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the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n There are two great truths here. The first is that the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual truth to us. The other is that you are highly valued by God and will be cherished for all eternity.<\/p>\n The word \u201cunderstanding<\/span>\u201d is translated from dianoia<\/em><\/span>. This is made up of dia<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cthrough\u201d or indicating division, and a form of the verb noe\u014d<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto exercise the mind.\u201d Therefore, we see that dianoia<\/em><\/span> indicates something that has been thoroughly thought through, thus \u201cunderstanding.\u201d This word does not appear in most Greek manuscripts; instead, kardia<\/em><\/span> (heart) is used. So, \u201cheart\u201d is the preferred reading.<\/p>\n \u201cEnlightened<\/span>\u201d is the translation of ph\u014dtidz\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which is derived from ph\u014ds<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201clight.\u201d Ph\u014dtidz\u014d<\/em><\/span> means \u201cto shine the light on something\u201d or \u201cto make something visible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHope<\/span>\u201d is from the Greek word elpis<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cthat which is hoped for.\u201d The meaning of this word, however, is not simply something wished for; it includes a full expectation of it actually happening.<\/p>\n The word \u201ccalling<\/span>\u201d is translated from kl\u0113sis<\/em><\/span>, a shortened form of the verb kale\u014d<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto call.\u201d Thus, kl\u0113sis<\/em><\/span> refers to \u201ca calling\u201d or \u201can invitation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRiches<\/span>\u201d is from ploutos<\/em><\/span>, which refers to \u201cwealth made up of things of value.\u201d<\/p>\n This verse contains the continuation of Paul\u2019s prayer for all saints. In the previous verse he asked that God the Father might give us wisdom and revelation through the Holy Spirit. Now he tells us about some of the effects of that revelation provided by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n He tells us here that it will produce enlightenment. As we said earlier, the word \u201cunderstanding<\/span>\u201d should probably be replaced by \u201cheart<\/span>.\u201d The Greeks believed that the heart was not just the seat of the emotions, but of understanding and determination as well. So, Paul is saying that the eyes of our heart should receive light. We all know that in the darkness we cannot see or recognize things very well; however, when something is illuminated we can see with both our vision and our perception. That\u2019s exactly what the Holy Spirit does for us. He shines the light of truth on things that we see and hear. Because of this illumination, we can understand spiritual truths which we otherwise would not have understood.<\/p>\n There are three particular spiritual truths which we can know as a result of the Spirit\u2019s illumination. Two are in this verse and the third is in the next verse. Here he tells us about the hope and assurance we have of eternal life as a result of God\u2019s invitation. He also tells us how great the glory of His inheritance is. This is not a reference to our inheritance, which we talked about in verse fourteen. This is a reference to the rich inheritance that Jesus Christ will receive in heaven: all the saints, who will spend eternity with Him.<\/p>\n You may not think or yourself as being worth very much, but God sees each one of us as extremely valuable. We, the bride of Christ, will be the Father\u2019s gift to the Son for all eternity.<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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