certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed." A firm
conviction of the understanding is one of the greatest needs, as it is
also one of the greatest blessings, of the Christian life. If a Christian
cannot say, "I know," "I am persuaded," he is lacking in one of the prime
essentials of a vigorous experience. Let us ponder, then, this remarkable
phrase, "the whole wealth of the fulness of intelligence," and see in it
one of the absolute necessities of daily experience.
But how does it come? It is the result of the foregoing "comfort" and
"love." Hearts made strong mean minds fully assured. Hearts full of love
mean intellects full of knowledge and conviction. Let no one say that love
is blind: on the contrary, it is love that sees and knows. It was the
Apostle of love who was the first with spiritual insight to say, "It is
the Lord," on that memorable early morning on the Lake of Galilee. It is
the Christian with a heart strong and full of love who will have the
"wealth of the fulness of intelligence." The same is true of a Church, for
when it is strong and united in love, there will come such an influx of
conviction and certitude that the world will be impressed by the
demonstration of the truth of the Christian Gospel.
He asked for spiritual _knowledge_: "To the full knowledge of the mystery
of God and the Father, even Christ" (not as A.V.). Here, again, we have a
favourite word of these Epistles, "full knowledge," that is, ripe, mature
experience; and it means the experience of all that is summed up in the
one word "Christ." In view of the dangerous errors, then rife and
increasing, of a special knowledge confined only to a few, to an
intellectual aristocracy, the Apostle lays stress upon the possibility of
every Christian becoming acquainted in personal experience with all the
knowledge of God that is stored up in Christ. He declares Christ as the
Image of God (ch. i. 15), as the Head of the Church (ch. i. 18), as the
One in Whom all fulness dwells (ch. i. 19), as the Redeemer from sin (ch.
i. 20), as the Hope of glory (ch. i. 27), as the One in Whom are hid all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (ch. ii. 3). There is no mistiness
here, no vagueness, no hesitation, no limitation, but a full, free, open
opportunity for all believers to become acquainted with Christ in His
Divine fulness. This is the crowning-point of the Apostle's prayer, for in
the full knowledge of Christ everything else is included. This knowledge,
at once intellectual, moral, and spiritual, is the safeguard from all
error, the secret of all progress, and the guarantee of all blessing.
Let this prayer, then, be our constant and careful study. We shall find
in it much to rebuke the shallowness, the selfishness, the dulness, and
the sluggishness of our prayers; and we shall also find in it a model of
instruction, and the inspiration of all true petition and intercession.
The Christian who learns from the prayers of the Apostle will learn some
of the deepest secrets of the Christian life.
VII.
WISDOM AND REVELATION.
VII.
WISDOM AND REVELATION.
"Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and
love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling,
and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and
what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe,
according to the working of His mighty power."--EPH. i. 15-19.
If prayer for others is a barometer of our own spiritual life, we can
realise what St. Paul felt was necessary for himself by his prayers for
others. In Ephesians there are two petitions, and nothing fuller and
deeper is found in any of the Apostle's writings. This Epistle represents
the high-water mark of Christian privilege and possibility.
1. THE FOUNDATION.
We see from verse 15 that his prayer is closely and definitely based on
what precedes, and this introduces us to a feature not hitherto found. Up
to now the prayers at the opening have been recorded almost immediately
after the personal greetings. But here a long paragraph intervenes, and
the prayer is not recorded until after fourteen verses full of spiritual
teaching have been given. This section deserves special attention because
it is the basis of the prayer. Let us review it briefly in order to obtain
the true perspective of the petition.
The key-thought is in verse 3, where the Apostle praises God for having
actually blessed them "with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ." Then comes a wonderful statement of the way in which these
blessings had become their own. (_a_) They had been eternally purposed in
God the Father (vers. 3-6_a_); (_b_) they had been historically mediated
through God the Son (vers. 6_b_-12); (_c_) they had been spiritually
applied by God the Spirit (vers. 12-14). And in connection with each
Person of the Sacred Trinity practically the same phrase occurs in this
paragraph, showing that all the blessings were given in order that they
might be used for the Divine glory: "To the praise of the glory of His
grace" (ver. 6); "To the praise of His glory" (ver. 12); "To the praise of
His glory" (ver. 14).
