The Power Of Holiness Series

To just set up the text a little, let me remind you of what Paul has been saying to the Ephesians up to this point. He begins the letter by exploring the big picture – that God has redeemed some out the fallen mass of humanity in order reveal the glory of his grace and to bring all things together under Jesus Christ. Then Paul demonstrates how this is being done by salvation by grace alone through faith. This is the only way that any are brought into a redeemed relationship with the Creator – that means both Jew and Gentile. Therefore, God is drawing both together in order to form one new people of God. In fact, Paul says, I was called to be an apostle for this very purpose, to gather the Gentiles into the body of Christ, into the covenant community of God. It is because Paul was specifically tasked to bring in the Gentiles – that is all the other nations and peoples who were not Jewish – that he now kneels before the Father and prays that they will have power. But power to do what?

First and foremost, to believe. He prays that they may latch on to the message of the Gospel, not just initially but continually – probing its depths, its contours, its textures. He prays that they may become so familiar with love of Christ that they can rattle off its dimensions the same way we rattle off the square footage of our houses or the size of our waist. Do you know Christ’s love that well?

But he also prays that we will know the love of Christ even beyond its dimensions. Paul knows that even as we plumb the depths of Christ’s love, we will never get its full measure – it is beyond us. So he prays that we will know even that which exceeds our ability to know. That is quite a prayer, one that is seemingly impossible. But let us not forget who is at work here; the God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we think or imagine.

Now, why pray for something that seems like a shoe-in anyway? God loves us, we love God, isn’t the natural progression of things that we will grow to love him more? I mean, wow, he died for us. That is a pretty powerful motivator for us to love him. Yes, it is. But always remember, it was by the power of God – by the work of the Holy Spirit that we came to believe the message of the gospel in the first place. Without God’s gracious intervention in our lives – without him enabling us to believe the message – we still would not believe.

You see, the power of holiness is God’s power at work in us. It is not some spiritual battery pack that we recharge and discharge at our discretion. It is not the we become powerful in the Spirit, rather it is God’s Spirit that is powerful in us. The power of holiness is God himself in action. The same power that flung the stars into space and formed the earth – that called everything into existence is at work in you and me – at work in every believer.

And since it is the power of God at work in us, these two things are true. First, this power is not at our disposal for our purposes. It must fulfill the purposes of God. For those who preach that God’s power is yours to use – to empower you to become wealthy and successful or to make your life pain free do not understand the nature of God’s power and pervert the message of the gospel. The power of holiness must fulfill God’s purposes.