Ephesians 1:18-20 “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,”
Paul has expressed to this body of believers that he is in continual prayer for them. He is petitioning the God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. These verses continue Paul’s petition on their behalf. He wants them to know that he is specifically asking God to do something for and in them, and he is not seeking any credit or glory for himself.
It is a wonderful thing when God is pleased to shed light (enlighten) on those things that we see (eyes) and think deeply about (understanding). God is glorified when we realize that all good and perfect gifts come from Him (Jas 1:17), and we should pray for this enlightenment for God’s children. Understanding that good and perfect things comes from Him causes us to know what to expect (hope) when He calls us. We are assured that He has a purpose for us in His kingdom.
There is a wealth of glory in the estate of His saints as that estate exists in Him. Everything about Him is excellent and all that excellence is aimed at us. His greatness cannot be fully fathomed in terms that men can comprehend. Only in the touch of that power in our lives can we have any understanding of His greatness. All of this is the result of His mighty power.
The majesty of His effectual power was manifested in Christ. When the God of our Lord Jesus raised Him form the dead, we were given an insight into the exceeding greatness of His power toward us. Our belief is not what makes His power great, but believing that it is toward us is what causes us to comprehend the greatness of it. It reveals to us that this is the work of God without the aid of man. The work was done in Christ.
Not only did He raise Him from the dead, but the Father set the Son at His own right hand. The right hand denotes a place of favor. Why should that matter to us? It matters because Jesus was our representative in the resurrection. He is in us and we are in Him (Joh 14:20). God’s mighty power is such that we have a favored position because of the work which He wrought in Christ. In Christ, we find ourselves at the right hand of the God of our Lord Jesus in heavenly places.
May we be blessed to understand that our place in Christ is celestial according to the might power of God!