The Eye Test

Diagnosis: cataracts. The field of vision is impaired. An operation using the laser technique is necessary, so that you can see clearly again. There are also spiritual cataracts. They can come from traditions, false interpretations or ideas. The Holy Spirit is given us to open our eyes, so that we can see clearly God’s will for us as revealed in the Bible (Ephesians 1:18).

Many people cannot see well; they are short-sighted or long-sighted. Some have tunnel vision or they suffer from night blindness. Or they may have from some other ailment that impairs their vision. Others have good sight but they look at the wrong things or let themselves be dazzled. Those who have poor sight also have trouble in walking.When you cannot see very well, you make slow progress, spiritually also. You get caught in things or you may even injure yourself. C.S. Lewis once claimed, “I believe in Christ just as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I can see it, but because through it I can see everything else.”

“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 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, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:15-23).

The Eye Test

Let us read verses 17-19 again and ask ourselves whether we would pass this test, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 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 usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.” This text is clearer in the New International Version, where it reads as follows, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.”

Perhaps you have made the following observation, either in your personal life or in that of others. I am surprised and shocked every time I see this. There are many Christians who are sincerely trying to be changed. They pray and pray for spiritual renewal, for sanctification. They want to live a life of devotion, continually make new resolutions, and try really hard. But even after decades, nothing has changed; maybe things have even gotten worse. They are still just as touchy, harbor grudges, and cannot forgive. They do not manage to give things up which are not in order. They are still full of envy and jealousy, and fight a desperate battle against their old lives.What is the reason for this? I think there are three reasons:

• The goal of these people is right, but the way to it is wrong.
• They expect too much of themselves and too little of the Spirit of God.
• They see more what they have to do “to become” and too little that which they have “in order to be.”

Many Christians live as though everything depended in the first place upon themselves: their calling, their heritage, their power and strength. Such people live in a continual battle against themselves, but they call it the fight of faith. What a fatal error!

In the first place, it is not about us, but about God’s calling, His heritage and the reality of the power of His strength, which God works in believers. Paul explains this in the first three chapters of the epistle to the Ephesians. Only then in the last three chapters does he begin to tell us to put this knowledge into practice. God does not expect anything of you that He does not give you the strength to do. Do you perhaps feel so powerless at the moment because you are trying to do it in your own strength?

We were recently able to observe how gigantic metal girders were rammed into the earth for the building of a new railway line here. Everything around shook and vibrated. What kind of builder would say to his workers, “Ram these girders into their sockets, however you like,” without giving them the necessary equipment? But the man in charge gave them a crane with a special attachment for ramming the girders into the earth. What would have happened if the workers had not used this crane but attempted to make a hole for these girders with a kid’s spade? This is exactly how we sometimes behave.

The Spiritual Vision

“Optics” is “the branch of science concerned with vision and the behavior of light.” The origin, extent and perception of light are examined. Paul says of spiritual optics, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know…” (Ephesians 1:18). “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery…” (Ephesians 3:9). It is about understanding something essential and to be given light on it; namely, light concerning the power of God and His salvation. If we do not understand what Paul is writing, we cannot put it into practice. And if we cannot apply it, it will not bring us any further. We are concerned with the following four points:

1. To Know God Better: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17). “…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (NIV). The deeper and more fervent the relationship with a person is, the more our thoughts and actions are influenced by it.

Many people think we merely need more self-knowledge. No! In the first place, we need more knowledge of God. The more we know God, the more we will see ourselves in His light; the more we will come to knowledge of ourselves and recognition of sin. It is terrible when people have no recognition of sin, for this is a sign that they have never known God. What is the highest and deepest knowledge of God that we can have? The knowledge of Christ! This is what matters. Someone once said, “We cannot be nearer to God than if we are in Him.” We should be able, “…to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19).

How can we describe a Christian in a few brief words? With the formula “in Christ,” I have counted how often descriptions like “in Christ,” “in him,” “through Jesus,” “with Christ” or other similar terms occur in the Bible: 35 times! Jesus Christ is the center and the mediator of every relationship with God, the way to the Father. “In Christ,” “Christ in you,” “if any man be in Christ,” “dead in Christ,” “fallen asleep in Christ,” etc.

