Thursday: Glory in the Church and Christ Jesus
Paul concludes his prayer report with a doxology, a brief, poetic statement of praise to God. For what does he praise God? Ephesians 3:20-21.
Paul has been recording his prayers for believers (Ephesians 3:14-19). Now he prays directly and powerfully. Paul’s doxology raises two questions: 1. Does the passage inappropriately elevate the church, placing it on a par with Christ, in the phrase “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:21, ESV)?
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While Paul is highly interested in the church in Ephesians, it is clear that Christ is the Savior of the church since it is Christ who dwells in the hearts of believers (Ephesians 3:17). In the doxology, Paul praises God for the salvation offered to the church through Christ Jesus.
2. Does the phrase “throughout all generations, forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:21, ESV) portray an unending, earthbound future for the church, with the return of Christ put on hold? Ephesians exhibits a robust expectation for the future. For example, Ephesians 4:30 looks toward “the day of redemption” (ESV). Also, believers will experience Christ’s limitless, sovereign power in “the age to come” (Ephesians 1:21, NRSV). Paul’s doxology should be read as a celebration of Christ’s unending power exercised on behalf of believers.
Looking back over Paul’s second prayer report (Ephesians 3:14-21; compare Ephesians 1:15-23), we see Paul finding strength in the cosmic scope of the Father’s care (Ephesians 3:14-15), the ready availability of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16), the partnership of Christ Himself (Ephesians 3:17), and the immeasurability of the limitless love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18-19). This is so true that he imagines believers being filled “with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19, ESV) and celebrates these spiritual realities in praise, again marveling at the abundance of God’s power on offer to the saints (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Whenever we feel the press of problems, temptations, or doubts, we may turn to this buoyant account of Paul’s prayers. The imprisoned apostle raises our vision to the grand horizon of God’s purposes and grace, reminding us that, whatever our current circumstances, we are participants in God’s ultimate plan (Ephesians 1:9-10), and His power is at work in us.
| What blessings from God are especially valuable to you? Practice composing a prayer of praise in order to praise God for them. |
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Paul uses the Greek word "Ekklesia" (Anglicised "Ecclesia") which is translated by many translators as "Church". Paul used the word from an ancient Greek practice. The Ekklesia in Greek society was essentially a gathering of people for the purposes of government. They were males over the age of 18 who met about 4 times a year like a legislative council. They reviewed laws, heard judgment appeals, elected judges, conferred honours on people, and so on.
There was no word in Paul's time for a gathering of Christians so Paul really adopted the word ekklesia as a collective noun for Christians. Of course, when the King James Version of the Bible was written, the translators were under a mandate to ensure that scripture supported the structure and organisation of the Church of England. So they had little difficulty in translating the word as "Church". The word has also been used widely as "ecclesiastical" to mean anything pertaining to the church.
Nowadays we sometimes use the word Ecclesia to mean all Christians who are faithful to God rather than just a particular church organisation.
I don't have a problem with either nuance in the meaning of the word, provided we use it inclusively. God's Church quickly becomes the apostate church when we think that the Church organisation in more important than the Gospel.
We can accomplish things together that we cannot do separately. And, one of the best ways we can do this is by showing that we love one another just as Christ loved us. That is a good thought to bear in mind when we are trying to score points in a doctrinal battle with one another.
"By this shall all men know..."
Amen to that Maurice. I hope the GC brass read your last sentence.
"Gracious and Loving God, I approach Your throne of mercy with a heart full of gratitude. I am especially thankful for the blessing of life, each new day a testament to Your unfailing love and mercies that are renewed every morning.
I'm profoundly grateful for the gift of health, the unseen shield that guards me and gives me the vitality to serve You. I treasure the blessing of family and friends, the human embodiments of Your ceaseless love and warmth in my life.
I am deeply thankful for the gift of Your Word, a lamp to my feet and a light to my path, guiding me in every decision. The privilege of prayer, a direct communication line to You, is a blessing beyond comprehension.
I am indebted to You for the assurance of salvation, a promise that brings hope amidst despair. I appreciate Your forgiveness that washes me white as snow, despite my countless failings.
Above all, I cherish the greatest gift, Your Son Jesus Christ, who offered His life as a ransom for mine, enabling me to call You Abba, Father.
For all these blessings, and countless more, I offer my heartfelt praise and thanksgiving. May my life be a continuous hymn of gratitude to You. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Amen!
Amen
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us," Ephesians 3:20
Thanks be to God, Who gives us breathing, housing, and food! I'm so positive that all of us lack anything physical, but even if we do, the love of God can provide us! We must be sure that He does much better than we can imagine!
Because only God knows the future!
