Reflections From Ephesiansنموونە

Although our verses today are out of sequence, I just couldn’t skip past them without comment. These are hidden gems of enormous significance, and they don’t seem to be repeated elsewhere in the NT - not specifically at least.

What an amazing statement our verses from Ephesians 1 are, mind-boggling. It is remarkable enough that God has put all things under the authority of Christ, so that no rule, authority, power, dominion, or name exceeds that of his. This is why Matthew could state that we are to and can go to all nations (in the name of Jesus), because all authority in heaven and on earth was given to him. No power can stop the spread of the gospel, despite every attempt by nations to criminalise, ignore, or disparage the church from doing so.

But we would miss some of Paul’s intent were this, amazing as it is, all we saw in these two verses. There is more.

Christ’s authority, because of the resurrection, exists “for the church.” Whilst that authority can and should be appropriated individually, the context of Matthew 28 and the rest of Ephesians is that of the church as a body - all of us, together. For the sake of the church, there isn’t anything that is not able to be utilised for the gospel. There isn’t any power that can hinder what God wants to do in and through his church. Death itself isn’t power enough to quench God’s Spirit, as has been the testimony of God’s people through the centuries, beginning with the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 7.

That God relates Christ’s headship with the church is beyond imagination, but if that weren’t enough, the body of Christ is then described as the “fullness of him who fills all in all.” What this means in its fullness baffles the best of commentators, but we know it gives a value to the body of Christ - the church - that far exceeds our wildest expectations. Do we see the church Paul sees, or are we bogged down in petty strife and sectarianism (as was the church in Corinth)?

The second text reads, “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

In the middle of these verses, which are far-reaching in themselves, is a phrase that you don’t see elsewhere (except, maybe by inference) - “to him be glory in the church.” Normally, glory is seen as an attribute of God, a description of his holy presence that is related to outshining. But here it is related to the church. God receives and shows his glory in and by the church. Wow!! What an astounding privilege, what a cause for careful living. Again, the question must be asked of all of us - are we contributing to God’s glory being seen in the church and not taking away from it; are we living as disciples of Christ, or are we living dissolutely? Can we say we love God’s church, or is that something that catches in our craw, because of experience, or a lack of revelation?

If God sees the church as Paul describes it, we have some catching up to do - to see his glory in the church, and to see that all his power is for the sake of the church.