Access With Confidence

We can’t watch a movie in the theater without buying a ticket. It isn’t proper to attend a wedding without an invitation. We aren’t allowed to walk into the kitchen of a restaurant when we feel like it to sample the food. When we fly, we can’t sit ourselves in the cockpit. We can’t access a bank’s vault. We can’t even access our own various accounts from social media to financial without a login and password. There are certain things that we may not access or may access only if we have been granted access.

Some of these examples can be important like access to our bank accounts, but many others are about access for our enjoyment. All of them are temporary, some more so than others. As we finish the first section of Chapter 3, Paul shares with us an eternal access of infinite importance.

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— ² assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³ how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. ⁴ When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. ⁶ This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

⁷ Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, ¹⁰ so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. ¹³ So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. ^[1]

Ephesians 3:1-13 (emphasis added)

We left off mid-sentence last week. Paul, by a gift of God’s grace was made a minister of the Gospel to the Gentiles, so that God’s manifold wisdom would be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. “This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vs 11).

We pick up with “in whom” which designates Jesus. Paul adds “in him” at the end of the verse as well. What comes next is possible only by our union with Christ that was secured by His atoning death, resurrection, and ascension. Our own merit and efforts are insufficient. Only through faith in Christ do we receive the next blessing.

“in whom we have boldness and access with confidence”- As God’s chosen portion, His children, we have boldness and access with confidence to approach God in prayer and to live in His presence. I fear much of the awe of this truth is lost on us. Prayer is often more about on the fly requests thrown up to God instead of purposeful time for intimate fellowship with the Almighty God, our Heavenly Father.

We have never known anything apart from the presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling us from the moment of justification. God’s presence is continually with us. Paul’s audience was Gentile. They knew the Greek goddess Artemis (Diana, Roman). Unbelieving Gentiles might go to the Temple of Artemis/Diana to worship, but they weren’t in the presence of the goddess. There was no fellowship with her (not that these things are even possible since she didn’t truly exist).

If we consider Jewish worship in the Old Testament, only the High Priest was allowed once a year to enter the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelt. There were times in the Old Testament that God’s Spirit was upon someone, but it was selective and temporary (Joshua, Numbers 27:18; Saul, 1 Samuel 10:10; David, 1 Samuel 16:12-13). When the Holy Spirit came upon select people, it was for a specific task or ability for service, but we also see that the Holy Spirit could be taken away. “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).

In contrast to pagan worship or Judaism, regardless of our sinful past, we have boldness and access with confidence to God as His children in Christ. We do not have to fear being rejected. We can talk honestly and openly with our Heavenly Father. We can rest and delight in His presence that will never be removed.

“¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22, emphasis added).

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16, emphasis added).

Jesus by His atoning blood made a way for us to confidently come before God’s throne of grace. That should leave us in awe, but our view of God is often too casual. Of view of God is small. We have boldness and confidence through faith in Christ to fellowship with the Almighty God, sovereign Creator of all there is, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, perfect in love, mercy, grace, faithfulness, compassion, justice, wrath, patience, kindness, who alone is holy, holy, holy.

I feel like we should stop there to take in the glory of God who we are privileged and blessed to call our Abba Father.

Paul continues: “So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory” (vs 13). In light of being chosen as God’s portion and the boldness and confidence with which they have access to the Father, the Ephesian believers should not lose heart, lose enthusiasm, or be discouraged over Paul’s suffering and imprisonment (vs 1). In the secular Greek, this phrase “not to lose heart” was used of a woman in labor who feels like she can’t endure the full labor.

It’s tempting to be discouraged in times of suffering, to feel hopeless, to lose heart, but Paul reminds the Ephesian believers of God’s sovereignty with the words “for you”. God had an eternal purpose in Paul’s imprisonment, in his suffering (vs 11). Paul began this section in the same way: “For this reason, I, Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles” (vs 1, emphasis added). Here we see not just the extent Paul was willing to go for the sake of the Gospel, but ultimately, the extent Jesus did go that we might be saved.

In several of Paul’s other letters, Paul expresses the same mindset:

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that, the church” (Colossians 1:24).

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to spread the word without fear” (Philippians 1:12-14).

“which is your glory” – Some commentators understand this as the Ephesian believers’ future eternal glory as a result of salvation (2 Corinthians 4:12; 2 Timothy 2:10; see also the three above verses). Scottish Theologian John Eadie taught another possible understanding: “The general opinion appears to be the correct one, that these sufferings of Paul, which came on him simply because he was the apostle of the Gentiles, were the “glory” of the Gentile believers, and not their disgrace, inasmuch as such persecutions not only proved the success of his ministerial labours, but were at the same time collateral evidence of the lofty and unfettered privileges which believing heathendom now possessed and retained.”^[2] In both understandings, God brings glory out of suffering.

Reflection

1.    Write out your response of both praise and thanksgiving to the truth that you have boldness and access with confidence to your Heavenly Father as a chosen child of God.

2.    Paul was faithful to share the Gospel, enduring suffering and imprisonment (2 Corinthians 11:23-28; 1:8-9). He ended up dying for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus willingly gave His own life that you might be saved. What might you need to endure or give up for the sake of the Gospel?

3.    Paul could endure suffering and imprisonment because he knew God was sovereign, having an eternal purpose in his suffering. Give an example of God’s eternal purpose in past suffering? What current circumstance do you need to remember that God is sovereign over and in which He has a good purpose? How does that change your response in the circumstance?

4.    Have you been losing heart? What encouragement from your access to your Heavenly Father encourages you to keep persevering in doing good? Do you know someone who is losing heart? How can you encourage them from this passage?

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 3:1–13.

^[2] John Eadie, A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, ed. W. Young (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1883), 239.