The hand that bled to make it mine, You have the reason why there is so little of vivid, vibrant joy in the things of God. Whatever Thou dost get out of us, Thou must first put in. For example, a young man may begin to have a burden for a particular foreign nation and its people. Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Ephesians 1:19 is a power packed passage with 4 Greek synonyms for power that give a great glimpse of the God's manifold power, especially His resurrection power (cf Ro 1:4+). In fact, the Greek word translated church in the New Testament means a called-out assembly. The call to salvation involves conforming us to the image of his Son. His election and call to salvation are part of an eternal plan for us that guarantees our inheritance in heaven: And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Romans 8:2930). us with every (how many?) Here we see a prayer Paul offered with the intention of strengthening Christs church. Just before His ascension Jesus assured the disciples, You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (Acts 1:8), an enduement every believer receives at the time he is saved. It is God who is at work in you, Paul assures us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. Even the ancients considered the heart to be the very center of a person -- the center of knowledge, understanding, thinking, wisdom. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural. But, as we do with so many owners manuals, we read it superficially or hardly at all and then wonder why the Christian life isnt working the way its supposed to! TECHNICAL NOTE - Note that the KJV translated from the Greek Textus Receptus (the NASB, ESV, et al are from the Nestle-Aland Greek) does not have "heart" (kardia) but has the word "understanding" which in the is the noun dianoia an old word for the faculty of understanding. What kind of riches are you looking for? If Gods power toward us is so great, why do so many Christians fall into serious sin. The Church as Christ's Body and the Christian as a member of that Body are the manifestation of God's glory on earth to-day, feeble and inadequate as it is. But not content with this, in the following year he pushes his fences back further into the depth of prairie or forest, and again renews his efforts to compel the land to yield him her secret stores. The better we truly know the "hope of His calling", This is amazing grace indeed! To shine or to brighten up. To say it another way, Paul prayed that believers would know the hope, inheritance and power not in their head but in their hearts, the very essence of their being. Consequently, they are constantly striving for material things and are continually chasing carnal pursuits. But they unravelled the mystery by telling me that they put in, in enriching manure, all that they took out in the days of golden harvest. The Greek tense is aorist imperative which speaks in context of a request in the form of a command and speaks of urgency and need) my eyes, that I may behold (careful, sustained, and favorable contemplation - LXX translates with katanoeo from kata = down + noeo is literally to the the mind down on and speaks of giving very careful consideration to some matter, think about very carefully, consider closely. Download Youtube video 4K - Download video from Youtube online | YT5s Megethos is used in Lxx in Ex 15:16 "By the greatness of Thine arm' (Where "His arm" is tantamount to His power. Of course, all these blessings are only for those who meet the conditions set forth in Eph 1:1-2 (ED: THOSE WHO BELIEVE). What shall we say of those who think that conversion is wrought by the free will of man, and is due to his own betterness of disposition? That burden was placed there by the Lord as part of His calling. WALK IN THE SPIRIT. Working, strength, and might or mighty further describe this power. In later Christianity this enlightening was equated with baptism (cf. 1:3), you are less likely to succumb to temptation. Romans It is used in doxologies to extol the power or dominion of God (1 Pet 5:11; Jude 25; Rev 5:13) and of Christ (1 Tim 6:16; 1 Pet 4:11; Rev 1:6; 5:13), which has victory over all contrary powers. Reprinted by permission. (A Day's Journey: 365 Daily Meditations from the Word). This down payment from God is the first installment on whats coming, a reminder that well get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. Ephesians 1:18 I. His call now is to all those redeemed by the blood of Jesus to showcase to our world Gods mercy, grace, and salvation (Hebrews 12:14;Matthew 5:16). The NET Bible is similar translating it ""since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened". Colossians Then again, Nick has become his father, killing a man with no consequences, no guilty conscience either. David wrote, Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all. This is a wonderful truth. It is not the word preached, nor the word read in itself; all quickening power proceeds from the Holy Ghost. If God can raise Jesus from the dead, God can provide all that is promised to the believer. This he did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which he foresaw in them. Modern maps containing the results Of the explorations of Livingstone, Stanley, Burton, tell another story of river, Savannah, tableland, and of myriads of inhabitants. None of us has to live a defeated life. Amazing grace! Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for the Spirits transforming work within you. Josephus, Antiquities 11.3.4). Nehemiah BGT [] , , Amplified: By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), (Amplified Bible - Lockman). Third is kratos (strength), which may also be translated dominion (1 Ti 6:16) or power (Heb. So if youre having problems in your Christian life, if things dont seem to be working as they should, maybe its time to go back and read the owners manual! Kleronomia is literally what is received as a gift from someone who has died, but figuratively as in this verse it refers in a religious sense to God's promised salvation, gifts, and benefits. We must live as citizens of heaven who belong to God. Matthew That having the eyes of your heart enlightened. The Message (MSG). 20-23All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. It is grace that supplies the wealth, but it is faith that lays hold of the wealth (cp 2Cor 5:7-note). 