The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (135 page)

Something to Think About:
All Things under Christ's Lordship

I
n the opening section of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul admirably encompassed the purpose of God's plan for the ages: to bring all things back together under one head, namely Christ (1:10). The rebellion against God started in the angelic realm with the fall of Satan and his demons. It infected the human race when Satan incited Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit and Adam followed suit. In fact, the entire universe is groaning and awaiting redemption (Rom 8:22).

But God is still the sovereign Ruler and King of the universe. And he has chosen his Son, the Messiah, to be the designated Lord, so that, in keeping with Isaiah's vision, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10—11). As Paul pointed out in Ephesians, God showed that this was his will by Christ's resurrection:

He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens
—
far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put everything under His feet [alluding to Ps 8:6] and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way (1:20—23).

If Christ, then, has already been exalted and every knee will one day bow to him, how should we then live? The answer: we should submit to his lordship in every area of life already in the here and now “to the praise of his glory” (1:12,14): in the church (4:1—16); in our personal lives and relationships with one another (4:17—5:21); in our marriages and families, as wives and husbands (5:22—33), children and parents (6:1—4), and at work (6:5—9). Not that we are “making him Lord”
—
he already is. He created us and bought us by dying on the cross for our sins, so we are doubly his. So let us live our lives fully submitted to his lordship, and let us live in a manner worthy of the immeasurably great calling we received.

The believers' union with Christ means that just as Christ was raised up and seated at God's right hand (1:20), so believers are made alive and raised up with Christ and seated with him in heaven (2:6).
¹⁴⁰
The joy of this present experience can only be exceeded by the experience in the ages to come when God will “show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness” to believers in Christ (2:7 NASB).

This surpassingly great salvation is a gift of God, not an achievement of man, because it is by grace through faith (2:8) and thus precludes human boasting (2:9). Salvation does not result from good works; rather, good works result from salvation (2:10).
¹⁴¹
The role of Christ in salvation is also stressed in 2:11—22. In his flesh Christ abolished “the law of commandments in regulations” (2:15) and “proclaimed the good news of peace” to Gentiles and Jews (2:17).

The Church
Ephesians places a marked emphasis on the nature of the church. Discussions of ecclesiology must follow after soteriology because the trinitarian work of salvation has massive implications for the church. This dynamic comes across succinctly in 2:18:
“through Him
[Christ] we both have access
by one Spirit to the Father”
(emphasis added). Christ has broken down the dividing wall through the cross and created the church as one new man (2:13—22). This redeeming work of Christ reconciles them to the Father (2:16). Believers are “fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God's household” (2:19).

Trinitarian ecclesiology emerges again in 2:22: in Christ, the church becomes God's dwelling place in the Spirit. Paul expressed the work of the Trinity in ecclesiology again in 3:4—5: God the Father reveals the mystery of Christ—believing Gentiles and Jews are one in Christ—through his apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Paul's prayer in 3:14—19 also reflects his trinitarian theology. He prayed to God the Father that Christ would dwell with the Ephesians by faith through the power of the Spirit, so that they would be able to grasp with all believers the unfathomable love of Christ. Paul also called believers to maintain—not create—unity because the Spirit has produced unity (4:3).
¹⁴²
Oneness in the church is a top priority because of the oneness of the Trinity and other dimensions of oneness
(4:4—6).
If the unity of the body is based on the unity of the Godhead, then dividing the church is as unthinkable and heinous as dividing the Trinity.
¹⁴³

Paul's teaching on spiritual gifts also addresses the theme of ecclesiology. Paul stressed that spiritual gifts are connected to the work of Christ as the booty of his victory. Christ bestowed these gifts on individual believers for the sake of the growth of the corporate body, not just the individual. The building up of the body of Christ is essential for attaining unity in the faith (4:13).

Proper Christian Conduct (Ethics)
Ethics also has a trinitarian dimension as Paul called on believers to give thanks to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord as a result of being filled by the Spirit (5:18—20). One of Paul's ultimate concerns in Ephesians is that believers would learn to walk with Christ as children of light.
¹⁴⁴
The new humanity may not possess a specific ethnic identity, but it certainly manifests a moral identity that reflects the character of God. The moral witness of the church is a central part of the realignment of all things under Christ's lordship because it is tied so closely to the Christian calling of which believers should walk in a worthy manner in every way (4:1).

Paul's ethical approach is not divorced from his soteriology. Because believers are chosen to be “holy and blameless in His sight” (1:4), they will imitate their loving Father (5:1), forgive as Christ forgave them (4:32), and love as Christ loved them (5:2). Ephesians 2:8—10 also highlights the link between soteriology and ethics in that believers reflect the character of God as his “workmanship” (2:10 NASB). Though they are saved by grace and not works (2:8—9), they are enjoined to walk in the good works God has prepared for them (2:10). Paul's ethics also echoes his emphasis on ecclesiology because he focused on the virtues necessary for building community such as humility, gentleness, patience, love (4:2-3), and forgiveness (4:32).

The role of divine enablement in ethics occurs in various ways. First, at the structural level Paul clearly based the imperative (chaps.
4—6)
on the indicative (chaps. 1—3); that is, he grounded his commands in the spiritual reality engendered by Christ. The order of Paul's key words is important: being seated with Christ in the past must precede walking with Christ (4:1-6:9) or standing for Christ (6:10-20) in the present. Second, at the grammatical level Paul placed worship (5:19), thankfulness (5:20), and submission (5:21-6:9) in subordinate relationships to the phrase “be filled with the Spirit” (5:18). This shows that godliness is an effect caused by God's power.

