Remember, the book of Judges is the story of the inconsistency of the Israelites and the permissive lifestyle in which they lived. Looking around at their neighbors, they were attracted to the bright lights and pleasures, and the possessions and wealth of their neighbors. Instead of living a life of holiness, righteousness, and spiritual separation, the Israelites began to compromise with their neighbors and live the very same permissive lifestyle as the unbelievers who surrounded them. They gave in to the immoral, covetous, and idolatrous ways of the Canaanites, even to the point of intermarrying with them. And once intermarriage took place, it was just a short step to serving and worshipping the false gods of the Canaanites.
This compromising, permissive lifestyle even had a significant impact upon Gideon, influencing him greatly. Despite the wonderful growth and victorious faith experienced by Gideon, he too began to demonstrate a heart that was not pure toward God, and a life that was not totally committed to Him. Tragically, as Gideon aged — from this point on until his death — he slipped more and more into the permissive, wicked lifestyle of his unbelieving neighbors. He compromised more and more until by the time of his death he became an utter disgrace to the holiness demanded by God. He had rejected the throne, but he had lived like a king: requesting wealth from the people, securing a large harem and family, acquiring the royal, purple robes worn by kings and making an ephod, a breastplate to be worn only by the priests. Gideon did not exalt himself to be king, but he lived like a king. The permissive, compromising life he lived up until his death is clearly spelled out by Scripture. Gideon had become a man who, like the world around him, had an inconsistent testimony and witness.
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked … Ephesians 2:1-2
Having encouraged the Ephesian Christians by emphasizing the exceeding greatness of the power of God toward them, Paul then shows the church how this great power, which was exemplified in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, is working among them by the mighty change that God has effected in them via the new birth. All men outside of Christ are dead in trespasses and sins. Dead (nekros in Greek) has no other meaning than to be devoid of life – a corpse. Yet Paul describes these dead men as walking in sin, following after their own selfish lusts and desires. If they are dead, how is it that they walk? Are they zombies? Well not exactly, but dead does indeed mean dead, so how dead were we? Spiritually, all people apart from Christ are dead. Scripture tells us that the dead man’s understanding is darkened (Eph 4:18); a veil lies over his heart (2 Cor 3:15) so he cannot discern spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14); he lives a world of false ideologies (2 Thess 2:9-11), that is under the sway of the wicked one (1 Jn 5:19), where the truth of God is ridiculed (2 Pet 3:4), and he believes the philosophers of this world in their denial of Scripture (1 Cor 1:18). Ironically, such dead men are proud (Rom 1:18); they glory in their human intellect (Ro 1:22), but God’s assessment of him is that his foolish heart is hardened (1 Cor 3:18-20), and desperately wicked and deceitful above all things (Jer 17:9). He loves darkness (Jn 3:19), delights in his sin (Is 22:13) and the sin of others (Ro 1:32), and boasts in iniquity (Ja 4:16). Devoid of life, the man who is apart from Christ, hates God (Ro 1:30) and hates Christ (Jn 7:7) – he is God’s enemy (Ps 7:11) – a child of wrath (Eph 2:3).
In light of all this, can anyone say that believing the Gospel is so easy that anyone who decides to, while still dead, may do so? How is it that the beating of man’s natural heart is God knocking, so that all he must do is open the door of his heart of his own accord? How is this supposed to happen apart from a resurrection? Is it his darkened mind, desperately wicked heart, or wicked self-will that makes the decision to open his heart to Christ? You see the absurdity in this kind of ideology! There is but one answer: What is needed for a soul to come to Christ is the exceeding greatness of the power of God, as displayed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. Without such power, human beings are utterly helpless. This is what it means to be saved by grace (Eph 2:5).
If today you have an interest in the things of God; if you understand the Word of God; if there is a desire to know and love Christ – it is by the grace of God (and that alone) that is at work in you. The sequence of thought continuing from chapter 1 is clear: Jesus Christ was dead, but God raised and exalted Him, and you also were dead, but God raised and exalted you. Praise God for His matchless grace – for even when we were among the walking dead, He quickened us to life with Christ!
