COMMENTARY ON EPHESIANS
LESSON NUMBER 35
Eph 3:12 "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory." (Eph 3:12-13)
BOLDNESS AND ACCESS WITH CONFIDENCE
INTRODUCTION
In Christ Jesus God has purposed something that pertains to men, and it is so transcendent that its nature or details have never entered into the heart of man. Thus it is written, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Cor 2:9). This Pauline statement is a kind of summary of a word delivered by Isaiah more then seven hundred years before Christ: "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him" (Isa 64:4). Even with that revelation, Isaiah himself did not have the faintest idea of what God had purposed. After hearing John the Baptist, and the Lord Jesus Himself, it could still be said that the greatness of God's purpose for men had not entered into their hearts. Men and women of faith knew God could work miraculously among them. They knew their enemies could be subdued, and they could survive impossible circumstances. Barren women could be caused to bear children, grievous illnesses could be healed, and men could be given supernatural strength. A boy could fight and defeat a giant, and an army, staggering for size, could be eliminated in a single night without any involvement of men. Bread could fall from heaven, rivers of water could come out of a rock, and men could survive a furnace of fire. But the things God had purposed for men were far greater than those earthly experiences. Paul is in the process of describing these transcendent objectives, and they all have to do with men experiencing a new and previously unknown experience with God Himself. It is not something that is for one man, but for a vast multitude of men, made up of those from diverse backgrounds, locations, and abilities. If nothing could be restrained from the united people in Shinar, who is capable saying what those united in Christ Jesus are, and will be, capable of doing? See, it is something that goes beyond natural human aptitude!
WHAT WE HAVE
Eph3:12a "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence . . ."
IN WHOM. The concept of being "IN" someone else is a large one, indeed. The closest thing men can imagine that corresponds with this is an infant in the mother's womb. In any other religion, the advantage is being found in being "with" someone superior. There is, of course, a sense in which we are said to be "with Christ." Such an identity accounts for us being "dead" with a productive death: "dead with Christ" (Rom 6:8; Col 2:20). We have also been "raised with Christ" (Col 3:1), and our life "is hid with Christ" (Col 3:3). This all accents the means by which we were delivered from death and brought into life. Christ is the One who accomplished our rescue from death and deliverance into life. It was our association with Him through faith that brought it all to pass. Now, however, we are faced with a different dimension - being "in Christ." That is the outcome of dying with Jesus and being raised with Him.
Spiritual life is birthed when we are baptized "into Christ" (Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27) - not baptized into an association with Christ, but "INTO Christ." By being in Christ we become an integral part of Him - the part that is called His "body" (1 Cor 12:13; Eph 1:23). This is such a marvelous unity that it is said of the saved, "For we are members of his body, of His flesh, and of His bones" (Eph 5:30). We are also said to be "one spirit" with Him (1 Cor 6:17).
Ordinarily, when we speak of something being "in Christ," it is the benefits in Him that are accentuated- i.e. "Redemption in Christ" (Rom 3:24), "sanctified in Christ" (1 Cor 1:2), "liberty in Christ" (Gal 5:1), "faith in Christ" (Gal 3:26), "created in Christ" (Eph 2:10), etc.
By referring to us being "in Christ," Paul means that Christ is not viewed by God in disassociation from us. The things that are hidden in Christ are accessible to us. "The fulness of God" (Col 2:9) that is in Christ Jesus is available to those who are in Him. Christ Jesus is the One "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col 2:3) - and they are accessible to all who are in Him.
Now we read of a body of people who are "in Christ." "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom 8:1). "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor 5:17). It is this circumstance of which Paul now writes. A person who has not heard the word of God pertaining to being "in Christ" will not be able to glean much from what is now said. Also, those who have associated being in Christ primarily with what they have done, will also fail to see much in these statements.
To this point, Paul has labored to bring the people to a place where they can gain the advantage by his words. He has addressed the saints as those "in Christ" (1:1). To create incentive, he has said they were chosen by God before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame (1:4). God has predestinated them to be adopted (1:5). He has made them accepted (1:6). He has abounded toward them in a wise manner (1:6). He has revealed what God intends in salvation (1:10-11). He announced they had been "sealed" with the Holy Spirit of promise (1:14). They have been made alive by God (Eph 2:1-6). They were God's own workmanship (2:10). Now, that is the God of whom Paul now writes.
WE HAVE BOLDNESS AND ACCESS WITH CONFIDENCE. Other versions read, "may approach God with freedom and confidence," NIV and "we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear)." AMPLIFIED In other words, we can come to God expecting to receive our petitions - particularly when they are in accord with His will (1 John 5:14).
