Know God

When Paul prays for the believers that they may recognize God, this seems somewhat strange at first glance. Shouldn’t believers already know God? Doesn’t faith in God mark the fact that we know Him? Well, not necessarily. Those who “know” God may have an understanding that He exists and focus their lives on this. However, it does not mean that you are also familiar with God’s ways and outlook.

Recognizing God therefore involves more than one’s own projection, the first encounter, a first understanding. Paul sees further. As an apostle, he has the task of laying a foundation of faith. He has to sharpen the message and preach according to the message. A message without depth and differentiation cannot carry very far. That is why it makes a lot of sense to pray for an expansion of the knowledge of God.

This was the theme of the previous verses (Eph 1:16-19). The final comment was that Paul prayed that believers would be the “all-surpassing greatness of His power (for us who believe), according to the working of the might of His strength” (Eph. 1:19). That is a complex sentence. Paul is notorious for his convoluted sentences.

If you want to recognize the value of Paul’s words, it is not enough to skim the sentences. You have to take a closer look to find out that this “violence is based on God’s strength”. It is:

“According to the efficacy of the power of His might wrought in Christ.”
Ephesians 1:19-20

The example of Christ shows how great and effective (!) God’s power is. This is the invitation to look to Christ.

The exaltation of Christ

Paul recognized God’s work in Him. He now expands on this with two further statements:

“… When He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the midst of the heavenly ones.”
Ephesians 1:20

Resurrection from the dead and a position “at His right hand in the midst of the heavenly ones” are the two points to which the apostle refers.

1. The first marks a victory over death. Resurrection and resurrection are not everyday occurrences. However, it is human mortality and the death that follows that is seen as one of the main problems facing humanity. In the biblical narrative, the solution to this problem is redemption, which is what is written about.
2. Secondly, Christ is given a high position “at God’s right hand”. The expression “on the right” can simply mean a distinction from the left (Gen 13:9). However, there is also a figurative meaning. For right-handed people, the right arm is the strong arm (Isa 62:8). In a figurative sense, “at the right hand” is a position of strength and confidence and a place of honor (1 Kings 2:19). This is the position that Christ receives.

At the right hand of God

The fact that Christ is seen “at the right hand of God” indicates a position. It is a preferred place. The right hand speaks of similar dignity (Jer 22:24). Jesus also uses the preferred place “on the right” in his end-time speech:

“And he will set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Mat 25:33-34

On the right are the “Blessed of my Father”. There is no better place. One can think of the vision of Stephen, for example, who looked up while he was being stoned and said: “But when he, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up into heaven without looking away, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God! (Acts 7:55-56).

There are many other references to this position:

“So the Lord, after speaking with them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”
Mt 16,19

“But from now on the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the power of God.”
Luke 22:69

“It is Christ who died, and even more, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God.”
Rom 8:34

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Col 3:1

“But he, having offered a sacrifice for sins, sat down forever at the right hand of God, waiting forevermore.”
Heb 10:12

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Heb 12:2

“Jesus Christ, who, having gone into heaven, is at the right hand of God, angels and principalities and powers being subject to him.”
1Pet 3,22

The position of Christ

The apostle continues with a description of the exaltation of Christ:

“… When He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the midst of the heavenly ones, exalted above every principality and authority, power and dominion, even above every name that is named not only in this eon but also in the one to come.”
Eph 1:20-21

This description involves many terms and names that indicate high positions. But Christ was given a position much higher up. Paul names everything that is named in this eon and the eon to come. Today is perhaps a difficult time, full of challenges, while the future time (or: aeon) speaks of a messianic and God-directed time. There are preferred positions in both. But Christ is far above that, both today and in the future.

What Paul outlines here is the difference between Christ and all possible, known and perhaps also unknown powers, today and in the future. In comparison, Christ has the higher position. Think of his words in Philippians. In it, Paul writes about the self-emptying of Christ, after which the answer follows:

“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name.”
Phil 2:9

How God confirms his Christ

In his description, Paul now comes to make known God’s appreciation of his Christ. Bear in mind that this is still part of prayer. Paul speaks here about things he would say in prayer. Just as a person’s prayer is an answer to his God, the words also reflect the understanding of God that Paul passes on to the churches here. The beginning of his prayer for the believers was that they would recognize God. Paul explains what this means here.