Now it is upon this wealth of provision that the Apostle bases his prayer:
"On this account." God had so wonderfully blessed them in Christ by His
Spirit, and this fulness of blessing was so clearly intended to be used to
the praise and glory of God that he could pray, as he does here, assured
that the answer would come. God's revelation of Himself is invariably and
inevitably the foundation of our prayers. Because of what He has done and
is doing we can be sure of grace. Because His power has provided "all
things that pertain to life and godliness" we can be certain of power for
daily living.
2. THE APPEAL.
The names and titles of God are particularly noteworthy and are always
full of spiritual significance, shedding light on the passages in which
they occur. St. Paul prays to "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ." This
title as it stands is unique, though already he has referred to "the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (ver. 3), and will refer again to
"the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" in connection with prayer (ch. iii.
14). "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ" seems to suggest the highest point
and peak of power and grace. God, as the God of Christ, is the primary
source of all blessing.
He is also "the Father of Glory." This, too, is a phrase not found
elsewhere. He is the Father to Whom all glory belongs as its Divine
source. In Acts vii. 2 He is "the God of glory," and in 1 Cor. ii. 8
Christ is "the Lord of glory." In Rom. vi. 4 Christ is said to have been
raised from the dead "by the glory of the Father." Glory is a
characteristic quality of God. It is the manifestation of His splendour
and the outshining of His excellence. All radiance, all brightness, all
magnificence come from Him and are intended to be returned to Him in
praise. The glory of God in Romans is threefold: it is God's proof for
man's past life (ch. iii. 23); it is God's prospect for man's future life
(ch. v. 2); it is God's principle for man's present life (ch. xv. 7). And
the association of glory with prayer seems to suggest that the praise of
His glory which is to characterise our life can only come from God Himself
as the Father of glory. If our lives are to be lived "to His praise," His
must be the power. If our lives are to manifest His glory, His must be the
grace. "Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory."
3. THE REQUEST.
Now we come to this profound prayer which teaches the inmost secrets of
the spiritual life.
(1) A Divine Gift. "May give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation." He
has spoken of the wealth of blessing stored up in Christ (ver. 3), and of
God's grace abounding to us in all wisdom and prudence (ver. 8). Now he
asks for wisdom and illumination to perceive all this for themselves as a
personal experience. The word "spirit" seems to refer to their human
faculty, though of course as indwelt and possessed by the Divine Spirit.
But the absence of the definite article from the word "spirit" seems to
suggest a gift rather than a Person. The Holy Spirit of God enters into
our spirit, and the result is wisdom and revelation. These two words refer
to general illumination and specific enlightenment. He desires his readers
to enter fully into the meaning of these great realities to which he has
given such full expression (vers. 1-14).
(2) But this Divine gift is only possible by means of a simple yet
important condition. It is "in the full knowledge of Him." The word
rendered "knowledge" is characteristic of these prison epistles, and
always means "full knowledge," the mature experience of the spiritual man.
It is invariably connected with God; it refers to the deep, growing,
ripening consciousness which comes from personal fellowship with Him.
Philosophy can only say "Know thyself," but Scripture says, "Know God."