I am confounded that most professing Christians spend more time praying about things concerning which we have no guarantees, than for those that God has declared belong to us. It is an exceedingly difficult thing to direct people into a proper emphasis in prayer. This by no means suggests we should not pray for matters pertaining to life in this world. It does mean that we ought to pray from the posture of someone in Christ, seeking to approach the subject with proper priorities in mind. If we have access to God, accompanied by a confidence, or assurance, why would we spend the majority of time on matters concerning which we have no confidence? Why didn't the apostle Paul record prayers for circumstances existing in the churches? Why did he pray as he did for the Ephesians (1:15-19; 3:15-20), the Philippians (Phil 1:9), the Colossians (Col 1:9-11), and the Thessalonians (1 Thess 5:23)?
"Boldness and access" have to do with approaching the Lord. "Confidence" has to do with the assurance that we will be heard, and that we will receive our petitions. It is possible that some have not advanced as far as they could in newness of life because their prayers have been consistently at a low level. This statement concerning boldness and access with confidence is not like having an unlimited credit card. Paul has spent considerable time establishing the purpose of God - an "eternal purpose." It is not possible that at this point he departs from that purpose to focus on the various perceptions of the people who have been reconciled to God.
THE FAITH OF HIM
3:12b " . . . by the faith of Him." Other versions read, "through faith in Him," NKJV "through our faith in Him," NRSV "through his faithfulness," CJB "by the faith of him," DARBY/DOUAY "through our faith in Him," ERV "through faith in Christ," GWN "because of Christ's faithfulness," NET "by faith of Him," PNT/RWB "by faith on Him," TNT through the faith of Him," YLT "the belief of His," ABP and "through His faith." LITV
You see from the various translations that there is a significant difference in how this verse is seen. The phrase "faith of Him" is seen as meaning, our faith in Christ, Christ's faithfulness, or Christ's own faith. The literal translation of the verse is "through the belief of Him." INTERLINEAR Grammatically speaking, the word "Him," being singular, refers to Christ: "by Whom" we [plural] have access with confidence to God. From a purely grammatical point of view, this is what the text affirms. However, this does not suggest that Jesus believes for us? Obviously not, for Jesus is never taught to do our believing for us. To avoid the readers coming to this conclusion, several of the translators interpreted it to mean our faith in Christ.
The text is not referring to Christ's own faith, for He no longer lives by faith. That was something He did when He was on the earth, putting His trust in God (Heb 2:13). Rather, this is the faith of which He is "the Author and Finisher" (Heb 12:2).
Jesus is the Administrator of faith. To be sure, it is the kind of faith by which He lived when He walked among men. It is "our faith" (Heb 10:23; 12:2; 1 John 5:4) because it has been given to us - not because we are the ones who originated it. Therefore it is written that it was "given to" us to believe (Phil 1:29). We are also said to have "obtained like precious faith" (2 Pet 1:1). Faith came to us through the faculty of spiritual hearing (Rom 10:17), and was supplied to us by the grace of God (1 Tim 1:14).
This same kind of expression ("faith of Him") is found two other places. "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal 2:16). Again, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil 3:9). The various translations of these verses follow the same grammatical path as our text:-i.e. faith in Christ, faithfulness of Christ, Christ's faith.
Although elementary, it is good to briefly review what the Scriptures say about our possession of faith:- i.e. the faith by which, according to this epistle, we are "saved" (Eph 2:8), by which Christ "dwells" in our hearts (Eph 3:17), which is our "shield" in the whole armor of God (Eph 6:16), and which is said to be "from God" (Eph 6:23). Elsewhere faith is affirmed to be the means by which our "hearts are purified" (Acts 15:9), we are "sanctified" (Acts 26:18), receive righteousness from God (Rom 3:22), have "peace with God" (Rom 5:1), have access into grace (Rom 5:2), by which we "stand" (2 Cor 1:24), and are "the children of God" (Gal 3:26).
Faith is said to "come" to us (Rom 10:17; Gal 3:25), and is "obtained" (2 Pet 1:1). We are said to be "given to believe" (Phil 1:29), to "believe in God" by Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:21), and to have "believed through grace" (Acts 18:27).
Now, in addition to all of these remarkable effects, we are said to "have access with confidence" through "the faith of Him." Where is man by nature depicted as having such an ability? Faith is described as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1). Other versions read, "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen," NASB and "the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]." AMPLIFIED
These are all realities that are outside of the realm of nature, and therefore cannot be obtained or access by any natural aptitude. That ought to be apparent to every honest soul. What does man have through Adam that can gain access to the "invisible God" (Col 1:15) - and that is what we are addressing in this text.
