On the Outside Looking In

To appreciate just how good the Good News is, we need to remember just how bad he bad news is.  Looking back from where we are now to where we were before gives us perspective.  It gives us context.  

Here Paul encourages every follower of Jesus who is not Jewish to think back to their lives BC: Before Christ.  

"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:11-12).  

He goes out of the way to let his Ephesian friends know just how bad the bad news was.  Separated.  Alienated.  Strangers.  No hope.  Without God.

If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.

Paul asks the folks in Ephesus to think back to their situation before they heard about Jesus.  This was one of the great port cities of the ancient world.  It was a huge melting pot of cultures, nationalities, races and religions.  

Only a handful of folks there had heard about the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee.  But that all changed when the Apostle Paul hit town during his third world tour (Acts 19).  

The apostle's first move was always to start by reaching out to local Jews.  It made sense since they already were expecting Messiah.  That's what he did in Ephesus (Acts 19:8).  

While his teaching in the local synagogue resulted in a few folks accepting Jesus as the long-awaited Savior of Israel, some other Jews began causing Paul a boatload of trouble (Acts 19:9).  

So he took his act across town to the Hall of Tyrannus where God used him to reach lots of Jews and Gentiles over the next two years (Acts 19:9-10).  

Paul's three-year gig in Ephesus was loaded with miracles, exorcisms, bonfires and riots.  All because God had reached out to non-Jews through Jesus.

Twice, Paul tells the Ephesians to "remember" (v11, 12).  This is the Greek verb mnemoneuo/μνεμονευω, which means to call to mind, hold in memory or keep thinking about something.  

It's the idea of recalling info from memory without necessarily having forgotten it.  He wants his readers to think back on just where they've come from.  

You can't really know where you are until you remember where you've been.  And here he asks them to remember two things.  First, remember you're not Jewish.  Second, remember you had no hope.

If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.

The apostle reminds the Ephesians that before Jesus they were socially separated from Jews.  They were "Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision" (v11).  

The Hebrews are God's chosen people.  They arrogantly considered non-Jews to be outcasts and disgusting.  There were several ways to distinguish Jews from Gentiles.  But the biggie was circumcision.  

Way back when God reached out to Abraham and got this whole thing started, He told him to cut off the foreskin of every male baby as a sign of God's promise (Gen 17:11).  

Yahweh's promise?  An eternal covenant to give Abe's descendants land, to be their God and ultimately to bless all the nations of the earth (Gen 17:7-8; 18:18).  

Yeah, don't miss that last one.  A blessing to all nations.  There's just one little problem.  Jews hated Gentiles.  And Gentiles returned the favor.  

On the rare occasions that a non-Jew wanted to follow the God of Israel, they had to convert to Judaism.  If you were a dude, that included a, shall we say, "delicate" procedure.

Paul also wants the Ephesians to "remember that you were at the time separated from Christ" (v12).  Christ is a NT term that's equivalent to Messiah in the OT. 

As Gentiles, God's Messiah meant absolutely nothing to them.  According to the Jews, the long-awaited One was coming back to fulfill all of the promises God made to His chosen people through Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets.  Separated.

If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.

Before Christ, non-Jews were "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel" (v12).  They had no part of the nation of Israel.  

No part of their rich heritage.  No part of their future.  No part of their blessings.  No part of their culture of community.  No part of their unique kingdom ruled by God their King.

If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.

If that's not bad enough, the apostle reminds them that as non-Jews they were "strangers to the covenants of promise" (v12).  

Covenants.  These are God's rock solid promises to bless His people.  Land.  Seed.  Blessing.  One who would one day sit on the throne of David for eternity (2Sam 7).  

Turning rock-hard hearts soft, obedient ones (Ezek 36:25-28; 37:26).  And every one of these is all wrapped up in the promised Messiah.  He's coming back to make everything right.  

If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.

Paul lets the Ephesians know that if their situation wasn't desperate enough, they were also "having no hope and without God in the world" (v12).  Not a little bit of hope.  None.  Zip.  Zilch.  Zero.  Nada.  

