charin – Ministry of Grace Church

Ephesians 3:14 – Worship Him

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Truth to Learn

God wants us to worship Him.

Behind the Words

The phrase “For this reason” is translated from toutou charin. Toutou means “this” and charin is the direct object form (accusative case) of charis, which means “a favor or a gift.” When charin is used as a preposition, as it is here, it means “through favor of” or “because of.” Therefore, toutou charin means “because of this” or “for this reason.”

“Bow” is from kamtō, which means “to bend;” that is, “to bend the knees in homage or worship.”

“Father” is translated from patēr, which generally refers to “the male parent.” In its plural form it refers to both father and mother. Here it refers to the first person of the Godhead.

The phrase, “of our Lord Jesus Christ” does not appear in the oldest Greek manuscripts and probably should be omitted.

Meaning Explained

Paul started off the first verse of this chapter with the same expression, “For this reason.” He then got side-tracked with an explanation of his ministry of revealing the mystery of the church. Now he finally gets back on track. So, what is Paul referring to when he says, “For this reason?” In order to answer that question, we have to look back at the end of chapter two. There Paul talked about how we Gentiles were once far away from God, without Christ, strangers from God’s covenant promises to Israel, and having no hope since we were without God. He also says that now, through Jesus Christ, we Gentiles have access to God along with the Jews. Then he told us that we are being built as God’s temple as His dwelling place.

Because of this, because we Gentiles now have the same access to God that the Jews have had, Paul says he bows in humble submission to God the Father. Notice that he does not say that he bows to Jesus, but to “the Father.” Nowhere in Scripture are we told to worship Jesus, bow to Jesus, or pray to Jesus. Neither are we told to worship, bow to, or pray to the Holy Spirit. Now, before you get out your clubs and prepare to beat me as a heretic, let me be clear that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are each (and all) God. We ARE told to worship God, to humble ourselves to God, and to pray to God. But we are not told specifically to worship Jesus or the Holy Spirit, or to pray to either one of them. Jesus said:

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (John 4:23)

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6)

I may be accused of splitting hairs here, but if the Father wants us to worship Him and we are told to pray to Him, then we shouldn’t start our prayers with, “Dear Jesus …”

Application

Because of what God has done for us, because He has given us access to Himself through the sin-cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, let’s bow to Him and worship Him with all our heart! Without His plan and His work, we would be destined for Hell.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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