This access perfectly comports with the revealed purpose of God. We have been predestinated to obtain an inheritance that is eternal (Eph 1:11; Heb 9:15). The objective on earth is to "make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery"- i.e. what it means to participate in it. In heavenly places, the aim is to make known the manifold wisdom of God through the church. What better way can that be done than by so creating men in Christ Jesus that they have access to God Himself, even working with Him in the fulfillment of His hitherto unknown objective. It ought to be obvious to every one in Christ that the faith that brings us into the process of God's will, and keeps us there, working together with God, is given to us by Christ.
PAUL'S DESIRE
3:13 " Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory."
WHEREFORE. Other versions read, "Therefore," NKJV "I ask you, therefore," NIV "I pray therefore," NRSV "For this reason it is my prayer," BBE "Wherefore I beseech you," DARBY and "so, I beg you." NJB
Paul started this segment of his epistle by referring to his imprisonment: "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles" (Eph 3:1). He will mention it again later: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Eph 4:1). Again he will write, "For which I am an ambassador in bonds" (Eph 6:20).
He knows that this may appear to contradict what he has declared. After all, he has affirmed "the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power" (Eph 1:19). Yet, according to appearance, and with him being in prison, it seems like weakness is prevailing, and power is absent. Mindful of this apparent contradiction, and knowing of their concern for him, he gives this timely word.
I DESIRE THAT YE FAINT NOT. Other versions read, "not become feeble," BBE "not become discouraged," GWN and "not to lose heart" NAB The word "faint" means, "to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, exhausted." STRONG'S
There is a condition in which the people ,of God wear out, become spiritually exhausted, and become feeble. It is not a good condition, and it is not an inevitable circumstance. It is a common condition, but it is not normal - not for people of faith. Paul wrote to the Galatians, "in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal 6:9). Speaking for all saints he wrote, "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor 4:16). Fainting, then, is not a desired posture, and therefore Paul makes it clear that it is not in order for the Ephesian brethren to faint, become spiritually frail, or be weakened.
MY TRIBULATIONS FOR YOU. The cause that could move the Ephesians to "faint" did not pertain to their own experience, but to Paul's: "my tribulations for you." Other versions read, "my tribulations on your behalf," NASB and "my sufferings for you." NIV In other words, in order for the Ephesians to receive the needed instruction, Paul had to do it under severe restrictions. Even during his stay in Ephesus an uproar occurred that endangered his life (Acts 19:24-40), forcing him to leave the area (Acts 20:1).
Now, he is in prison because of his preaching, and he fears the Ephesians will misinterpret the reason for his imprisonment. Perhaps some will think it is their fault. Whatever he cause, the suffering of Paul would be viewed incorrectly - in a manner that would result in faint-heartedness, or discouragement among the Ephesians.
Both Jesus and the apostles took care to inform believers not to balk at suffering. Jesus plainly told His disciples, "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33); "And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake" (Mat 10:22). Paul declared, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim 3:12). Peter wrote, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you" (1 Pet 4:12). John wrote, "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you" (1 John 3:13).
Still, professed believers have stumbled at the experience of suffering. Jesus spoke of those who, "have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended" (Mark 4:17).
If believers have a wrong view of suffering, it will be to their detriment. If they perceive spiritual life as one of insolation from trouble, or one in which life becomes basically pleasurable in the flesh, they will be at a great disadvantage. It has often happened that in order for people to hear the Word of the Lord, the one bringing it to them had to go through suffering. The natives on the island of Melita heard the Word of the Lord because Paul had been shipwrecked (Acts 28:1-9). The Philippian jailor heard the Gospel because Paul and Silas had been beaten and thrown into prison (Acts 16:22-34). Onesimus was saved by an imprisoned Paul (Phile 1:10). Our afflictions are working for us "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor 4:17). However, if they are not perceived in that way, we will be hurt by them.
WHICH IS YOUR GLORY. Paul's sufferings was their glory! That is a most profound statement. The same Gospel by which the Ephesians were saved is the one that caused Paul to be imprisoned. One result was a savor unto life, and other a savor unto death (2 Cor 2:16). The fact that the Gospel Paul preached caused an adverse reaction among those who knew not God confirmed that it was the truth. More particularly, it proved that what the Ephesians had heard was the "power of God unto salvation." Both its acceptance and rejection prove this to be so. Thus Paul's imprisonment became an honor to the Ephesians, highlighting how they had heard the same message, believed it, and experienced being raised from death in trespasses and sins.