Ephesians 1:23

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:23

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23 Which [hostis] is [esti] his [autos] body, [soma] the fulness [pleroma] of him that filleth [pleroo] all [pas] in [en] all. [pas] KJV-Interlinear

23 which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all.  NASB

From the previous verse, Christ is the head, the master, the ruler.  The completed membership of all believers, typically referred to as the church, is symbolized as the body.

Fullness, ‘pleroma,’ means that with which anything is filled, the filling up process, the contents used to do the filling, great number or quantity, overflowing such that the filling goes beyond the boundaries of that which is being filled.

The second fill, ‘pleroo,’ refers to the actual filling or completion process, making the thing filled into a whole thing, whereas prior to the filling the thing filled was incomplete or not filled.

I know, a bit confusing, but hang in there.

Of Him, is a reference to Christ, who is the subject of this passage and the default subject of the entire Bible, for that matter.

All in all, is an expression that indicates that the source of what is being poured, is the sum total of what can be filled.  And, that which is being filled, cannot be filled or is incapable of being filled with anything other than the one and only legitimate source.

Therefore, Christ is the source of truth.  Truth is the only item that can accomplish a filling or completion. 

Nothing else, namely untruth, lies, evil, worldly opinions, academics, philosophies, religions, human effort, human sincerity, human convenience, human invention, human innovation, human ability, human talent, human intellect, and so forth, none of these can or are even capable of completing the person.  These are like taking two containers empty as in the vacuum of outer space, and trying to pour an empty first container, into an empty second container and expecting to fill up the second container.  Something with nothing, pouring nothing, cannot fill up anything.

But Christ is God. In eternity past, the three members of the Godhead, set forth a divine plan. One of the members assumed the title of Son of God, the other two members assumed the titles Father, and Spirit.  None of these titles made any of them different from each other.  They are all co-infinite, co-equal and so forth.

However, arrogance, being shallow and vain as it is, would not see three members of the Godhead, but would see three titles and presume an equality with what is viewed as the most high, namely the Father.  Arrogance disregards the Son and the Spirit, because arrogance presumes that it does not need them in order to be equal with or better than, the Father.

So the plan of God sets up a very simply rule, ‘Access to the Father can come only through the Son, and by means of the Spirit.’  Arrogance cannot stand rules, especially very simple rules, and so arrogance rebels to such a great extent that it would sooner destroy itself and all with it, than to comply with this very simple rule.

God goes even further, and sets the Son as equal with the written word.  There is therefore the living word, namely Christ, and the written word, namely the scriptures, and when you read and learn and understand and gain possession of the scriptures, this being done while under the control of the Spirit, which we call being in fellowship, then you have in effect gained access to the Father, by means of becoming filled up with doctrine, or the written Son.

With Christ (the written word) in you, or literally poured into you by means of your daily learning process, then you gain possession of that which arrogance desires, but can never have.

An empty you, is incomplete. 

With doctrine in you, obtained by means of your daily study, then your emptiness is replaced with the completion of Christ, thus making you complete.  A complete you is useful.  An incomplete you is worthless.

Bible doctrine is all that stands between an incomplete you, and a complete you.  It is just that simple.  The question for you is, ‘Will your arrogance stand in the way of the completion of yourself?’

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Ephesians 1:22

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:22

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22 And [kai] hath put [hupotasso] all [pas] things under [hupo] his [autos] feet, [pous] and [kai] gave [didomi] him [autos] to be the head [kephale] over [huper] all [pas] things to the church, [ekklesia]KJV-Interlinear

22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,  NASB

All things under His feet, means that God the Father, has placed all things in subjection to Christ.  The feet standing on or over anything, is a symbol of those things being under your total control and authority.

Head over all things, is an expression for total authority and sovereignty.

From the previous verses, we now know that it took power, phenomenal power to accomplish Gods plan, which was directed to this end.  That Christ, of whom all of history has rejected, was destined to be the supreme ruler forever, and ever.

But there is one more important item in this verse.  And that item is the why.  Why was Christ placed as ruler over all things?  For certainly Christ as God, who is eternal and has existed since eternity past, was already the supreme ruler over all things, just as the other two members of the Trinity were. 

They, all three, are co-equal, co-infinite, and co-eternal.  All three members of the Godhead possess the same exact attributes and essence – omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, immutability, veracity, justice, righteousness, love, eternal life, and sovereignty

They all three, already had these things.  So what changed?

