This is part 5 of TBD on Ephesians. I’ll be somewhat quickly going through the first three (and last two) chapters of Ephesians to set the context, because we live in age of declining Biblical literacy, and I’ll slow down more when I reach Ephesians 4, because I think we always need more unity and purity.
As we walk through Ephesians 1, we’ve already covered our identity in Christ and some of our blessings in Christ (last two posts[1]), and we will now cover our growing knowledge of Christ (this post), found in Ephesians 1:15-32.
John the Baptist said, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) We need to know how big God is and how deep His love is. Paul mentions that in Ephesians 1:15-16.
Paul’s ceaseless prayers should humble us. What does Paul pray for? What does Paul desire for these relatively new believers in Christ? In verses 17-18b, he says he wants them to know God more deeply, to see Him more clearly. He wants God to give them wisdom, revelation, understanding.
He’s saying I want you to know this with more clarity, more certainty, more confidence. Four hundred years ago, some British pastors had to say what they believed during a civil and religious war.
They said (in the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 18) that those who truly believe in Jesus may be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace; they can have an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation; that even though this assurance may be shaken, diminished, restored, and more – that pursuing this assurance is our duty. We should make our calling and election sure. (2 Pet 1:10)
Weren’t they saying that we should strive for the thing Paul prays for? Having the eyes of our hearts enlightened? So that we can know, at the very least, these five things: our Hope, our Inheritance, and the Might, Height, and the Head-ship of Christ.
1) Paul wants every believer who reads this letter to know v.18, “the hope to which he has called you.” What is this hope? We’ve already talked about it, which flows into his 2nd desire for us. That we would know:
2) Our Inheritance - v.18, “what are the riches of his glorious in the saints…” We have a hope. It’s based on this amazing inheritance – a spiritual blessing that we will one day taste in heaven.
And why is that hope secure? #1, it’s because we have a Holy Spirit who has sealed us, our guarantee, our down payment of God’s promise. AND … because of
3) “The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might, which he worked in Christ…” (verse 19) Paul says we are secure because our Heavenly Father can beat up anyone who wants to harm us. The church will always have enemies; always has; always will. If God says He loves you, but He can’t keep you safe, then how much will you value that love?
Paul wants us to be comforted by our hope, by our inheritance, by Christ’s might, and by this next thing Paul wants us to know.
4) Christ’s height. Paul says in verses 20-22 that Christ is not just stronger than everyone, He’s above everyone. These ideas reinforce one another. Don’t you realize that Christ is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the one who rules over and above everyone? This leads into the last thing that Paul wants us to know. Not just Christ’s might and His Height, but also…
5) Christ’s headship. V.22 says He is the head of the body. Paul’s main point here does not seem to be that Christ is the head, the ruler, the one who tells us what to do, as a church. That is true. But it’s not exactly what he says here. He says God gave him as head over all things to the church. In other words, the church’s head is everyone else’s head.
If the church ever fears that society has turned against her and that her existence is endangered, she should remember that her head is the head of all mankind. Jesus looks at every square inch of the earth and proclaims it, ‘MINE!’[2] That should be a comfort to His body, the fullest expression of His love and care.
Again, these truths do not erase the troubles that God’s people experience. ‘In this life, you will have trouble,’ Jesus said in John 16:33. ‘But take heart; I have overcome the world.’ Troubles and problems still abound. But so do God’s bountiful blessings.
For saints who are holy in Christ, favored in Christ, and have found peace in Christ.
For chosen children, redeemed and enriched; safe and secure because of the Spirit.
And though we know all this, Paul prayed and we should pray that our eyes might be enlightened. Paul’s prayer for us should also be our prayer for ourselves and for everyone – new Christians, old Christians, non-Christians or not yet Christians – is that we might clearly see the deep, deep love of Christ.
He prays that we might see our hope, because an inheritance awaits us.
He prays that we would see Christ who has the might, height, and headship (or authority) to secure all of these blessings for us who believe. For whom? For everyone? Or is it for those who are in Christ?
As a dead theologian once said, “As long as Christ remains outside of us … all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us.”[3]
The 1st thing Christians need to do and remember is the blessings we have in Christ, to drink deeply of God’s love. But there may be one thing even before that: we need to make sure we’re in Christ – dwelling in Christ, abiding in Christ, communing (or communicating) with Him daily.
If you aren’t, there’s never been a better time to start than now.
Next time I look at Ephesians, we’ll cover the grave condition we have without Christ in Ephesians 2 and how it sets the stage for His amazing grace.
- Pastor Matt 08-29-25
[1] I last posted on this topic in May; it’s ok if you forgot.
[2] HT, Abraham Kuyper.
[3] Calvin, Institutes, III.i.1