Author: Will

Ephesians 2:8 – God’s Gracious Gift

Posted on by Will

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Truth to Learn

Salvation by grace, through faith, is God’s gift.

 

Behind the Words

“Saved” is translated from the Greek verb sōdzō, meaning “to save, deliver, protect, or preserve from danger.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense which indicates past, completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the ongoing effect. Therefore this word means “in the past you were saved and as a result you are now saved.”

The word “through” is from the Greek preposition dia. This word indicates either “motion through” or “through the instrumentality of something.”

“Faith” is translated from pistis, meaning “faith or belief.” It is based on the verb peithō, which means “to persuade or to win over.” Hence, pistis is the condition of having been convinced of a truth so that the person now believes that truth.

The word translated “gift” is doron, which is derived from the verb didōmi, meaning “to give.” Thus, doron refers to “a gift,” specifically “a sacrificial gift.”

 

Meaning Explained

This is a very important verse with regard to our salvation, but there are some details that we need to investigate completely. Biblical scholars and commentators make a strong statement about the pronoun “this.” Some make the assertion that it is a direct reference to “faith.” Others claim that it is a direct reference to “saved.” Still others say that it is a direct reference to “grace.” Here’s the problem with all those claims. In Greek, any word modifying or referencing another word must agree in number and gender with the word it modifies or references.

The word translated “this” is from the Greek word touto, which is a neuter form of houtos. The nouns translated “grace” and “faith” are both feminine nouns, and the word translated “have been saved” is a participle (a verbal adjective) which is masculine. Therefore, by standard rules of Greek grammar, the word “this” cannot specifically reference any of these three words. It must, therefore, be a reference to all three. In other words, Paul is saying “that which I have just described is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” This seems to corroborate what our Lord said in John’s Gospel:

And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." (John 6:65)

And, he told his twelve disciples:

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, (John 15:16)

This is in keeping with how Paul started out this letter:

just as He [the Father] chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3)

This is a very touchy, and often contentious, concept among Christians today. In fact, it has been this way since the first Century. For if we believe in election, then what of:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

And it shall be that everyone who shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21 – see also Joel 2:28-32)

To this One all the Prophets witness, so that through His name everyone believing into Him will receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43)

For everyone, whoever might call on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13 – see also Joel 2:32 which is quoted in this verse in Romans)

Whole chapters of theological treatises have been written to prove one or the other of these positions and it would be inappropriate for me to try to explain it in one short daily devotional study. Let me suffice it to say that we cannot fully understand the mind of God who is not bound by either space or time, except to say that both salvation by election and salvation by free will appear to conform with Biblical teaching.

 

Application

Now, having said all that, let me simply point out that this precious salvation is not something that we have earned. We did not do anything in and of ourselves to obtain it. According to Paul in today’s passage, salvation and the faith that procured it are a gift of God’s grace. They are a gift which He freely gave to us, simply because He decided to give it. Thank you, God, for our salvation through faith by your grace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:7 – Priceless Grace

Posted on by Will

that in the ages coming He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Truth to Learn

God’s grace is priceless.

 

Behind the Words

The word “ages” is from aiōn, which refers to a duration or continuance of time. As used here, it refers to “an indefinitely long period of time.”

“Coming” is translated from eperchomai, which is composed or epi, meaning “on, upon, to, over, or above” and erchomai, meaning “to come.” It is expressed as a present participle, so we could translate this as “coming upon us.”

The Greek word translated “He might show” is endeiknumi, which is made up of en, meaning “in” or “to” and deiknumi, meaning “to point out” or “to present for viewing.” We might translate this word as “to showcase.” It is expressed here in the middle voice (action done by the subject to the subject), so it could be translated as “He might showcase for himself.”

“Exceeding” is from the Greek verb huperballō, which is made up of huper (hyper), meaning “above” or “beyond” and ballō, meaning “to throw.” Thus huperballō literally means “to throw beyond,” that is, “to go beyond” or “to exceed.”

“Riches” is the translation of the Greek word ploutos, which refers to “wealth composed of valuable things.”

