Scripture's Answer To Insecure Control Freaks (In Search Of Truth, Ephesians 1:[19] 20-23)

Ephesians 1:(19) 20-23
(the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might) that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.


In previous verses, Paul tells his readers that he has been ceaselessly praying for the eyes of their inward selves to become enlightened, so they can understand and experience a few specific things. First, the hope they've been called to, second the inheritance they have waiting for them, and third, the power of God at work on behalf of believers in Jesus.

v.20

Paul then provides a prime example of God's power and might at work on behalf of believers. It was God's power that defied the natural laws of death and raised Jesus to life. It was God's power that took Jesus from a place of humiliation and presumed defeat and placed him instead at God's "right hand in the heavenly places". This seems to be an allusion to Psalm 110:1

The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”(ESV)
A study of the Psalms reveals some interesting patterns in relationship to the use of "Yahweh" ("LORD") and "Adonai" ("Lord"). I recently completed studying through the Psalms with a mentor over the last couple of years and it's remarkable how the uses of "Adonai/Lord" in the Psalms are connected with acts and characteristics of God revealed through Christ.

So in this allusion, Paul is saying that God has fulfilled the prophetic vision of Psalm 110:1, in which Yahweh the Father has placed Yahweh Jesus, the Adonai, in ultimate authority over all creation, as God begins the process of subduing all enemies of Jesus.

v.21

The position of authority Jesus has is far above any and all other potential authorities, whether mortal or spiritual in nature. And this authority will continue forever.

v.22-23

Everything has been placed under the feet of Jesus. Take in that picture and its intention for a moment. It calls back again to the "enemies as a footstool" imagery of Psalm 110:1. The power and authority of Jesus over all of creation is effortless and absolute. (Evil temporarily persists, but not in the least bit unchecked or without purpose, as we see demonstrated in the story of Joseph [Genesis 45:5, 50:20] and in the story of Jesus' death to pay for our sins.)

Here's where the authority of Christ becomes relevant again to believers: God gave Jesus, as the unstoppable ruler over all things, to the church, which functions as his body, serving his agenda. This means that as we get on the same page with Jesus and serve his agenda, we are backed up by his unstoppable rule.

The nature of God's rule is mind-blowing. When things go bad in our lives or even on a global level, he isn't off somewhere saying "well, we lost that battle but we'll win the war". His victory and rule over everything isn't just some future hope. It's actually being carried out right now, because he utilizes the evil choices and broken conditions common to the world to bring about wonderful things that would otherwise not be possible. The stories of Joseph and the cross are not isolated incidents where God somehow managed to make lemonade out of lemons. They were the norm for how God operates in his rule of this currently fallen creation!

So when things seem to go wrong or fall short of our hopes as we serve Christ, we can celebrate the fact that his rule is different. What we perceive as failure or shortcoming is either because what we were aiming for is not truly God's agenda, or because he is expertly using that perceived failure to bring about something better.

Above my computer monitor and also on my office door I have posted the following phrase and verses:

Things "Go Different" more often than they "Go Wrong".
(Proverbs 19:21, ESV) Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of Yahweh that will stand.
(Romans 8:28, ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

We have expectations and measures of success that often just don't match up with what God is doing. Recognizing that and submitting to a recognition of his rule both takes pressure off our activities and gives us reason to gratefully celebrate even in the midst of difficulty or disappointment.


SO WHAT'S IN ALL THIS FOR GEEKS?

The insecurity felt by many geeks (certainly including myself) often leads us to a desire for control. We can be very particular about who we spend time with and what activities we participate in so we can remain comfortable or be seen in a favorable light.

I think we're also susceptible to imagining a sort of heroic significance for ourselves when compared to others. We assign a purpose to ourselves that may or may not be what God intends, though we may believe with certainty it is God's intention for us. Then we fixate on that purpose and attach a goal that will indicate success. But when we don't reach that goal we become angry or bitter, or maybe depressed. Or if we DO reach that goal, we can miss the fact that we have insensitively steamrolled over people in the process.

The reality is that we are not in control of most things. We have our individual choices, but the results depend on external variables. And so clinging to the hope or expectation of having control is both futile and works against what God wants to do in us and through us.

In upcoming chapters Paul will begin to describe how God wants to transform and use us as believers in community with other believers. But for us to be open and available for that transformation, we need to know and remember a few things.

1. God powerfully rules over everything.
2. Christ exercises that power as the leader of the universal church, which functions as his body in the world.
3. We were made to represent Christ, as a community of Christ-empowered believers.

There will be snags and problems as we serve his purposes. So to experience what God has for us we need to remember that success and security are defined by willing submission to God's rule, and partnership with the Holy Spirit on a moment by moment basis.



Resources used to prepare this study include:
"Expositor's Bible Commentary", Frank E. Gaebelein General Editor (Zondervan Publishing House)
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Blueletterbible.org (primarily for search functionality)