Well, the church changed, by coming into existence, and becoming the heir and purpose of all of these things.

Christ was made formally the ruler, not for Himself, but for the benefit of the church, which is to say, He was made ruler for the benefit of all believers.

For when creation occurred, the outline of history had to be put into place in order to justify and prove that God is honorable and fair and right, and that given any form of history, there will be those who will reject truth and test or challenge God.

Those in opposition have nothing better to offer, they have only destruction. 

So God had to demonstrate both that evil would raise up its head and would fail, and that God had a better plan and is able to deliver on that plan.  Therefore, it remains for people to recognize that conflict and outcome, and then make the right decisions throughout their life to make sure that they are on the right side of history so that they benefit as God intends for them to benefit.  Namely, spiritual maturity and spiritual production in this current life, making you ready and prepared for the rewards of the next life.

And so as to assure you that you will receive that next life along with those rewards, Christ has been made supreme ruler and sovereign over all things.  This eliminates arrogance and evil and all things that would prevent that eternal life and existence.

You have but one decision to make if you are an unbeliever, and that is to believe in Christ. 

Once made, then you have many daily and moment by moment decisions to make throughout your life, and that is to study, and confess and learn and function and grow up in your spiritual life.  The spiritual life that God has defined.  Not a life that you have defined for yourself because your version is more appealing or convenient or reasonable as you see it.

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Ephesians 1:21

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:21

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21 Far above [huperano] all [pas] principality, [arche] and [kai] power, [exousia] and [kai] might, [dunamis] and [kai] dominion, [kuriotes] and [kai] every [pas] name [onoma] that is named, [onomazo] not [ou] only [monon] in [en] this [touto] world, [aion] but [alla] also [kai] in [en] that which is to come: [mello] KJV-Interlinear

21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. NASB

Far above, ‘huperano,’ means infinitely above, greatly exhalted.  Jesus Christ is elevated not equal to the heights of angels or humanity, not to some point just above these creatures, but He was placed, promoted, exalted to such a high position that second place is infinitely below His position.

Principality, ‘arche,’ means the highest of possible positions or ranks. It means the beginning, pre-eminence, rulers, magistrates and so forth.  The highest of all creature possible positions.  Jesus Christ has been placed in a position that is infinitely higher than even the highest possible creature positions.

Power, ‘exousia,’ means position or privilege, jurisdiction, control, and comes to mean that Jesus Christ as been given authority over all jurisdictions, all privileges.

Might, ‘dunamis,’ means force, ability beyond the seemingly miraculous, strength.  Jesus Christ possesses might beyond the omnipotent, if that were possible. There is no force or power, even in black holes, that could even begin to match that of Christ.  Man and angel cannot even begin to challenge His might.

Dominion, ‘kuriotes,’ means master or mastery, rule, and comes to represent the Lordship of Christ.  He is Lord and master over all that is.  There is nothing in heaven or on the earth that is over Christ.

Every name that is named, means every creature, every rank from the smallest of particles like germs of single celled organisms, or whatever is smaller and the smallest, to the highest of ranks, be it man or beast or angel.  He is over all ranks and categories of creation.

And not only in this current world or existence, but also in the next world, the new universe and heaven combined when they are re-created and joined at the end of our current history.

Our current history will end someday, just as your personal physical life will someday come to an end, just as each twenty-four hour day comes to an end, just as the seasons of the year come to an end, just as each year comes to an end.  All are certain events that will occur.  And one day, they will all come to their final termination.

And then, Christ will use that power, which we have been studying for the last few verses, and it will be used to completely destroy our current universe, out of total existence, leaving no residue, no dust, no particles whatsoever, and then He will create again, out of nothing, a totally new universe, the attributes of which we will not know until that occurs.

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Ephesians 1:20

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:20

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20 Which [hos] he wrought [energeo] in [en] Christ, [Christos] when he raised [egeiro] him [autos] from [ek] the dead, [nekros] and [kai] set [kathizo] him at [en] his own [autos] right hand [dexios] in [en] the heavenly [epouranios] places, KJV-Interlinear

20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, NASB

Wrought, ‘energeo,’ means to be active, operative, effective, effectual, efficient, to accomplish.

And God accomplished salvation and the pinnacle of His divine plan, at the Cross, when, by bringing all of history to that exact and precise day and point in history, on the very feast celebration which was dated from the time of Moses some 1500 years earlier, on the very afternoon on that feast day.

