Our excursion into the doctrine of election was prompted by our study of Ephesians 1:3-14. We come now to see what Paul says next, in 1:15-23. In this passage the apostle tells the Ephesians that from the very moment of their conversion he has been ceaselessly praying for them. He tells us exactly what he has been saying in his prayers. We shall study what he says by asking three questions, and by dividing each of our answers into two parts.
How did Paul know that the Ephesians had become real Christians?The answer is twofold and is in verse 15. First of all, they had 'faith in the Lord Jesus'. Faith, as we have already seen in this commentary, has three aspects to it. It is knowing, believing and trusting. A person comes to know what the gospel message is; he believes it to be true; and then he commits himself to what he knows and believes. He relies upon it, by putting himself in the hands of the Christ whom the gospel proclaims.
This is what had happened to the Ephesians. Paul himself had been the instrument by which many of them had come to faith, but many others had believed since he left the city. They knew the truth, assented to it and put their whole weight on the Lord Jesus. He was the object of their faith.
Do you have faith in the Lord Jesus? There is a very easy way to find out. Let me speak to you about your prayers. Why should the great God listen to you? He is holy and you are full of sin. He is of purer eyes than to look upon iniquity, but your heart is filled with it. Why should he pay any attention to what you say to him? On what do you base your hopes of being heard by such a God as this?
If you argue that you pray often, or sincerely, or with energy, and this is why God should listen to you, then you may know that you do not yet have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you rely upon the fact that your life is not as bad as others, or that you are a Bible-reader or churchgoer, this also is a proof that you do not yet have saving faith. Perhaps you think that God must listen to you because of your great need; but even this will not do.
The problem with all this is that you are pointing to something about you as the reason why God should hear. Your hopes of being accepted by him are to do with yourself. This is not faith in Christ.
But if all your hopes of being accepted by God are to do with the Lord Jesus Christ, this is the faith of which we are speaking. Do you see yourself as filthy in God's sight? Do you see that there is nothing about you which he will ever find attractive? But do you say in your hearts, 'Yes, but the Lord Jesus Christ has taken upon himself the punishment that I deserve. What is more, his perfect life has been reckoned to my account. It is on the basis of who Christ is and what he has done, that I expect God to receive me. God will not turn away a sinner who comes to him through Christ. It is on him that I rely. I look outside of myself and away to him. I have no other hope than him'?
This is how faith speaks and behaves. It does not think about itself. Its attention is all fixed on Christ. This is how the Ephesians spoke and behaved, and so Paul knew that they had indeed become true Christians.
In addition to their faith in the Lord Jesus, the Ephesians had 'love for all the saints' (1:15). There are several words for 'love' in Greek, each one having its own range of meanings. In describing the Ephesians' love, Paul uses the word 'agape'. What does this mean? It means to seek another person's good, however much it costs me personally. It is a sacrificial word. It is the word usually used of Christ's love for us. It means working for another's welfare, even if I die in the process.
This is the sort of love the Ephesians had. But for whom did they have it? Paul tells us. It was 'for all the saints'. The New Testament speaks of 'saints' in the plural, but never in the singular. The word refers to that whole company of people who have been set apart by God, for God. They are the ones whom he has chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, called to faith by the gospel, changed so that they live differently, and kept until they arrive safely in their heavenly home. Only three times are believers called 'Christians' in the New Testament, but they are called 'saints' about sixty times. The Ephesian believers loved every one of them. It was not a love extended to every Christian, except for him, or for her. Every believer at Ephesus loved every believer everywhere.
'Love for all the saints' characterizes every person who has been truly converted. It is a brand-mark which is clearly visible and impossible to remove. Those who are in the family love those who are in the family. If someone does not love those who are in the family of God, it is because he himself is not a member of that family.
This is a fact which, for example, the apostle John stresses again and again: 'He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes' (1 John 2:9-11). 'We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death' (1 John 3:14). 'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love' (1 John 4:7-8). 'If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves him who begot also loves him who is begotten of him' (1 John 4:20 - 5:1).