Jesus Himself said that He would pray to His Father so that His Father would send us The Holy Spirit of Truth to not only "Live with us" but also to "Live in us," John 14:17. And all we need to do is what Jesus said for us to do in Luke 11:13 and "Ask His Father" for this gift. Amen and Amen to God the Father for this gift.
We should be careful not to miss the salient point of Paul's prayer. It is, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Paul is recognizing the power of the Holy Spirit to make the necessary changes to our life, changes that will allow us to develop the mind of Christ: "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Without this transformation, it is impossible for us to love as Christ loved, and all our knowledge and abilities to explain Paul's writing will only be academic. This morning and for the reminder of my life, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit will dwell in my heart so that I could be transformed into what God wants me to be. My prayer is the same for all readers of these lessons.
Amen to this too, Melvin Pascall, for even God through the Prophet Isaiah said for us to "Come let us reason together..." and also goes on to assure us that in that reasoning with Him, He would show us how crimson and scarlet our sins would be; but then He would also go on to make them "White as snow and like wool."
The Ekklesia can only express and give glory to God as it allows Christ Jesus to express Himself in them. Him in us and we in Him, makes our new life possible, though this life is entirely defined by Christ. Having accepted God’s Son as Lord, and by the unmitigated surrender of ‘self-will’, we offer oursleves to become a clean vessel for God to express His Glory and Grace to touch the lives of others.
Rom.14:7-9 - ”For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. For this reason Christ died and returned to life, that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.” Berean Standard Bible
My attention has been drawn to the lesson writer stating that the believer ‘finds strength in the ‘partnership of Christ’. Not wanting to be critical, I still want to point out that the believer’s life is only defined as it is ‘in’ Christ; the Holy Spirit's dwelling in the surrendered heart and mind makes us to be in in Christ.
It is important to me to highlight that we are considered to be alive only as Christ’s Spirit dwells in us - 2Cor.5:17. In my humble opinion, this fact still needs to be made clear so that we understand that no goodness is generated by the believer, or can 'partner' with Christ. All we are is 'Christ' and Jesus Christ’s alone – in us and through us – which our new life is defined by – Rom.8:1-11.
Christ dwells in us and we in Him only by our active cooperation or "partnership." It does not happen by magic. Thus the author's language is appropriate. Daily, hourly and minute by minute, we must actively choose, "Not my will but Yours be done." It is this active cooperation that effects the changes in our lives that allow us to reflect the character of Christ.
First of all, we are saved by grace and there is nothing we can do to gain salvation. It is a free gift. But salvation does not reduce us to a zombie state of artificial Intelligence controlled from outside. The Holy Spirit is not the remote controller of our lives. Some have likened the Holy Spirit to a gentle breeze. There is nothing quite like finding a cooling breeze on a hot summer's day and turning to face it spreading your arms to allow it to cool your body. But, in a free-choice universe, I have to make that decision. There are many kinds of partnerships and we limit the usefulness of the metaphor if we think only as equal partnerships. I prefer to think of the partnership with the Holy Spirit as a beneficial one. The Holy Spirit wants to work through us - we make the decision to let him. That is not the root of our salvation but it is what a saved person does.
Amen to this, Maurice Ashton. The very fact that "The wages of sin is death," should have ended Adam and Eve's lives right when they ate of the forbidden fruit. But because of God's plan of redemption that went into effect right at that moment of their sinning, is why they did not die right then and there but went on to live almost 1,000 years each after that and also their descendants too all the way to Noah and the flood and then on and on until Jesus took humanity as his own life and died for the sin and sins of humanity etc. and etc. And even now, the very fact that "The wages of sin is death," (still,) we also should immediately die as soon as we commit sin. But again, it is because of what Jesus did 2,000 plus or minus years ago at Calvary, that we also do not die immediately when we sin but go on to live and God gives us time to repent and come back to Him and live for Him. And this will go on until Jesus shows up to take His rightful throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Is there any reference to a "second coming" or similar in Ephesians? If not, what is the shape of the future hope?
In this letter, Paul appears to be more focused on the blessings of of salvation in Christ in the here and now. However, he does look forward to "the day of redemption," in Eph. 4:30, as the author points out. In light of Paul's teaching revealed in other letters, this would logically refer to the Second Coming. (cf. Rom. 8:23)
Paul certainly speaks of the second coming of Jesus Christ AND the resurrection of His followers in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 and 2 Timothy 3 to name a few references.
I would say that the shape of our future hope is rooted and grounded in our present hope. If I am grafted to the Root of Jesse (Romans 15:12), that is my hope. If Christ lives in my heart, he will be the objective of my thinking, saying and doing because my roots are growing into his love. (Ephesians 3:17.) My present hope is the journey to my future hope.