Every Spiritual Blessing: Ephesians 1:3

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3 ESV).

Before Paul begins to narrate descriptively the spiritual blessings of God, he first points us to the God of particularity in Jesus Christ. Before we know that God is the Father of all, we need to first know that he is the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is through his beloved Son we have been adopted into his family.  The Christian God is not a Greek god who is transcendent to a point where he does not get involved with human affair; He is not a divine force above our heads. Rather, “He is the God who made the world, and who has now made himself known in and through Jesus. As far as Paul is concerned, any picture of God which doesn’t now have Jesus in the middle of it is a distortion or a downright fabrication.”[1]

The word euvloghto,j can be understood as “blessed” or “praised.” “Praised be to the God…” is preferable. God does not need to be blessed; we need to be blessed. Rather, we don’t need to be praised, but God is worthy of our praise. God is the object of our praise; we are the object of his blessing. We praise for God’s blessings in Christ.

Paul introduces two of his letters with an introductory blessing (Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Cor. 1:3-7).[2] Ephesians 1:3-14 is considered as a “declarative praise” that is formed in one long, single sentence (in Greek) in which God’s blessings, such as election, adoption, forgiveness of sin, etc… are vividly described by Paul. This eulogy is Paul’s doxological introduction to the entire letter. At the end of the so-called “doctrinal section” (Ephesians 1-3), Paul concludes with another doxology: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).

As John Piper says, “God gets the glory; we get the mercy.”

The term “spiritual” (pneumatiko,j) is an adjective for the Spirit, that is, “pertaining to or belonging to the Spirit.”[3] In this vein, spiritual blessings mean blessings that pertain to the Spirit. God has blessed us in Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing. The role of the Spirit is not out of the picture. The rest of the sentence shows that this whole business of praising God for his blessings toward us is trinitarian through and through (God the Father, 1:4-6; God the Son, 1:7-12; God the Spirit, 1:13-14). Gordon Fee points out that “the use of this adjective…indicates that the emphasis is on the nature of the blessings, rather than their source.”[4] Either these blessings are spiritual or the Spirit is the source of them, the Spirit is at work. As Fee rightly puts, “The Spirit is the present means whereby God appropriates to the believing community the ‘blessings’ that flow from the redemptive work of Christ.”[5]

This eulogy is formed as an inclusio and bracketed by the Spirit.[6] At the end of the section, God the Spirit is the Spirit of the promise, who is “a deposit on our inheritance.” He serves as the guarantee of our future salvation (1:13-14). Our receiving of God’s blessings in Jesus Christ can only become a reality through the Spirit. The Spirit actualizes the blessings of God in us. J. I. Packer writes:

The Christian life in all its aspects—intellectual and ethical, devotional and relational, upsurging in worship and outgoing in witness—is supernatural; only the Spirit can initiate and sustain it. So apart from him, not only will there be no lively believers and no lively congregations, there will be no believers and no congregations at all. But in fact the church continues to live and grow, for the Spirit’s ministry has not failed, nor ever will, with the passage of time.[7]

We keep in step with the Spirit in ministry. We listen to him, worship him, and obey him.

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[1] N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), p. 5.

[2] Peter T. O’Brien points out the difference between an introductory thanksgiving and an introductory blessing or eulogy. He writes, “While his [Paul] introductory thanksgivings focus on God’s work in the lives of others, his eulogies praise god for blessings in which he himself participates.” “Benediction, Blessing, Doxology, Thanksgiving,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne, et. al. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press; Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), p. 68.

[3] Gordon D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), p. 666.

[4] Ibid., p. 666.

[5] Ibid., p. 667.

[6] Clinton E. Arnold, Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), p. 78.

[7] J. I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit: Finding Fullness in our Walk with God (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2005), p. 15.

A Missional Reading of Ephesians 2:19-22

In the book of Ephesians, the mystery of God[1] means that “the Gentiles are being incorporated into the people of God, along with the believers among the Jewish people, on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ.”[2] And, now, the mystery of God is made known through the church that is made up of Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 3:10).[3] The mystery of God in Christ is revealed through the unity of the Spirit-led church (Eph. 4:3).

This new community created by the triune God is a trinitarian community and a holy temple in the Lord (Eph. 2:19-22): 1) This new temple is made up of Jews and Gentiles who are equal members of God’s household; 2) Christ is the “cornerstone” of this new temple along with “the foundation of the apostles and prophets”; and 3) This new temple is where God’s Spirit dwells.

