

There is some debate as to whom and what this verse refers. Some maintain that it refers to God’s inheritance of us. But that does not fit the context. The wider context (vs. 13‑14) speaks of our inheritance of which the Holy Spirit is the earnest, the down payment, the first installment. Then we observe the immediate context here in verses 17‑23, which shows that Paul is praying that we will know what we have in Christ. So, the reference here is that we may fully realize the riches we have now and the riches we will have in the future. How wonderful it is!­ We have a future inheritance awaiting us and the Holy Spirit is the “earnest” of that inheritance.

 

This view is not only proved by the context but by the words in the saints.15 The Greek for in is en and could be translated “among.” This is further shown by a similar expression in Acts 20:32 where Paul is addressing the Ephesian elders: “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them who are sanctified” (emphasis added; cf. 26:18).

This view is held by many expositors,16 but that great 19th Century exposi­tor Alexander Maclaren put it best:

 

The language in which [Paul] describes that future is remarkable—‘the riches of the glory of His inheri­tance in the saints.’ He calls it God’s inheritance, not as meaning God is the Inheritor, but the Giver. He speaks of it as ‘in the saints,’ meaning that, just as the land of Canaan was distributed amongst tribes and families, and each man got his own little plot, so that broad land is parted out amongst those who are ‘partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.’17

 

So, we say again—the inheritance here is that which belongs to the saints. Paul prays that we might know the reality of future blessing.

 

The Character Of Blessing

 

What exactly are the bles­sings that make up our future inheritance? Are they comprised of that wide-screen TV we’ve always wanted or that boat we’ve always dreamed about? No, they are comprised of the riches of glory. What then are these? We do not fully know! Indeed, the greatest aspect of this will be the fact that we will be with Him; this would be enough in itself. But plainly the word riches is plural. God does not tell us all this entails for surely our minds could never comprehend it. Yes, we can read of the heavenly city with its streets of gold and gates of pearl (Rev. 21:21), but we cannot possibly comprehend the true glory that awaits, to share in the presence, splendor, and glory of our Lord.

 

We have seen the word glory several times already, and will see it again, but it demands a closer look here. The Greek behind it is doxa, which is one of the most vivid examples of the transformation of the meaning of a Greek word by Biblical usage. In secular Greek the word meant “view, opinion, conjecture, praise, fame.” The meaning was transformed in the Septuagint.18 The original meaning “opinion” is never found and the meaning “praise” is seldom used of man. So, the word not only came to be used of “honour” to the Lord, but it took on the ideas of “splendor” and “brightness.”19 One example of this is found in a reference to Christ’s transfiguration, where the disciples “saw” His glory (Lk. 9:32). So, only God possesses this splendor and brightness, and we cannot now comprehend what it will be like to behold that glory and be with Him throughout eternity.

 

Oh, how men today strive for what they call riches, but such substitute riches are not the true riches of glory. How men today also seek after false and empty glory. A virtual god has been made of athletics, for example, where we seek for some silly victory to feed our pride. We’re not only looking in the wrong place but are looking for the wrong thing. In stark contrast, what Paul was praying for was that God’s people would know real glory, not some manufactured glory in themselves, but the pure glory found only in Christ.

 

IV. That They Might Know God’s Power (v. 19‑23)

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

 

We come now to the third detailed petition, which speaks of the present. Once again, may we look at two things.

 

The Deployment Of God’s Power (v. 19).

 

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

 

The great Roman general and statesman Pompey, who was at first the colleague and then rival of Julius Caesar, boasted that, with one stamp of his foot, he could rouse all Italy to arms. But as one expositor writes, “But God by one word of His mouth, nay, by a wish of His mind alone, can summon the inhabitants of heaven, earth, and the undiscovered worlds, to His aid, or bring new creatures into being to do His will.” 20

 

Paul, therefore, prays here that we might know just how much power we possess through Christ. It is tragic, indeed, that the average Christian today lives in utter defeat and powerlessness. Many live a life that is made up of “ups and downs.” Many have no consistency, no faithful­ness, and no power for living or for witnessing. What we see today is at best mediocre Christianity; we see Christians who are just going through the motions and doing what they must to “get by.” But Paul prays that we will know the incredible power we have in Christ.