Believers are the adopted children of God and they do everything they can to promote the well-being of their new family. They do this, however much it costs them, however inconvenient it is and however much it hurts. They do not consider other Christians as being separate from themselves, but as being part of themselves. They gather with them whenever they can and do not let personal considerations keep them away. They use their tongues to help their brothers and sisters, but not to hurt them. Their homes are open to one another. How much they enjoy being at table with each other! They do not hold back their time, talents, or money, if these can be used in the interest of God's people.
As Paul looked at the Ephesians, this is what he saw in them. Here were people who relied upon the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, and who loved each other in a practical way. They were no longer what they used to be. They were not yet what they should have been, as we shall see later in this epistle. The change was not perfect, but it was real. Who could have brought about such a transformation, if it was not God himself? The apostle knew that these Ephesians really had become Christians.
What did Paul do when he heard of their conversion?
What do you do when you hear of conversions? Paul gave thanks, as he tells us in verse 16. This was the direct result of his hearing of their coming to faith, as the 'therefore' in verse 15 makes clear. When he learned of what was happening at Ephesus, Paul went to God. He did not do this just once, or even a few times. Again and again he thanked the Lord, ceaselessly. It was a constant theme in his prayers.
Of course he gave thanks! Salvation is God's work, as we have learned dozens of times since starting our study of this epistle. When a conversion takes place, there is nobody to thank but God. The whole work of salvation is his, and no human or angel can take the credit for any part of it. When we hear that somebody has come to the Lord, congratulations are not in order. We should go to God and I thank him that he is still at work in the world. And as the miracle which God has brought about is a continuing thing which will go on until the person concerned leaves this world, our thanks to the Lord should be unceasing.
Even in Ephesus the Lord Jesus Christ had some sheep! Even in that city there were people whom God had loved since before time began! Now he had called them and regenerated them by his Word alone. Unbelievers had become believers. Many of Satan's followers had turned to God. God's grace had been seen in action. Lives had been changed right round. Love reigned among those who had been ugly and unlovely. What marvellous news! Paul went to his knees. Wonder of wonders, similar things go on in human lives today! Who will thank God for it – ceaselessly?
Paul thanked the Lord for the Ephesians. He also prayed for them. 'I... do not cease to give thanks for you,' he wrote, 'making mention of you in my prayers' (1:16). With ceaseless thanksgiving went ceaseless intercession. The Ephesians had entered into a spiritual world and were enjoying spiritual blessings. Paul had seen convincing evidence of this. They were living spiritual lives. But how are such lives nourished and sustained? By spiritual means. There is nothing more spiritual than prayer. Paul was a long way away. Besides, he was in prison. He could not strengthen the Ephesians by his ministry. But he could positively help them by his prayers. He spoke to God about them; and he did not stop speaking to God about them.
There are many people in the world who are new in the faith. Some of them are around us and some are further afield. Some of them we know personally and others we have only heard of. Can they count on our ceaseless prayers? God himself is at work in their lives, but we should not see this as a reason to sit back and do nothing for them. In fact the reverse is true – the fact that God is at work in them is the very best reason to pray for them. That is how Paul saw it. But do we?
What do these recent converts most need? This can be brought into their lives by the prayers of others. The spiritual development of young believers lies with you, with me, with us! Will they ever become what they should be? This depends on how much we pray for them, and whether we pray the right things. We should pray for them on our own and we should pray for them when we are together. There is nothing that a young Christian needs more than that. We do not even need to be with them to sustain them in this way. Who will be bold enough to say that intercessory prayer is a ministry that he cannot exercise? People at home and those who travel to work; the healthy and the bedridden; adults and children – all are able to pray for others. Shall we sin against them by ceasing to pray for them?
What precisely did Paul pray for these new believers?He addressed himself to the great and glorious God, the same God who had saved them and given them everything in Christ, and he prayed that this giving God would give again (1:17). And what did he ask him to give? He was praying, he told them, that God 'may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know ...' (1:17-18).
Wisdom, revelation, knowledge, understanding, enlightenment, 'that you may know...' – this is what Paul asked his heavenly Father to give the Ephesian believers. In short, he was praying that every recent convert would come to know, grasp, understand, realize, take in and see certain things.