This new trinitarian community created as “one new man” (Eph. 2:15) by the triune God has a missional character as she lives out her missional essence, which is the unity of the church. In Eph. 2:19-22, the church is most explicitly described as the eschatological temple. Such concretized, reconciled community made up of two racial groups (Jews and Gentiles) in Ephesus is “the actual beginning fulfillment o the latter-day temple prophecies from the Old Testament.”[4] And this temple is not a building, but an eschatological, moving temple. Michael Goheen says that “The new temple of God’s presence established in the midst of the nations is not a building; it is a people who are given the new life of Christ’s resurrection as they are filled with the Holy Spirit.”[5] This eschatological temple is not a building, but a missional people living in the midst of all nations. This temple is a moving temple because it is made up of a missional people.

The church as an eschatological temple must reflect what the church is, which is the unity of the church. The unity of the church is not what the church does (missional act), but what the church is (missional essence). And the foundation of the unified essence of the church is the Tri-unity of the trinitarian Persons who are missionary by nature.[6]

This new temple of the Lord is no longer situated in one location in the world. Rather, such eschatological temples are many in many locations among all nations. Instead of people coming to the one and only temple in Zion in the Old Testament (centripetal), the temples of the Lord, that are multicultural communities, are moving out to all nations and manifest the presence of the Lord as the body of Christ (centrifugal). Michael Goheen rightly notes that “There is no longer one temple manifesting God’s presence among one nation in one location in the world. Now these temples are established throughout the world, in many multicultural communities that fulfill God’s original intention to manifest his presence through their peoples’ holy lives.”[7]

These multi-colored communities are located in all nations to be the salt and the light of the world. As the salt and the light, the missionary task of the church is to live out its missional essence: the unity of the church, which is a provisional reality on earth as it is in heaven. It is a foretaste of what is to come. The concrete historical reconciliation of the church is a provisional sign of the cosmic reconciliation, as described in Eph. 1:10—“As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

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[1] The mystery of God “generally refers to God’s decisive action in the sending of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Savior and Lord, as the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation.” Eckhard J. Schnabel, Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies and Methods (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2008), pp. 146-147.

[2] Ibid., p. 147.

[3] “Through the church signifies that the very existence of this new multiracial community in which Jews and Gentiles have been brought together in unity in the one body is the manifestation of God’s richly diverse wisdom.” Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester: Apollos; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 246.

[4] G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God, New Studies in Biblical Theology (Leicester: Apollos; Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 260.

[5] Michael W. Goheen, A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011), p. 178.

[6] “The unity of the triunity lies in the eternal perichoresis of the trinitarian persons. Interpreted perichoretically, the trinitarian persons form their own unity by themselves in the circulation of the divine life.” Jürgen Moltmann, The Trinity and the Kingdom: The Doctrine of God, trans. Margaret Kohl (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993), p. 175.

[7] Goheen, A Light to the Nations, pp. 178-179.

The Work of Memory: Ephesians 2:11

The focal point of Eph. 2:1-10 is not “by grace you have been saved through faith…” (2:8-9). 2:8-9 is incomplete without 2:10: we who are God’s workmanship are called to do good works. Being justified by grace through faith is the foundation of any good works; the work of sanctification is the natural fruit of Christ’s justifying work in Christian living. Divine good work always precedes human good works. Because of God’s good work in Christ, we are saved through faith by grace. Such a gift of God eliminates any possibility of human boasting. The i[na clause (2:9b: in order that no one can boast) rules out any human endeavor in terms of working for salvation. As Peter O’Brien writes, “The divine intention in providing salvation apart from any human effort or achievement is to exclude all human boasting…As Paul attacks the doctrine of justification by works, so he opposes all boating based on self-trust.”[1]

I am often aware of the conjunction Dio. (therefore) in the beginning of 2:11, meaning that 2:11-22 is connected to 2:1-10. But I usually separate the two sections and interpret them separately. Today, I received a book that I ordered a few days ago in my mailbox: Stephen E. Fowl, Ephesians: A Commentary (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012). I read the section on Eph. 2:11-22. Fowl writes:

 

Believers are participants in God’s new creation and that such participation enjoins walking in good works (cf. 2:10). Verse 11 would thus indicate that the immediate good work in view is the work of memory. The Ephesians are challenged here to remember their past. Indeed, the call here may be to remember their past in a new way. In this respect one can think of “remembering” as an example of being “transformed by the renewing of your minds,” as advocated in Rom. 12:2. Whatever else might be involved, the renewal of one’s mind must include a repair or restoration of one’s memory (p. 85).