 

The language Paul uses here is truly amazing. As he did back in verses 3-14, he heaps one word upon another to express the Truth. Power is dunamis. This is the first of nine occurrences in this Epistle,21 and is where we derive English words such as “dynamic” and “dynamite.” Used over 100 times in the New Testament, it speaks of inherent or raw power, the ability to do wonders, and that which over­comes any resistance.

 

There are many incredibly powerful explosives in our day, such as C-4, Petin, and many others that can overcome virtually any obstacle. One of the men in my church is in the military and shared with me one day a humorous, tongue-in-cheek saying heard around explosives specialists: “There is no problem so insurmountable that cannot be solved by the proper application of high explosives.” Likewise, Paul is telling us that we have at our disposal a power that can overcome any obstruction to our Christian walk.

 

The words exceeding greatness (huper­ballon megethos) speak of power that is beyond measure, super abounding or sur­passing power, power that is “more than enough.” Are we getting the picture? We have no excuse for living in mediocrity or defeat, no excuse for living in a life of ups and downs, for this violates the very power we’ve been given.

 

One Greek authority makes this comment:

 

The word megethos is found only here in the NT. Such Pauline hapax legomena (words used only once) again reflect the outreach of the great apostle’s mind in seeking to describe the wonders of divine redemption. One can almost see words stretching at their seems as Paul tries to pour more meaning into them.22

 

Also notice that Paul doesn’t include what God’s power exceeds. The obvious implication is that it exceeds everything.  Indeed, Paul simply could not say enough about the greatness and majesty of God. And he isn’t done yet.

 

It’s fascinating that Paul then groups three other words together in one phrase: the working of his mighty power.

First, there is the word working. The Greek is energeia (English, “energy”), which speaks of power in operation or power in action; that is, it pictures something going on, a force that is actively working.

 

Second, we see the word power again, but here it translates a different Greek word (ischuos), which speaks of strength and ability (especially physical). Does this physical ability mean we can go out and leap tall buildings at a single bound? Of course not. But God does give us physical strength and stamina beyond what we in our own weakness could ever know.

 

Third, added to power, is the word mighty, which translates kratos, which means power excited into action. These three words also occur together in Ephesians 6:10. Greek scholar John Eadie compares them this way:

 

Ischus [power], to take a familiar illustration, is the power lodged in the arm, kratos [might] is that arm stretched out or uplifted with conscious aim, while energeia [working] is the same arm at actual work, accomplishing the designed result.23 What a picture! And it is this that God wants us to know.

 

Putting all this together, Paul prays (and every pastor should pray) that we may know the surpassing, super abounding greatness of His inherent, overcoming power, a power which is in action showing the strength of His might. Why does Paul use so many terms? As John Eadie writes again:

 

The use of so many terms arises from a desire to survey the Power of God in all its phases; for the spectacle is so magnificent, that the apostle lingers to admire and contemplate it. Epithet is not heaped on epithet at random, but for a specific object. The mental emotion of the writer is anxious to embody itself in words, and, after all its efforts, it laments the poverty of exhausted language.24

 

Indeed, when it comes to describing God, words fail even the brilliance of Paul. Human language is simply too limited.

 

Now may we realize that this power is toward us who believe. Does this mean that God wants us to have this kind of power within? YES! Paul’s prayer is that we will know God’s power by experience. Recall the word for “knowledge” in verse 17; the Greek there is epignosis, an experiential, personal knowledge that is full, thorough, precise, and correct. This is the type of know­ledge God wants us to have.