Paul thus shows us what is the greatest need of every new believer. He did not pray that the Ephesian Christians should be baptized in the Holy Spirit, or that they should be sealed by him. He did not pray that they should come to an experience of 'full surrender', 'entire consecration' or 'victory'. It was not his prayer that they should have exalted experiences, heightened emotions or even, at this stage, some usefulness in the church. His mind was elsewhere.
He prayed that each new believer, and indeed every believer, should see certain things. The first need of young Christians is understanding. This understanding must start in the mind and extend to the heart. The new believer needs to see certain facts and truths in such a way that he comes to rejoice in them. They must thrill him to the point that they become convictions by which he will live and die.
If you are a young Christian, above everything else you seek for, seek understanding. If you are tending recent converts, above everything else you give them, give them knowledge. And if you are praying for other believers, pray, with Paul, that they may see, and that they may see two things in particular.
1. That they might know where they are going
In verse 18 Paul prays that the Ephesians 'may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints...' Here are two phrases separated by a comma, but they actually refer to the same thing. Let me explain.
Paul wants his readers to know what is the hope of God's calling. Everyone who is a Christian has become one through God's calling. He has heard the gospel with his ears, but also with his heart. The message given to many seems to have been intended only for him. This is because of the work of God's Spirit. Others remained indifferent, but he was convicted of his sin and misery. Others remained confused or untouched, but he came to understand about the person and work of Christ. Others walked away, but he was empowered and persuaded to choose the Son of God and to trust him alone, as he was freely presented in the gospel.
This experience is termed 'calling'. It is what makes a believer into a believer, and it ushers him into a world of hope. 'Hope' in the Bible is not something you fondly long for but are never certain to have. It is a word used of certainties that we do not yet possess. The Christian's hope is the hope of death in communion with Christ. It is the hope of the resurrection of the just. It is the hope of acquittal at the judgement seat. It is the hope of heaven – of at last being where there is no sin and sorrow, but only holiness and happiness. It is the hope of getting home safely.
Paul wants these young Christians to understand exactly what is the hope into which God's call has brought them. He wants them to know all about 'the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints'. We are looking forward to going home to glory. And God is looking forward to having us there! We shall be immeasurably rich by being there. God will consider himself rich by having us there! We, God's adopted children, shall have our inheritance; that inheritance is glorious, because it is God's. And he shall have his inheritance – us.
When did you last pray that the new believers you know would see where they are going? We live in a pleasure-loving age. It tells us that what matters is what is going on now. But God's Word does not talk like that. There are many things to enjoy in the present, certainly; but there are also sufferings to bear, and a cross to carry. But there are better things ahead! Sadly, the modern-day philosophy of existentialism has filtered right down to the pew of the church. Even Christians are more and more taken up with the here and now. But Paul says to the Ephesians, 'I am praying that you will have a different and grander vision; that you will see where you are certainly going; that you will be clear about what your ultimate destination is. I want you to know where God's calling is going to lead you.'
In this awful world, Christians sometimes become very disheartened. They often wonder if they can keep going. But when they catch a glimpse of the Celestial City all their courage returns! They are no longer ashamed to be different from the people around them. They walk through Vanity Fair with new confidence, for they remember that they are going somewhere better and eternal.
If you lose sight of heaven, you will quickly be swamped by other things. Materialism will wash over you and your Christian life will sink. Only heavenly-mindedness can stop this happening. We are to set our affections on things above. We are to think about bigger things. When we do this, we have no trouble enjoying all that is good and helpful in this present life, for nothing now diverts us from our greatest priorities. How could we ever want to be like the people of the world, with such riches before us?
2. That they might know what has happened to them
Paul talks about this in verses 19-23. He tells us that the power of God has reached down into this world. Writing in Greek, Paul uses four different words for 'power' in verse 19, to bring home to us how great this power is.