2 Thessalonians 1:9 And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. Its certainly not because of the power of the believer, but the power of God. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! I have riches of value untold. WithoutGodspower, these things would not be possible (seeLuke 18:2627). And may I know the riches of my glorious inheritance that is awaiting me and all who trust in Jesus as Saviour. The succession of ideas follows the order of conversion--first, "calling;" then acceptance to "inheritance;" lastly, "inward working of divine power" in the accepted. We are mean enough to wish to make all we can of God, and to give Him as little as possible of ourselves. Wiersbe draws a fitting application of Paul's great prayer for our great need - "The greatest power shortage today is not in our generators or our gas tanks. There is a superabundance of machinery; what is wanting is power. In favor of this view is the context of Ephesians 1 (verses 3, 11, & 14). Ephesians 1:18 (NASB) Verse Thoughts All believers have been called by grace, out of darkness into His glorious light. F B Meyer commenting on inheritance in 1Peter 1:4-notesees it asview #2, but in the following note below he takes view #1! From this Verse - Robert Morgan -The Boxer and the Businessman (From This Verse). No amount of worldly noise or manmade programming will make up for the sad lack of the Holy Spirit's presence. The church cannot arise and go out as at other times, and this the Philistines well know." I hold not its silver and gold; Ischus therefore conveys the sense of endowed power or ability. The faith that saves is not the faith whereby we live the victorious Christian life. The invitation goes out to everyone: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. But many ignore the invitation or make up excuses for why they cannot respond. There's more than enough power to break the hold of all sinful habits; more than enough to give deliverance from temptation; more than enough to enable the believer to live above circumstances. Click for additional discussion on some of the aspects of the hope of this calling. Paul is "struggling" to say what cannot be said. A blessing found at Qumran reads, May He illuminate your heart with the discernment of life and grace you with eternal knowledge (1QS 2:3; cf. The first phrase of verse 18 is literally, the eyes of your heart having been enlightened. I understand it to be explaining in more specific detail Pauls words in verse 17, that God would give us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the true knowledge of Him. To know these spiritual truths, God must open our eyes. money, possessions, or abundance, richness, valuable bestowment. 12:29): a mighty famine (Lk15:14): his letters are powerful (2 Cor. The Christian needs supernatural power, and God would have us see how great is His power to accomplish His purposes in us. Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Masculine Plural. 3:1. Now we are drowning in a sea of false religions and New Age philosophies. What did Paul ask? KJV The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. To find assurance, one must look to the covenant-keeping God and Scripture. But the antidote to these dangers is not to remain ignorant. Victory is ours! The little boy just stood there and made no move for the candy. In referring to those who believe Paul goes beyond the initial act of faith in God for salvation and speaks of a continuing and growing faith. The soul, as is written, The soul of man is the lamp of the Lord (Prov. ESV 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. (Phillips: Touchstone), Wuest: and what is the superabounding greatness of His inherent power to us who are believing ones as measured by the operative energy of the manifested strength of His might, (Eerdmans Publishing- usedby permission). 1:18. B. 1:3; 2:1; 3:9; Hab. WHAT ARE THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS: tis o ploutos tes doxes tes kleronomias autou en tois hagiois: There are two ways to interpret "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (1) The saints are His inheritance He considers a treasure of incomparable worth! Many believers were more interested in doing what felt right than in doing what God declared to be right.Instead of their emotions being controlled by Gods truth, their emotions distorted their understanding of His truth. The eye on yours is dusty. He cleaned it and the problems disappeared. 1:18; Eph. 1 John Arriving at the church the next day, he found a seat behind a large pillar. He has just prayed that God would give to them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. What promises did God make to him (vv. The prayer moves from God and Christ (Eph 1:17, 20-21) to the Ephesians (Eph 1:17-19) and the church (Eph 1:22-23). That fadeth not away! That view stresses the value God places on us as believers, as demonstrated in Christs death, the forgiveness of our sins, and the abundant grace that He lavishes on us (Eph 1: 78). 4:10; 8:10; Esther 4:17; 10:2; Job 4:2; 5:5; 6:11f, 22, 25; 9:19; 12:16; 16:5; 23:6; 26:2, 12; 30:2, 18; 31:24, 39; 36:5, 19, 22; 37:23; 39:11, 21; 40:16; Ps. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural. 3:8; 4:13; 5:4; 7:16; Nah. They must be revealed and as John MacArthur says "They are revealed only to those who love Him." The person who has received Christ is a new creation. 3:20). He returned home and wrote his wife, who was away: There has come a complete change into my life. Zephaniah The giant trees are cut down; and their roots burnt out, or extracted by a team of horses. 2:12) as, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.. He said that we never form adequate conceptions of the treasure of the gospel, or if we do, we cant persuade ourselves that these things pertain to us, because they are so far from what we experience. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. Ischus - 10 times in the NT translated: might, 5; power, 1; strength, 4. ), Paul wants us to get a glimpse of our glorious future so that we will live in light of it right now. All rights reserved. So what does he do? The passive voice indicates that this action is performed on the subject by an outside source, clearly implying the work of the Holy Spirit (aka divine passive). He told them they could do anything God wanted them to do through Christ who would strengthen them (Phil. Paul wrote (Phil.