Ephesians 1:19
and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.
and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.
There are three things that Paul wants us to know:
- the hope of God's calling
- the wealth of God's glorious inheritance in the saints
- The incomparable greatness of God's power toward us who believe
POWER
His power towards us is something ongoing right now. We are not just born again; we are eternally connected to him.
There is a pipeline of His power that flows to us. You may not feel it, but it is happening.
That is what Jesus meant when He said no one can pluck us from His hand (John 10:28-29). He is not just observing, wishing we would not fall; rather, His very life and power are sustaining us.
That is why we are able to stand against temptation, trials, mockery, and abuse because of our faith. That is why, though we are cast down, we are not destroyed.
We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed, (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
What we have is eternal life, and eternal life is not a concept; it is God himself. Jesus described eternal life as knowing the true God (John 17:3).
There is a greatness of God's power towards us who believe, exercised to raise us up with Christ from spiritual death, which will be exercised on the last day when we are raised up from the grave (John 6:40).
We are talking about a power that is at work, whether we are at work or at sleep, whether we just suffer loss or we have just won it big, whether we are walking or we are sitting, whether we are in a queue or sitting down in church, whether we are in conflict or at peace, whether we feel it or not.
It is not dependent on us. The calling is not dependent on us, the glorious inheritance is not dependent on us, and the great power is not dependent on us.
We did not contribute to the calling, to the inheritance, or to the power; we are the recipients of the divine love, power and wisdom.
To cap it up, Paul said everything is yours:
So then, no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)
That communicates the comprehensive nature of the power of God that is towards you. It is incomparable. That should fill us with a sense of restful satisfaction. And we don't have to wait for the power to be expressed. It is already expressed and unleashed.
The same resurrection power that raised Jesus is at work in you (Ephesians 1:19-20). How amazing is that!
So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God. (Philippians 2:12-13)
God is nonstop working in you, no downtime, no server down, no lights out. That is why Paul was confident that God would bring us home.
For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
It's an ongoing work to ensure that you lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of you (Philippians 3:12), to bring you safety to his kingdom (2 Timothy 4:18). This is not maybe, this is assured because of the power of God at work.
God is not half committed to you; He is fully committed to you. If He raised Jesus up (and He did), He will raise you up. That may be difficult to grasp amid the various issues in the world and in your life, as well as the uncertainties you are surrounded by.
That is why Paul felt he needed to pray that God would give these people the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they would know the hope of God's calling, the wealth of God's glorious inheritance in the saints, and the incomparable greatness of the power to those of us who believe.
But in a sense, all those three things are one thing. The hope defined the shape - the direction; the wealth - the fully realized content; the power - the link between them.
Paul said it this way:
Not that I have already attained this—that is, I have not already been perfected—but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. (Philippians 3:12)
Still in another place, he said:
Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:29)
