Deep Dive into Far Above, Given to the Church: Seeing the Hope, Inheritance, and Power of the Exalted Christ (Ephesians 1:18 –23)

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18 –23 centers on granting the church experiential knowledge of three covenant realities—hope, inheritance, and power—so that believers might live under their sovereign Head. This knowledge is accessible only through the indispensable condition known as the principle of knowledge: illumination by the Holy Spirit through the Word. Illumination is a divine act in which God enlightens the "eyes of your heart" to perceive objective truth, granting "clarity, penetration, and certainty" about the already-revealed truth in Scripture.

The first reality is the hope of His calling, which is defined as a confident expectation grounded entirely in God’s effectual summons (κλῆσις). This call, issuing from God's decree, guarantees the certainty of the new-creation future, including glorification, because the call that began salvation will finish it. The second reality is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. This defines the church as God’s treasured possession, or "God's inheritance" (subjective genitive), where His glory-rich wealth is displayed. The superlative worth of the saints secures assurance, as what God prizes, He preserves.

The third reality is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us. This power is superabundant, establishing and sustaining the whole Christian life, from regeneration to glorification. The definitive proof and pattern of this power is the historical sequence of Christ’s resurrection and session (enthronement). This power is applied to the church because God gave Christ "as Head over all things to the church," meaning Christ’s universal reign is a "redemptive benefit for the saints" (dative of advantage). To know these realities through illumination is to exchange anxiety for adoration and consumerism for consecrated belonging.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

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