Jesus went into the grave and returned back from the grave with not only full life, but resurrected life.

The Bible teaches us that the creation of the universe was but finger work, while the work of salvation was arm work, requiring much greater effort to accomplish.  And yet, God did so despite many thousands of years, despite many generations of humanity, despite many diseases, and wars, and famines and natural disasters, and so forth, even through periods of phenomenal unbelief, especially in the time of Jesus first advent.

All was accomplished with tremendous ease, as far as God is concerned, but with miraculous power and coordination in history as far as humanity is concerned.

No one, and nothing could have accomplished such a great and detailed and vast plan, except God and God alone.

And not only that, but Jesus was promoted out from death (as far away from God as one can possibly be), to the right hand position from the Father and given all of the power and sovereignty over all that exists, in a formal fashion, despite all of evils efforts to block that accomplishment.

And not only that, but every believer in Christ is in union with Him and shares in that same position of highest honor.  And we are but dust.

That is something that you cannot obtain anywhere in this world, even if you lived a thousand lifetimes.

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Ephesians 1:19

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:19

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19 And [kai] what [tis] is the exceeding [huperballo] greatness [megethos] of his [autos] power [dunamis] to [eis] us-ward [hemas] who [ho] believe, [pisteuo] according to [kata] the working [energeia] of his [autos] mighty [ischus] power, [kratos]KJV-Interlinear

19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might  NASB

All things which God has done for you, and for each and every believer, far exceeds, infinitely exceeds a magnitude that is way, way, way beyond our comprehension.

The word power is used here in the divine sense, but that does not even begin to convey the idea of all that God has done and all that God keeps on doing for believers throughout history and throughout each individual life.

God utilized power in originating the divine plan. God utilized power in initiating the divine plan.  He used power in creating history and all of the era’s that make up history.  He used power in the creation of all things, even the universe.

The work in creating the universe is said to be finger work, Psa. 8:3.

The work of salvation is described as arm work, Psa 98:1.

God used power in the creation of man, in the creation of each individual at birth, in salvation, in the sustaining of salvation and in the keeping of each and every believer throughout their individual lives. Your individual life.

God uses power in sustaining and controlling the universe and history.

God uses power in all phases of life, from the moment of His conception of you in the divine plan in eternity past, to the moment of your birth, to the conclusion of your life, until the time of your inheritance and beyond.

Power of God, is used day in and day out of your life, even though you do not and cannot see its use.

The power for your birth, for your salvation, for all things that occur in your life, come only from God, and from no other source.  Certainly not from you.

And note here, the power of God, has been focused entirely toward the ultimate goal of getting you into eternity and beyond.

If that does not make you special, then what lesser thing could?

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Ephesians 1:18

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:18

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18 The eyes [ophthalmos] of your [humon] understanding [dianoia] being enlightened; [photizo] that [eis] ye [humas] may know [eido] what [tis] is [esti] the hope [elpis] of his [autos] calling, [klesis] and [kai] what [tis] the riches [ploutos] of the glory [doxa] of his [autos] inheritance [kleronomia] in [en] the saints, [hagios] KJV-Interlinear

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,  NASB

Eyes of understanding, is an expression for the correct comprehension and orientation to truth and life and all things around you.

For being enlightened, means that your education in truth, the truth of life and all that pertains to life, both in this physical world and in the unseen spiritual world, will be accurate and correct, and not distorted by the many deceptions and distractions that exist in this world, which are designed to confuse and make things ambiguous for you.

So, Paul in his prayer, conveys Gods desire that you know, and that you know correctly the truth, and not the many invented pretenses that are in the world.

And what is it that you need to know, which by the way you can know by means of learning doctrine?  But the hope, is not here referring to salvation, because Paul is already speaking to believers.

The hope, is a reference to the blessings that exist beyond salvation, namely the rewards and blessings of eternity, as well as the blessings and stabilities that doctrine and the advancement to spiritual maturity bring to you in this life, in spite of the many difficulties you will likely face in this life.

Of His calling, is Gods plan specifically for your life.

In eternity past God laid out a plan, and phenomenal plan for your life. 

You have only to pursue it properly as God has defined and designed that pursuit, or you disregard it by doing things your own way. Which means that you will lose big time.

