THE INCOMPARABLY GREAT POWER OF GOD
The terminology used in Ephesians 1:19 is interesting. Put simply, the first word (‘incomparably’) has the idea of throwing beyond the limit, excelling or succeeding. There are obvious English derivations from the next terms used–megethos (megaphone), dunamis (dynamic), energeia (energy), to name just a few. The next word (kratos) is the basis of English adjectives […]
TRUTH IS BEAUTY
When God created humankind, he said that his creation was ‘very good’. The Hebrew word for ‘good’ can also mean ‘beautiful’. It is used, for instance of the lovely Bathsheba, who is described as ‘very beautiful’ (2 Samuel 11:2). In his ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, the poet John Keats wrote, ‘Beauty is truth, truth […]
FAR ABOVE ALL
In Ephesians 1:21, the Bible says that Christ is exalted far above every– arche–someone who comes first (as in ‘arch-villain’), ruler. No matter who appears to be primary, Christ is ahead of them! exousia–authority. All authority has been given to Jesus (Matthew 28:18). dunamis–dynamic energy. The Lord Jesus Christ is more dynamic than any other […]
EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING
Following is a list from the letter to the Ephesians, detailing some of the things that Paul says are included in the blessings God has provided. Note that they are all in the past tense–in other words, the work has already been done. Nothing remains to be tidied up. It is complete. He chose us […]
WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
One distinctive characteristic of humanity is our ability to worship. The term derives from an Old English term ‘worth-ship’, the act of attributing worth to something or someone. God created us with the capacity to worship him (implied in Genesis 3:8-9; see also John 4:23). Sadly, all over the world that yearning to worship has […]
KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST
The first three chapters of Ephesians tell us all that God has done for us. Here we learn who we are in Christ. The next three chapters tell us about the good works that God has prepared for us. The whole book is wrapped around the concept of living in the image of God. Paul […]
PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Worshiping God is not the same as praising God. Anyone can praise God. We can be standing in church singing, ‘To God be the glory’ and be thinking about the washing or a business deal or how many text messages are waiting to be read. But we can’t worship God like that. We must worship […]
RICH IN CHRIST
How rich we are in Christ! Every possible blessing is ours in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3). The word ‘bless’ is a translation of the Greek verb eulogeo which means ‘I speak well of’. What Paul is declaring here is that God speaks well of us in every way. This is powerful, for a spoken blessing […]
GOOD IS BEAUTIFUL
In the Bible, only people are described as being made in God’s image. While at the beginning creation is described as ‘good’, after the appearance of human beings it is called ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31). Talking about humankind, the Psalmist writes: You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with […]
EXPOUNDING THE WORD EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT
Much damage has been done to the gospel by extremist behaviour. Balance is the key to avoiding fanaticism. Here are some objective guidelines for assessing spiritual expressions– Is it biblical? (i.e. does it agree with Scripture? 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Deut13:1-3) Is it bona fide? (i.e. is it genuine? Deuteronomy 18:21-22) Is it beneficial? (i.e. does […]