2. Enlightened Eyes for His Calling: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling…in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). What is God’s calling? Is there any such thing? Yes, the letter to the Ephesians gives us a few hints of this:

1. God has called us to sonship. He wants us to be His children. “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:5). You too are not meant to be merely a religious person, not just a traditional Christian. God wants you to be His child; He wants to be your father.

2.We should serve Him, to the praise of His glory. “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ” (Ephesians 1:12). Our whole lives should glorify God and be at His disposal. That is God’s calling.

3. God’s calling means that we are His property, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). A sealing is a sign of recognition and possession, as well as a sign of security and authenticity. It is a down payment on something. Nothing and nobody can snatch God’s property from Him.

4. God’s calling is also in that the Church has become His body, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

5.We are His work and were created for Him. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

6. He has made Jews and Gentiles through Himself to be a new person. “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace” (Ephesians 2:15).

7. He has reconciled us to Himself. As former enemies of God, He is no longer our enemy, “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Ephesians 2:16).

3. Enlightened Eyes for the Riches of His Inheritance: “…that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). We often go through life worried, despondent and disconsolate because we are so short-sighted where the riches of the glory of his inheritance are concerned. The letter to the Ephesians continually points to these riches.

“…the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7), “…the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:l8), “…the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness” (Ephesians 2:7), “But God, who is rich in mercy…” (Ephesians 2:4), “…the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8), “…according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might” (Ephesians 3:16).

What is the glory of His inheritance in the saints? An inheritance is when a deceased person leaves his possessions to another. God allows us to participate in that which belongs to Him. His inheritance in us! Jesus died for this. His inheritance in the saints is the infinite future, which should draw our eyes away from earthly things to eternity. We should have a vision for our eternal destination to which God has called us.

There was once a little girl who was born blind. She could never see the beautiful things on this earth, nature with all its colors, for instance. Her mother continually and patiently attempted to describe the beautiful things of this earth to her daughter. One day it became possible to operate on the eyes of the child, and the operation was a success. The day came when the bandages were removed from her eyes and the child saw her mother for the first time. Then she ran to the window and saw the beauty of this earth for the first time. After she had admired the overwhelming vision for a moment in amazement, the little girl returned to her mother and said, “Mummy, why didn’t you tell me how beautiful it all is?” The mother’s eyes filled with tears and she said, “I tried to describe it to you, but you weren’t capable of imagining it.”

Only few Christians have a vision for the magnificence of the inheritance in heaven. For us the physical and earthly things are the greatest and most important, but for the Bible the heavenly and future spiritual body is most important. We are blessed with “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

4. Enlightened Eyes for the Greatness of His Power: “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19). It is about His mighty power in us, and not about our striving for Him. The same thing is said in Ephesians 6:10 concerning our fight of faith, “against the rulers of the darkness of this world”: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

What is this power, however, through which He works in us, which carries and leads us to the goal of our calling and inheritance, and which determines our daily lives? Verses 19-20 of Ephesians 1 gives us the answer, “…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.” The power and might of God that is at work in us is therefore an exceedingly great power, because it is the same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead. It is not “merely” a creative power; it is the power of the resurrection of Jesus!

• God employed this power for our redemption.
• Through this power we are kept for our calling and inheritance.
• And through this power we will one day be glorified as the body of Christ.

“Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:21-23).

Superlatives

Because the resurrection power of Jesus is so tremendous, Paul continually uses superlatives in his letter to the Ephesians:

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence” (Ephesians 1:7-8). “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19). “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion” (Ephesians 1:21). “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us…” (Ephesians 2:4). “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

Only after Paul has stated all this does he add his “Amen” and comes to the admonition, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1).

The question remains, what are the conditions for us to experience all these things? How can we gain access to them? Through faith! “…what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19). “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Ephesians 3:12). Through faith we have access to these treasures of transformation, the power of God! This is the key. May the Lord grant you the means to understand this and to put it into practice.

MidnightCall Magazine

August 2010

News From Israel Magazine

August 2010

The Eye Test

The Eye Test

The Spiritual Vision

Superlatives