I find the sentence, “the immediate good work in view is the work of memory,” intriguing. I often understand good works in terms of doing works. I never look at it from the angle of remembering. The first good work that the Ephesians are called to do is to remember: once you were Gentiles in the flesh…but now in Christ… (2:11-13). Our good work, first and foremost, is to remember the surprising work of God in Christ in our past. Our unchristian past indicates nothing but human flaws and divine grace. The first task of our Christian present is to remember our weaknesses and his gracious sufficiency.

To remember what God has done for us in Christ is a good work itself.   

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[1] Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester: Apollos; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 177.

In-Formation, not Information

I will be teaching an intensive course on the Letter to the Ephesians in Iloilo, Philippines for two weeks in May, 2014. I’ve assigned two books for this class: Frank Thielman, Ephesians, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010) and Eugene H. Peterson, Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing up in Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010). The choice of Thielman’s commentary is to help the class understand Ephesians exegetically and theologically. Such an exegetical and theological work is the foundation of any ecclesial applications in the world. Peterson’s work is to look at Ephesians from a pastoral perspective.

Practice Resurrection is a pastoral exposition of Ephesians from a standpoint of spiritual formation. By using the Ephesians text, Peterson is mainly concerned about God’s people growing up in Christ. The text is not meant to inform, but to form. The primary purpose of the Scriptures is not to give us more information, but to show us the way of spiritual formation. The Scriptures must be read formatively. We are in-formed by the Word. Information, indeed, is in-formation.

In seminary or church, we often miss the point of reading and studying the Scriptures: being formed. We often technologize Scripture in the sense that we want to get more out of it in an efficient way. Give me more information and let me decide what I am going to do with it. Being informed indicates that the growing-up business is human-oriented: it is up to an individual to pick and choose and decide whether such information is useful or not. Nevertheless, being formed signifies that growing up in Christ is to let God be the center and we are on the periphery: we are dethroned and God is enthroned.

Peterson’s Practice Resurrection is to help seminarians or future pastors to learn to read the Ephesians text in order to be formed, not to be informed, so that they can form others in the Spirit. As pastors, we must be formed first, then to form others. It is oxymoron to talk about spiritual growth or formation without entering into it. We don’t talk about relationship; we enter into it. The reason why I chose Peterson’s text is to let the class know that reading the text is to allow the text itself reading us in the Spirit. It is a spiritual reading. But such spiritual reading is not subjective, for it is governed by exegetical methods, as demonstrated by Thielman in his commentary.

In his exposition of the Greek verb “destine” or “predestine” (proori,zw) in Eph. 1:5, Peterson writes:

The verb “destine” (prooridzo) derives from the noun “boundary” (oros). Literally, it means to set a limit, to mark a boundary. A fence line on the prairie sets a boundary, determines where the land that a farmer has been appointed to work begins and ends. Without that fence line, the farmer would be paralyzed by the ocean of prairie, the endless possibilities stretched out before him—“Where do I start? Is there any end to it?” When God destines, he marks out the boundaries in which we live the purposed life to which he appoints us. We aren’t set loose in the cosmos to find our place and way in it as best we can. There are lines of God’s purposing appointments that intersect our chosenness. Being chosen is not an abstract category; it develops into a relationship that is mutual and reciprocal.[1]

In commenting on the same verb, Thielman writes:

Paul next uses the aorist participle proori,saj (proorisas, having  predestined) to describe God’s choice more fully. Just as the preposition pro (pro, before) in 1:4 placed God’s choice of his people before his creation of the world, so Paul prefixed this preposition to the verb ori,zw (horizo, determine) to place God’s decision to mark off a people for himself chronologically before the world began…Perhaps proori,saj states the cause of God’s choice: he chose his people because he determined beforehand that they would be his people.

