God's Power Toward Believers

- 3 mins read

The Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers to know the immeasurable greatness of God’s power towards them. It is the same power with which He raised Christ from the dead, seated him at His right hand in heaven, and put all things under his feet. (Ephesians 1)

It is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that God gives, who enlightens our hearts to cause us ‘know’ (experience) His power towards us.

Paul also writes that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, the spiritual man does, and the fleshly man, though regenerated, is not able to bear these things. (1 Cor 3:2)

What we are meant to conclude from Paul’s passage in Ephesians 1, is that the amount of power exerted by the Almighty towards a believer is on par with the power that accomplished:

  • The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
  • The transfer dominion over everything to Jesus Christ

And will in the future accomplish:

  • The subjection of everything to Jesus Christ

The resurrection and the crowning with glory and honor a la ‘sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’ (Psalm 110), are now completed actions.

The author of Hebrews tells us Christ is now seated and waiting, and ‘at present’ we do not see all things in subjection to him (Heb 2:8).

This subjection of everything to Him will begin when the seventh trumpet sounded and Christ has begun to reign (Rev 11:15-16). He must reign until, the last enemy (death) is destroyed. (1 Cor 15:25)

Here we see here three ways that God the Father exercises His power with regard to His son:

  • The raising of Jesus Christ from the dead
  • The authoritative seating of the Son at The Father’s right hand
  • The exertion of power to subject all things to the Son

Likewise to the believer:

  • The giving of new life when a person is born again
  • The authoritative adoption and justification in heaven
  • The exertion of power to work all things for the good of those who love him, culminating in glorification

The paradox is in “how” God’s power is manifested, namely, in weakness. God in his wisdom chose to exert his power through weakness, thereby mocking the wise of this world and showing to all creation that God’s foolishness is greater than man’s highest wisdom.

The Lord Jesus Christ lived in humility, suffered and died shamed, subjected and cursed. God not only reversed all of it, but by his suffering brought redemption to all who believe.