Faith & Love

The Caribbean is known for crystal clear azure waters. Thai food is known for being spicy. Tom Selleck is known for his mustache and iconic role on Magnum P.I.. What are you known for? What do you think people say about you?

Today, we come to another long sentence in the Greek that we will spend several weeks working through. Each week, we will read the whole section (vs 15-23) to retain the context. The key idea in this section is found in verse 16: thanksgiving and prayer. The verses that follow reveal the content of Paul’s prayer (vs 17-19) and exaltation of Christ (vs 20-23). In today’s verses, we will focus on what the Ephesian church and the surrounding churches[1] were known for.

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in knowledge of him, 18 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, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.[2]

Ephesians 1:15-23

The past five weeks, we focused on God’s lavish grace that has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places including being chosen, redeemed, and sealed for an inheritance. God’s lavish grace led Paul to praise, and in this next section, it led him to thanksgiving and prayer.

“For this reason” – Paul is referring back to everything he has written in verses 3-14 particularly verses 13-14: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Paul’s thanksgiving and prayer is in light of the Ephesians’ salvation.

Paul has heard two things about the Ephesian believers. Paul knew many of the believers in Ephesus and Asia Minor from the time he ministered there, but it had been at least four years since he had seen them. During those four years, through letters and personal reports, Paul received updates on the Ephesian believers. People were talking about them, and what Paul heard was good.

The Ephesian believers were known for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love toward all the saints. This vertical faith and horizontal love were evidence of saving faith and are intertwined (1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 6:23). “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him” (1 John 5:1).

The Ephesians’ faith relied upon Christ alone for their salvation. Their faith reflected their intimate relationship with Jesus. Their faith remained steadfast midst persecution. They were constant in professing their faith.

Their faith was in the Lord Jesus. In Ephesus, the Greek goddess Artemis[3] was worshiped. The Ephesian believers did not place their faith in Artemis or in Caesar. Their faith was in the Lord Jesus. We should pay attention to Lord. Maybe you have heard someone clarify that they trusted in Jesus as their Savior when they came to saving faith, but later accepted Him as Lord. The Bible does not teach such a division. Lord and Savior are inextricably linked. You cannot accept Jesus as your Savior, yet think you don’t have to submit to Him. He is Lord (sovereign) whether or not you accept it. You may not fully understand this truth when you are initially saved, but your lack of understanding does not make it untrue. Jesus is Lord and Savior. The Ephesians believers knew this. They lived it. They professed it. They were known for it.

The Ephesian believers were also known for their love toward all the saints. Saints includes all believers. The Ephesians loved like Jesus – indiscriminately, genuinely, and sacrificially. “By this we know love, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:16-18).

The Ephesian’s love may have reflected Paul’s description of love in 1 Corinthians: It was not envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, insisting on its own way, irritable, resentful, or rejoicing at wrongdoing. It was patient, kind, rejoicing with the truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things, and never ending.

Because of the Ephesian’s faith and love, Paul said: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (vs 16). “Do not cease” doesn’t mean that Paul did nothing else except give thanks and pray for the Ephesians. To pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) does mean having a mindset of continuous conversation with God, being aware of His presence at all times. My husband and I drove ten hours round trip to my niece’s wedding this past weekend. We did not talk to each other constantly, but anytime something funny came into my mind, a question, an observation, or a serious thought, he was the one I turned to and shared with. I didn’t call my best friend or mom. My husband was with me, and he was who I wanted to share with. That is the idea behind praying without ceasing. Paul consistently and generously gave thanks and prayed for the Ephesian believers.

Paul gave thanks. He didn’t neglect recognizing God’s good work and spiritual blessings in others’ lives. I know that too often I focus solely on requests, or I focus on someone’s sin instead of being thankful for God’s saving and sanctifying work in his/her life.

Paul prayed. Beginning next week, we will examine the content of Paul’s prayer (knowing God more fully). For today, we will consider some general truths about prayer. First, prayer is submitting to God’s will not your own (Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42). Second, it is a gracious privilege. Jesus, as our High Priest, has made a way for us to boldly come before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). It is a privilege that we can come to God directly. It is a privilege that God hears and answers our prayers. It is a privilege to pray for others, bear their burdens.

Third, John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress wrote a book now published as Praying with the Spirit and with Understanding Also in which he describes prayer as: “a sincere, sensible [fervent] affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to his Word, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God.”[4] This is what we see reflected throughout Paul’s prayers.

Fourth, prayer teaches us to depend on our heavenly Father, to trust Him to provide, to be content with His provision, to be grateful for His faithfulness and provision, to enjoy what He provides, and to purify our hearts’ desires.

Saving faith was evident in the Ephesian believers through their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love towards other believers. This too is more of God’s lavish grace (vs 31-4). Paul unceasingly gave thanks and prayed as a result of it.

Reflection

1.        What do you think you are known for? What do you think others say about you? Consider asking a spouse or friend what they think.

2.        Are faith and love evident in your life? In what ways? Where do you need to grow? Think of one or two specific ways that you can take steps to grow in faith and love.

3.        Think of two or three people in your church family. Thank God for His saving and sanctifying work in their lives. Be specific about the ways sanctification is evident in their lives. Encourage them by sharing how you see God working.

4.        Begin thinking about the content of your prayers. Over the next week, write down things you typically give thanks and pray for during the week.

[1] As we noted in “Ephesians: the Beginning,” this letter was probably not written to only one church, but rather, it was a circulatory letter.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 1:15–23.

[3] Or the Roman goddess Diana.

[4] Coekin, Richard. Ephesians For You. (Charlotte, NC: The Good Book Company, 2023), 28.