Find all the hope in the world and take it away.  Then you'll have the same hope as the Ephesian Gentiles before Jesus.  No hope.  No future.  No promises.  

They also faced a fallen world without God.  Before hearing about Jesus, these Gentiles worshiped an endless parade of idols and false gods.  

Ephesus had a huge temple to the Greek god Artemis.  One of the huge controversies in the city was the impact the Gospel had on temple business (Acts 19:23-27).  

Once these folks heard about Jesus from Paul, it turned Ephesus upside down.  That's what happens when Jesus let the outsiders in.

Two thousand years later, it's VERY hard to wrap our brains around what a big deal this was.  It helps if we read the NT through the filter of the early church's "Gentile problem."  

Jewish Christians wrestled with what to do with all these non-Jews who God was clearly saving.  Many Jews demanded that they must become Jews first.  

In Acts 15, Paul and others successfully argued that if God is bringing them into the family, who are we to stop them?  

I think verses like these are INCREDIBLY important for us non-Jews to keep in mind too.  

We weren't originally invited to the party.  We weren't originally part of God's chosen people.  We weren't originally part of any covenant promise.  

But that all changed with Jesus.  That all changed at Calvary.  That all changed with the empty tomb. 

If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.

©2013
Jay Jennings

Lose the Force, Luke

And what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might (Eph 1:19).

I love me some "Star Wars." Especially the original trilogy. You know, the one that starts with Episode IV. Yeah, that only makes sense if you're fan. 

It's loaded with classic characters. Princess Leia. Han Solo. Darth Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke Skywalker. 

But let's be honest, these movies are entertaining but their theology was, shall we say, more than a bit wacko. There's that famous scene where the dearly departed Ben Kenobi urged young Luke to "use the Force, Luke." 

Here in his letter to his friends in Ephesus, Paul instead tells us to understand the unlimited energy source that God works in and through our lives. 

The apostle wants us to see "what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might" (v19). 

Lose the Force, Luke. Let the power of Jesus do the work.

This is a continuation of Paul's prayer that he began in Eph 1:16. First he asked God to shine His spotlight on the incredible hope we have in Jesus as well as breathtaking inheritance our heavenly Dad has for us (Eph 1:18). 

He then prays that God would pull back the curtain and allow us to see His incredible power at work in our lives. The apostle asks that God give us a tour of the reactor of divine power. 

Sorry, Iron Man. Your arc reactor is cool. But it's a 9 volt battery compared to amazing power of God that energizes the life of Jesus' followers.

Paul calls God's power "immeasurable" (v19). This is the Greek word huperballo/'υπερβαλλω. It means to surpass all measure, exceed to an extraordinary extent, go beyond all comprehension, something extreme or beyond comparison. 

If you've placed your trust in Jesus, God's power in your life is off the scale. It pegs the meter. It's off the charts. 

Stop and think about that for just a moment. Do you really understand what kind of supernatural energy is at your disposal? 

That's why the apostle asks God to pull back the curtain and get a glimpse. The term translated as "power" here is closely related to our word "dynamo." His power in our lives is off the charts.

But not everybody has access to God's unlimited power. This isn't like "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Just because someone possesses the Ark, it doesn't mean they can access God's power like some sort of weapon of mass destruction. 

No. Instead, the power of Jesus is "to us who believe" (v19). God only plugs in those who place their trust in who Jesus is and what He's done. 

He lived a perfect life that we didn't. He died a brutal death that we should have. He rose to a new life that we don't deserve. He did it. We didn't. 

We believe in what He did FOR us. This is NOT about the strength of our faith in Christ. This is about believing He's done for us what we could never do in a million years. 

It's NOT the power of our belief. It's about the power of the One in whom we believe.

This divine dynamo is the "working of His great might" (v19). We see another power-packed term here. "Working" is the Greek noun energeia/ενεργεια.

Looks familiar, doesn't it? Yeah, this means energy, power or force. In the New Testament, biblical writers only use it when talking about a supernatural power source, whether God or Satan. 

This is the energy of God. This is the power of God. This is supernatural force of God. Lose the Force, Luke. Turn to Jesus.

Speaking of Luke, the author of Acts used this same term when he related Jesus' last words to His followers. 