“He (God) subordinates everything”
Eph 1:22

Who is affected? Christ. He subordinates everything to Him, namely Christ. Christ is not mentioned in the Greek, but in context He is meant here.

“He subordinates everything to Him, at His feet”
Eph 1:22

That everything is laid at the feet of Christ is a process that shows that Christ has been given a name above every other name. It is therefore logical that everything is subordinate to this Christ. From 1 Corinthians we can see that Paul sees this for every conceivable area. He also mentions a submission to Christ, with regard to a temporal sequence towards God’s final goal. This is about the completion of making alive:

“When He (Christ) hands over the kingship to His God and Father, when He abolishes every supremacy, every authority and power.”
1Cor 15,24

This sounds very similar to the end of the first chapter of Ephesians, which we just read earlier. Paul continues in his first letter to the Corinthians:

“For He (Christ) must reign as King until (!) He will put all His enemies under His feet.”
1Cor 15,25

We find this similarly in Ephesians.

“The last enemy to be put down is death. For He subordinated everything to Him: under His feet. When He then says: “Everything has been subordinated!”, it is obvious that God is excluded, who subordinated the universe to Him. But if the universe is subordinate to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subordinate to Him who subordinated the universe to Him, so that God may be all in all.”
1Cor 15:26-28

If God therefore honors and confirms the position of his Son, it is not only because of “work done”, but also because of “work to be done” at the end of time. The view towards God’s goal is included. This goal is clear: God will be all in all, and not something in a few.

On the way to the goal, Christ receives a high name that is above every other name. He will be king, but only for a time. As king, he has a function to fulfill. Once this fulfillment has been achieved, the process continues. Paul writes: One day Christ will give the kingdom to his God and Father so that he can become all in all.

This goal is also contained in the letter to the Ephesians. Now let’s look at what today’s church has to do with this.

Christ as a gift

Paul continues and writes:

“And Him (Christ) He (God) gives as head over all things to the called-out church, which is His body.”
Eph 1:22

God gives Christ, who is head over all, to the called-out church, which is his body. Christ as head is a figurative meaning. Literally, the body is composed of many members and also has a head (1 Corinthians 12:16-17). Christ is head over everything. The statement was not made in relation to the municipality.

• God is the giver
• The gift is Christ as head over all
• The municipality is the recipient of this gift.

The dative construction “of the called-out church” corresponds to the Greek (τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ). The municipality is the recipient of the gift. God gives Christ to the church. The special thing about it is that Christ is head over everything. This shows the greatness of the gift and the importance of the church for the further steps towards God’s final goal.

The church as the completion of Christ

God exists, we have read. He gives Christ to the church,

“which is His body, the completion of Him who completes the universe in everything.”
Eph 1:23

God gives Christ to the church. The church, however, is its completion. Let that melt in your mouth at your leisure: The church is the completion of Christ. The word completion points to the addition of the last piece, the fulfillment of the fullness, the completion of missing parts. After that, what was still incomplete is complete. Thus the church is the completion of Christ. This makes Christ “full”. But it doesn’t stop there.

Working towards God’s ultimate goal

Two things are completed here. First, Christ is completed through the church. Secondly, the fully fulfilled Christ is mentioned, who completes the universe in everything. The task of the church, as part of Christ, is then to achieve the fullness of all things. If God has set himself the ultimate goal of one day becoming all in all, as we have read, then the church as part of Christ will contribute a great deal to this. This is the outlook of Paul’s prayer. Is this the knowledge of God that he refers to at the beginning of the prayer?

How is the goal achieved? How will the municipality contribute to this? Paul writes more about this in the second chapter of Ephesians. There, for example, he makes it clear that the church will display God’s grace in future ages (Eph 2:6-7).