… what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe … Eph 1:19
Continuing to reveal the content of his extraordinary prayer in the second half of Ephesians chapter 1, in verse 19, we come to the third of three specific requests which the Apostle Paul makes before the throne of God on behalf of the church at Ephesus . Under the general petition that God, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, Paul asks that they might know three things specifically: first, what is the hope of His calling, second, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance, and thirdly, that which occupies our present meditation, what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Twelve times in the span of verses 19-23, Paul makes reference to power or energy in one form or another. The young Christian believers surrounded by occult powers in Ephesus, in particular the socio-political power of the cult of Diana, had a particular interest in whether the power of God was greater than the powers which they were familiar with. Amidst the powers of heavy persecution and an oppressive world system, the Ephesian Christian might wonder how it would be possible for him to enjoy that which he looked forward to in knowing Christ – the hope of His call and the riches of His inheritance. Paul assures them that God’s power is exceedingly great and sufficient to secure their hope.
Likewise men today face two powers with which they have no hope of contending – one of which, all men are keenly aware, and the other which they ignore or deny. First, the power of death and decay – all men are mortal and they cannot escape death and the ensuing decomposition of the grave. Even as our medical system seeks to extend life, and man tries to fight it, he knows that death is inevitable. We are dust and to dust we shall return. Secondly, though he may attempt to deny it, man is fallen, and as such he cannot escape the power of evil and Satan. It is impossible for man to not sin: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God … in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (Rom 6:23, Ephesians 2:2). But that which is impossible for man, God has done in Christ. He alone lived the perfect sinless life, never breaking the holy law of God. And although He died, God arrested the natural process of decay of the grave, and raised Jesus from the dead to a new, immortal and glorious life which no man has yet experienced.
This was the first part of the display of God’s power over death and the grave. Then Paul goes on to tell how God seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. This is what some call “Realized Eschatology,” principles which will come to pass completely at the return of Christ which are in place already in the life of the Christian church. With Christ’s priestly work completed on the cross, we now live in an epoch whereby His lordship over death, sin, Satan, is being worked out. Today, right now, Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand. There is no authority greater than His; no principality can thwart His purpose; no might or dominion can prevent His advance. He rules and reigns over all things – human and angelic – in this age and the age to come. All of the power and might and authority and rule, which Christ has, is not solely for His own glory, but is for the sake of you and I in His church! Imagine it … security from the powers that molested us … freedom from the fear of death, the grave, and hell … victory over the inevitable darkness of sin that would otherwise have surely overcome us … confidence that the King of kings and Lord of lords nourishes and cherishes His body!
This exceedingly great power of God was demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus, and so, on the basis of our union with Him, our resurrection with Him. This same power put all things under His feet – all of His enemies subdued, and likewise, by implication all evil is now under our feet as well! In these astonishing verses of Scripture, is the exalted portrait of Christ and His church, which Paul prays that we should know. May God open our eyes to see this in order that we would stop living below the level of our privilege.
The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her… Judges 7:2
Gideon needed his faith strengthened by God, and God had marvelously strengthened it. But now God was going to really put Gideon’s faith to the test by issuing a shocking demand. He demanded that Gideon reduce his army from 32,000 men down to only 300 soldiers! Imagine 300 untrained men engaging in battle against 135,000 trained soldiers who comprised several mobile companies or camel-riding divisions. This was most certainly a test of Gideon’s faith. As the 300 set out, the army of Gideon hastily marched and camped beside the spring of Harod. The horde of Midianites was just four miles north, camped in the Valley of Jezreel. Surely the enemy was bound to know about the mobilization of the Israelite forces, but they did not consider the Israelites a serious threat.
But why did God want the army reduced? To prevent boasting and teach that God alone gives victory and conquers the enemy of His people. Under the right circumstances, it is humanly possible for 32,000 soldiers to defeat an army of 135,000. But with 300, all grounds for boasting had been removed. The battle had to be won by an act of God through a miracle. When soldiers win a battle, the credit often goes to the soldiers, and they boast in their victory without any regard to God’s presence and sovereignty. But when a victory is due to a clear miracle, the glory goes to God and to God alone. The Israelites needed to learn that God alone could give them victory and conquer the enemies who stood in opposition to them entering the Promised Land.
… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Eph 1:17
As the apostle Paul writes to the church at Ephesus , we find him thankful for the genuine work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of his fellow Christians there. One might think that there is nothing left to pray for people who have received every spiritual blessing. Yet despite his unceasing gratitude for them, Paul is yet not satisfied with their spiritual condition – so he asks for that which would be befitting of a mature Christian. He does not ask for them to be converted, as the fruit of faith and love has already been demonstrated in their midst. Neither is it for them to receive some second blessing that he petitions God for. Nor does he pray for them to increase more and more in their interest in God and heaven. But the main thing he prays for is that they would appreciate to the fullest possible extent the implications of the blessings which they have already received in Christ.