The riches of his glory, is again an expression that means exactly ‘the riches of glorious wealth.’  This means phenomenal wealth.  Wealth such that has never been seen, ever, in human history.

Today there are multi-billionaires.  In the past there have been extremely wealthy people, kings, pharaohs, and such.  In centuries past, kings in early Europe, owned virtually all of Europe. And though back in those early times, that wealth was far beyond their ability to control or even know all of what they had, then so too, we have an expression that describes a wealth that exists for you, that is far, far, far in excess of anything and everything that you could possibly calculate or understand.  Thus the ‘beyond imagination’ expression is derived elsewhere in scripture.

In inheritance in the saints, means just that.  You have a guaranteed inheritance, assuming that you comply with Gods plan and do not go off on some half-cocked tangent.

Most folks do not know anything of what they could have in life.  Most folks do not know of what they are going to miss out on in this life and in eternity.   And when they find out, oh what a disappointment!

But then, the opportunity to find out and to know and to secure your future is readily available right now.  But then who among people out there, really care?

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Ephesians 1:17

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:17

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17 That [hina] the God [theos] of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ, [Christos] the Father [pater] of glory, [doxa] may give [didomi] unto you [humin] the spirit [pneuma] of wisdom [sophia] and [kai] revelation [apokalupsis] in [en] the knowledge [epignosis] of him: [autos]KJV-Interlinear

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  NASB

The God, is a reference to God the Father, the one of whom Satan wanted to be like the Most High. 

God that Father is the highest authority in all of existence.  It is to Him that all religions seek to attain attention or equality or recognition.  And this is sought through arrogance.

However, the Father along with the Son and the Spirit designed a plan by which arrogance could be defeated, and that plan was that no one could approach the Father except through the Son.

The term Son, implies a lesser authority, and arrogance does not want to recognize something lesser, but presumes that it can go around the Son and directly to the Father.  Not so.

If you have read the first couple of studies in the Psalms, then you already know that the Son, is a title, and not a physical family relationship within the Godhead.

So, the very first thing that Paul wishes for you, is that you understand the Father, and the Son and the respective roles of the two in the spiritual realm, and thus the divine plan.

All things spiritual must flow through the Son.  That is the purpose and plan of salvation and the spiritual life.  Both are deserving of glory.  This arrangement requires humility and defeats arrogance.

Next Paul desires, from within his prayer, from the prior verse, that you receive the spirit of wisdom.

Spirit, ‘pneuma,’ and wisdom, ‘sophia,’ when combined refer to the breath or breathing, inhale and exhale of knowledge.  This wisdom is a functional knowledge, a higher plane of knowledge that is operational within your thinking brain.  It is not worldly academics or intellect, but knowledge and understanding of the spiritual realm that far exceeds everything in this physical world.

And the revelation of Him, namely Jesus Christ who is the living word, but also represented by the written word, or the scriptures.  The Bible is the revelation, or revealing of God, of Christ, of doctrine, of all things spiritual.

In knowledge, ‘epignosis,’ and this word is the real focal point of this verse.

There are two kinds of knowledge.  The first is referred to as ‘gnosis.’  The second reference to knowledge is referred to as ‘epignosis.’ The difference between the two is the degree of possession that you have of knowledge.

‘Gnosis,’ is the knowledge of awareness of facts.  ‘Epignosis,’ is the mastery of that knowledge.

Suppose you are learning a new language, one in which you have no former knowledge.  You learn some words, perhaps even to count to ten, but you do not have a level of knowledge of that language such that you could engage in even a simple conversation.  That is limited knowledge. It has limited use.  That is ‘gnosis.’

But once you have learned a language, have had several years of daily use, then you have more of a mastery of that language. You can read, and write, and have conversations, and watch movies and so forth.  Your whole life is centered around that language and you know so much that you don’t really give your knowledge much thought.  You take your knowledge for granted, or it goes without saying.  That is a mastery, or ‘epignosis.’

So, your knowledge of the Father, and of the Lord, and of the scriptures, when they are limited to ‘gnosis,’ have little if any value to you.  But, when your knowledge of the scriptures and all things spiritual have been studied and learned and understood and used daily over a longer period of time, then you begin to have a mastery of that knowledge.  You have wisdom, spiritual wisdom that is not only useful, but beneficial spiritually, for you.