 

One of the main reasons for medio­cre Christianity is because it has become theoretical instead of practical. Now, what’s interesting is that many say they are practical. They shun doctrine and seek “more practical methods.” But in reality, they don’t want something truly practical, rather something entertaining. If something is truly practical, it tells us specifically how to live. Much of today’s church is not practical, but theoretical. It has become philosophical and psycho­logical and is no longer really practical and authoritative for daily living. There is very little authoritative truth from God’s Word coming from pulpits today. Oh, how we should despise man’s (even preach­er’s) theories, ideas, and methods. More than ever before we need the unabridged, plain, and practical Truth from God’s authoritative Word.

 

So, we see here that God’s power gives us power. No, He does not give us miraculous power. Why? Because signs and wonders were never meant for Gentiles; they were always for Jews. Plus, these things are no longer needed since we now have the completed Scriptures, that “perfect thing” spoken of in I Corinthians 13:8‑10. God does not give us miraculous power, but He does give us power for living. How dare we ever say, “I can’t live holy;” how dare we ever say, “I can’t be faith­ful;” how dare we ever say, “I can’t be a witness!” We can do all these because God has given us the power; to say we cannot is to call God a liar.

 

That is, in fact, Paul’s point in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Anything that is within the will of God, anything that God commands us to do, anything that God demands of us, we can do “through Christ” because it is His power, His strength, His “dynamic” that accomplishes it. Many Christians are like a butterfly; they just flit from one thing to the next having no direc­tion and manifesting no faithfulness. When we fall, it is our own fault; we fall because we are not living in the overcoming power that God has given. Alexander MaClaren again writes this wonderful thought:

 

How do we know a power? By thrilling beneath its force. How are we to know the greatness of the power but because it comes surging and rejoicing into our aching emptiness, and lifts us buoyant above our temptations and weakness? Paul was not asking for these people theological conceptions. He was asking that their spirits might be so saturated with and immersed in that great ocean of force that pours from God as that they should never, henceforth, be able to doubt the greatness of that power which wrought in them.

 

Most of us have heard of Samuel Morse, the 19th Century inventor of the telegraph, and whose “Morse Code” is still in use today. But not many of us know that Morse was a devout Christian. He was once asked if during his research and development of his invention he ever came to the place of not knowing where to got next. He replied:

 

Oh, many times. Whenever I was baffled and frustrated, I went to my knees and asked God for light and understanding. He showed me the way. I believe God wanted the telegraph to be invented because He know what if would means to mankind. After the invention, I received many honors—but I feel undeserving of honors. I have made a valuable application of electricity not because of superior gifts and abilities, but because God pleased to answer my prayers and reveal to me a few of the wonderful secrets of His universe.” 25

 

What humility! How unlike so many of us today who revel in worldly honor, who seek glory to feed our pride. But not Morse. His testimony was, “I didn’t do this; God did.” In fact, the very first message Morse tapped out on his invention on the Washington-Baltimore line on May 24, 1844 was, “What hath God wrought!” Indeed, through Samuel Morse, God introduced the great power of electrical communication. Today we marvel at the worldwide telecommunications that we enjoy, but how many of us give God all the glory? Thank God Samuel Morse did. And God, likewise, gives each of us power for living when we seek His guidance and, most of all, His glory.

This leads us right to one other thought.

 

The Description Of God’s Power (vs. 20‑23).

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

 

As if verse 19 were not enough, Paul adds these verses. He presents here three manifestations of God’s power, all of which have to do with Christ.

 

First, God’s power raised Christ from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. As Charles Hodge writes, “Kings place at their right hand those whom they wish to honor or whom they associate with themselves in regal authority,” so it is at God’s right hand that we see the Lord Jesus in His honor and authority. We should also add that set translates kathizō, to seat or cause to sit down. The significance is that sitting expresses permanency. In other words, our Lord is at the right of God and will always be there. He is not some servant or attendant who stands close to the throne and can be dismissed with a wave of the king’s hand. He is forever seated in His rightful place of honor and authority.

 

There are many references to this fact throughout Scripture. Perhaps the most vivid is Hebrews 1:3: “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Romans 8:34 also informs us that from that position makes “intersession for us” (cf. Rom. 8:34; Eph. 2:4‑6; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 12:2; I Pet. 3:22). But the most significant aspect of this is that God exalted Christ above every other authority.