Paul’s focus, however, is not on the logic of election but on its occurrence and the need to praise God because his choice of a people for himself is such a clear demonstration of his grace. Pau’s use of language in Ephesians generally, and in this benediction particularly, moreover, is as lavish in its own way as the grace of God, which he praises…God determined that they would be his people, therefore, came as an utterly free gift, irrespective of anything they could possibly have done to merit it.[2]

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[1] Eugene H. Peterson, Practice Resurrection: A Conversion on Growing Up in Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), pp. 59-60.

[2] Frank Thielman, Ephesians, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), p. 51.

Begin with Local Saints

In Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing Up in Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), Eugene H. Peterson draws an implication from the verse “supplications for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18), saying:

We are in a community, these baptized men and women, “the saints” whose names we know, brothers and sisters in Christ. Human relationships require alert and persevering maintenance. Begin with these saints, the people that in Christ you have most in common with, and then move outwards. That many of them don’t behave or look the way we think saints should is no concern of ours. They are saints by virtue of the way God looks on and treats them. It is always easier to pray for people we don’t know and don’t have to deal with than for those in our own congregation and home. But we are not God’s schoolmarms assigned to keep order, set standards, and enforce compliance. Our assignment is to practice resurrection with them (p. 267).

We are on the move to mission and like to talk about mission in Christian conversation. We are concerned about various people groups out there. We want to bring them into the kingdom of God and train them to become kingdom people. We want them to move from sinners to saints. We want to do great things for God. We want to aim high and big. We are interested in nameless people. But we are not interested in people whose names we know because those whom we know are not saints.

As a pastor, I really like what Peterson writes: “Begin with these saints, the people that in Christ you have most in common with, and then move outwards.” I have been preaching and teaching in a local church in Indianapolis for almost a year. I start to know some of these saints with names. My task is to help them know the gospel and grow along with the gospel because we never grow out of the gospel. Pastoral work is a soul work. So, it is a slow work. True pastoral work always begins with local saints whom we can see and relate regularly. I don’t like people talking about nameless and faceless mission. I don’t see the point why we are so passionate about nameless and faceless mission but show no interest in local mission. I think we don’t really want to know people. We are not interested in soul/slow work. We just like mission as a missionary task. But we don’t see that mission is God’s mission, and God’s mission is about people: knowing people, saving people, and even becoming one of them.

If we are on to mission, “begin with these saints…and then move outwards.” I don’t see a lot of missionary ideas in Peterson’s writings. The term “mission” rarely shows up. Yet, it doesn’t mean that the concept is not there. His missionary concept is often subtle and starts from a particular locality. The way I understand Peterson’s pastoral ministry as mission is that God’s mission always begins with a local place and a local people. Begin with a locality—Jerusalem. From there, we move outwards (see Acts 1:8). Once we neglect our Jerusalem, we just talk about doing mission in Judea and Samaria.

Don't be a Lazy Pastor

A pastor spends a good amount of time to read, study, and reread the Scriptures and books. The Holy Spirit works through means. Pastoral study is such a means. A pastor is called to teach. My understanding of the pastoral office has to do with teaching. Teaching is not the only role that defines a pastor. But, being a pastor must teach. Otherwise, a pastor ceases to be pastor. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). It is not coincident that Paul put one definite article in front of “pastors and teachers.” Teaching pastors are what Paul had in mind. If a pastor does not spend enough time to read, study, and meditate in solitude, how can he teach? The teaching ability of a pastor is crucial for the spiritual growth of a congregation.

Many times, a pastor cannot teach not because he has no ability to do so, but because he is lazy. A pastor can do many things in the church. But if he fails to nurture themselves with the Word, the trinitarian life, and theology, he fails to nurture the congregation with the Word, the trinitarian life, and theology. In most cases, many pastors are damn lazy in this sense. They are active in running errands in the church, but they are just lazy in the pursuit of the knowledge of God through the Word that deeply forms their pastoral spirituality as shepherds among His sheep. In commenting on the necessity of pastoral study in ministry, Derek Prime and Alistair Begg note:

The Church is in urgent need of shepherds and teachers who will study. The pressures and pace of contemporary life make that an increasingly difficult goal to achieve. Christ’s flock on earth depends upon its undershepherds to lead it into the fresh pastures of God’s Word. Undershepherds maintain an effective ministry as they extend their own understanding of God’s Word. If we are constantly pouring out without pouring in, we will soon cease to pour out anything that is of value to others.[1]

 

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[1] On Being a Pastor: Understanding our Calling and Work, revised and expanded ed. (Chicago: Moody, 2004), 102-103.