This is how wisdom and revelation become ours, and Christian history and
experience testify abundantly to the simple yet remarkable fact of
spiritual insight and moral understanding which are due solely to
fellowship with God. Nothing is more striking than the fact of a deep,
spiritual apprehension and appreciation which are independent of
intellectual conception and verbal expression. Believers can have a true
spiritual consciousness of God without the possession of great capacity or
attainments. Many whose natural education and intellectual opportunities
have been slight have had this spiritual perception in an uncommon degree,
and it always marks the spiritually ripe Christian. It is not the one
whose intellectual knowledge is critical, scholarly, and profound, but he
whose spiritual insight is suffused with grace, love, and fellowship. This
does not mean that natural knowledge or culture is to be despised or
avoided as evil, but that the two kinds of knowledge should be carefully
distinguished. The Christian Church has at least for the last three
hundred years set great store by knowledge and science, but deeper than
all this is the spiritual instinct, insight, knowledge, and illumination
which constitute the supreme requirement of the true Christian life. We
can see this spiritual perception in its various stages in several
passages of the New Testament. We have seen how St. John divides believers
into three classes (1 John ii. 12-14). But while in his repetition the
Apostle can vary the description of the "children" and the "young men,"
when he has to speak the second time of the "fathers" he has nothing new
to say, for they cannot be otherwise or more fully described than as those
who "know Him Who is from the beginning."
(3) The immediate consequence of this fellowship is that the eyes of the
heart become permanently enlightened (Greek). Keeping in view the
Scripture truth of the "heart" as including the elements of Mind,
Emotion, and Will, the result of fellowship with God is that every feature
of the inner life becomes purified and enlightened. The mind is
illuminated to perceive truth, the emotions are purified to love the good,
and the will is equipped to obey the right. It is not that new objects
meet the gaze so much as that a new and deeper perception is given to
enable the heart to see and understand what had hitherto been dark and
difficult. This illuminated heart is one of the choicest blessings of the
spiritual life and one of the greatest safeguards against spiritual error.
"Ye have an unction ... and ye know" (1 John ii. 20). "The Son of God hath
come, and hath given us an understanding" (1 John v. 20). Many of the
problems affecting the spiritual life are solved only in this way.
Criticism, scholarship, intellectual power may be brought to bear upon
them, but they will not yield to this treatment. The illuminated heart of
the babe in Christ is often enabled to understand secrets which are hid
from the wise and prudent.
(4) The outcome is a permanent spiritual experience. "That ye may know,"
_i.e._ possess an immediate, instinctive, direct knowledge (eidenai).
Three great realities are thereupon mentioned as the objects and
substance of our spiritual knowledge.
(_a_) The first is "What is the hope of His calling." "His calling" is the
appeal and offer of the Gospel with all its Divine meaning and purpose,
and "the hope of His calling" is that which is intended by and included in
the offer of God. This "hope" is either that _to_ which God calls us, or
_by_ which He calls; either objective or subjective; either the substance
or the feeling. Hope when regarded as objective, as the substance of our
experience, is full of promise, on which the believer fixes his faith.
Hope when regarded as subjective, as the possession of the soul, is full
of inspiration, as it encourages and confirms belief that "He is faithful
that promised." Hope as an objective reality is fixed on Christ, and since
God has a purpose in calling us, we can exercise hope. Hope as a
subjective realisation is based on the fact of experience. God calls us
by the Gospel, and therefore hope becomes possible. Hope is the top-stone
of life and follows faith and love (cf. ver. 15). Faith draws the curtain
aside; hope gazes into the future; while love rejoices in the present
possession of Christ. Faith accepts; hope expects. Faith appropriates;
hope anticipates. Faith is concerned with the person who promises; hope
with the thing that the person promises. Faith is concerned with the past
and present; hope with the future alone. Hope is invariably fixed on the
future and is never to be regarded as merely a matter of natural
temperament. It is specifically connected with the Lord's Coming, and we
are thus reminded that the calling of God covers past, present, and
future. It starts from regeneration and culminates in the resurrection of
the body at the Coming of Christ.