 

The words principality, power, might, and dominion speak of the powers of the Spirit world, both good and evil. 26 We shall deal with these in detail when we study Ephesians 6, but it is over even these powers that God has exalted Christ. Besides those, he also adds every name that is named. As one expositor comments:

 

Babylonian despot or Persian satrap, Greek conqueror or Roman Caesar, pope or prince, holy Roman emperor or Muslim sultan, British monarch or German dictator, American president or Russian commissar—all must learn that “the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1). God has set His king on His holy hill of Zion. No power in Heaven, earth, or Hell can alter that. All secular seats of power are subservient to His.27

 

Indeed, our Lord is far above (huperanō, “over above, high above”) all these. Every individual, however “great,” is to be submitted to Christ. He is so far above all of these that there is not even a comparison.

 

The marvelous application of all this is that we too can know “the power of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10). In other words, the power of Christ in our lives cannot be overthrown or defeated by “spiritual wickedness in high places,” as Paul writes later in the letter (6:12). Can we not picture how Satan and his demons clawed at Jesus’ feet as they tried to keep him from being raised from the dead? Jesus’ resurrection spelled the final defeat of Satan, for until His resurrection Satan held death in his hands. This is the power Paul declares that we can know, the same power that raised Christ from the grave, and again, this is practical power for daily living. This does not mean power for “miracles,” as some claim, rather spiritual power for victorious living.

 

Specifically, such “resurrection living” provides victory over our three greatest foes: “The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (I Jn. 2:16). An often made comment by expositors is that these three areas were the ways Satan attacked both Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3), as well as the Lord Jesus in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). They are likewise the way he attacks now. Any sin you can name fits into one of these categories. In general, “lust” (epithumia) refers to a strong craving, or passionate desire, whether good or evil; the context here, of course, speaks of evil cravings.

 

“The flesh,” then, refers to craving something that appeals to our fallen nature, bodily appetites that are out of control. Hunger is not evil, but gluttony is sinful. Thirst is not sin, but drunkenness is. Sleep isn’t sinful, but laziness is. Sex is not sinful, but fornication is.

 

“The eyes” refers to evil desires that are prompted by what we see. While “flesh” refers to our more basic desires, “eyes” is more sophisticated, appealing to the higher levels of sight and mind. The Greeks and Romans, for example, lived for the entertainments they could see and the intellectual thoughts they could experience.

 

“The pride of life” refers to arrogance in what one is, knows, accomplishes, or possesses. The Greek behind “pride” (alazoneia) is full of meaning. It comes from the word alazōn, which means “boaster.” One Greek authority puts it this way, “It means, originally [in Classical Greek], empty, braggart talk or display; swagger; and hence an insolent and vain assurance in one’s own resources, or in the stability of earthly things, which issues in a contempt of divine laws. The vainglory of life is the vainglory which belongs to the present life.” 28 If a single word could sum up our world today, it is this one. Self-sufficiency, self-direction, self-esteem, self-centeredness, and all other “selfism” come from the “alazōn” that we all are by nature.

 

But thanks to the same power that raised our Lord from the grave, we can live in “resurrection power” and claim victory over Satan’s attacks. As James declares, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (Jas. 4:7-8).

 

“Ironically,” the night before I preached the message on which the above was based, I chatted with a fellow who thought he had the incident between our Lord and Satan figured out, that perhaps Satan didn’t know for sure that Jesus was God and needed to find out. His question was, “If Satan knew Jesus was God incarnate, why bother to tempt him?” As I shared with, I am convinced that Satan, in fact, did know exactly who Jesus was but attacked His humanity. For millennia Satan had been working on frail, fallen humans who were full of weakness and are even controlled by them. Perhaps Satan was thinking, “Yes, He’s God, but He’s also human now. Perhaps I can use that humanness to make a chink in His armor.” But how did our Lord have victory in all three areas of temptation? Was it by some psychological trick, philosophical cliché, or clever anecdote?  No, it was by quoting the Word of God (4:4 is from Deut. 8:3; 4:6 is from Deut. 6:16; and 4:9 is from Deut. 10:20). And we too can live by the same power.