The Greek word translated “kindness” is chrēstotēs, which is based on chrēstos, meaning “usefulness” or “moral excellence.” Hence, chrēstotēs refers to “goodness” or “kindness.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we learned that our merciful God did three things for us: He made us alive, He raised us up (resurrected us), and He caused us to sit in the heavenlies. Today’s verse explains why God decided to do this for us. Well, actually He didn’t do it for us. He did it for His own glory. Let me say that a little differently. God did not give us eternal life, raise us from the dead, and seat us in His presence for our sake. He did it for Himself to showcase His glorious grace.

According to the Apostle Paul, God did these things so that He could showcase, for Himself, the exceedingly great value of His grace, so that He would receive glory and praise. What is the value of grace? A couple of verses back we learned that God’s grace to us is undeserved “favor, good will, or kindness, especially that which causes joy and gratification.” Why is it undeserved? We are all sinners; that is, we are not righteous. And we know that the penalty for not being righteous is God’s wrath and eternity in hell. But, as a result of God’s grace, we who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior will not experience hell because we have been made alive, resurrected, and seated in His presence.

So, let me ask again, “What is the value of grace?” There is not enough money in all the earth to purchase eternal life, resurrection, and a seat in God’s presence. God’s grace is more valuable than all we have or could ever possess. It is exceedingly valuable, and we can’t afford it.

 

Application

No, we can’t afford God’s grace. That’s why He freely gives it to us, not because we deserve it, but because we don’t. If we deserved it, it wouldn’t be grace; it would be something He owes us. God doesn’t owe us anything, but He gave it to us anyway, simply because He wanted to show how gracious and glorious He is!

I think it’s time once again to fall on our knees and thank God for His priceless grace. Thank you Lord!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:6 – Life, Resurrection, and a Seat

Posted on by Will

and raised us up together, and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Truth to Learn

God’s grace produces in us life, resurrection, and a seat.

 

Behind the Words

The words “raised us up together” are translated from a single Greek verb, sunegeirō. This is made up of sun, meaning “together” and egeirō, meaning “to rise up” as one would rise from a sleeping position to a standing position. Egeirō is the word used in the gospel accounts of God resurrecting (raising up) Jesus from the dead. Thus, in today’s verse Paul says that God has “raised us up together.”

“Seated us together” is translated from a single word as well. It is the verb sugkathidzō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and kathidzō, meaning “to cause someone to sit.” Thus, Paul says that God has “seated us together” or “made us sit together.” The Greek word for “us” does not actually appear in this verse, but that idea is carried over from the previous verses.

“Heavenly places” is from epouranios, which we saw back in Ephesians 1:3. It is composed of epi, meaning “on, above, or over” and a form of ouranos which refers to “heaven.” Epouranios means “that which pertains to heaven” or “the heavenly realm.”

 

Meaning Explained

Once again, to get the full impact of this verse we need to combine it with the previous two verses. And, to make it a little more understandable, we will also remove the parenthetical expressions. Then we have:

But God, being rich in mercy, … made us alive together with Christ … , and raised us up together, and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

We can see from this that God who is rich is mercy did three things for us. First of all, He made us alive. Next, He raised us up. And thirdly, He made us sit in the heavenly places. We pointed out in the first verse of this chapter that the writers of the Bible sometimes describe an action which will occur in the future as if it has already happened. The reason is that to God there is no distinction of time, since He is everywhere (and everytime) present. So, even though these three things will happen in the future, to God they have already occurred. Let’s look at these three things individually.

He made us alive. In other words, God gave us spiritual life. One day our life on this earth will end; we will die (physically), then we will face God’s judgment. Those who have rejected Christ will be cast into the lake of fire. This is spiritual death, or the second death (Revelation 21:8). Christians, on the other hand, will live eternally (spiritually and physically).

He raised us up. It wouldn’t do much good for us to have eternal life and be stuck in the grave. Therefore, God raised us up; that is, God will resurrect our frail, earthly bodies and will turn them into perfect, eternal, heavenly bodies.

He made us sit. We saw back in Ephesians 1:20 that Jesus has been resurrected and seated at the right hand of the father. Only those with the highest honor are allowed to sit in the presence of Almighty God. Jesus has that honor, and because of God’s great mercy, we will have that honor as well.

 

Application

When was the last time you thanked God for His mercy by which He promised you eternal life, a perfect body, and the honor of sitting in His presence?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:5 – Undeserved Love

Posted on by Will

And we being dead in trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved),

Truth to Learn

God loves us instead of giving us what we deserve.

