Eyes to See
Ephesians 1:15–23 and the Majesty of Christ’s Reign
There are moments in Scripture when the Apostle Paul seems unable to contain himself—moments when theology erupts into doxology and doctrine gives birth to praise. Ephesians 1:15–23 is one such moment. Having just extolled the Father’s electing love, the Son’s redeeming blood, and the Spirit’s sealing work (Eph. 1:3–14), Paul turns from proclamation to intercession. And what does he pray? That the church would see—that the eyes of their hearts would be opened, illumined, and flooded with divine light.
But his prayer is not vague, sentimental, or mystical. It is concrete and Christ-centered. It is covenantal and saturated with the majesty of the risen and reigning Lord. And it drives at one great aim: that the church, although surrounded by spiritual enemies and tempted by false confidences, would know the hope, the inheritance, and the power that are theirs in Christ.
This passage calls us away from earthly strength and into the invincible might of the exalted Christ. It calls us to ordered love, to unshakeable faith, and to warfare against the powers of darkness by the power of the King.
The Praise: Faith and Love as Marks of the True Church
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks…” (Eph. 1:15–16)
Paul begins with praise—not of the Ephesians, but of God for them. “For this reason,” he says. What reason? Because they have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Because the Spirit has engraved the name of Christ upon their souls. Because sovereign grace has produced sovereign fruit in their lives.
And what is that fruit?
Faith in Christ and love toward all the saints.
These two are not optional. They are not “next-level Christianity.” They are the marks of genuine salvation, and no man enters heaven without them.
Faith in Christ Alone
The Ephesians had not trusted in political deliverance. They were not like Israel in the days of Isaiah, turning to Egypt for protection (Isa. 30:1–5). They did not trust in weapons, alliances, or earthly strength (Isa. 31:1). Nor did they lean on their own understanding (Prov. 3:5–8). They were a people who knew the times and understood where their trust lies.
The list of false confidences is endless and may vary person by person: Work. Money. Children. Health. Plans for the future. Etc. But all of them are idols when leaned upon and hoped in.
But David sets the Christian’s cry:
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we (Christians) trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Ps. 20:7 Emphasis Mine)
Christ recognizes the temptations that exist—“chariots and horses”—but while we use them, we do not put our faith in them—they are not the object of our confidence. But how do we get to that place where we refuse to trust our instruments and instead trust in the one who gave us those instruments?
Faith in Christ requires sanctification. We must be changed by God in order that we might place our full faith and trust in the Lord of glory—but how? Christ answers:
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
This text tells us in no uncertain terms that nothing else in this life sanctifies. Not experiences. Not stories. Not traditions. Not fairy tales. Not legend. Not history. Nothing.
Only Scripture—breathed out by the Spirit—is the divine instrument that renews the mind and conforms the soul to Christ. This, however, is difficult for many, for many will imagine that in the world and through the inventions of men, they have gleaned and grown quite a bit. They will look to other sources of knowledge or experience and imagine that through them they have indeed learned how to live—but this is not true. There are those, in other words, who imagine that stories are soul food. They will say that we must learn to be men and women from stories. Or that we must learn how to interact with others through tales. Or that we learn how to be faithful through stories. But none of this is true, and in fact goes directly against Christ’s prayer.
There is but one source in which we gain the knowledge of God; there is but one source by which we are sanctified in truth: the scriptures that are breathed out by God. To trust in anything else will only result in weakness. However, for those trained by something other than scripture, they will imagine themselves strong, for indeed, they are living up to the standard—the standard of their learning. It will not, however, be the standard of scripture.
But the Ephesians trusted Christ as He is offered in the Word. Christ was their aim, their object, their Lord. Belief in Christ without submission in all things is not faith; the Ephesians knew this.
Love Toward All the Saints
Regarding their love toward the saints, Paul does not say, “Your love toward the world,” or “your love toward the foreigner/immigrant,” or even “your love toward your fellow countrymen.” Instead, he says:
“your love toward all the saints.”
Why? Because love, if it is to be rightly ordered, begins with those nearest to God.
As Calvin notes, “If our love must have a view toward God, the nearer a man is to God, the stronger his claim to our love.” This is the doctrine of the ordo amoris—the order of love. God commands hierarchy in our affections, not egalitarian sentimentality.
Thus, I must love my wife more than all other women. I must love my children above other children. I must love my church more than any earthly community. And above all, I must love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength. I simply do not have the ability to love all people. If then, I show charity to the immigrant at the expense of loving my wife, then I am sinning, and I am worse than an unbeliever. He does not get my money, attention, care, concern, or time because those things belong to those closest to me. A righteous people, then, will deny the immigrant access to the community and will demand that he go to his own people for aid, for God has granted us order and finitude.
The Ephesians lived this. Faith in Christ. Love for the saints. Therefore, Paul praises God for them.
The Gift: The Spirit to Enlighten the Eyes
“…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ… may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him…” (Eph. 1:17)
Christians often imagine they are missing some secret ingredient in the Christian life. If only I prayed harder… If only I read more… If only I understood types and shadows better... If only I unlocked some hidden spiritual mechanism… then I would obtain the “real” power of God; then I would have “real” nearness to Christ.