 

Second, God’s power put all things under Christ’s feet. The phrase hath put all things under his feet is a quote from Psalm 8:6 indicating that God will exalt the coming Messiah over everything. The Greek here is hupotassō, which was originally a military term meaning to place or rank under. Paul is, therefore, saying that eventually everything will be under the rule, the Absolute Lordship, of the Lord Jesus Christ. I love this statement by commentator John Eadie:

 

The brow once crowned with thorns now wears the diadem of universal sovereignty; and that arm, once nailed to the cross, now holds in it the sceptre of unlimited dominion. He who lay in the tomb has ascended the throne of unbounded empire. Jesus, the Brother-Man, is Lord of all: He has had all things put under His feet.29

 

Further, there is actually a double emphasis here; not only is Christ exalted, but all others have been demoted. Human leaders may have au­thority over their subjects, but that does not mean that all those subjects will obey the authority. Even in Scripture we see that Adam lost his headship over creation when he sinned. But in contrast, Christ is Lord over all things. This is true in the present world (that is, “age;” Greek aiōn), but in the age that is to come, that is, in the eternal kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul declares later in the Epistle, “That in the ages to come [God] might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (2:7).

 

May we quietly meditate a moment on Philippians 2:10‑11: “That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father.” Oh, men might blaspheme the Savior now; they might reject Him as God incarnate and might reject His sav­ing grace and love. But there will come the time when every person, saved or lost, will recognize Him for Who and What He is, namely, sovereign Lord and God.

 

Third, God’s power made Christ the Head of the Church.30 As we study Ephesians, we see that the Church is viewed in three ways:

 

·        A Body (1:23; 2:16; 3:6; 4:4,12,16; 5:23,30)

·        A Building (2:19‑22)

·        A Bride (5:22‑23)

The emphasis before us, of course, is the Church as Christ’s Body, which refers to the universal church made up of all be­lievers everywhere. As one expositor illustrates:

 

If a stream be a symbol of the multitude of the believers, Jesus is the fountain. If a tree be an image of the whole Church, Jesus is the root and the trunk. If a kingdom represent the disciples of this dispensation, Jesus is the prince . . . Then, as the husband is the head of the wife, so is Jesus the Head of the Church. Or, if the human body, in its parts, and as a whole, represent the Church and the Saviour, then Jesus is the Head of the body.31

 

The point Paul is making is that Christ is the Head of the Body, the controlling part, the supreme ruler; we then are members of the Body, the controlled parts, the subjects.

 

Thinking of our own physical body, can we say to the hand, “Well, hand, you go ahead and be in control of the body today?” Of course not; that’s just silly. Why? Because the head is in control; no other part of the body is designed to be in control. Likewise, Christ is the Head; He is in control. We as a member of the Body do not say, “I’m going to do this or that; I’m going to do as I will do; I’m going to pray according to what I want; I’m going to carry on ministry the way I see fit.”

 

Furthermore, God also continues working in the Church. The word fullness is the Greek pleroma which means “that which is filled.” It was used of a ship being filled with sailors, rowers, and soldiers. The same basic word is then used as a verb (filleth) later in the verse; the tense of verb is a Present Participle, showing continuous action. One aspect of this is that Christ fills the church with His own life. Another aspect, however, is that the Church is also His fullness. In other words, as a head must have a body to complement it, so Christ must have the Church to manifest His glory. Calvin puts it in these profound words:

 

This is the highest honor of the church that until He is united to us, the Son of God reckons Himself in some measure incomplete. What consolation it is for us to learn that not until we are in His presence does He possess all His parts, nor does He wish to be regarded as complete. Hence, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians [I Cor. 12:12-31], when the apostle discusses largely the metaphor of a human body, he includes under the single name of Christ the whole Church. 32

 

What a statement that is! To think that the Sovereign Creator, perfect and complete in Himself, chooses to consider Himself, in a sense, incomplete without His Church. What a staggering thought! So, the full idea conveyed here in Paul’s statement is that Christ continues to fill the Church so that the Church can be the full expression of Christ.