 

Behind the Words

The words “when we were” are translated from the verb eimi, which is the verb of being, meaning “I exist.” It is expressed here in the first person plural (we exist), but it is written as a present participle as well. Thus, the most literal translation of this is “we being.”

The words “dead in trespasses” are translated from the same two words (ontas nekrous) translated that way in verse one of this chapter. Though verse one refers to “you” and this verse refers to “we,” in both cases Paul is talking about Christians before we were saved.

“Made us alive together” is from an interesting Greek word. It is sudzōopoieō, a double compound word made up of sun, meaning “together,” dzōon, meaning “to give life to,” and poieō, meaning “to make.” Thus, this word literally means “to make alive together.”

“Grace” is translated from charis, meaning “favor, good will, or kindness, especially that which causes joy and gratification.” When used of God’s grace toward us, since we don’t deserve it, it is sometimes referred to as “unmerited favor.”

The word translated “saved” is sōdzō, which means “to deliver, to protect, or to save.” It is expressed here as a perfect participle. The perfect tense in Greek indicates a past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the effect. So, the end of this verse could be translated literally as “you are having been saved.”

 

Meaning Explained

To understand this verse we must combine it with the previous verse:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, and we being dead in trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved),

There are three significant things expressed here: a main idea, a parenthetical idea, and a great theological truth.

Let’s start with the parenthetical idea. It is “because of His great love with which He loved us, and we being dead in trespasses.” As we mentioned in yesterday’s verse study, the word translated “love” is God’s self-sacrificing agape love. The amazing truth that we are told here is that God loved us with this perfect love while we were sinners with a sentence of death on our heads, who were living in violent opposition to Him. We were so unlovable that only God could have loved us.

The main idea expressed in these two verses is: “But God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ” In the previous verse we said “mercy” means to overlook personal offenses and to treat an offender better than he or she deserves. While we were sinners, dead in trespasses, in violent opposition to God, He overlooked our offenses and gave us eternal life in Jesus Christ!

The great theological truth expressed here is that we are saved by God’s grace. We will expand on that in the next few verses.

 

Application

Before you were saved you were a dead sinner, in violent opposition to God, not deserving anything but God’s wrath. But – God loved you anyway! Can you say, “Thank you, God!”?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

Ephesians 2:4 – Abundant Mercy

Posted on by Will

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Truth to Learn

Because of God’s mercy we don’t get what we deserve. It’s not fair, it’s mercy!

 

Behind the Words

The word “rich” is translated from plousios, which is the condition of having ploutos, meaning “wealth or riches, in money or possession.” Figuratively, it means “to have an abundance of something.”

“Mercy” is from the Greek noun eleos. This word refers to “sorrow over the misfortune of others, which disposes a person to overlook personal offenses and to treat an offender better than he or she deserves.” It is sometimes translated as “compassion.”

“Because of” is a translation of the Greek preposition dia, which means “through, either positionally or instrumentally.” In the current verse it means that God’s mercy is a result of His love.

The adjective “great” is from polus, meaning “much or many.” This is not a measure of size. That would be the Greek word megas. Polus is a measure of quantity or magnitude.

The words “love” and “loved” are from the same root, agapē. This word refers to a kind of love in which the lover is focused on that which will do the most good for the loved one. It is a self-sacrificing love which places the good of the loved one above the good of self.

 

Meaning Explained

In the past few verses the Apostle Paul has been describing how we were dead in sin before we were saved. Our manner of life was controlled by Satan and his world system. We followed the lusts of our flesh and we were deserving of the full weight of God’s wrath.

Here he goes on to describe how all that was changed. The instrument of our change, freedom from the bondage of sin, was God, Himself. We know how rich our God is. In the fiftieth chapter of Psalms we are told that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills (in the Old Testament wealth was measured by how many animals you owned). Paul now tells us that His wealth is not just in material things; He also has an abundance of mercy, that is, He is rich in mercy. Because of this mercy, we Christians will not receive from God the wrath that we truly deserve. Instead, He will be compassionate and merciful toward us.

This mercy that God shows to us is an outgrowth of His love. This love and mercy are so great toward us that He forgives us of all our sins (past, present, and future). Throughout the Bible, forgiveness means more than removal of blame. It includes completely forgetting the offending act. In fact, in the book of Psalms, as a description of God’s forgiveness, we are told:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:12)

We learn in Romans that the penalty for our sins is death. Instead of our death, however, God gave up the life of His Son, who did not deserve death, as the ransom to set us free from death. Because we Christians have accepted Christ’s blood as the payment for our sins, God has forgiven, forgotten, and completely cast away our sinful acts.