Spiritual Warfare
C. E. Arnold appropriately noted the importance of spiritual warfare in Ephesians: “More than any other Pauline letter, Ephesians stresses the hostile role of the principalities and powers against the church.”
¹⁴⁵
One can see this emphasis by examining the terms that Paul used in Ephesians.

Paul spoke of specific groups such as “powers” (
dynameis
, 1:21); “dominions”
(kyriotes
, 1:21); “principalities”
(archai
, 1:21; 3:10; 6:12); and “authorities”
(exousiai
, 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 6:12). The apostle also identified hostile powers in an inclusive sense as “cosmic rulers of
this present darkness” (
kosmokratores tou skotous toutou
, 6:12). Ephesians 1:21 asserts that Christ's rule is over not only the four specific groups of evil powers listed there, but also over “every name that is named, not only in this age but in the age to come” (NASB)

D. G. Reid summarized the significance of this inclusive phrase: “Against a cultural background in which successful magical manipulation of evil powers was commonly believed to be predicated on the knowledge of the power's name, Ephesians emphasizes the triumph and sovereignty of Christ over every power—known or unknown, real or imagined, present or future.
¹⁴⁶

This focus on spiritual warfare is connected to Paul's earlier discussion of soteriology and the work of Christ.
¹⁴⁷
Christ has already won the victory over the evil heavenly powers and is seated at God's right hand above “every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given” (1:21). God put everything under the feet of Christ and appointed him as head over everything for the church (1:22). In their pre-Christian state, believers lived under the power of the “ruler of the atmospheric domain” (2:2). Moreover, the church is the vehicle that conveys God's wisdom “to the rulers and authorities in the heavens” (3:10).

Spiritual warfare is also connected to Paul's earlier discussion of ecclesiology and ethics. In terms of ecclesiology, the fact that the injunctions are plural throughout 6:10—14 shows that Paul addressed the whole church in the need to fight and stand against the hostile forces of the evil one.
¹⁴⁸
In terms of ethics, the same devil who attacks with insidious methods (6:11) and flaming arrows (6:16) has already been described as attempting to gain a foothold through anger (4:26) and other conduct that reflects the old man and the old way of life. Therefore, putting on the full armor of God (6:10—20) is connected to putting off the old (4:22) and putting on the new man (4:24).

Ephesians 6:10—20 stands out as one of the clearest passages on spiritual warfare in Scripture. The key theme of 6:10—17 is the exhortation to stand in God's strength against the powers arrayed against the believer. The battle lines are drawn between God and the believer in his armor on one side (6:10—11) and the devil, the rulers, authorities, world powers of this darkness, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavens on the other (6:11—12). Believers need the spiritual armor of God because the battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual foes (6:12). Paul further heightened the intensity and closeness of the conflict by using the word for “wrestling” instead of more customary terms for warfare.
¹⁴⁹

Believers can overcome these forces only in God's strength. They receive the strength of the Lord (6:10) by putting on his armor (6:11).
¹⁵⁰
The various pieces of armor at the believer's disposal reflect the arsenal of a fully armed Roman foot soldier.
¹⁵¹
The OT also serves as a backdrop.
¹⁵²
In particular, Paul's description of the armor of God draws on imagery in Isaiah (see esp. 11:5; 52:7; 57:19). These texts portray God and his Messiah as warriors dressed in armor going out to fight for God's people. Hence, the armor God gives
to
his people is the armor God himself has already used to gain the victory
for
his people. The indicative of what God has done in Christ and the imperative of what believers are called to do in Christ converge.

Prayer should be seen as a further weapon in spiritual warfare. The battle advances as the gospel progresses (6:18—20). Again, Paul emphasized ecclesiology as he urged intercession for all believers (6:18).

Colossians

KEY FACTS

INTRODUCTION

P
AUL'S LETTER TO the Colossians is perhaps the most Christocentric letter in the NT. Colossians offers a strong corrective to the false teachings in the Lycus Valley that minimized the importance of the person and work of Christ. Paul firmly placed the emphasis back on the centrality of Christ in all things. The letter clearly and passionately argues for the supremacy of Christ, the sufficiency of his work for the believer, and the application of Christ's lordship to every aspect of the Christian life. Colossians thus serves as a stringent reminder of the serious problems that arise when one's focus is taken off Christ and he is displaced from the center of the Christian life.

The letter also demonstrates that gratitude to Christ for the great salvation he provided serves as a principal motivation for the Christian life. Although Colossian legalists may have pursued righteousness out of a sense of obligation and fear, Paul stressed that the believer lives his life in a manner worthy of his calling motivated by joyful thanksgiving to the Father who adopted him, rescued him from Satan's dominion, delivered him from punishment, and forgave his sins.
¹⁵³
Perhaps more than any other Pauline letter, Colossians presents the Christian life as an unrestrainable outburst of joy, praise, and thanksgiving, in which all that the believer says and does is an expression of grateful worship of an all-supreme Lord who has provided an all-sufficient salvation.

HISTORY

Author

Authenticity
The following discussion bears many striking similarities to the debate over the authorship of Ephesians, so it is not necessary to tread all of the same terrain again. The letter opens with a claim that Paul was the author (1:1) and contains two further expressions of personal identification in 1:23 (“I, Paul”) and 4:18 (“I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand”, NIV). The letter also refers to Timothy, Epaphras, John Mark, and Barnabas, who were companions of Paul as documented in the book of Acts. The closing of the letter makes many personal references that would not be expected in a pseudepigraphal writing. Paul's authorship was also affirmed by the unbroken testimony of the early church.