Before closing this study, the words the head over all things to the church provide a special challenge to today’s church. In reality, and in many ways, our Lord has little place in our churches.

 

To illustrate, A. W. Tozer was, indeed, a preacher who spoke to the time in which he lived. He never pulled his punches. He said so much, in fact, that he was once quoted as saying to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “I have preached myself off every Bible conference platform in the country.”33 Several years ago one of Tozer’s Alliance Witness articles prompted my many month study of his voluminous writings.34 That article was titled, “The Waning Authority of Christ in the Churches.” The article appeared on May 15, 1963, just two days after Tozer’s death. “In a sense it was his valedictory, for it expressed the concern of his heart.”35 It is, indeed, Tozer in a nutshell. I want to close by quoting just two passages.

 

Let me state the cause of my burden. It is this: Jesus Christ has today almost no authority at all among the groups that call themselves by His name. By these I mean not the Roman Catholics nor the liberals, nor the various quasi-Christian cults. I do mean Protestant churches generally, and I include those that protest the loudest that they are in spiritual descent from our Lord and His apostles, namely, the evangelicals . . .

The present position of Christ in the gospel churches may be likened to that of a king in a limited, constitutional monarchy. The king (sometimes depersonalized by the term “the Crown”) is in such a country no more than a traditional rallying point, a pleasant symbol of unity and loyalty much like a flag or a national anthem. He is lauded, feted and supported, but his real authority is small. Nominally he is head over all, but in every crisis someone else makes the decisions. On formal occasions he appears in his royal attire to deliver the tame, colorless speech put into his mouth by the real rulers of the country. The whole thing may be no more than good-natured make-believe, but it is rooted in antiquity, it is a lot of fun and no one wants to give it up.

 

What a graphic picture Tozer paints! No longer is Christ the Head of the Church, He is merely the figurehead of the Church. We have put His picture up on the wall as the founder of our club but carry on the traditions of the club as we see fit. He no longer rules the organization; the organization rules Him. That is, indeed, the character of the Church today. Christ does not rule His own; the body rule Him. Later Tozer goes into a few specifics.

 

But I suppose I should offer some concrete proof to support my charge that Christ has little or no authority today among the churches. Well, let me put a few questions and let the answers be the evidence.

What church board consults our Lord’s words to decide matters under discussion?  Let anyone reading this who has had experience on a church board try to recall the times or time when any board member read from the Scriptures to make a point, or when any chairman suggested that the brethren should see what instructions the Lord had for them on a particular question. Board meetings are habitually opened with a formal prayer or “a season of prayer;” after that the Head of the Church is respectfully silent while the real rulers take over. Let anyone who denies this bring forth evidence to refute it. I for one will be glad to hear it.

What Sunday school committee goes to the Word for directions? Do not the members invariably assume that they already know what they are supposed to do and that their only problem is to find effective means to get it done? Plans, rules, “operations” and new methodological techniques absorb all their time and attention. The prayer before the meeting is for divine help to carry out their plans. Apparently the idea that the Lord might have some instructions for them never so much as enters their heads.

Who remembers when a conference chairman brought his Bible to the table with him for the purpose of using it? Minutes, regulations, rules of order, yes. The sacred commandments of the Lord, no. An absolute dichotomy exists between the devotional period and the business session. The first has no relation to the second.

What foreign mission board actually seeks to follow the guidance of the Lord as provided by His Word and His Spirit? They all think they do, but what they do in fact is to assume the scripturalness of their ends and then ask for help to find ways to achieve them. They may pray all night for God to give success to their enterprises, but Christ is desired as their helper, not as their Lord. Human means are devised to achieve ends assumed to be divine. These harden into policy, and thereafter the Lord doesn’t even have a vote.