"You will receive power (Gr. energeia/ενεργεια) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). 

His disciples find out just a few days later that this amazing power source is actually the Person of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-4). 

His indwelling Spirit is the reactor in each one of Christ's followers. And a huge purpose of plugging us into this divine dynamo is to tell others about Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul certainly understood that. "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 (Gr. energeia/ενεργεια)" (Eph 3:7). 

He used God's supernatural energy to tell others about Jesus. A perfect example that with great power comes great responsibility.

We need to realize that Jesus can do absolutely crazy things in us and through us because the Holy Spirit is an unlimited source of energy.

 Later in this letter to his buddies back in Ephesus, Paul suddenly explodes in praise over the off the scale power of God in his life. 

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power (Gr. energia) at work within us" (Eph 3:20). 

Lose the Force, Luke.

©2013
Jay Jennings

God's Light Show

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, 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 (Eph 1:17-18).

I love a great light show. Concerts. Sporting events. It really doesn't matter. Spotlights. Colored gels. Lasers. 

While those are cool, Paul writes about another light show that makes those look like a burned out bulb. He prays that we could witness God's light show.

The apostle is in a Roman slammer because of Jesus (Eph 3:1). He's trying to prepare his friends back in Ephesus for a heresy that's running through the region. 

Some spiritual snake oil salesmen have duped folks down the road in Colossae that Jesus may have saved them but they've got to keep themselves saved by following a very specific set of religious rules (Col 2:8, 16-23). 

Paul knows that the best way to prevent believers from falling for a counterfeit is to be captivated by the real deal. So he tells them to sit back and take a long, glorious look at who Jesus is and what He's done. 

That's exactly what we see in Ephesians 1:3-14. Immediately after that, the apostle lets his friends back in Ephesus know that he's praying for them (Eph 1:15), thanking God for what He's doing in and through this church (Eph 1:16).

But Paul's prayer doesn't stop there. He prays that God will crank up His glorious light show. 

He asks "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, 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" (v17). 

Flip on the heavenly spotlight. Turn on the colored gels of glory. Fire up the Shekinah lasers. Let God's light illuminate His amazing goodness to us. 

When we get a glimpse of His grace, our jaws will hit the floor. The apostle knows that once we see that, no crummy imitation will capture our attention.

The man from Tarsus asks God to "give you a spirit of wisdom" (v17). And why wouldn't he ask for Him for that. 

He's a giving God. He's a gracious God. It's just what He does. It's just who He is. He's a Giver. He gives and He gives and He gives. 

Paul asks that God blow the Ephesians' doors off with a "revelation in the knowledge of Him" (v17). 

He's NOT talking about a simple, sterile head knowledge of facts about God. He's asking Jesus to reveal Himself in an overwhelming, personal and experiential way to the folks back in Ephesus. 

The apostle has made this knowledge of Jesus the entire focus of his life. Everything else is just a big steaming pile compared knowing Him (Phil 4:8). 

The apostle asks God to crank up His light show so his friends can see and know Jesus for who He is and what He's done.

Paul prays that God would light things up so that we would have "the eyes of your hearts enlightened" (v18). He uses the Greek verb photizo/φωτιζω, which means to shine a light, illuminate, bring to light. 

The grammar is also, um, illuminating as well. The verb photizo/φωτιζω is in the perfect passive tense. 

What the what? Well, the passive means you don't turn on the light, God does. He's the one flipping the switch. And the perfect lets us know that once He turns it on His light it's ALWAYS on! 

When Jesus fires up His light show, it stays on. And on. And on.

The reason Paul asks God to turn on His light is so that "you may know what is the hope to which He has called you" (v18). 

What hope is he talking about? Hope isn't a what. Hope is a who. And that who is Jesus. "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col 1:27). He is the hope. He is OUR hope. He is YOUR hope!

Paul prays that God will flip on the lights so that we'll be blown away by what He's given us now and what's headed our way. He hopes we'll see "the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints" (v18). 

In other words, he asks the Lord to kick on His search light so we can see everything described in Ephesians 1:3-14. The apostle calls us to go back and let God shine His holy light on His breathtaking Tsunami of Blessings (Eph 1:3). 