No matter how old one is physically, once a person is born again, they are a child spiritually. They begin a new life in which there is change into the image of Christ from glory to glory. As a result of the continuing grace of God, the new Christian grows in wisdom and understanding. This occurs through what the Scripture calls knowledge. So Paul here prays for that which is the highest and best thing he could pray for; the essence of Paul’s prayer for them is that they might know (v. 18). The knowledge which Paul prays for is not merely knowledge as the Greeks understood it – as wisdom and understanding – but according to Hebrew thinking, knowledge was experiential. There is no other knowledge that is higher than knowing God himself. And such knowledge is impossible apart from revelation. In other words, unless God reveals Himself to man, knowledge of Him cannot be attained. So Paul asks God to grant them the spirit of wisdom and revelation toward the end that they might know Him.
As faith is the first mark of Christian conversion, it can be said that knowledge is then the first mark of Christian discipleship. Though one must careful stating things in this way, as there is no division between conversion and discipleship – every Christian is of necessity a disciple. Think of it in light of natural birth and the ensuing life – in the same way a baby is born once and then lives and grows as a process, so a Christian is regenerated once (at the new birth) and then lives and grows (sanctification). Knowledge of God then is progressive and ever increasing in the disciple’s life.
Cross References: John 17:3, 2 Cor 3:18, 5:17, Eph 3:14-19, 4:11-16, Phil 1:9, 3:7-11, Col 1:9-10, 2 Pet 3:18
Man by nature is an ungrateful creature (Rom 1:21), and we live in particularly ungrateful times (2 Tim 3:2). Many Christians have been affected by the ungrateful atmosphere which surrounds them and are deprived of gratitude by the spirit of age. “Thank you,” has become a word for the weak, as it admits that apart from the help of another, you could not have accomplished the task at hand. Non-Christians are unthankful because they do not know of salvation by grace alone – if they believe in eternal life at all, they usually think of it as something for which they are working for or somehow merit. One who believes that he has earned or merited something does not count it as a gift, but as what is due him, so he is unthankful. But Christians know better; we understand that anything we receive is from God as a consequence of His grace. When a Christian fails to be thankful, it is only because he has not lifted his eyes to the throne of grace, from which all blessings flow. But as he does so, gratitude will take its primary place in the true prayer of the true Christian.
We see by example, how enlarged Paul’s heart was in thankfulness to God for the salvation of the souls of others. He realizes from his own firsthand experience that the new birth, from start to finish, is a miraculous act of God’s favor. We are bound, he wrote, to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth (2 Thess 2:13). Paul saw thankfulness as a matter of duty; in light of all that he knew God has done to save a people, he writes, “we are bound to give thanks!” Such a spirit of joy consumes heaven as, we are told, there is joy in heaven over the repentance of one sinner (Lk 15:7). In 1 Thessalonians 3:9 as Paul hears Timothy’s report of the faith and love of that church, he is so deeply affected that he cannot find the appropriate words: for what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God.
How well you understand grace is reflected in how thankful a person you are. You cannot simply excuse thanklessness as a property of your personality or upbringing. To be unthankful is sin, and it must be repented of. If you find that you do not often give thanks to God for other Christians, then ask God to enlarge your heart so that you might understand the magnitude of His grace; for only as you realize this, will you become a thankful person.
… after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints … Ephesians 1:15
Having completed his doctrinal doxology describing the glorious spiritual blessings which the children of God enjoy, Paul turns to give thanks and pray for the Ephesian church who have received these blessings. He prays constantly for them that their wisdom, faith, knowledge, and understanding would increase in order that they might know what is the hope of their calling. As we have already observed, this is a prayer that is prayed, not for the unsaved, but for Christians; but how does Paul know that the Ephesian church has persevered in faith. Recall that Paul was intimately involved in the work of planting the church at Ephesus; but now he writes several years later, as he is pleased to discover that their faith was not a passing emotion, but had continued and was demonstrated in their love for one another.
The mere fact that a man attends church and professes to be a Christian is no proof that he is indeed one. This is a great fallacy that has been propagated by churches of various denominations. The mere fact that one thinks himself to be a Christian is not enough; the fact that others count him as one is not enough. If we are to have solid assurance, there is in our text, two valid tests which we must apply – one refers to belief and the other to practice. Whatever else may be true of us is irrelevant if we fail to pass these two tests.