In the conduct of our public worship where is the authority of Christ to be found? The truth is that today the Lord rarely controls a service, and the influence He exerts is very small. We sing of Him and preach about Him, but He must not interfere; we worship our way, and it must be right because we have always done it that way, as have the other churches in our group.

What Christian when faced with a moral problem goes straight to the Sermon on the Mount or other New Testament Scripture for the authoritative answer? Who lets the words of Christ be final on giving, birth control, the bringing up of a family, personal habits, tithing, entertainment, buying, selling and other such important matters?

What theological school, from the lowly Bible institute up, could continue to operate if it were to make Christ Lord of its every policy? There may be some, and I hope there are, but I believe I am right when I say that most such schools to stay in business are forced to adopt procedures which find no justification in the Bible they profess to teach. So we have this strange anomaly: the authority of Christ is ignored in order to maintain a school to teach among other things the authority of Christ.

 

We shall stop there, but these are truly pointed questions, so pointed that they stab deep into contemporary Christianity, even though they were written over 40 years ago. It’s no wonder that that Tozer wasn’t wanted at Bible conferences, but how we need men like him today.

 

Tozer goes on in the article to deal with the two causes of this development: tradition and intellectualism. In short, the authority of God’s Word simply does not rule every aspect of ministry, rather man-made customs and pseudo-intellectualism (in the form of, as Tozer puts it, “philosophy, psychology, [and] anthropology”) rule the day. The Lord seems to be merely a “member of the board” who can offer input, instead of the One Who dictates policy and practice. This fact has been a passion of mine for many years, that we carry on ministry the way we want instead of how Scripture dictates, that we use any method we want regardless of what God says. Pragmatism rules the day instead of Christ. May this challenge us whether Christ is the Head of our individual churches or just the figurehead. Tozer closes His article with how to combat the problem, namely to enthrone Christ and His Word.

Which brings us back to how wonderful it is to know these “spiritual realities” that Paul presents. First, there is the general passion; then there are the three detailed petitions. To summarize, may we view these detailed petitions in this way:

 

·        By showing us our CALLING, God has given us hope;

·        By showing us our INHERITANCE, God expresses His love;

·        By showing us His POWER, God challenges us to have faith.

 

This closes our study of Ephesians 1. Oh, may each of us make this chapter of Scripture a central part of our Christian life! May we each read It and meditate upon It often. What riches, what WEALTH we have in Christ!

 

NOTES

 

[1] Adapted from Lloyd-Jones, God’s Ultimate Purpose, pp. 361-2, and other sources.

2 Pink, 115.

3 We should point out here (as does Vincent, p. 792) that other Scriptures do not contain the definite article, but the Holy Spirit is still being referred to (e.g. Rom. 1:4; I Pet. 1:2). Eadie (p. 82) and others agree.

4 Hendrickson notes, “Having recently made a contextual study and tabulation of every New Testament occurrence of pneuma I have arrived at the conclusion that one should not rely too heavily on the rule, ‘When the article is used, the reference is to the Holy Spirit; when omitted, the reference is to an operation, influence, or gift of the Spirit.’ Each occurrence should be studied in the light of its own immediate context” (p. 97, footnote).

5 Hendrickson offers four other reasons:

“(1) Paul writes ‘. . . of revelation.’ We do not generally associate revelation with the purely human spirit or state of mind.

“(2) As to ‘ . . . of wisdom,’ in Isa. 11:2 this is mentioned as the first of several gifts imparted by the Spirit of Jehovah.

“(3) Such expressions as ‘Spirit of truth’ (John 15:26) and ‘Spirit of adoption’ (Rom. 8:15) also refer to the Holy Spirit.

“(4) Ephesians abounds with references to the third person of the Holy Trinity. Since the Comforter figured so prominently in this epistle, we may well believe that also in the present instance Paul has him in mind” (p. 97, emphasis in the original).

