In
these verses we see Paul praying for the Ephesians to know and experience the
power of God. He prayed that the eyes of their hearts might be opened so that they
would have a clear spiritual perception. To know one’s status in God is one
thing, but to know His power and tap into it is another. And without the eyes
of their minds being enlightened, they would still live in oblivion.
He
began by praying that they would know the hope of His calling. What did Paul
mean when he talked about the hope of His calling? In life, how one conducts
his or her daily life is very dependent on how one views the future. Knowing
the importance of having a positive outlook about the future, Paul talked about
the hope. Hope has to do with what is to come. It affirms to believers the
reality of things which God had promised; things which believers have yet to
experience. He prayed that they would know the hope of God’s calling upon their
lives.
Then
he prayed for them to realize the glorious inheritance they have, collectively
as believers of Christ. In referring to the glorious inheritance in the saints,
Paul could mean two things. He was either talking about God being the
believers’ treasured possession or the fact that in God, believers are
recipients of great riches and blessings. However, these can be seen as two
sides of the same coin. When we are in God, we possess everything and when we
have God as our treasured possession, we also own everything. The purpose of
Paul most probably was to let the Ephesians and us, God’s people, know how
blessed we are in God and that in Him we truly have security.
And
finally, he prayed that they will know the surpassing greatness of His power. So
far, Paul had dealt with two areas. The hope of His calling tells us that God
dealt with our hopeless past and gave us a hopeful future. What about the
present then? Between the past and the ultimate future, power is promised to us
to live our present life. The adjectives, “surpassing greatness,” which Paul
used, tell us that this power is beyond measure. It is the same spiritual
dynamic force of God that was exerted to bring about Christ’s resurrection,
ascension and exaltation. He prayed for them to experience the same power that had
in effect, raised Christ from death.
In
elaborating on that immeasurably great power, Paul said in verse 19 that this
power is now directed toward believers in Christ. He probably wanted to
underscore the fact that this immeasurable power is now potentially available
to the believers. This great power of God had been demonstrated and effected in
the resurrection of Christ from the dead (v.20); His ascension to God’s right
hand in the heavenly places (v.20); His absolute reign over all things for all
time (vv.21-22); His headship over all things in the Church (v.22)
In verse 22,
Paul tells us that Christ is made the head of the Church. This Christ, Who had
been given the reign over all of the universe, is now given the headship over
the Church as well. As the head of the Church, Christ now has total control
over everything in the Church. What does the phrase “… the fullness of Him who
fills all in all” mean? Paul is essentially saying what he had been trying to
get through to the Ephesians all along, that is, Christ is the Lord of both
heaven and earth. Everything is under His control. The universe is under His
control and so is the Church. He is the Lord and Master of everything.
Here is one
important fact that we all need to know. It is the fact that Christ, in Whom
the fullness of God dwells, now dwells in us, the Church, His Body. He continues
to saturate the Church with His presence and is also releasing upon us His
abundant grace. It is His desire for us to reflect His likeness. As believers
of Christ, both the bondages of death and evil in man can be conquered and
broken. In Him, we are free from the clutches of both death and evil to reflect
His glory, personally and collectively. God be forever praised!
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