Word of Encouragement (5/4/2021)
Today, we will move on to another prayer of Paul’s in Ephesians: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places...” (1:16-20).
The main petition of this prayer is that God would give the Ephesians the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Then, Paul goes on to tell us three things that he wants them to know. Today, we will reflect on the main petition and we will address the three things in the coming days.
First, notice the Trinitarian formula of this petition: He prays to “the God of Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory” to give them “the [Holy] Spirit of wisdom....” The Trinitarian formula was present in the previous section, in which Paul blessed God for giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ (1:3), which includes the sealing of the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our heavenly inheritance (1:13-14). How wonderful it is to know that all three Persons of the Trinity are involved in our salvation—God the Father in decreeing our salvation, God the Son in coming into this world as our Redeemer and accomplishing our salvation through His life, death, and resurrection, and God the Holy Spirit being poured out on God’s people to apply Jesus’ salvation to each of them and to perfect them! Each Person of the Trinity is divine, infinite and perfect in power and glory. And the Three are perfectly united in purpose, Each performing different functions for our redemption. How secure is our salvation, then!
This petition shows us that an important part of our redemption is the giving of the Holy Spirit. God the Father determined that this is necessary for our salvation. God the Son made it possible by laying down His life for our sin. Now that our sins are atoned for, the Holy Spirit can help us instead of destroying us like a consuming Fire. He helps us by regenerating us (i.e., causing us to be born again) and sanctifying us. Here, we have a glimpse of how He does them: by giving us the knowledge of Christ as the Spirit of wisdom and revelation (v. 17).
Second, this knowledge is not just a head/factual knowledge (about certain facts) but a heart/relational knowledge (of Christ in an intimate, personal relationship). That is why Paul prays that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened (v. 18). This kind of knowledge is not possible unless we are regenerated in the heart and our spiritual eyes are enlightened more and more by the work of the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul not only instructs but also prays. He knew that mere instruction, as necessary as it is, cannot bring about a new birth from above and a change in the heart, no matter how eloquent and precise the instruction may be: the Holy Spirit must work. We, too, need to acknowledge this and pray for the help of the Holy Spirit to enlighten the eyes of our hearts and illumine the Word of God as we read and listen to it. And we should pray this prayer not only for ourselves but for our children and our fellow saints.
From tomorrow, we will reflect more specifically on what God wants us to know. Have a blessed day!