6 Thayer.

7 God’s Ultimate Purpose, p. 347.

8 Ironside, pp. 86-88.

9 Zodhiates, p. 1081.

10 Brown, vol. III, p. 127. In contrast to the Textus Receptus (or Traditional Text), the Critical Text (and even the Majority Text) has kardia, but I submit that we should prefer dianoia. First, while kardia is used figuratively for mind as well as feelings and emotions, dianoia (from nous, mind) seems much more specific to the issue of the text. As Zodhiates writes (p. 1018), “While in the OT, heart (kardia) is used to represent man’s whole mental and moral activity (Gen. 6:5), the word mind (nous) in the NT is used to denote the faculty of thinking.” Indeed, Paul’s point here seems to be emphasizing the need for God’s people to think! Second, Paul uses dianoia in 2:3 (“the desires of the flesh and of the mind”), which would seem to indicate that he also uses it here. Third, we further submit that our Lord uses both words in Mark 12:30, as noted above; are we to think our Lord is being redundant or that He is rather purposefully drawing a distinction? Fourth, while it is true that the TR reading appears in only a small number of manuscripts, this is easily answered. Based on his God-honoring premise of “Providential Preservation,” textual scholar Edward Hills writes, “We solve this problem, however, according to the logic of faith. Because the [TR] was God-guided as a whole, it was probably God-guided in [this] passage also” (The King James Version Defended, p. 208).

11 Cited in Barnes.

12 Charles Darwin, The Origin Of Species [The Harvard Classics], (New York: P. F. Collier & Son, 1909), p. 190.]

13 Indeed, he uses the words “seems. . .absurd,” for he then goes on to explain how this could have happened. He maintained that since much simpler forms of eyes exist in nature, then “the difficulty ceases to be very great in believing that natural selection may have converted the simple apparatus of an optic nerve, coated with pigment and invested by transparent membrane, into an optical instrument as perfect as [the human eye].” But notice that Darwin uses the word “believing,” not “proving,” again demonstrating that evolution is not based on science but on a belief. Further, in spite of Darwin’s “explanation,” the question remains, Is it reasonable to believe that complexity can happen by chance? On the very next page of his book, Darwin writes that “it is scarcely possible to avoid comparing the eye with a telescope,” and admits that “this instrument has been perfected by the long-continued efforts of the highest human intellects.” He then turns right around, however, and calls it “presumptuous” to “infer that the eye has been formed by a somewhat analogous process” by “the Creator.” But Darwin misses the very point that he himself demonstrates, namely, that the eye, just like the telescope, demands a designer.

14 F. F. Trench, cited in The Biblical Illustrator.

15 See the exposition of verse 1 for details on the word “saints.”

16 Eadie, p. 89‑90; Foulkes, p. 61‑62; Henry; Barnes.

17 Maclaren, p. 62‑63 (emphasis added). We highly recommend the reading of this entire ex­position (p. 62‑72).

18 Brown, Vol. II, pp. 44‑46.

19 Thayer, p. 156.

20 Cited in The Biblical Illustrator.

21 Those nine occurrences, in various forms, are: 1:21; 3:4,7, 16,20 (2); 6:11,13,16

22 Earle, p. 295.

23 Eadie, p. 94-95.

24 Eadie, p. 95.

25 Cited in Stedman, p. 58.

26 Principality (archē, first one or leader), power (exousia, delegated authority), might (dunamis, raw power), and dominion (kuriotēs, lordship) were traditional Jewish terms that designated angelic beings of great rank and might.

27 John Phillips.

28 M. R. Vincent in Wuest.

29 Eadie, p. 104.

30 The term “church” will be explained in other passages, most notably 3:1-6.

31 H. W. Beecher, cited in The Biblical Illustrator.

32 Commentaries. See also Sermons on Ephesians (pp. 122-3). This is also the view of Lloyd-Jones, Hendrickson, Lenski, Hodge, and others.

33 Cited in A Treasury of A. W. Tozer (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980), p. 8.

34 The reader might be interested in the author’s book, The Forgotten Tozer, an analysis of Tozer’s thought on the contemporary church. (Publication pending)

35 God Tells the Man Who Cares (Harrisburg: Christian Publications, 1970), p. 163-172. The emphasis in the quotations is Tozer’s.

 

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