Ephesians 1:15-23 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Paul in this epistle to the church at Ephesus desires the Christians to understand their marvelous, eternal position IN CHRIST that God has planned for them from the beginning of time. He is opening their eyes to the full knowledge that they who were once dead in transgressions and sins are now alive to God because of his merciful grace towards them. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. They, as with all people who put their trust in Jesus' work on the cross, are the new Levites whose inheritance is God himself, not land or possessions. In the Old Testament, the Levites were given no land in Canaan, for their inheritance was the eternal God. Paul knows that the Ephesian Christians are sitting in high places with Jesus himself. Their inheritance is to be known as the children of God. God sees them as his own, just as He sees Jesus as his own Son. This glorious understanding of who they really are IN CHRIST is critical for them in this Greek community where most people worshipped the goddess Artemis. At one point, the silversmiths of Ephesus stirred up trouble for the Christians because they were losing income. Fewer people were buying images of Artemis because of the impact of Christianity on the Greek society. Ephesus was a difficult place to live for Christians. As newborn Gentile Christians they faced constant persecutions and hardships from the idol worshipping society where they lived. Therefore, Paul prayed that they would have a deeper understanding of their position in Christ. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. To know Jesus better, to know God’s eternal plan for humans’ redemption, they had to know their special place in the heart of the Creator from the very beginning. “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.” In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrew 2:6-9) Man was given the authority over all that was created. He was made a little lower than the angels, but because of sin, man became susceptible to death. The fear of death was always a part of mankind’s existence. But Jesus came as the son of man, also made a little lower than the angels, but He came to conquer death, to give himself as a complete sacrifice for that which man had no control over: death. He not only died, but He was also resurrected. Consequently, all people who place their trust in Jesus, died with him and are now alive evermore, seated with him in heavenly places.Jesus talks very plainly to the Jews about being the bread of life. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:47-51) The Ephesians needed to know that Jesus was not only a good teacher, a miracle worker, and a lover of people: they needed to know that He is literally the bread of life and that He has an inheritance for them stored in heaven that is beyond their imagination. Paul wanted them to know they are in the flesh and are experiencing the vicissitudes of life as all flesh experiences. However, because of Christ’s work in them they are seated in heavenly places forever victorious. Jesus emphasizes this point of never dying, But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. Jesus discourages some of his followers by talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. To them this talk was canabalistic, challenging their understanding of what Jesus meant by eating of him. Of course, Jesus' sacrifice was complete. He suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. HIs flesh died and his blood was shed. All who believe in Jesus must partake of that sacrifice by faith, eating of his flesh for their flesh and drinking of his blood for their blood. The transference is a complete act. Jesus’s life for our life; Jesus’ blood for our blood. He dies in place of us dying. Anyone who desires to experience eternal life has to put their whole life in Jesus’ life. This step of faith in Jesus’ work is the salvation act, but Paul in this epistles is telling the believers that God has a marvelous plan that goes beyond just redemption, a plan of glorifying Christians as God's Son is glorified. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:16-17) The Ephesians needed to know they are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ to fully understand their inheritance and their position.
As we look at the Ephesian church and at their need to have the Holy Spirit reveal the deep things of God, such as the plan of redemption and the glorification of believers as sons and daughters of the most high, we must take notice of the depth of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. Do we know who we are IN CHRIST or do we live in a mundane and worldly manner? Do we believe we are God’s chosen, designed for eternal life or are we living merely with the knowledge and wisdom of the flesh? Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. (1 Corinthians 3:18-23) Paul is telling the Corinthians that they are immature because they are quarreling over who they want to follow in their spiritual lives. They are not emphasizing the glorious work of Jesus Christ in their talk; instead, they are talking about who they want to follow and who they want to trust in in this world. By doing this they are functioning at odds with the Holy Spirit. What they are breeding is the opposite of the gift of the Spirit: hatred, discord, fits of rage, dissensions, and factions. The Corinthians were sleep walking through life by quarreling over such foolishness. They were missing out on what Paul is talking about in his epistle to the Ephesians. Paul is telling them to set their minds, thoughts, talk, and actions on Jesus Christ and God’s marvelous plan for human beings. He is opening up the deep things of God. They needed to know what God had in his plan for them, for they were suffering persecution in a godless community. He encourages them to fix their minds on the great inheritance they have in God. In the above verses, Paul is discouraged with the Corinthians because they have become worldly in their view of life. They are not concentrating on the Bread of Life and his wonderful gifts to them. Instead, they are quarreling about mundane, finite things of this world such as who they should follow. When Jesus told the people about the price of following him, He was emphasizing their need to partake of him completely. Many of his followers left him. This was too spiritual for them, too hard for them to grasp. Jesus asked his disciples about their commitment to him. Would they go away too? Peter responds, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69) Are we seeking the Word of Life, the Holy One of God? Are our thoughts, our talk, our songs centered on him? Paul is telling the Ephesians their lives should be focused entirely on God and his Son, Jesus. He prays that they will have a deep revelation of God and of his wonderful redemption plan for humans. He desires for them to put aside the foolish wisdom of this world. Let us all do likewise, as we focus on the words of eternal life, seeking to know the Holy One of God. Amen!
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