He's handpicked each one of us in Jesus before creation (Eph 1:4). He decided a long, long time ago that we would be part of His royal family (Eph 1:5). Jesus used His very blood to get us out of spiritual bankruptcy and forgive our rebellion (Eph 1:7). 

God has pulled back the curtain and let us see that His entire plan all along has been to bring the broken universe back together in Jesus (Eph 1:9-10). 

In Jesus we're heirs to the royal inheritance (Eph 1:11). God even makes the divine down payment of His Holy Spirit so we can be sure of that inheritance (Eph 1:12).

What a light show! Paul asks God to shine His spotlight on all that He's given us. His blessings dazzle. Our inheritance sparkles. His grace shimmers. 

Let your jaw drop. Take it all in. It's phantasmagorical! Enjoy the show. 

Look at His goodness that He's graciously given you and continues to shower upon you. This is no lame laser show at the planetarium. 

It's Jesus. The Light of the world (Jn 8:12). "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you" (Is 60:1).

God's light show. Once you see it, you'll never forget it.

©2013

Jay Jennings

Famous Faith

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers (Eph 1:15-16).

Let take a peak at Paul in his prison cell.  The man from Tarsus waits for his appeal to be heard by Caesar (Acts 25:11-12).  

In the meantime, he does his best to stay in touch with the various churches he's planted around the Mediterranean.  

Epaphras made long trip from Colossae in Asia and dropped the bomb about the heresy that's tearing apart the congregation there (Col 2:4, 8, 16-23).  

A bunch of spiritual snake oil salesmen have duped folks into believing that they were responsible for finishing the job of salvation that Jesus started.  

He fires off a letter to folks there, telling them to get their eyes back on Jesus and just Jesus (Col 3:1-4).

While the apostle deals with bad news from Colossae, he's blown away by what he hears from Ephesus.  And as he writes to his friends there, Paul lets them know that word of their famous faith has made it all the way to Rome.  

Even inside the slammer where he's in custody.  "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers" (v15-16).

He's heard of their faith.  Their famous faith.

The word is out. The faith of Jesus' followers in Ephesus is well known. Everybody's heard of how the Gospel is radically transforming lives in the major port city. 

It's actually made it all the way to Paul's cellblock, some 1500 miles away.  So just how amazing is the faith of the Ephesians?  What makes it so famous?  

It's legendary not so much for the depth, passion or intensity.  They are famous for their "faith in the Lord Jesus" (v15).  In other words, they are famous for the OBJECT of the their faith, not the strength of their faith.

Paul uses a variation on a phrase we see 28 times in his letter to Ephesus: "in Christ."  Here it's "in the Lord Jesus" (v15).  

We're only 15 verses into his letter and this is the 11th time he's used it!  I don't have to be a rocket surgeon or a brain scientist to know it must be a big deal. 

So what exactly does this mean? The apostle is describing how as followers of Christ we place our trust in what He's done for us that we could never, ever do. 

Jesus lived the perfectly obedient life to God's law that we've failed to live. He died the brutal death of judgment that we should have died. He rose to the glorious new life that we certainly don't deserve. 

In His most famous sermon, Jesus said that He didn't come to abolish any of God's law but to fulfill it (Mt 5:17). In other words, He didn't come to find us a loophole into salvation. 

He came to obey all of God's commands and fulfill all of the divine requirements for us. We can't. He did. 

And like the Ephesian believers, we must put our trust "in the Lord Jesus" (v15), in who He is and what He's done.

In other words, these folks have placed their very human faith in Jesus' very perfect faithfulness.  

Over in a letter to his buddy Tim, Paul talks about how even "if we are faithless, He remains faithful" (2Tim 2:13).  Even when our trust in Christ might wobble, He never wavers.  

You see, it's not so much about the strength of our faith but the strength of the object of our faith.  That's the point of putting our faith in the "Rock of my salvation" (2Sam 22:47; Ps 22:47).  They had a famous faith because of the object of their faith: Jesus!

