The Wellspring. No.27
“Understanding
is a Wellspring of Life to him that has it.”
(Proverbs. 16:22)
Occasional
papers by Arthur & Rosalind Eedle
Ephesians 1:15-23
This edition is a continuation to Wellspring
25, and contains the first of Paul's great prayers in Ephesians, the other one
being in chapter 3.
1:15. Therefore I also, hearing of your faith
in the Lord Jesus and love to all the saints. If Paul were writing exclusively to
the Ephesians, this language would be unnatural, because he had stayed there
for two years, and knew many of the believers on an intimate spiritual level.
Hence he now speaks to all those other places where the Gospel had been
preached in the Asian towns as well as those that he knew well.
One final point here about the niceties of
Greek grammar. In the New Testament there are but 37 examples of the use of
this rare Mood known as the Optative. We find that quite the majority are in
Luke's and Paul's writings, both of whom were literary scholars. The rest (a
mere four examples) are found in Peter's Epistles. In Classical Greek the major
authors frequently employed the use of this sensitive Mood.
The knowledge of Him. The usual Greek word for
“knowledge” is GNOSIS. In
this instance an intensive form is used, EPIGNOSIS, literally “upon
knowledge.” It is similar to the use of the prefix EPI with the adjective
“heavenly” in 1:3, where we had to employ an expression such as
“senior-heavenly”. The Greek Interlinear rightly attempts to
deal with the EPI- here by translating it “full knowledge.”
But we cannot imagine that Paul really meant that. After all, how can any created
being attain to a full knowledge of the Godhead? Rather should the word be translated “deeper
knowledge”.
1:18 The eyes of your heart having been
enlightened that you should know what is the hope of His calling, and the
riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. In verse 11 we saw that God received
an inheritance in the saints. Here we read about it again. But between, in
verse 14 there is a mention of our inheritance. It is absolutely
necessary for us to distinguish between these. Many believers only look to God
for what concerns themselves, what someone has called a
“bless-me-gospel.” But look at it from God’s own point of
view. In this epistle we learn a little of the will of God, the good
pleasure of God, the purpose of God, and His inheritance. It
is far better to dwell on the things of the Lord than mentally to pile up the
promises relating to one’s self. Remember the Elders round the throne in
Revelation? When the Lord appeared, they straightway threw their crowns before
the throne. Their own position, granted indeed by the Lord, was nevertheless so
insignificant compared with the joy of standing face to face with the Son of
God that they wanted to show their wholehearted appreciation. Should it not be
like that for all of us?
The eyes of your heart. Notice here that the heart is mentioned, rather than the mind.
Most people would know what we meant if we referred to the “eyes of our
mind”, but Paul was not interested in the mind when he uttered this
prayer. In Romans
That you may know the hope of His calling. In 4:4 we read about “the one hope of your
calling.” But here it is the hope of His calling. How do
we distinguish between the hope of His calling, and the hope of our
calling? Paul says that the hope of our calling is the same for all.
It is one hope. We are all equally receptive of the gift of new life in
Christ. There is only one hope, even as there is only one eternal life
in Christ. But when Paul talks about the Lord’s own calling, he refers to
the differences that will apply, based on the result of discipleship and
training. In fact Paul speaks of prizes in this connection, and in
Philippians 3:14 he himself reaches out for the “prize of the
calling on high.” The very language in that passage demonstrates
beyond all possible doubt that we are enjoined to reach out, to press on, to
strain every nerve, to obtain something higher and more wonderful. Once again,
we find no place for that lack-lustre, drab, colourless country espoused by the
Socialist dream, where everyone is dragged down to the lowest common
denominator type of existence. No, there is much new country to be discovered
by pioneering saints, and God likes His children to have an urge to
investigate, to move out, “to boldly go where no man has gone
before,” to find “something hidden behind the ranges.”
A.B.Simpson understood it when he penned the following lines –
On to broader fields of holy vision;
On to loftier heights of faith and love;
Onward, upward, apprehending wholly,
All for which He calls thee from above.