 

Application

The next time you complain to God that things are not fair, that you are not getting what you deserve, remember that what you deserve is death and the wrath of God. However, because of His mercy and His great love with which He loved us, He has forgiven our sins and has given us eternal life. Our response to His mercy should be gratitude demonstrated by a life of submission to Him. Let’s take a few minutes right now and thank God for His mercy. Let’s recommit to serving Him out of a heart of gratitude.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:3 – Wrath Avoidance

Posted on by Will

among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Truth to Learn

Before we were saved we were destined for God’s wrath.

 

Behind the Words

The word “among” is translated from the Greek preposition en, meaning “in” or “among.”

“Conducted” is from the verb anastrephō. This is made up of ana, meaning “again” and strephō, meaning “to turn.” So, literally it means “to turn again.” When used of a person it is a metaphor meaning “to live one’s life.”

Epithumia is the Greek word translated “lusts.” It is made up of epi, meaning “over” or “above” and a form of thumos, which refers to “a passion or desire of the mind.” Thus, epithumia refers to “overly strong desires.”

The word “doing” is from the Greek verb poieō, meaning “to make” or “to do.” It is expressed here as a present participle, so it means “doing.”

“Desires” is translated from thelēma which refers to “an act of determination.” So, it really means more than “desires.” It means “those things which we decided to do.”

“Flesh” is from sarx, which literally refers to “the meat or flesh of a living creature.” This word is commonly used to refer to the physical part of our existence as opposed to the spiritual part.

The word “mind” is translated from dianoia which refers to “deep thought” or “imagination.”

“Nature” is from the Greek word phusis, which is derived from the noun phuō, meaning “to bring forth in birth.” It is used here as a metonym in reference to our natural inclination.

The word “wrath” is translated from orgē, which means “desire, strong emotion, anger, or wrath.”

“Others” is from the Greek word loipos, which is from the verb leipō, meaning “to lack” or “to leave something where it is.” In other words, it refers to “that which is left.” So, it could be translated as “the remainder” or “the others.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that before we became Christians we lived according to the ways of the world system in which we live. Our behavior was influenced by Satan who controls those who don’t believe in Christ.

What he tells us in today’s verse is that we used to live our lives controlled by the lusts of our flesh. Another way of saying this is that we used to be controlled by our sin nature. In the book of Romans, Paul calls it our “old man,” and he tells us that we used to be the slaves of sin:

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be nullified, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (Romans 6:6)

Because we were controlled by our fleshly desires and our imagination, Paul says we were children of wrath just like the rest of unsaved humanity. What he means is that before we were saved, we were God’s enemies and subject to his wrath. Some Christians think of God as a vengeful God, waiting for us to slip up so He can punish us. Other Christians don’t like to think of God as vengeful and exhibiting wrath; they like to think of God as a God of love. He is both. Those who receive Jesus Christ will one day experience God’s love completely, whereas those who reject Jesus Christ will one day experience the full fury of God’s wrath.

… And He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and wrath of Almighty God. (Revelation 19:15c)

 

Application

As a Christian you still have a sin nature, but you don’t have to be controlled by it. Instead, you can submit your will to God and allow the Holy Spirit to control your life.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:2 – Who’s Your Master?

Posted on by Will

in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience,

Truth to Learn

Christians are no longer under Satan’s authority. We are now in God’s family and under God’s authority.

 

Behind the Words

“Walked” is translated from the Greek verb peripateō. This is composed of peri, meaning “around” and pateō (based on patos, meaning “a path”), which means “to walk.” Thus, peripateō literally means “to walk around.” Metaphorically it refers to “how one lives one’s life.”

Aion is the Greek word translated “course.” Generally, this word refers to a timeframe, a period of time, or an “age.” Here, however, it is used as a metonym referring to the people and customs of the “world system.” [A metonym is a word or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated. For example, Washington is a metonym for the federal government of the United States of America.]

The word “world” is from the Greek noun kosmos, which is indirectly based on the word kolumbos, meaning “to tend or to take care of.” Kosmos refers to “an orderly arrangement” or “a system of order.” It is the word from which we get our English word “cosmetics.” As it is used here, kosmos refers to “the orderly arrangement or ‘system’ of this world.”

