Confession time. I never really learned to drive a stick shift. (Pause for eye rolling.) Despite several lessons from some great teachers, I never, ever got the hang of that whole clutch/shift deal. I have nightmares about the time I drove my dad’s manual transmission Bronco and it died like a beached whale in the middle of a busy intersection. There’s a rhythm to pressing the clutch and shifting the stick to engage the transmission. What does this have to with Ephesians? Well, Paul’s not giving us lessons in driving a stick but in wrapping our heads around God’s will. “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of God is” (v17). In other words, the followers of Jesus shouldn’t coast through life in neutral. Make sure you engage your brain.
Over and over again in his letter to the folks in Ephesus, Paul pleads with them to stay focused on Jesus. Live in the light of who He is and what He’s done. The apostle spends most of this note reminding us of truth of who we are in Christ. Let His “Tsunami of Blessings” absolutely wash over you (Eph 1:3-14). Remember that we were as good as dead when God reached down and “made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:4-5). Remember that we bring absolutely nothing to the table when it comes to our salvation. It’s only through the grace of God. “It is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8-9).
Don’t forget who you are and what Jesus has done. Paul tells us to “walk in a manner worthy of our calling” (Eph 4:1). Stop living like an outsider (Eph 4:17). Imitate God by living like Jesus (Eph 5:1-2). Once Jesus saves you, engage your brain. Remember. Know. Understand. Don’t stumble around. Live on purpose. And in case you’ve missed it, the apostle says it again a different way. “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of God is” (v17). Think. Put the pieces together. If you want to follow God’s will, engage your brain.
This is VERY practical to the Ephesians. A destructive heresy has done great damage just down the road in towns like Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea. A group of spiritual hucksters have duped Jesus’ followers into believing that He might be good but He’s not God. According to them, the only way to ensure salvation is to follow a list of religious rules that they just happened to have. After writing a letter to the Colossian church to get them back on track, the apostle fires off another one to his friends in Ephesus. Don’t fall for that garbage. Think. Put the pieces together. Engage your brain.
From his cell in a Roman slammer, the apostle tells us to “not be foolish” (v17). This is the Greek word aphron. It literally means to not use your brain. Lacking reason, senseless, stupid, silly, without reflection or intelligence, ignorant, unwise or acting rashly. It’s living with no mind. Your noggin’s in neutral. One translation (Young’s Literal Translation) actually renders it as “unthinking one” (Lk 12:20). Jesus slammed religious know-it-alls for being knuckleheads obsessed with image and unconcerned about the heart. “You fools (Gr. aphron)!” (Lk 11:40). Paul said that anyone who teaches self-salvation through the law is “an instructor of the foolish (Gr. aphron)” (Rom 2:18-20). Many critics of Christianity see our faith as brainless and unthinking. Let’s face it, we haven’t actually done much over the past few centuries to dispel this idea. But God invites us to engage our brains. “Come now, let us reason together” (Is 1:18). The Apostle Paul was clearly one of the smartest dudes on the planet. And believers like C.S. Lewis were absolutely brilliant. These are folks who weren’t afraid of engaging their brains.
Instead of playing the fool, Paul tells us to “understand what the will of the Lord is” (v17). He uses the Greek verb suniemi, which means to comprehend thoroughly, perceive clearly and have deep insight into something. Originally it meant to bring things together. In other words, gather everything you know about something together and put them together. Think of a jigsaw puzzle. Put all the pieces together and what do you see? When all the various clues come together, the answer comes into focus. Suddenly, you can see what’s really going on. But that requires that you engage your brain. After Jesus freaked out his boys by water skiing without a boat, they still didn’t “understand (Gr. suniemi) about the loaves” (Mk 6:52). They still couldn’t put the pieces together from the feeding of the big crowd of who Jesus really is. Paul told his young assistant Tim that Jesus is the one who “will give you understanding (Gr. suniemi) in everything” (2Tim 2:7). Clearly Jesus wants us to think. To contemplate. To understand. To perceive. To comprehend. He wants us to engage our brains.
We’re to fire up our grey matter in order to unwrap “the will of the Lord” (v17). This is thelema. It’s the result of what one has decided, choice, desire, intent, inclination or what one wishes or has determined to do. Very simply, it is the very purpose of God. It’s what He wants. Paul is Jesus’ handpicked representative “by the will (Gr. thelema) of God” (1Cor 1:1; 2Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 2Tim 1:1). The man from Tarsus has loaded this letter to Ephesus with this word and idea. “He predestined us for adoptions as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will (Gr. thelema)” (Eph 1:5). God revealed “the mystery of His will (Gr. thelema)” in Jesus (Eph 1:11). Before God intervened in our lives, we were obsessed with “carrying out the desires (Gr. thelema) of the body” (Eph 2:3). Employees must realize that they’re working for Jesus, “doing the will (Gr. thelema) of God from the heart” (Eph 6:6).
So what is God’s will? You often hear folks ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” What does He want you to do? What does He want me to do? Does Jesus care about what car I buy, where I work or who I marry? Sure He does. And He should be such an integral part of my life that I’m continually checking with Him about such decisions. But God’s will for you and me is much less about specific decisions as it is living a life of love toward the Lord. He wants us to understand that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us “according to the will of our God and Father” (Gal 1:4). God “desires all people to be saved” (1Tim 2:3). A big part of our spiritual growth is to stay far away from sexual sin and porn. “This is the will (Gr. thelema) of God, your sanctification” (1Th 4:3). We’re to always rejoice, always praying and always thankful “for this is the will (Gr. thelema) of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1Th 5:18). As God transforms us and gives us a new way of thinking by reading and studying His Word, we will are able to “discern what is the will (Gr. thelema) of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2). The more we dig in, the better we’ll hear a consistent message from Him. So a HUGE piece of the puzzle in understanding God’s will is to read God’s Word. That’s key when it comes to engaging the brain.
Are you more than a little overwhelmed by all the things we’re to do and to be in the center of God’s will? Well, I am! Here’s the good news. Or should I say Good News?!? Jesus was always right smack dab in the heart of our heavenly Dad’s will. He always does what His Father wants Him to do. Jesus made it clear that the reason His Dad sent Him was to do His will (Jn 5:30). And when He faced the most terrifying decision of His earthly life and begged His Father for a way out, our Savior willingly submitted to die the brutal and bloody death for our sin (Lk 22:42). Jesus was always in the center of God’s will.
When we place our trust in Jesus, we’re placing our trust in His perfect obedience to our heavenly Father’s will. He’s perfectly obedient when we’re not. He lived the sinless life that we completely failed to live. He died the death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to new life that we don’t deserve. Our obedience to God’s desire and design will always fall short on this side of eternity. That’s why we must place our trust in what Jesus did that we could never do.
As we follow Jesus, don’t forget to use your head. Don’t blindly fall for any teaching that someone offers up. Don’t leave your noggin in neutral. Know His Word. Know His truth. Know THE Truth. Know Jesus. Engage your brain.
So what do YOU think about this? Agree? Disagree? Drop a comment below and let me know.
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