In the remaining verses of Paul’s prayer report, Ephesians 1:20-23, Paul expands on the third topic of insight he hopes that the Holy Spirit will bring to believers: the enormity of God’s power, which He exercises on their behalf. He begins by pointing to two salvation history events as the premiere illustrations of God’s power: (1) the resurrection of Jesus from the dead; (2) the exaltation of Jesus to the throne of the cosmos (Ephesians 1:20).
How is God’s power expressed through the resurrection of Jesus? Ephesians 1:20; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; Philippians 3:8-11; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Peter 1:3.
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The resurrection of Jesus is a non-negotiable belief of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:14, 1 Corinthians 15:17). It is because Christ is risen that faithful believers await the grand, future resurrection to eternal life at the time of Christ’s return (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). It is because Christ is risen that we can look to Him today for all the blessings of the gospel, including the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The imagery, that God “seated Him [Christ] at His right hand” (Ephesians 1:20, NKJV), is drawn from Psalm 110:1, the most frequently cited passage in the New Testament (all of the passages just cited seem to draw on it). The exaltation of Christ has a high profile in Ephesians. Believers are “seated with … him [Christ Jesus] in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6, ESV). In addition, Paul refers to the ascent of Christ as a prelude to Christ’s filling all things and giving gifts to His church (see Ephesians 4:8-11).
In Ephesians 4:8-11, Paul warns us away from adopting a merely static image of Christ on the Father’s throne, presenting rather “the dynamic NT picture of the exalted Christ going forth by His Spirit in all the world, conquering and to conquer.” — F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1984), p. 133. So Paul portrays the exaltation/coronation of Christ not simply as an illustration of the divine power offered to believers, but as the source of that power.
| What are the ways that you need Christ’s power in your life, and how can we better avail ourselves of that power? What practices might hinder our access to His power? |
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