THAT YOU MAY KNOW
Ephesians 1:1-23
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 (Ephesians 1:16-18, ESV).
It is not so much that Paul has to pray that God will give us the Holy Spirit because that is a given. He prays that the core of what we gain from the Spirit is wisdom and revelation. Wisdom is knowledge that is applied to life and how we live, and revelation is knowledge that we cannot attain except that it is revealed to us. And for that, the eyes of our hearts need to be enlightened. How? I believe that it is in being educated in the Word of God and educated as we Walk with God, understanding deeply his mind, his heart, his goals, what pleases him and what he despises and hates. Of course the first step is our embrace of the Gospel for how else would we appreciate Christ’s work of Salvation except that the eyes of our hearts are enlightened. But many more steps must follow or else we will be as the writer to Hebrews says of his audience, immature and still needing to be fed on milk.
Firstly he prays that we will know God. In knowing him we will know how we should live. God is our Creator and he is our Saviour. There is no one else more important to know and to be mindful of, shaping the way we think, feel and live—wisdom.
Secondly he prays that we may know the hope to which we are called, not just what awaits us, and who we will become, but also the power that God exerts on our behalf, for our sakes; power that raised Christ from the dead and ultimately power that will completely eliminate evil and sin from our reality and the glory of Christ will infuse all of Creation—revelation.
The framing of Salvation in personal terms (God loves me and sent his Son as a sacrifice for my sin) misses the mark, I believe. God’s work of Salvation, conceived by him and executed by Christ (just like Creation) is cosmic in reach, ultimately, “when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” And just like creation, “we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” We will eternally be the expression of his glory as the Saviour God—his love, his mercy, his justice, his sacrifice, his faithfulness, his defeat of evil, his victory and triumph.
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.