The first test is genuine, personal faith in the Lord Jesus. There are many very good, benevolent, moral people in this world who are not saved. We are not saved by doing good works, but on the basis of faith alone in Christ alone. This is the starting point for every Christian. It is not belief in God in general, as many religious people believe in God. It is not a mere ascent to the facts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; even the demons, we are told, believe in this manner, but such belief is not the same as saving faith. A Christian is one who trusts Jesus Christ – He is the center of his whole outlook on life. Everything he considers, he does so in light of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His real presence in his life. A Christian is one who sees and finds everything in His Lord and Savior. He places no faith in himself, and realizes that all of his own efforts at being good are useless and worthless, and only that which is done to the glory of Jesus Christ has any lasting and genuine value. Faith in the Lord Jesus means that I have cast my entire hope upon Christ and what He has done for me, and nothing less than His person can satisfy me.
Then, as day follows night, love for all the saints, necessarily follows genuine saving faith. Humans are naturally hateful, envious, vengeful, and prejudiced beings – if we love at all it is only those who love us back or can give us something in return. However, for one to love all of the saints, something must have happened to him; if a man loves the saints, you can be sure he has a new nature. How about you? With whom would you wish to spend your time? If you could choose to have dinner with one person, would it be the President of the United States or your humble Christian brother? Would it be your favorite actress or your meek sister in Christ? Would it be a baseball or football star or that unknown missionary in Africa? Can it be said of you, that others have heard of your love for all the saints? – not just the pretty, pleasant Christians with whom you get along, but the least of them who are your brethren?
Impossible situations confront all of us throughout life – the death of a loved one, a life-threatening illness, a disability that we are born with or that is caused by an accident, separation or divorce, bankruptcy or loss of a job, a serious sense of emptiness, loneliness, or depression, a deep-seated lack of purpose or meaning in life. Throughout our lives, such solemn circumstances often arise and grab hold of us. As we face these crises, we have a choice to make – we can be weak and wavering, allowing the crisis to defeat us, or we can be strong in faith and attack the dilemma head-on. But take note of this fact: if we stand alone in any crisis – that is, only in our personal strength – the outcome will be unpredictable. We may overcome the crisis, but we may also be totally defeated and crushed by it.
However, there is wonderful news, glorious news! There is a faith available that will always conquer in all crises, no matter how severe or terrifying. That faith is faith in God. Whether or not we conquer the most severe crises in life does not depend upon our faith itself, but upon the object of our faith, God Himself. God alone can assure victory over all crises. In all circumstances, but particularly as deal with the most severe crises of life, we must have faith, specifically in the God of Scripture – or our Lord Jesus Christ – not in our own strength or ability, nor in the strength of mankind. Consider death, for example. Even though the latest technology of medicine can extend life for a brief period of time, we still cannot conqueror death. However, that inevitable day of leaving this world through the portals of death can be conquered only by God Himself.
Faith is essential throughout life, and faith in God guarantees us the victory. Believing God, trusting Him, and having faith in His love and concern for us pleases God; and such active, living faith in Him stirs His help, as we face the crises of life.
Faith is the great subject of the present passage of Scripture. Do you have a doubting, fleece faith, or faith in the God who removes doubt?
What is the most urgent need in the church today? Sexual purity? Integrity? Care for the needy? Church planting? Evangelism? Expository Preaching? A case can be made for any of these; however in our day, where we find a conflict for every moment of our attention, perhaps the most urgent need in the church is that which most often gets squeezed out – namely, Holy Spirit-empowered prayer. When it comes to knowing God and knowing how to pray, our church culture is spiritually stunted. Yet Robert Murray M’Cheyne declared, “what a man is alone on his knees before God, that he is and no more.” A convicting statement, you say? Well, rather than continually beating yourself up over a meager and ineffective prayer life, how about considering what to do about the conviction! How do you pray?
To begin with, we must realize how it is, that many of us have come to this present feeble condition. There is very little discipleship in how to pray in the modern church. When you were a new Christian, chances are that someone told you that prayer is easy, something that anybody can do – just talk to Daddy. While this is true, such an attitude risks trivializing what is an holy event. Others are taught that a truly Spirit-wrought prayer must be ecstatic and include many “Lord Gods” and “justs” and an occasional utterance in a ‘heavenly tongue.’ In some cases prayer is taught apart from any knowledge of God whatsoever. In reality, much praying is not done because we do not know how to pray. One effective way to pray is to tie your prayers to your Bible reading. As it has been said, “pray with your eyes open” – and not merely open, but upon the Scripture. As you think through what is written in the Word, it will help you to organize analogous prayers. In Ephesians 1 we find a model prayer of the apostle Paul from which we can draw from his theology of prayer to apply to our own prayers.
