Category: Ephesians

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”

God’s power matters. If he is not all-powerful, then he has nothing great to offer us. If he is not mighty, then Jesus couldn’t overcome death. If Jesus is not seated on the most powerful throne right at this moment, then we have no hope of salvation. Every other authority is beneath him.

God worked in these powerful ways so that the church (all of the followers of Jesus) can be his body. He is the head — coming up with the ideas, plans, and telling the body what to do. He has given us power to operate as his body. The body executes his plan, which is the role of the church. We as followers of Jesus are given the power to act on the mind of God.

Here’s your freedom for today: you are part of the plan to save the world. For some reason, that can only be slightly understood by acknowledging God’s choice to love, he gave us a role in his global intervention. He’s leading the way, creating the plan, thinking through the details. And you and I and the worldwide body of Jesus-followers are the ones getting the message out to the world. We are filled with the Holy Spirit and we are able to bring this to others. Who can you tell about the love of God today?

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”

Paul shifts his focus from the authority of Christ to the sinfulness of mankind. Having established that Jesus is in a position of power over all things, Paul begins to describe the desperation of humanity. We are “subject to God’s anger” — except for the fact that God has chosen to love us. We were as good as dead, and God could have let humanity simply destroy itself. But just as Jesus overcame death, so we can find life once again through him.

Notice the shift that begins to take place in verse 6: “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ…” Remember the powerful throne Jesus occupies that was described in chapter 1? We are seated with him! As followers of Jesus, we are examples of his “incredible wealth.” And in the kingdom of God, grace and kindness are the most valuable currencies.

Here’s your freedom for today: God is lavishing grace and kindness on you. He has made unity with Christ possible through his mercy. He has given us power through our unity with Christ. He simply wants to do it this way. Grace is his favorite design. What does it mean for you today that God wants to be kind to you simply to show off his wealth? Be careful not to measure this in circumstances — God’s kindness doesn’t mean that he makes our circumstances “work out,” but rather that he embraces the deepest parts of who we are and cherishes us.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

What is grace? We hear that word thrown around a lot; we even use that word for mealtime prayer. In Greek, that word “grace” (charis) means “favor,” or “bending down to show kindness.” Imagine a king reaching down to bestow gifts upon the commoners in his kingdom. Pure generosity that cannot be earned and is not deserved.

Sometimes we try to earn God’s love. We try to add up our good deeds and hope that impresses God. But there is no reward because there is no deed great enough. Instead, we are the wondrous craft of the master craftsman who takes tremendous pride in his work. He had some pretty awesome thing in mind when he hand-made us.

Here’s your freedom for today: you don’t have to earn a thing with God. You’ve already got his love. You don’t need to do anything to get more of it. He’s already shown you grace. You don’t need to beg for gifts or kindness. He loves you. He wants you. He’s lavishing you with generous grace and adopting you into his family. He wants all the credit which means you don’t have to work to get any. Take a deep breath. Stop trying to earn things. Just sit and let him love you today.

“Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called ‘uncircumcised heathens’ by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”

I’m not sure how long you have known God or how well you feel like you know him, but no matter how long or how well it is not enough. The Jews knew more about God than any other people group on earth. They knew him intimately and he had been directly involved in every aspect of their lives, culture, religious practices, and legal system since the beginning. Yet even the Jews often missed the heart of God, focusing more on earthly practices than on eternal realities.

If you are not a Jewish person by birth, then you are considered a Gentile. You were not part of the original family clan chosen by God, but ultimately his intent was always to offer salvation to the whole world. We know this from the prophets in the Old Testament, like we can read in Isaiah 45:22-23. Before Jesus, the rest of the world didn’t know much about God except what they saw from the life of the Jewish people. With Jesus’ arrival, the message became overt and clear: salvation is for everyone.

Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus wants to bring you close. That phrase “brought near to him” makes me think of an embrace or a close whisper in the ear. A gentle “come here, child.” He’s been whispering to his chosen Jewish children for their entire history, and he’s beckoning to your heart right now. Whether you have known Jesus your whole life or whether you don’t really know him at all, there are deeper places to explore. Don’t be satisfied with your status quo with God. Press in. Go deeper. Come closer. Be nearer than you have ever been before.

“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”

The law always made the Jewish people unique. No other group of people had divine laws inscribed in stone by the finger of God. Other gods seemed to want things like child sacrifice and fertility rituals. The Jewish God had built in laws about justice for the oppressed and freeing people from slavery and debt. Even with the goodness of his laws, God chose to tear down the wall that separated his people from the world. Not to encourage them to live a different way, but to encourage the world to join the family.

There is still hostility in our world, but there is absolute peace in God’s kingdom. We share one Spirit, given to us directly by Jesus. Anyone who is in God’s family must be a reconciler. It is our mission to the world to hold our arms wide open — a reflection of Christ’s posture with us.

Here’s your freedom for today: God has torn down every wall. He has invited you in. He has been kind to you even in the midst of your sin. What are some ways you can do that for others? What are some unorthodox, unfair ways you can choose to love? What is one wall you can tear down to help someone come to Jesus? Christians sometimes feel like we must be the morality police, but God has not invited us to live that way. He has abolished the law so that we might understand and deliver his grace.