So, Pauls prayer is for you to learn such that you become a master of your own knowledge, and thoughts and therefore of your own destiny.  For doctrine is a destiny in and of itself.  This sets the stage for your entire life now, in this world, and in eternity when you get there.

This is the key to your whole purpose of being here.

Remember that if a prayer is Gods will, then He will hear it and it will be granted. But God never forces anything onto you.  Paul prayed, but the prayer is a potential because it depends on your compliance with Gods plan. 

Will you study and learn and grow, and therefore have a guaranteed success in your spiritual life?  Or will you disregard Gods plan and purpose and go your own way, and guarantee your own failure?

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Ephesians 1:16

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:16

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16 Cease [pauo] not [ou] to give thanks [eucharisteo] for [huper] you, [humon] making [poieo] mention [mneia] of you [humon] in [epi] my [mou] prayers; [proseuche] KJV-Interlinear

16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; NASB

Prayer is one of, if not, the most powerful tool you can possess.  Its power comes not in the words used, but in the power of the doctrine that stands behind the words.

You and I are nothing more than a pile of dust, with life imputed into that dust.  Alone we are nothing more than useless and powerless.

And into that essence of nothingness, God places doctrine.  And therein is the real power placed at our disposal.  However, with all freedoms and privileges comes responsibility and obligation. Abuse or disregard your  responsibilities, and you lose the privileges.

Prayer becomes effective only as a result of the doctrine or power behind that prayer.  And that doctrine must first be learned and understood, and assimilated into something useful, before it can be applied.

Without the proper use and application of prayer, it will be no more useful than talking to the wind.

First, all prayer belongs to believers only.  One must be inside of the family of God, before you can speak with God.  No unbeliever has access to the power of prayer, with one exception, and that exception is when they believe in Christ.  That belief is in effect a prayer to God for salvation, which is automatically granted when a person believes in Christ.

After salvation, the door for more effective prayer is blown wide open.

Second, all prayer must be offered to God while in fellowship.  Confession of sin is a form of prayer as well, which gets you back into fellowship when you have sinned and have been out of fellowship as a result of that sin.  Confession is granted automatically as well.

After that, all prayer becomes potential.  God may or may not grant your request.  God does grant all requests that will contribute to your spiritual growth.  Confession is one of those types of prayer.

Third, all prayer must be offered to God the Father. No prayer is ever offered to people, ancestors, angels, planets, fish, rocks, idols of any sort, and so forth.  Those folks or things do not have the power to grant much less hear your prayers.

Fourth, all prayer must be submitted to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.  Christ is the only means of access to the Father.  No one can approach the Father except that they approach through Christ. That is His plan and mandate, and will.  Anything else means that you reject His plan, and authority and process, thus insulting Him and promoting your own arrogance, in presuming that you can do things your way and not Gods way.

Fifth, all prayer must be in conformity with Gods planned ages for history.  You cannot go against the overall plan of God for history.

Sixth, all prayer must be in conformance with Gods plan for your specific life.  Even though you may not become the next president or lottery winner, there are certainly things that you can accomplish in your life, namely through an education and/or effort of some sort. 

But most importantly in your life, Gods will is that you advance to spiritual maturity, and that option too is granted, when you comply with Gods process for spiritual growth.  And that process is clearly spelled out in the scriptures, namely through daily study, learning, understanding, application and so forth.  Comply with these mandates and your growth to maturity will succeed.

Beyond the obvious, God will hear prayers for needs and desires to a certain degree, but realize too that you cannot interfere with Gods plan for other people.  Prayer for their help is legitimate, but a great deal of their benefit is determined by their attitude toward God and doctrine.

God has an overall plan for history.  All of mans desires and efforts cannot change that plan.  God has a plan for your life, unfortunately your attitude can derail that plan if you are indifferent or simply non-compliant.

In the next few verses, Paul spells out the details of his prayer.

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Ephesians 1:15

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:15

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15 Wherefore [dia] [touto] I also, [kago] after I heard [akouo] of [kata] your [humas] faith [pistis] in [en] the Lord [kurios] Jesus, [Iesous] and [kai] love [agape] unto [eis] all [pas] the saints, [hagios] KJV-Interlinear

15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, NASB

Paul has been absent from Ephesus for several years now.  News in the region, back in those times, took weeks and even months to travel from one locality to another, unlike today where we have almost instantaneous access to news and events around the entire world.

