(15) Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, (16) do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: (17) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (18) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (19) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (20) which 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 principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
(22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
(22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Key verse:
Ephesians 1: 19
...and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power...
It is hard to appreciate the greatness of God's power toward us. It is difficult to understand the capacity of the power that He works toward and within the believer. Below are listed a few possible reasons why we have such a hard time understanding this power:
1. The first part of verse 18 is a prayer that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened. This must mean that our understanding is naturally darkened and is in need of illumination to understand the things of God.
2. In verse 19, the word "exceeding" is used to describe the greatness of God's power toward us. The word "exceeding" can be used interchangeably with the word "surpassing" or with the word "immeasurable." So if one were to describe the greatness of God's power toward us as immeasurable, it is only natural to realize that, often times, God's power is something beyond human comprehension.
3. Perhaps we don't always come to grips with the magnitude of evil that God's power protects us from. The devil is real and he seeks to utterly destroy us. I don't think that we have any idea how many terrible forces God protects us from. If we could come to grips with the severity and reality of those things that God is daily protecting us from, then we would be that little bit closer to understanding the immeasurable magnitude of God's power toward us, inside us, and around us.
Notice how, in verse 19, the word "power" is used twice. It is, therefore, obvious that the word "power" is an important word in this particular passage. What is not so obvious is the fact that each time the word "power" is used, it has been translated from a different word in the original greek language. The first "power" in the verse is translated from the greek word "dunamis" referring to a violently wonderful, miraculous display of power. The second "power" is translated from the greek word "kratos" and seems to refer to a more general strength or might.
Although each "power" has a slightly different emphasis, the first "power" is said to accord with the second "power". Take a look at verses 19 and 20: ...and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, ACCORDING to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places...
So the power that God works toward us is the very same power that He worked in Christ when He raised Christ from the dead. God's power toward us is the same power that He worked when He set Christ at His right hand in Heaven, far above all principalities, powers, might, dominion, and every name in this world and the next. God's power toward us is the same power that He worked when He put all things under the feet of Christ. It is the same power that He worked when He instituted Christ as Head of all things to the church.
Verses 19 and 20 of chapter 1 seem to correspond with Ephesians 2: 4-6, see below:
EPHESIANS 2: 4-6
(4) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (6) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...
In verses 4 through 6 of chapter 2, it is stated that those who come to Christ are brought to life with Christ. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, we are raised with Him! It is also stated that God has made us to sit together with Christ in the heavenly places. These facts seem to correspond with verses 19 and 20 of chapter 1 where it is stated that the power that God is working toward us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at God's right hand in Heaven.
The awesome power that raised Christ from the dead is the very same power that God uses to bring new life to all who come to Jesus Christ. Let us pray that God will open our eyes to the reality and immensity of this power.
Do you want to experience this power in your own life? If you do, you must call upon Jesus and trust Him to save you. He died on the cross in order to pay your sin debt in full. He shed His blood to cleanse you from sin. He rose from the grave and conquered evil. Just as Christ rose from the dead, He gives new life to all those who put their faith in Him.