“Ruler” is translated from archon, which refers to someone who is “first in authority or power.”

The word “air” is aēr, which refers to “the lower atmosphere” or “the air surrounding the earth.”

The word “disobedience” is translated from the Greek word apeitheia, which is made up of a, meaning “not” and peithō, meaning “to convince or persuade.” Thus, apeitheia refers to “those who are not convinced” or “those who are not willing to be persuaded,” which by extension means “those who do not obey God.”

 

Meaning Explained

The first two words of this verse, “in which,” are a reference to “trespasses and sins,” mentioned in the previous verse. So, Paul is saying that we Christians used to live our lives in a manner characterized by trespasses and sins. He goes on further to say that we used to live our lives in accordance with the ruler of the power (authority) of the atmosphere. This is a reference to Satan, who Jesus referred to as “the ruler of this world” (see John 16:11).

But, Paul doesn’t stop there with his description of Satan. He tells us that he is a spirit being who is currently at work in the unsaved people of this world (the sons of disbelief or the sons of disobedience). As a spirit being, Satan is not only the ruler of the world system in which we live, he also has access to the throne room of God in heaven. We know this from the book of Job, where Satan is characterized as appearing before God:

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." (Job 1:6-7)

Satan will continue to have access to Heaven until he is cast out during the seven year tribulation, as described in Revelation chapter twelve.

 

Application

You were once controlled by your sins and by Satan, but that is no longer true. When you were saved, you were placed into (baptized into) the body of Christ, where Jesus is now your Lord and Master; therefore, you are no longer under Satan’s power and authority. Praise be to God!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:1 – His Promised Resurrection

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And you He made alive, being dead in trespasses and sins,

Truth to Learn

Through faith, God’s awesome power will be displayed in resurrecting us to eternal life in perfect bodies.

 

Behind the Words

The words “He made alive” are not in the Greek text. They were inserted in the translation in order to make the sense of these verses more clear. These words are drawn from verse five where the apostle finishes this thought.

“Being” is from the Greek verb eimi, which is the verb of existence (to be). In some translations, it is written as “who were,” but it is expressed here as a present participle. Thus, it should be translated “being.”

“Dead” is translated from nekros, which is derived from nekus, meaning “a corpse.” So, nekros refers to someone who is corpse-like; that is, “dead.”

The word “trespasses” is translated from the Greek noun paraptōma. This is made up of para, meaning “beside” and a form of piptō, meaning “to fall” or “to land on.” Therefore, we see that paraptōma means “to fall by the wayside.” Metaphorically, it refers to “an unintentional error.”

“Sins” is from the Greek noun hamartia. This is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and a form of the verb meiromai, which means “to get an allotment or a share.” Thus, hamartia means “to not get a share of the prize,” that is, “to miss the mark.” Sin is missing the goal which God has set for our lives. That goal, or mark, is complete righteousness.

 

Meaning Explained

Even though the words “He made alive” are not in the original text, this is precisely the idea that Paul is focusing on in the following verses. Paul has spent most of the latter half of the first chapter of this letter focusing on God’s displayed power in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He now shows how that power will also be displayed in our lives.

There are two kinds of life (and death) spoken of in the New Testament, physical and spiritual. Physical life is what all humans experience from the moment of conception until we breathe our last breath, our heart stops pumping, and our brain ceases to function. The bodies we have in this physical life are frail and fragile. Spiritual life, on the other hand, is a condition in which God has promised that after we die physically, He will resurrect us with a perfect physical body. That perfect body will be neither fragile nor frail. The reason we are dead is outlined by Paul in the book of Romans:

for all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)

For the wages of sin is death … (Romans 6:23a)

One of the confusing issues in the New Testament is that the writers speak of the future as if it were now. This is because God is not bound by time and to Him the future is now. Since we have all sinned, we are all marked for physical death. Thus, in God’s record book, we are already dead. Through faith, however, we become credited with righteousness and in God’s record book we are already made alive, resurrected by His power.

 

Application

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will be resurrected by God’s power and you will live forever in His glorious presence.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 1:23 – Spiritual Body Life

Posted on by Will

which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Truth to Learn

All Christians are part of the body of Christ. As members of that body we each have a function to perform in the church.