Today we expect almost near instant response when we call or text someone.  Back then, you would be lucky to hear news from a far off place, even a couple of times a year.

Times were tough.  Rome was placing more and more pressure on the Middle East.  Jerusalem and Judea was becoming more and more of a problem region.  Christianity was growing by leaps and bounds, but then so was the persecution of Christianity growing in intensity.

We have already seen in previous studies that many of Pauls so called friends, fell away due to the intense risks that came with being a Christian.  And yet, here is a place that was far from Rome, by their standards, and people, although temptation was all around, were sticking with their studies and advancing in their individual spiritual lives.

Today we have the internet and social networks and cell phone texting, and many other things that can easily distract us away from doctrine.  Not exactly threats to Christianity as in Pauls day, but threats just the same to individual advancement, because the material things of today, are held in higher esteem, than doctrine.

In this world the vast majority of people seem to be drifting away from doctrine, and yet there will be little pockets, always, of positive volition and good news of spiritual victories.  Not the sort of news that will make it into the media, but it will definitely make the news in heaven.  And that is where the most important notice occurs.

Do not be distracted by the world, but instead, be distracted and preoccupied with Gods opinion and attention. Your life will be far, far better off.

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Ephesians 1:14

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Ephesians 1:14

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14 Which [hos] is [esti] the earnest [arrhabon] of our [hemon] inheritance [kleronomia] until [eis] the redemption [apolutrosis] of the purchased possession, [peripoiesis] unto [eis] the praise [epainos] of his [autos] glory. [doxa] KJV-Interlinear

14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. NASB

Earnest or pledge, ‘arrhabon,’ refers to a payment, ‘earnest money,’ which is paid in advance as security toward the purchase of property in a larger transaction.

This is more than a deposit placed, but a non-refundable payment with the promise that more is to come.

From the previous verse, the Holy Spirit is given to each believer, and becomes resident inside each believer, which is a permanent residence, inside each and every believer, at the moment of salvation.

The Holy Spirit serves as a seal, which cannot be broken, on the promise of eternal life, which God has provided.

This giving of the Holy Spirit becomes among other things, a seal as we saw in the previous verse, and also a partial payment, which secures the inheritance of the believer, which will be received in heaven.

In our verse that security is for salvation, which is a part of our inheritance.

Until the redemption, means we have the Holy Spirit resident inside of each one of us, securing our salvation, until that salvation is made perfect.  Or, in effect, when we finally enter into heaven as saved believers.

In other words, during this life on earth, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us as our security, until we enter into heaven.  We enter into heaven when we die and leave this world.

The Holy Spirit in us, means that we cannot lose that salvation.  Some believe that it is possible to lose ones salvation.  That concept is a false concept and presumes that our ability to cancel out our salvation, is somehow greater than Gods ability to retain our salvation.  And that is complete arrogance.

Therefore, your salvation is secure.  There is no way you can lose your salvation.  There is no way you can have your salvation removed.

The Holy Spirit is a non-refundable payment, which cannot be taken away not removed.  To lose ones salvation would mean that this earnest payment was not in earnest at all, and that God has just lied.  Such is of course not the case.  God cannot lie, nor deceive, nor change His mind when He has declared a promise.

This promise is not negotiable, and not dependent on anything or anyone.  You neither earn it nor deserve it, and you certainly cannot lose it.

Purchased possession, means that salvation was purchased by God for your benefit.  Jesus Christ went to the Cross and paid the price for salvation. He purchased your future, which is eternal life, and therefore He owns your future. 

And as a promise of that life for you, He gave us the Holy Spirit as a resident in us, as a down payment toward that eternal life.

To the praise of His glory, is a repetition from verse six, in that we have an obligation to be grateful to God, and to demonstrate our gratitude of that which He has provided for us.  He provided us with life, purchased us out of the slavery of sin and death, made provision for salvation and secured it, and has made a provision for a phenomenal inheritance for you.  And prior to your life, you did not even exist.

His gift is nothing short of miraculous and infinite. 

Where else can we get that kind of blessing in this world, in this life?  And have the security and assurance and confidence that it will be as promised?  Nowhere.

God planned the work, did all of the work, made the promise, secures the promise, and will one day make that promise real. 

You neither earn nor deserve this gift, and you did nothing to gain it or hold it, except by believing in Christ.  No credit comes to any one of us.  All of the credit and glory and gratitude belong to God, through Christ.

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