Knowing Our Position in Christ
Ephesians 1:15-23
1:15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
After surveying the power of God’s creative actions, Job 26 concludes in verse 14 with a dynamic assertion and question about the power of God— These are indeed but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? If God’s acts of creation are merely the “outskirts” or the “fringes” of God’s power, what would be at the heart of God’s power? I do not know. The book of Ephesians uses the word “power” in every chapter. Surely, resurrection power is close to answering Job’s question. God’s great and mighty power is first and foremost seen in the resurrection and enthronement of Jesus (1:19b-23).
Ephesians 1:15–23 is the second longest sentence in the Greek New Testament. It follows the longest sentence verses 1:3–14. 1:15–23 is a prayer. Paul’s prayers (similar to Paul’s thanksgivings) reveal the purposes of Paul’s writing to the church. Here, Paul prays that the church comprehends the power of God (give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him… heart enlightened, you may perceive). Later, Paul will pray that the church apprehends the power of God in Ephesians 3:14–21. Paul prays that the church comprehends God’s power in three ways: so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive (1) what is the hope to which he has called you, (2) what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and (3) what is the immeasurable greatness of his power. Once Paul mentions power, he will expand on what that power contains. One approach to a class discussion is to trace the themes Paul explicates: hope, riches, and power. Below is a brief explication of God’s power in Ephesians.
Question: Since all other powers are placed under Jesus’ feet as a footstool, what does it mean to live as if all things are under Christ’s feet, and He is the head over everything for the church? And, as you think about the list below, what does it mean that God has given Jesus a place/authority over every other title/authority?
- Every title that can be given—
- Your Majesty
- President
- Senator
- Governor
- Mayor
- Congressman
- Prime Minister
- Caesar
- Czar
- Kaiser
- Chief
- Your Highness
- Madam Chairman
- Your Honor
- Pastor
- Doctor
- Elder
- Minister
- Paul specifically connects “filling” with God’s power. God is the great filler. In class, we will explore the concept of filling in Eph 3.
The resurrection power of God is seen in our own resurrection and enthronement (2:1-10). It is seen in the gathering of all people into a single united humanity (2:11ff). It is seen in the Ephesians’ Power Pack (3:7, 16, 18, 20; 6:10). AND THAT POWER IS AVAILABLE TO US WHO BELIEVE. We are to comprehend that power in 1:19a and we are to apprehend that power (“within us”) in 3:20. And for what purpose? … for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians is an ecclesiology. Ephesians describes God’s purpose for the church (see also Eph 3:10 — so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.)
Question: What is the purpose of the church? How is God’s power displayed through the church? How is God’s resurrection power displayed through you?
One possible answer: So, “We speak of God’s being in and through God’s action…”[1] God is a minister as seen by what God does. God is a pastor at heart. God blesses us with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3–14): Chose us to be holy and blameless; adopted us; redeemed us; made known to us the mystery of his will; and sealed us by the Holy Spirit –All to the praise of God’s glory. God as pastor then informs and shapes what it means to serve as a leader in God’s church (as described in Eph 4). Leaders joins God’s action of blessing through the church for the blessing of the world.[2]
Eph 1:15ff describes the direction of God’s power. God’s power flows through the Son into us for the service to the world. Imagine a four-tiered fountain where God’s glory spills over into Christ and Christ’s glory pours into the church, and the church’s glory drenches the whole world. For the church to realize God’s purposes in the world, the grace God gives through Christ will be poured out to all through us.
[1] Andrew Root, The Pastor in a Secular Age, 169.
[2] Tim Sensing, “Preaching Ephesians: The Fourfold Fountain of God,” Restoration Quarterly 62 (Second Quarter 2020): 81-97.