The riches of the glory of His inheritance in
the saints. The
Lord has set His heart on obtaining an inheritance, and He will not be
satisfied unless that inheritance is of the highest calibre. Shall we deny Him
what He desires? Shall we, with mock humility, say, “I am but a very
ordinary believer. I never aspire very high. There are dangers involved. I
shall be satisfied with the lowest, meanest place in heaven, just as long as I
manage to get there.” How would such an attitude be received in
heaven? Would the Lord be proud of such
a one? Ponder once again the parable of the pounds. Each of the ten men was
given a pound, and on the Nobleman’s return each was called to give an
account of his trading. The first said, “Lord, your pound has
gained ten.” He was classed as a good and faithful servant, and
was appointed authority over ten cities. The second came and said, “Lord,
your pound has gained five.” He was likewise classed a good and
faithful servant, and appointed authority over five cities.
There is much to learn from this. The accolade
granted to both of these men was identical. They were both “good
and faithful servants.” But their “trading” had produced
different results. Therefore their ability to govern in God’s Kingdom
would be different. The Nobleman never thought more highly of the first man because
his trading had been more profitable. He knew that both men had traded to the
best of their ability, and their reward was proportional to their ability. Of
course, there was a third man who did nothing with his pound, and received
strong rebuke from the Nobleman. Hence we repeat. It is vital for us to ensure
that the Lord receives the best inheritance, and this means we have a
duty to copy Paul’s example, to “forget that which is behind,
and reach out to that which is before, and press towards the mark for the
prize.” (Phil.3:14) He even went on to say, “Let all
those who are perfect (i.e. of a mature mind) be thus minded. . . Brethren, be
followers together with me.”
Before proceeding further, there is another side
to this coin that needs attention. By the judicious use of yet another parable,
the Lord brought home to His disciples a grave warning. He spoke about an
important dinner party, to which a man might be invited, and thereby consider
himself honoured. But where should he sit? If he decided to sit next to the
host, he might be told politely that he must make way for someone more
important. That would cause him embarrassment. No, the best thing to do was to
sit at one of the lowest seats, and then be requested to move up. That would
show true humility. (Luke 14:10-11) The Lord said, “Everyone who
exalts himself will be abased, but he who humbles himself will be
exalted.” So the lessons here are found on the two sides of this
coin. First of all we should not rob God of the glory of His own inheritance by
false humility. Then, having reached out for a prize, we should never
try to appoint ourselves a position in God’s Kingdom, but with true
humility await the Master’s judgment on our lives.
1:19. And what is the exceeding
greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of the
might of His strength. Look at this collection of words – “exceeding
greatness”, “power”, “might”, and
“strength.” Paul’s
reverie in prayer was such that the Lord filled him almost to bursting point,
so that he couldn’t find enough words to describe the benefits directed
towards the saints from heaven. But this is only part of a sentence, and we
need to look at the next two verses to see the fullness of what Paul was
saying.
To us who believe. Could it be that Paul realised there would be
few who either could or would fully believe in such exalted wonders?
1.20-21. Which He wrought in the
Christ, raising Him from [among] the dead, and seating Him in the right hand
[of His power] among the senior heavenly ones, far above all rule and authority
and power and lordship and every name being named , not only in this age, but
also in that which is coming. Is it really true? How can we possibly imagine that God will use
the same power towards His children that He used in raising His Son from the
dead? But we are forced to think in this
way, rather than reject it as beyond all rational thinking. Once again, it is our hearts that must
be enlightened to accept such magnificent bounty from the Throne of Grace,
because our logical minds are incapable of believing such things.
How should the acceptance of this
divine power affect the practical outworking of our lives? One can only turn to the Life of all lives,
and see how the Master presented Himself to the Jewish world in days gone by.
He acted with a tacit acceptance of His own person and position before His
Father, but manifested a humility that never smacked of showmanship. He placed
Himself entirely under the leadership and direction of His Father, and He
performed works of power that spoke of His authority without the necessity of
words. His focus in all things was the love of God to man, culminating in
sacrificial love.