The apostle then gives the Ephesians an apostolic "attaboy" for their "love toward all the saints" (v15).  While the folks back in Ephesus most certainly had a soft place in their hearts for other believers, Paul's NOT talking about a warm fuzzy feeling. 

Christ-like love (Gr. agape) is love in action.  Love with hands.  Love with feet.  It's self-sacrifice. It's putting others first in real and practical ways. 

As those great philosophers and theologians of DC Talk would say, "Love is a verb."  It's what people in suits would call incarnating Christ.  The Bible calls the church the Body of Christ.  

Since He's headed back home to heaven, He's called us to be His hands and feet to a lost and dying world.  Let's open our eyes to the needs of hurting people that are all around us.  Let's love them.  In real ways.  In practical ways.  A lot of times that opens the door to share with them about Jesus.

What kind of love did these Ephesian folks express to others? You might want to check out what the apostle wrote to his friends in Corinth (1Cor 13). That's the "Love Chapter" we hear a lot at weddings.  

But Paul's point wasn't to make hearts flutter on the bride's big day.  He was telling us that real love, biblical love, Christ-like love is love in action.  

Patience. Kindness. Not envious. Not boastful. Not arrogant. Not rude. Not cranky. Not resentful. Not happy about evil. 

Celebrates truth. Puts up with all sorts of shortcomings. Believes the best about folks. Knows God will win out in the end. Hangs in there no matter what. And it never runs out. 

That's the kind of love the Ephesian church is famous for.  Is that the kind of love your church is known for?  Is the kind of love your small group is known for?  Is that the kind of love you're know for?  

Yeah, I know.  I don't like these questions either.

Paul lets the Ephesians know that they are famous for loving God and loving others. They were doing exactly what Jesus said we're to do. Love God. Love others. 

One time, a religious nitpicker tried to box Christ into a corner by asking Him which of God's commands is the greatest. The radical Rabbi/Carpenter blew the dude's socks off with His response. 

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. 

"And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Mt 22:36-40). 

Love God. Love others. Love God BY loving others. By placing their faith in Jesus and loving all the saints, the Ephesians are doing just what the Lord said to do.

The apostle tells his readers that he's not just excited about their faith in Jesus and their love for other believers.  He simply doesn't stop thanking God for how He's using them.  "I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers" (v16).  

Paul understands the incredible value of encouraging other Christ followers.  Imagine the smiles and even the spontaneous applause at the Ephesian church meeting when one of the leaders read this letter out loud.  

Paul isn't just tossing up a prayer or two on their behalf.  He's knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door over and over and over again as he expresses his incredible thanks to God for his friends.  

When Jesus places someone in your life who models famous faith and love for others, do you ever let them know?  

Call them.  Text'em.  Drop'em an email.  Shoot, you can even tell them in person!  I know, that's crazy talk.  But let'em know.  They will be SO glad you did.  

Let's encourage famous faith in our brothers and sisters.

©2013
Jay Jennings

We Haven't Even Gotten to the Good Part

Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory (Eph 1:14).

It's the "American Dream." Owning  your own home. In order to make that happen, you scrimp and save to come up with a down payment. 

You write a check for a fraction of the cost which insures you'll pay the rest (or should I say, the bank will pay the rest!).  

It's your financial guarantee.  The down payment is a serious chunk of change.  It shows the seller you're committed.  It shows the seller you're not jacking around.  

You now have skin in the game.  And by committing the cash, you guarantee that one day soon the house will be your home.

Paul tells us that God is serious about His purchase of us.  He's made His down payment.  He's given us His Holy Spirit "who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory" (v14).  

His commitment of His Spirit in the deal is very real.  It shows us He's serious.  It shows us He's not jacking around.  And it lets us know that He has so much in store.

His down payment means we haven't even gotten to the good part yet.

Paul has spent all of Ephesians 1:3-14 reminding us just how good God is to us.  Call it the Tsunami of Blessings.  Once he gets started, he simply can't stop.  

Think that's an overstatement?  In the original language, this is one, long run-on sentence.  

The apostle starts it off by writing about how our heavenly Dad "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing" (Eph 1:3).  