 

Behind the Words

The word “which” is translated from hostis, a double relative pronoun that most literally translates to “which some.” In this case the meaning seems to be “seeing it is.”

“Body” is translated from the Greek noun soma, which refers to “the body” as a whole. It is used both literally and figuratively in the New Testament. Here it refers to the church, the spiritual body of the resurrected Jesus.

The word “fullness” is from plēroma, a derivative of the verb plēroō, meaning “to fill full” or “to cram full.” It means to fill so completely that there is no room left to add any more. Plēroma refers to “the condition of fullness or completion.”

“Fills” is from the verb plēroō, which we just looked at. It is expressed here as a participle in the middle voice (the subject acting on himself).

 

Meaning Explained

Back in verse nineteen we learned that one of the things the Apostle Paul prays for is for all believers to understand the exceeding greatness of God’s power. Through that power, the Father raised Jesus from the dead and elevated Him to the highest position of honor and authority. And in yesterday’s verse he told us that the Father made Jesus to be the head over all things with regard to the church. Now, to get the full impact of the current verse, let’s look at it along with the previous verse.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

God the Father made the risen Jesus to be the head of the church, which Paul tells us here is His body. The church universal is the body of Christ. It serves as His arms, hands, eyes, ears, nose, and feet. In his first letter to the Corinthian church and his letter to the Roman church, Paul explained a little more about the functioning of the body of Christ.

For even as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ … But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body even as He desired. (1Cointhians 12:12, 22)

so we, the many, are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another, but having different gifts according to the grace that was given to us … (Romans 12:5-6a)

All Christians have a part to play in the body of Christ. We each have abilities and spiritual gifts given specifically to each one of us by God. We need to be using those gifts to build up the body.

 

Application

Do you know what your gifts are? Are there abilities that you have that others don’t? Are you using your talents and spiritual gifts to make your fellow Christians stronger in their faith?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 1:22 – Supreme Authority

Posted on by Will

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins and He is now your supreme authority with regard to all things physical and spiritual.

 

Behind the Words

The words “put … under” are translated from hupotassō, which is made up of hupo, meaning “under” or “beneath” and tassō, meaning “to place in an orderly arrangement.” Thus, hupotassō means “to intentionally place in a lower position.”

“Gave” is from the Greek verb didōmi, which means “to give” or “to grant.”

The word “head” is from the noun kephalē, which refers to “a head.” It can refer to the physical head of a body or, metaphorically, it can refer to “the supreme position of authority” as it does here.

“All” is the translation of the Greek word pas. It is expressed here in the neuter gender. Therefore, it refers to “all things.”

The Greek word ekklēsia is translated “church.” Ekklēsia is made up of ek, meaning “out” and a form of kaleō, meaning “to call.” So, ekklēsia refers to something that has been “called out.” Originally, this word referred to an assembly of citizens who were called out by civil authorities. It is used throughout the New Testament, however, to refer to the church, either a local assembly or the world-wide church. The church is a reference to all of us who have been called out of the world system into God’s family.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about the awesome power that God displayed when He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. As He did this, He also seated Jesus at His right hand, the position of greatest honor. In this position He is far above all of creation, both physical and spirit. This is an indication of the supreme position of honor in which Jesus has been placed. Now, to emphasize the point a little bit more, Paul says that God the Father also put all of creation beneath His feet. This is a direct fulfillment of the words spoken in the Psalms:

You have made him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, (Psalms 8:6)

In other words, Jesus Christ is not only supreme in honor, but He is also supreme in authority. All of creation must submit to the authority of Jesus Christ or face the outpouring of His wrath. Those who submit to His authority during this life will not experience His wrath at the judgment. Notice that as Christians, we are commanded to submit to the authority of Jesus Christ and we are commanded to submit to each other as well, as Paul teaches later in this letter (see Ephesians 5:21).

As supreme authority over all of creation, Jesus has also been given a special position with regard to all Christians. He is our Lord individually, but He is also placed in the highest position regarding the church. He is the head of the church. That is, He is our supreme spiritual authority. 

 

Application

As a Christian, you have humbled yourself before God and accepted the blood of Jesus as payment for your sins. At the same time, you placed yourself under His authority. Jesus Christ is not only your Savior, He is your Lord and Master.

In God's service, for His glory,

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