Possibly the greatest reason why we
do not experience a taste of this “exceeding greatness” is that we
do not fulfil the conditions for its operation. Referring to the qualities
mentioned above, do we
·
Accept, as believers, the
position God has assigned to us, as part of His own inheritance, chosen before
even sin entered the world, blessed with all spiritual blessings, forgiven all
sins and trespasses, revealed to us His mysteries, granted an earnest of our
later inheritance?
·
Live day by day in the
knowledge of these surpassing riches, but at the same time never refer to them,
even to other believers, in such a manner that it would smack of showmanship or
self elevation?
·
Walk, day by day, in
close communion with our Father in heaven, awaiting His word, His
enlightenment, His instructions, His
correction and training, rather than assigning ourselves to the overseership of
human institutions and false ecclesiastical authorities?
·
Speak out His word without
fear of reprisal, misunderstanding, or isolation?
·
Ask for spiritual power
to release those who are bound by demonic power, or bodily ailment?
·
Act in a manner to
demonstrate God’s love to others, rather than living a self-centred
spiritual life? (In this respect we may anticipate what Paul said in
It is a list that betrays our own
bankruptcy for the most part. None of us can walk as He walked. But that does
not mean we shouldn’t accept our Master’s walk as the standard by
which we see our own weaknesses. Remember that Paul asked us to follow his
example in respect of reaching out for the prize. How much more should we
attend to the divine pattern set by the Son of God in His human life.
Raising Him from [among] the dead. Resurrection is the ultimate goal
for us all, and should be looked upon with a yearning from day to day, knowing
that our bodies perish, our minds grow weak, and like all men, we eventually
expire and die. But Jesus was the “firstborn from among the
dead”, and therefore He is the pledge, the guarantee, that all
will eventually be raised to life as well.
But this is where we need to see the
difference between two expressions. “From the dead” differs from
“Of the dead”. The former speaks of resurrections that precede the
final, all-inclusive resurrection, the one that Martha spoke about when she
referred to “the resurrection in the last day.”
Yes, there are to be resurrections prior to this, and they constitute
part of the prize. Paul told the Philippians that his pursuit of the prize was
linked to attaining “the out-resurrection, out from among the
dead” to give a full translation. (Phil.3:11) John wrote in
Revelation 20:4-6 “They lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. (The rest of the dead live not again until the expiry of the
thousand years.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has
part in the first resurrection.”
Seating Him in the right hand [of
His power.] Translators often use the expression “at
His right hand” as though it referred to a spatial position, where
one may envisage two beings seated on a broad throne. It may be paralleled with
Rev.3:21, where Jesus said, “I overcame and am seated with my
Father in His throne.” But we must insist that to “sit
at His right hand” is not the same as being seated “in His
right hand.” This is not a twisting of words, but a recognition of a
well-understood truth from N.T. times. To be seated in the right hand of
someone’s power means being endued with that same power and authority. It
doesn’t refer to spatial position at all. Jesus was raised by His Father
and placed in the position of power which He Himself had. This is emphasised in
its fullness in the following phrases.
Far above. Once again we must insist that this expression
is not spatial. It has the all the force of authority, in the way in
which we might speak of a large business house having a “pyramidal system
of authority”, with one man as Managing Director at the top of the
pyramid, and beneath him the Chief Executives, and so on down to the most
junior operatives. The Greek word appears again in
Principality, power, might dominion,
etc. God the Father placed His Son “among the
senior heavenly ones”, but gave Him a position as the Chief over all
types of authority. The words used here may not mean very much to us, because
we have no real idea of how the heavenly hierarchy is constituted, but one thing
is sure. Not all these principalities submit to divine rule. This was
shown in the last paper when we looked at the five occasions when Paul
mentioned the “senior heavenly ones”. The last of these is in
Not only in this age, but also that which is to come. Not only in what is called “the gospel age”, the last two thousand years, but also in the coming Millennial Age, the great Sabbath Rest of God. We should learn to take courage in these words, because here in the “shadowlands” we are very aware of the tight grip that Satan has over world affairs, and how he manages to infiltrate the Churches, and cause continual disruption to all those who have bound themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience. But know this. The Lord Jesus is now, at this very time, far above all such activity. He is enthroned in His Father’s power, and all the works of Satan are only permitted evils. He has no real autonomy, even though he likes us to think he has. That is why, as believers, we have the authority to cast out demons in the name of the Lord Jesus. Truly we have the victory “because of the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, not caring about our natural lives unto death.” (Rev. 12:11)
1:22-23 He has put all things under
His feet, and gave Him headship over all things to the church which is His
body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. The previous verses dealt with Christ’s
exaltation over every heavenly power and authority. These two verses
speak rather of what is happening here on earth, in the training ground of
God’s church.
