and what the surpassing greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of the might of his strength,
Paul's prayer for the Ephesians ends by asking about power. He does not ask God to send more of it. He asks that believers would know the power already aimed at them. The measure he gives is startling. It is the same force that lifted Christ out of the grave and seated Him at God's right hand.
Paul's prayer moves in three steps, and this one breaks new ground.
"The hope to which he has called you" is the bright prospect of the saints themselves, as they are in Christ before God. "The riches of his glorious inheritance" take in, of course, that vast scene of creation which God will put under the glorified saints... But then he adds a third point, which was not given in the previous part of the chapter.
The verse stacks several different terms for strength on top of each other, and each carries its own shade.
Three words describe this power here, and each one carries the thought of strength or might... A free translation of them might be: the ability of His all-prevailing strength. The first word is the well-known "dunamis", the word from which we derive our word "dynamic" or "dynamo"... The word translated "mighty" is "kratos". It comes from the same root as the divine title "Almighty". The third word, "iskus", is usually translated "strength".
If God wanted to show His strength, He might have pointed to the making of the world. He points somewhere else instead.
For a sample we look not to creation but to the grave of Christ. In creation God made everything out of nothing by His Word, and no enemy appeared. At the grave of Christ it was different. Death, the great enemy, ruled that scene, and even Christ gave way to it — though He did so in grace — and died for sins. The power of God raised that blessed Man from the dead and put Him in the highest place at God's right hand. So God displayed a power that no enemy could withstand.
Nor is the cross the sample, though everything depends on it.
The cross, though the most essential of all things for God's glory and our need, does not give us the power of God. It shows us what God calls His weakness, and if I look at Christ there, He was "crucified in weakness."... But when we look at the resurrection, every trace of weakness has passed away for ever, and we see nothing but the most triumphant power of God.
The little phrase "toward us who believe" turns a historical fact into a personal one.
We see Christ in His tomb raised and elevated to the throne of God. Could any power be greater? And yet this same power has worked toward us. It did not only act for our benefit in Christ. We too have been made alive — raised with Christ — as the second chapter shows. The power that worked in Him has worked in us. How amazing!
Writers have noticed that Ephesians speaks of this power in three different directions:
In Ephesians 1:19, His power toward us... In Ephesians 3:16, 20, His power in us... and in Ephesians 6:10, His power with us.
This power is at work right now, and it is not one power among equals.
This power is spoken of as "working", so it is active toward us at the present time. There are other and great powers in the universe, but the power that is "working" toward us surpasses every other power, whether it be the power of the flesh in us, or the power of the devil against us. What a comfort to know that in all our weakness there is a surpassing power toward us and working for us.
So how do we take the measure of it? Not by looking at ourselves.
By attempting to gauge this work by our faith, or feeling, or intelligence, we never lay hold of it. The measure is outside ourselves.
So why do believers still feel weak? There is a plain answer.
Why then are we so weak? Because we so feebly believe it... It is one thing not to deny it as teaching. It is another to apply it and live in it — not only in great trouble or under heavy blows, but in the ordinary run of daily duty.
- Knowledge, not more power — Paul does not ask God to send extra strength. He asks that we know the power already at work.
- Measured at the tomb — God's sample of His own strength is not creation, where no enemy appeared. It is not the cross, which shows what God calls His weakness. It is the raising of Christ and His seating at God's right hand.
- Stacked words — dunamis, kratos, iskus: ability, almighty might, plain strength. Three words, because one could not carry it.
- Aimed at you — the power is toward us who believe, then in us, then with us; what worked in Christ has worked in us.
- Surpassing, so trust it — this power outranks the flesh within us and the devil against us. Its measure lies outside our feelings. Weakness in daily life comes from believing it so little.
[in] which he wrought in the Christ [in] raising him from among [the] dead, and he set him down at his right hand in the heavenlies,
Paul prays that believers would know how great God's power is toward them. To show it, he points not to the stars but to a tomb and a throne. The verse answers two questions: how great is that power, and where is the risen Man now seated?
Paul could have measured God's strength by the making of the world. He chose a different scene.
In Ephesians we have what the power of God is. The Apostle prays that we may know it. To see a sample, we look not at creation but at the grave of Christ. At creation the Word of God made everything out of nothing, and no enemy appeared. But at the grave of Christ, death, the great enemy, had swept the scene. Even Christ, in grace, gave way to it and died for sins. The power of God raised that blessed Man from the dead and put Him in the highest place at God's right hand. So God displayed a power that no enemy could withstand.
People often gauge God's power toward them by their own faith or feelings. This verse sets the standard somewhere else.
The exceeding greatness of God's power toward us who believe has its measure in the working of His own mighty power. He put that power to work in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places. The measure of the might is divine. If we try to gauge this work by our faith, or feeling, or intelligence, we never lay hold of it. The measure is outside ourselves.
God did more than bring Him back to life. He gave the risen Man a place above every other power and name.
God raised Him from the dead. He set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, according to His merits and the dignity of His Person. There He is far above every rule, authority, might and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. So God has raised Man, in the Person of Christ, above everything except the throne that raised Him. And is He alone? No. The same power raised Christ and set Him at the right hand of God. That surpassing greatness of power, which raised the Man who was dead to the right hand of God, works with the same might in everyone who believes.
The phrase runs through this letter. It also sets Ephesians apart from Romans and Colossians.
The 'heavenlies' mark out this letter: compare Eph. 1:3, 20; Eph. 2:6; Eph. 3:10; Eph. 6:12. Romans takes up man as alive in his sins, and grace meets his need. Ephesians shows God's life-giving power for those dead in sins, seen in His raising Christ up from among the dead. Colossians views believers as risen with Christ, but still on earth with their hope in heaven. Ephesians seats believers in Christ in the heavenly places.
So where did God put this power to work? Not first inside the believer.
All of us alike, Jews and Gentiles, were dead in trespasses and sins... What takes place? God gives them life. Is it by a work inside their souls? No, but in a completely different way — "together with Christ."... What is in view here is not a work done in certain people at particular times. It is the work of God, according to the might of His strength. Where and when? "In Christ, when He raised Him from the dead." The power is "toward" us, but the operation itself took place in Christ.
So what does that seat mean for the believer now?
Christ has received a higher dignity, and He holds that place in present association with us while we are here. It is One who not only owns us and is kind to us, and uses the greatness of His glory for our good, but far more. The head of a vast empire can turn his throne to the good of his subjects and to the honour of those he wants to honour. But there is no real, direct, personal association with him. This is what the Christian has with Christ. Nothing less than to be one with Christ is what we have here.
- The sample — God shows His power not at creation, where nothing opposed Him, but at a grave, where the great enemy had done its worst.
- The measure — the standard of this power lies outside us. Our faith and feelings cannot gauge it.
- The Man — God set the risen Man above every rank and title, higher than all except the throne that raised Him.
- The place — "the heavenly places" runs through this letter. It is where Christ sits, and where believers sit in Him.
- The reach — the act happened in Christ, the power flows toward us, and the end is not distant kindness but being one with Him.