(_b_) The second is "The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints." This may mean the wealth which God possesses _for_ them or _in_
them; our wealth in Him or His in us. If we take it in the former sense
it will mean that God is the inheritance and we are the heirs; that the
saints now possess imperfectly, and anticipate in its fulness, the
inheritance of grace, the spiritual Canaan which they are to enjoy here
and hereafter. If, however, we take it, as is more likely, in the latter
sense, it will mean that we are the inheritance and God is the Possessor
and Heir. We must never forget that the Biblical ideas associated with
"heir" and "inheritance" always refer to possession, and not, as in
ordinary phraseology, to succession. In the Bible the heir does not merely
expect, but already enjoys in part that which he will possess in full
hereafter. Adopting, then, the second of these interpretations, the saints
belong to God and are precious in His sight. They are His _peculium_, or
special treasure, like Israel of old (Deut. iv. 20). They have been formed
for Him and are to show forth His praise (Isa. xliii. 21). He sets store
by them, as is suggested by the significant words, "Hast thou considered
My servant Job?" There are several indications in Scripture that God
values and trusts His people; "I know him, that he will command his
children and his household after him" (Gen. xviii. 19). "The Lord taketh
pleasure in His people" (Ps. cxlix. 4). "The steps of a good man are
ordered by the Lord: and He (that is, God) delighteth in his way" (Ps.
xxxvii. 23). And the "wealth" is a further proof of the value placed on
believers by God. Five times in Ephesians the Apostle uses this metaphor
of "riches," showing his thought of those who have been "bought with a
price" (1 Cor. v. 20). Believers are God's riches, wealth, treasure; they
belong to Him in view of that day on which He will enter in full upon His
inheritance when He comes to be glorified and admired in them that believe
(2 Thess. i. 10). And we are to see this, to know it, to realise the
spiritual possibilities of each believer and all God's people together as
God's own inheritance.
(_c_) The third is "the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who
believe." In this marvellous association of almost inexpressible thoughts
the dominant note is "power" (dúnamis), and the Apostle prays that the
Ephesian Christians may know what this means. Power is a characteristic
word of St. Paul as expressive of Christianity. The Gospel is "the power
of God unto salvation" (Rom. i. 16). By the Resurrection Christ was
designated "the Son of God with power" (Rom. i. 4). He is "the power of
God" (1 Cor. i. 18). Man needs power, not merely a philosophy or an ethic,
but a dynamic, and it is the peculiar privilege of His Gospel to bring
this to us. But let us try to analyse this power. There are no less than
four comparisons stated or illustrations given. (1) It is exactly the same
power that God wrought in Christ at the Resurrection. Nothing less than
this is the standard of the Divine working. We are to possess and
experience the spiritual and moral dynamic exercised by God on Christ when
He raised Him from the dead. This is described as "the exceeding greatness
of His power." The same adjective is used of grace (ch. ii. 7), and of
love (ch. iii. 19), and it is intended to express the superabundance of
that power which was put forth in the Resurrection and is now exercised
on our behalf. Then the four words used for power are particularly
noteworthy: "power," "energy," "strength," "might." Each conveys an aspect
of this great spiritual force. "Might" is power in _possession_;
"strength" is power as the result of _grasping_, or of coming into contact
with the source of that power; and "energy" is a power in _expression_.
(2) Not only so, but the power exercised by God in the Ascension is also
intended to be bestowed on and experienced by us. When we are told that
Christ was set at God's right hand far above all powers, we can understand
something of the Divine might exercised. (3) Still more, it is the same
power by means of which God put all things under the feet of Christ. This,
too, is the Divine force and energy for believers. (4) Not least of all,
it was Divine power that gave Christ to be "the Head over all things to
the Church," and it is exactly this power that is exercised on our behalf.
When we contemplate all this as intended by God for us, we can see
something of the vigorous and victorious life He can and will enable us
to live.
As we review this wonderful prayer it is impossible to avoid noticing that
the first petition refers mainly to the past ("His calling"); the second
mainly to the future ("His inheritance"); and the third mainly to the
present ("His power"), though of course each petition has its bearing on
the other two points of time. Every part of our life is thus adequately
supplied and intended to be abundantly satisfied. Nor may we omit to
observe that all through the prayer the emphasis is on God: _His_ calling;
_His_ inheritance; _His_ power. Everything is regarded from the Divine
standpoint, because we are not our own but His. The contemplation of this
glory of the Divine love and grace overwhelms the soul with "wonder, love,
and praise."