But Peter shatters this illusion:
“His divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him...” (2 Pet. 1:3)
But this sentiment is a devilish lie, for you have Christ. He gave you His whole self. There is no “higher” Christianity. There is only a deeper understanding.
And it is for this increase in depth that Paul prays not for new gifts but for greater sight of what already belongs to the saints. They possessed the Spirit—but they needed more illumination. This is because, over time, the veil of sin dims the eyes, slowly, relentlessly. Without prayer, from yourself and your church, that veil thickens.
And what does Paul want them to see?
1) The hope of God’s calling: The hope is not subjective optimism. It is objective destiny: the church herself is God’s inheritance. A day is coming when God will inherit a spotless, beautiful, glorified church. To see this is to grow in courage. And 2) the immeasurable greatness of God’s power. What power is at work in believers? It isn’t a feeling, and it is not an impersonal force. It is the very power that resurrected Christ from the dead, ascended him to the clouds, and seated him at the Father’s right hand, where he now rules and reigns over all creation, both church and state.
The Power: Resurrection and Ascension Power in the Saints
The same power brought Christ back to life, that shattered the stone of Christ’s tomb, that allowed him to flow through walls and yet eat solid food, appear to over 500 people for 40 days, ascend into the clouds, be seated at the Father’s right hand, and now rule and reign over all people’s with an iron rod, now lives in you.
The same power that seated Christ at the Father’s right hand is the same power that seats you with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:5–6).
Make no mistake: without Christ, we are an immensely weak and frail people. We are cowardly, prideful, effeminate, harsh, bitter, lazy, etc., and this is all weakness. However, although we are weak, and our bodies decay, and sin still clings close, and sorrows continually bear down upon us, and our labor is strenuous, we can be immovable in Christ!
Christ makes us strong.
When Paul was faced with a suffering that tormented him, he begged Christ to take it away three separate times. Each time, however, Christ said “no.” Rather than grumble, grow despondent, or fall into a persistent funk, Paul rejoiced. Christ said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). This was Paul’s answer: you already have all you need. Paul understood and said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” He understood that if we trust ourselves, then we will get our own power, but if we trust Christ, we will be given the power of the resurrection. Therefore Paul acknowledged that “when [we are] weak, then [we are] strong.”
Therefore, do not rely upon yourself, but trust in the Lord, obey his word, and rest in his strength, not your own.
The Lord: Christ the Mediatorial King Over All
Paul ends with an exaltation of Christ:
“…far above all rule and authority and power and dominion…” (Eph. 1:21)
“…and God put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church…” (v. 22)
What Paul is articulating here is what has come to be called the Mediatorial Kingship of Christ:
This is Not a New Doctrine
The kingship of Christ has been held since the 1st century. Augustine held it. Athanasius held it. But in the 1600s the Covenanters of Scotland developed its implications more fully and more faithfully, applying it to civil life.
Definition
Christ, as the God-Man and Mediator, has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), and exercises that authority over every sphere NOW—church, family, state, nations, angels, and devils—until all enemies are subdued (Ps. 110).
Not of This World—Yet Over This World
When Jesus says His kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36), He means it is not fragile, fleshly, or fleeting. He does not, at all, mean that his kingdom is purely spiritual. It is spiritual, but like all spiritual things, it is also physical. Baptism is of the Spirit symbolized by water. The spiritual grace of the Lord giving us his body to eat and blood to drink is symbolized in the Eucharist. The spiritual unity of husband and wife is symbolized in the act of sexual intimacy. Christian faith is animated by the works it creates. To be spiritual is also to be physical. So the fact that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world only means that it does not have the characteristics, marred by sin, of the kingdoms of this world. His kingdom invades the world and conquers it.
Additionally, Matthew 11:12 is another place many go to disprove the conquering of Christ’s kingdom on this earth:
It reads: “...the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Many Christians read this and conclude that the kingdom is weak, and in fact, there are some people who are determined to squeeze and force their way into the Kingdom of Heaven, because they want to take hold of it for themselves. But this makes very little sense. Rather, there is a textual variant here that exists within the Alexandrian text. It reads:
“The kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”
This reading is agreed upon by most scholars, historians, theologians, and pastors. It fits the context of the bible far better, and does not imply the impotency of the Kingdom of God. Instead, it shows that the Kingdom is breaking into the world with force, and it cannot be stopped. And the men are laying hold of the Kingdom out of exuberance to be in fellowship with God. Any other reading is impish and contrary to the rest of scripture.
Nations Are Obligated To Submit
Nations and rulers are commanded to “kiss the Son” (Ps. 2:12). This is not a suggestion from the Father, but a command. Civil rulers must comply or they will perish. Civil magistrates must order their laws, culture, and governance by the Word of Christ; neutrality, in other words, is treason.
The Church Reigns with Christ
Because we are His body, we share His power. We wage war against spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12) with the strength of Christ, our Captain. We shun even the appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). We conquer through holiness.
Overall, what is our duty? Only to trust and obey.