In Christ, for Us

Paul's epistles are eminently Christocentric. Ephesians, in particular, is one of them. Especially in the first three chapters-the so-called doctrinal or revelational chapters, which is the middle of the epistle-the emphasis is on Christ.

Nothing is referred directly to the believer, if it is not in Christ. God does not understand with man, but through Christ and in Christ. This is clearly manifested through such phrases as: "in Christ", "in him" (Christ), "before him" (Christ), "through Jesus Christ", "in the Beloved" (i.e. Christ), "in whom" (Christ), "in the Lord Jesus", "of him" (Christ), "of Him" (Christ), "together with Christ", "together with him", "with Christ Jesus", "in himself" (Christ), "of Christ", "in Christ Jesus", "in the Lord", "of whom" (Christ), "to Christ", "in Jesus", "of the Lord".

These expressions appear repeated in various instances throughout the epistle, and applied to the most diverse matters. What does this mean? In particular, from the reading of the first three chapters, we can appreciate that God did in Christ and through Christ all those things that are then granted to the believer and to the church. The believer has no protagonism there, but simply to receive.

In these chapters there are two prayers of Paul on behalf of the believers. They express God's desire that they be favored with gifts in addition to all those already received. Note that they are not demands, not exhortations, but prayers of the apostle, that they might receive something.

In the first (1:15-23) he asks for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, concerning the hope, the inheritance and the power that is in him. All this, to know the high calling of the believer and the church. Paul asks that believers be translated from the sphere of the human to the divine, in order to understand God's purpose. The second prayer (3:14-21) contains Paul's desire that they be strengthened in such a way that Christ may dwell by faith in their hearts. Then they will be able to understand the cosmic dimensions and the love of the heavenly Man (Christ and the church).

These two sentences express what God desires them to receive in the future, for everything else is already done in Christ on their behalf, and is therefore theirs. Note that the phrases quoted above give way in these two passages to "you" (1:16) "give you" (1:17; 3:16) and "your" (1:18), "your" (3:17). In the past, God did something on their behalf in Christ; now, he desires to do something more in them, and that is why the apostle prays. It is not something the apostle will do, he only prays that God will do in them. How much grace in God, through Jesus Christ, for us!

Design downloaded from free website templates.