Not handful of blessings.  But every last stinkin' one of them.  And so it begins.  One blessing.  After another.  After another.  After another.  

Let that tidal wave of God's goodness in Jesus wash over you like.  Let it drench you.  Let it consume you.

These opening verses set the stage for the rest of Paul's letter to his Ephesian friends.  Flip back a few pages of history and you'll see how Jesus used the man from Tarsus to turn this great city upside down (Acts 19).  

Tons of people turning to Jesus.  Bonfires.  Riots.  A dude named Epaphras takes the message of Jesus from Ephesus back to his hometown on Colossae (Col 1:7).  

Pretty soon, a group of spiritual snake oil salesmen dupe the Colossians into believing that Jesus might have been good but He wasn't God.  Uh oh.  Not good.  Not good at all!  

Paul lets them know that Jesus isn't just God but He's more God than we can wrap our brains around (Col 1:15-20).  

The apostle is worried that this heresy might infect the church in Ephesus which is just 100 miles down the road from Colossae.  

So he fires off another letter to the folks there.  He's certain that if we have a clear picture of who Jesus is and the Tsunami of Blessings He's given us, we won't fall for some counterfeit gospel.

Paul has just told us how we're "sealed with the promised Holy Spirit" (Eph 1:13).  He goes on to say that the Third Person of the Trinity is God's "guarantee of our inheritance" (v14).  

He uses the Greek word αρραβων/arrabon, which literally means a down payment or earnest money.  It's legal and technical term that describes the partial payment which promises the future completion of the deal.  

It's that advanced transaction which guarantees the validity of a contract and full purchase price.  If the deal falls through, the potential buyer is out the cash.  

The Father's way of cinching the purchase is by giving His Spirit.  Since the Spirit is just as much God as the other members of the Trinity, God literally gives Himself as His guarantee of our future inheritance.  

That's quite a down payment.

God uses His Spirit so we'll know that what's ahead is stone cold, lead pipe lock.  He's "given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (2Cor 1:21-22).  

The Holy Spirit is His way of prepping for those mind-blowing eternal blessings.  "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee" (2Cor 5:5).  

It's God's way of letting us know that we haven't even gotten to the really good part.

Because of Jesus, we're insured of an "inheritance" (v14).  Paul uses the word κληρονομια/kleronomia.  

This is property passed along in an estate, a gift received when someone has died or a possession given from one to another.  

Just up the page in the middle of this Tsunami of Blessings, Paul reminds us that it's only through our divine Big Brother that our names are even in the will.  "In Him we have obtained an inheritance" (Eph 1:11).  

Paul uses a very similar word!  While there's certainly unbelievable good stuff now as a follower of Jesus, His Tsunami of Blessings has only just begun!

We haven't even gotten to the good part.

Paul's next phrase is a little fuzzy.  The ESV gives it to us as "until we acquire possession of it" (v14).  Some folks who translate the Bible see it as "until God redeems His possession."  

So which is it?  Actually a little bit of both.  We'll acquire it but only because God has bought it for us.  It literally reads "to the redemption of the property."  

God bought us. We belong to Him.  He paid an ENORMOUS price (1Cor 6:20; 7:23). It cost Him His Son. His only Son. His perfect Son. 

While we haven't done anything to receive His grace, it cost Him everything. He bought and paid for us. We're His. 

We have a shadow of this in the Old Testament with God's special selection of the Jews as His chosen people (Dt 7:6; 1Chr 16:13; Ps 33:12; Ps 105:6, 43) as well as the Levites as His personal possession (Num 3:12, 45; 8:14).

The last wave to break in this Tsunami of Blessings is the phrase "to the praise of His glory" (v14).  Sound familiar?  

Well, it should.  We've seen it two other times in this tidal wave of God's grace (Eph 1:6, 12).  

God rightfully deserves all the credit and praise for what He's doing in and through Jesus to save us.  His saving work will result in the greatest ovation the universe has ever heard.  

This whole deal is "to the praise of His glory" (v14).  What's for our good is for His glory. What's for His glory is for our good.

For all that Jesus has done for us there's so much more yet to come.  Like we said, we haven't even gotten to the really good part.

©2013

Jay Jennings