We have often heard it said, “If God is sovereign why pray?” On the other side, “Prayer changes things.” Comments such as these demonstrate our deficient ideas about prayer. Many people equate prayer only with supplication or request. While this is an aspect of prayer, it is only one of many. Ephesians chapter 1 is a prayer in its entirety. In it Paul addresses God while thinking about the Ephesians. He first exults in a glorious doxology rooted in a deep theological understanding of the sovereignty of God. Paul prays because he knows God is sovereign. But then Paul also intercedes. He knows what James writes, “you have not because you ask not,” so he is not afraid to make petitions in prayer. To fail to intercede in prayer is to flee from your responsibility as a Christian. Petitionary prayers honor God because He is a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God. D. A. Carson observes that the God of the Bible acknowledges that He is not less that utterly sovereign and not less than personal and responsive.
This week, read Paul’s intercessory prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23. Read it often – and then pray with your eyes open – with the text before you. Begin with the words, “For this reason …” In light of all that you have learned about what God has wrought in salvation – pray. Arrange the content of your prayers for the people of your church according to what Paul prays. While it is not wrong to pray for your aunt Tillie’s health that your children would do well in school, realize that Paul’s prayers stretch much farther than the temporal and physical needs of the church. Take the words of this text and personalize them for those whom you pray for.
… who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph. 1:14
The Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 18 on Assurance of Salvation states:
Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and estate of salvation, which hope of theirs shall perish: yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.
This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God: which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.
The Scripture makes it abundantly clear that he who believes in the Son has eternal life (Jn 3:16, 36, 5:24, 6:47, 1 Jn 5:10-11). The gospel of John and epistle of 1 John were written by John for this explicit purpose – that ye may know that ye have eternal life (Jn 20:31, 1 Jn 5:13). Salvation, while something that is to be consummated in the future, is something we possess today, based upon faith alone in Christ alone. The gift of salvation, as all of God’s gifts, are given to us, without repentance (Ro 11:29). God assures the Christian disciple of His preserving grace, many times in the Scripture and in many ways (see Is 43:1-3, 54:10, Jn 6:35-40, 10:27-30, 17:11,12,15, Rom 5:8-10, 8:1, 29-30, 35-39, 1 Cor 1:7-9, 2 Cor 4:14,17, Eph 4:30, Col 3:3-4, 1 Th 5:23-24, Heb 9:12,15, 10:14, 1 Pet 1:3-5, 1 Jn 2:19,25, 5:4, 11-13, 20, Jd 1, 24-25). The doctrine of the final Perseverance of the Saints is demonstrated throughout Scripture yet, John Reisinger has written:
The doctrine of Assurance of Salvation has been the subject of both confusion and controversy down through the years. Actually, it goes all the way back to the New Testament times. The question, “Can I really be sure I am going to heaven?” has been given a variety of answers. Some have not only said yes, but have gone a step farther and taught that you must be sure or else you do not really have faith in Christ. At the other extreme, men have not only answered with an emphatic “No!” but have earnestly contended that any form of assurance of salvation was a dangerous delusion of the devil. In between these two positions have been the many forms of ‘maybe’ which were attended by many ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ that tended to nullify each other. I personally think this is one of the most misunderstood doctrines of our generation.
Ephesians 1:13-14, we see a three-fold role of the Holy Spirit in assuring the Christian of God’s gift of salvation. First, He is the “promise,” that is, God promises to give Him to everyone who repents and believes. Second, He is God’s ‘seal,’ that is, His mark of ownership and of authenticity. And then thirdly, the Spirit is the earnest or pledge, which God gives to His children, guaranteeing their safe passage into eternity. The Greek word, arrabon, has come to mean, “an engagement ring,” in modern Greek; however, in ancient times it was a trader’s word signifying the first installment or deposit – the portion of the purchase price paid in advance which guarantees full payment. While an engagement ring promises marriage, but is not itself part of the marriage, the arrabon, or deposit, is more than a guarantee – it is part of the actual payment itself. So by giving us His Holy Spirit, God is not merely promising a final inheritance, but is actually giving us a foretaste of it! What a joy it is to know that because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, eternal life is something which we possess a share in today.