In the presence of such a prayer, dealing with such profound realities,
three thoughts naturally arise in our minds. (_a_) How little we know, and
how much we might and should know. (_b_) How little we are, and how much
we might and should be. (_c_) How little we do, and how much we might and
should do. And yet if we will but remind ourselves of the simple secret of
true living, as here described, we might become and accomplish infinitely
more than we have ever experienced up to the present. "To us-ward who
believe." Faith is the simple yet all-sufficient secret. Trust relies on
God and receives from Him. It puts us in contact with the source of
blessing, and in union with Him we shall find spiritual illumination,
spiritual insight, spiritual experience, and spiritual power that shall
all be lived and exercised to His praise and glory.
VIII.
STRENGTH AND INDWELLING.
VIII.
STRENGTH AND INDWELLING.
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He
would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ
may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded
in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fulness of God."--EPH. iii. 14-19.
"In no part of Paul's letters does he rise to a higher level than in
his prayers, and none of his prayers are fuller of fervour than this
wonderful series of petitions. They open out one into the other like
some majestic suite of apartments in a great palace-temple, each
leading into a loftier and more spacious hall, each drawing nearer the
presence chamber, until at last we stand there" (MACLAREN).
The second prayer in Ephesians possesses remarkable affinities with the
first; indeed, the two are complementary, and many of the expressions
call for close comparison.
1. THE STANDPOINT.
"For this cause" (ver. 14). To what does this phrase point back? Some
associate it with verse 1, "For this cause," thinking that St. Paul,
having been diverted from his main teaching in verses 1-13, here resumes
it in the form of a prayer. But perhaps it is still better to regard the
resumption of the main teaching as coming in ch. iv. 1, where the Apostle
again speaks of himself as "the prisoner." This would make ch. iii. wholly
parenthetical, so that instead of the present prayer being based on the
teaching of ch. ii. the Apostle is led here to speak of his ministry (ch.
iii. 1-13) and its outcome. His ministry is a gift, a trust, a
stewardship, and its purpose is the proclamation of the Gospel and its
results in the accomplishment of God's purposes for Jew and Gentile. On
this view the standpoint of the prayer is associated closely with his
ministry and its effects, as seen in the immediately preceding verses. It
is because of his remarkable ministry, given to him by God, and all the
spiritual privileges brought to the Gentile Christians thereby that he is
able to work for them (ver. 13), and also to pray for them (ver. 14).
Thus, while the prayer in ch. i. looks at their life from the standpoint
of the Divine purposes, this prayer will be occupied with their spiritual
privileges in Christ.
2. THE ATTITUDE.
"I bow my knees unto the Father" (ver. 14). The intense reverence of the
Apostle in this allusion to bowing his knees is particularly noteworthy.
As a rule the Jews stood for prayer (Luke xviii. 11-13), and prostration
seems to have been an exceptional posture. But in connection with
Christians, kneeling is mentioned (Acts vii. 60, ix. 40, xx. 36). Nothing
could more beautifully express the true attitude of the soul before God
than this posture of the body. At the same time the use of the word
"Father" indicates the other side of the truth and confidence with which
we approach God. He is at once our God and our Father (ch. i. 17), and
our attitude must be expressive both of our adoration and of our
assurance. He is great and good, and we approach Him as the Holy One and
the Loving One.
3. THE ADDRESS.
"The Father from Whom every family in heaven and earth is named." It is
interesting that the title "God" is not associated with this prayer as in
ch. i., although the thought of Deity is found in the allusion to bowing
the knees. And in addition to God as the Father He is described as the One
"from Whom every family (Greek, 'fatherhood') in heaven and earth is
named." This seems to mean that whatever element of family life exists, it
comes from God, that all true spiritual life in heaven or earth has its
origin in the Father. The scope of the prayer is particularly noteworthy,
as we contemplate God as the Fount of every fatherhood and the Parent of
all men everywhere. Such a statement will do more than anything else to
guard us against narrow or purely selfish desires as we approach God in
prayer.
4. THE APPEAL.