What has this power done? It has entered the rock-hewn tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and has snatched out of it the body of him of whom God had said, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased' (Matt. 3:17). It has raised him from the dead. During forty days, by many infallible proofs, our Lord showed himself to be alive. Then his Father exalted him even more by bringing him back to the glory which he had enjoyed before he came to earth. But he re-entered it as a man. He continued to be what he always was –God. But he had become what he was not before – man. And it was bearing the human name of Jesus that he returned to the glory which he had had with the Father before the world began.
Surrounding the throne of Jehovah are innumerable ranks of I adoring angels. The glorified Man did not take his place with the principalities, nor did he align himself with powers, thrones or dominions. He swept past them all and ascended above the very highest name to be named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. There, where only God is, and only God has a right to be, he took his seat! The Father's power took him there, and it was there that the Father's welcome awaited him. He has put all things under his feet.
There is nowhere that Jesus Christ does not rule. He is over all. But for whose benefit does he rule the universe? Verse 22 gives us the answer. He does it for the church. He reigns in order to further the interests of believers. We are down here on the earth, but our Lord does not stand aloof from us. We are his body, and he is our head. Christ and his people are bound together by an inextricable link. We belong to each other, and his life is our life.
We are already touching on the teaching of verse 23. But what does the apostle mean when he says that the church, Christ's body, is 'the fulness of him who fills all in all'?
He means that our Lord Jesus Christ regards himself as incomplete until every person whom the Father gave him has been joined to him in living faith. But there is more to say than that. How is our Lord represented and expressed in this world? It is by his church. And that church is intended to be a full expression of him. Of whom? Of him 'who fills all in all'; of him who reigns over the whole universe, and whom the whole creation will at last acknowledge to be Lord alone; of him who, by his Spirit, is present everywhere, and whose name is the only one which will be praised eternally.
But why is Paul telling us all this? These truths are wonderful, but isn't the apostle getting off his subject? Not at all. Paul's point is that the power which raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the lowest place to the highest, the very power which sustains the wonderful relationship that exists between the ascended Christ and his people – that power is the power which has worked in you as a Christian. Paul is praying that his fellow-Christians might really see 'what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ...' (1:19-20).
The power that did all this for Christ is the very same power which works in a man, woman or child at conversion! Conversion is a spiritual resurrection, as we shall see in the next chapter. What is dead comes to life. It is a complete and radical spiritual transformation. Those who are spiritually dead, and therefore insensitive, come to spiritual life and enjoyment. But the dead cannot raise themselves. An outside power must do it. And the outside power which converts us is exactly the same power that resurrected and exalted the Lord Jesus Christ!
What power it takes to bring about a single conversion! No wonder we cannot convert anybody. But the new believer does not always realize what has happened to him. He sees things he could not see before, but he does not know why. Other things he sees in a new light, and he is baffled by it. He does not understand why his affections, desires and choices are different. Everything is new. It is as if he had been made all over again!
We should tell the new Christian what has happened to him. Paul does this in chapter 2. But it is more important to pray that he will grasp the full truth of it. Then he will be overwhelmed – the very power which raised Christ from the dead has been stretched out again to raise him from the dead! Once he even begins to take this in, the believer is filled with wonder. He understands what conversion is, and how great it is. He is also staggered by God's personal interest in him.
Those who see conversion as a thing of small wonder are always stunted in their spiritual growth. Some of them even begin to chase after dramatic post-conversion experiences, believing them to be greater than conversion itself. All who have ever done this have ended up with a deformed view of the gospel. Nothing goes right in their spiritual lives after this. They stop asking, 'Why me?' They cease to be filled with amazed thanks at the way the great God has worked in their lives. By devaluing conversion, they devalue the power of God. Their minds are taken off the death, resurrection and exaltation of Christ to something else. They are thus easy prey for any error that may attempt to seduce them.
How we should pray that young believers might be spared from that! They will be, if we pray for them as Paul prayed for the Ephesians. Imagine what the outcome would be. From the earliest days of their Christian lives, converts would be filled with a never-dying expectancy of heaven, and with astonishment at the great work that God has done in their lives. Spiritual conversation would come from their lips and spiritual priorities would be evident in their lives. They would talk of Christ and live for him. Do you want to see the church filled with Christians like that? The proof will be that you make Paul's prayer for new believers the model for your own ceaseless praying.