Truth Tellers

Christians are the people of the truth. Truth telling is one of the Christian characteristics. The opposite of truth-telling is lying. In commenting on “speaking the truth in love,” Klyne Snodgrass notes that “a truthful person is one who lives out his or her covenant obligations, which includes both what is said and what is done. Therefore, both truth and love bind us to the other person, for we cannot live truth and violate covenant relations” [Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), p. 206.]. 

The truth of the gospel demands us to be a truthful person who speaks the truth and confronts what is deceitful. Truth telling builds up one another; lying destroys it. Often time, truth telling seems to create disharmony on the surface. But this kind of constructive disharmony exposes the pseudo-harmony people enjoy in a Christian community. If there is anyone who should practice truth telling among all others, pastors should be the first ones to demonstrate it. Pastors have to be able to tell the people of God that, in Scott Peck’s words, evil has to do with lying (see Genesis 3). Lying defiles the souls of one another and violates covenant relations.

Lying creates distrust that destroys unity.

Disunity arises not because of truth telling, but lying.

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape” (Prov. 19:5, ESV; also see 19:9).

 

Fero

In discussion with the meaning of relationship, Clark Moustakas, one of the leading experts on humanistic and clinical psychology, has a good insight on the term relate:

The term relate is paradoxical. It comes from the Latin word refero. Suffer is derived from a similar Latin root, suffero. Thus, they share a common base, fero, “to bear,” to carry,” “to put up with.” In every genuine relationship, to achieve ultimate meaning, we must submit to it, undergo it, endure it, suffer with it. We must return again and again to its nature and its unfolding patterns, carry something of it with us. We must grapple with the intimacies of relationship, must surrender to its up and downs, and live with its burdens and stresses. [Being-In, Being-For, Being-With (Northvale: Jason Aronson Inc., 1995), p. 70.]

To relate is to suffer; to suffer is to bear, to carry, or to put up with. If we do not want to put up with the problems of others, we are not relating. We relate with no commitment or a sense of detachment or live in isolation because we are afraid of suffering. As a consequence, we stop following. Jesus suffers because he carries the burden of humanity. In other words, we are called to put up with it. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matt. 10:24 ESV). In relating, we are following. To avoid suffering, we are not following.

I have pastoral ministry in my mind as I am writing this. To serve in the church is to put up with the church. To relate to the church can be a burden and cause stress. As I was reading Ephesians the other day, I meditated upon the role of the church in God’s overall plan: “So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places….to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:10, 21 ESV, emphasis mine). The visible Christ made the invisible God visible. The mystery of God is now made known through the body of Christ. The church does have a strategic, mediatorial role in God’s plan. How do I relate to the church? How do I follow Christ as a churchman?

My Beloved, My Friend

She is the source of me feeling lucky in life. It does not mean that she brings me luck in a secular sense. Rather, to have her as my spouse who can also be my friend makes me feel that I am lucky in this life. In life, we spend most of our time to be with our spouse. The time that we spend together is definitely quantitative. Whether or not it is also qualitative, it is not so promising. However, it is not impossible. Having realized that I can luckily find friendship in marriage, a sense of luck, or a sense of being blessed, comes upon me. Marriage is a mystery (Eph. 5:32). Who can guarantee that two different individuals (two sinners) who promise to stay and live together can pull it off day in and day out? By luck or grace, at the end of the day, I can say: “This is my beloved and this is my friend” (Song of Songs 5:16). Marriage, indeed, is a mystery.

In the Genesis narrative, God makes it clear that “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (2:18 ESV). In Gen. 1:26 ESV, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (also see 1:27). After creating man in God’s own image, this man is complete, but not yet complete. A vertical relationship with God is followed by a horizontal relationship. God’s “first no good” must be resolved by making a helper for this man. His aloneness makes it no good; her friendship and companionship makes a difference.

“What is the purpose of marriage? The Bible’s answer to this question starts with the principle that marriage is a friendship.”[1] In marriage, two friends journey towards the end with transparency, constancy, and promise. And the end is this: “what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him” (1 Jn. 3:2 ESV).

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[1] Timothy Keller (with Kathy Keller), The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (New York: Dutton, 2011), p. 110.