All things under His feet. The language speaks clearly of an achievement,
not a prospect. At
In Revelation 12 John saw the
heavenly vision of a woman clothed with the Sun, and the Moon beneath her feet.
The true church, here depicted as the Woman (later to be the Bride), has
reached a position of authority, because the same expression is used. “Beneath
the feet” is a typical Biblical formula to show both authority and
subjection. It matters not what the Moon represents. That is not the focus of
our attention just now. But the fact that she has achieved that goal is
important. It is also important to realise that she can only have achieved her
goal because she was clothed with the Sun. The Lord’s own
authority over the Woman’s life enabled her to reach that goal.
Headship over all things to the
church which is the Body of Christ. The
translation makes it seem as though the “church” (with whatever
connotation man places on the word) is the Body of Christ. But this is not the case. The Greek employs an
especially strong reflexive pronoun here for “which.” Paul is
saying in effect that no matter what the world, or even Christians, think of in
defining the word “church”, it is only “that Ecclesia which
happens to be His Body” which is under consideration here. In
Winer’s “Greek Grammar,” in a note on page 209, he says that
this strong reflexive form of pronoun “often brings in an explanation or
a statement of a cause.” Paul is here using the pronoun to explain what
he means by the word “church”.
Headship. Head and body are an organic whole.
We are not permitted to speak about an organisation in respect of the
Church which is His Body, but only an organism. This is where the great
difference lies between Christ’s position in the heavenlies, over all
principality and power. He is not their organic Head. But God has made Him to
be the organic Head over all things to His Church. This only emphasises why it
is possible for God the Father to speak about the same power being liberated
towards us as to His Son, because we are an organic whole. The figure of speech
has been used to demonstrate the close connection between Head and Members. As
such we should allow this concept full power in our daily lives, and learn to
appropriate the fullness of what the Father has bestowed. Anything less than
this would be dishonouring our Head and the Father.
Over all things. Yes, and this includes the weekly
shopping, the washing of clothes, the way we use the car, how we speak to other
people, whether Christians or not, what films we watch, what papers we read,
what books we read, what time we go to bed and get up, and the type of food we
eat. There is nothing too small, too insignificant not to be a part of the
“all things”. It is a sobering thought. How many times in our lives
have we compartmentalised our daily activities into those that are clearly
“spiritual”, and those that more or less belong to ourselves to
spend as we like, without thought of the Lord’s Headship over us?
The fullness of Him Who fills all in
all. It is
this organic relationship between Head and Members that makes the fullness.
There can be no other fullness apart from the organic wholeness. As a result
God our Father promises to fill all of us (within that Body) with all
(spiritual gifts and graces.) It is His good pleasure. He delights in giving us
of His fullness, and we should equally be joyful in receiving from the treasure
store of His grace. Let us not render Him short measure for His abundance, but
give everything to Him from a heart bursting with love and amazement at His
bounty.
“It surpasses all human thought that
children of death should be called into such fellowship. And they from the
Gentiles, to whom God in ages past never had spoken such things. But the word
of the Lord stands. It is not for us to doubt or to question, but to submit in
all simplicity, and to take Him at His word. This alone satisfies and honours
Him.”
This quotation is from “The
Glory of the Body of Christ”, by E.F.Stroter, 1909, an exposition of
Ephesians. This book, together with J. Armitage Robinson’s excellent
commentary, we believe to be the two most valuable contributions to believers
in understanding the depth of Paul’s letter.