Ephesians overview – 3:14-19, Pauls prayer (inner man: fear of the Lord; the human spirit), part 13

The believer is to fear the Lord, as in respect, reverence, awe, and cautious walking (living).

1Jo 2:3-6

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Such revelations bring about a confession of unworthiness and sin, but this is not meant to terrify us. Without grace through the love of God we would and should be terrified, but the cross of Christ says it all.

Our unworthiness, our sinful condition has been forever made inoperative over us, and through the love of God, grace given to the unworthy doesn’t terrify, but rather inspires to joyful obedience and service of God and His people.

2Ti 1:10 says that Christ Jesus abolished death, but the word means to render inactive or powerless. We still die, but “O death, where is your victory, where is your sting?” The same word is used in Heb 2:14 stating that in death Jesus rendered Satan powerless. Satan still operates with great power, but over the believer, he has been rendered powerless. We can foolishly submit to his power, even though it isn’t there.

The whole of our lives becomes affected by this, leading us to worship God (meaning to properly respond to Him) in everything we do.

Psa 81:8-16

"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;

O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

9 "Let there be no strange god among you;

Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

10 "I, the Lord, am your God,

Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;

Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

11 "But My people did not listen to My voice;

And Israel did not obey Me.

12 "So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,

To walk in their own devices.

13 "Oh that My people would listen to Me,

That Israel would walk in My ways! [slide]

14 "I would quickly subdue their enemies,

And turn My hand against their adversaries.

15 "Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him;

And their time of punishment would be forever.

16 "But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat;

And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

1Jo 2:3

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

Our faith is not reasonable, meaning, once I come to believe something, it is not a guarantee that I will always believe it or trust in it. I may have gone through a sickness or financial ruin in the past and witnessed God come through for me and deliver me. I had also known from His word that He promised to do so. The word and my experience of His deliverance produced in me a deep faith in His providence. Does this guarantee that I will not fear when a similar situation arises again? And then it comes and I fear again, and God delivers again, and I learn the promise again. What does this say about our faith? It is not based solely on reason, though we certainly use reason. Our faith has to be constantly renewed by hearing or reading the word of God again, and again, and again. This is the beauty of being bound in time. The past is set and the future uncertain – to us. The future is not uncertain to God. He is not fearful or worried. We however have to face the future with faith, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ, Rom 10:17.

3:14-19

C) Inner man.

Both the Spirit and Christ are working within. What does God tell us of the inner man? (soul, spirit, heart, mind, and flesh)

Soul in the NT: natural life of the body, immaterial part of man, disembodied man, personality, sentient part, will, purpose, appetite, individuals, inward man. [Vine’s Dictionary]

Even the dead are called “souls” in the Bible, Lev 21:11. This is likely due to the fact that God made them understand Sheol, the grave, the place of shadows, is where every man goes, though his body stay lifeless in the ground.

Spirit: wind (primarily), breath. Figuratively as emotion, desire, mental, and moral qualities.

Job 33:4

“The Spirit of God has made me,

And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Spirit: primarily used of the wind; often used of the breath. Figuratively used as indicating anger or fury, even of God. Applied to man as the seat of his emotion in desire or trouble, of mental and moral qualities in general; spirit of wisdom, new spirit, etc. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit.

Isa 11:2

And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

This is one of those passages where it is not exactly clear if the human spirit is in view or the Holy Spirit. Clearly in the first line the reference is the Holy Spirit, but what about the next three? The distinction is not a dire one, since the Holy Spirit imparts these qualities to our inner man when by faith we learn of and follow the Lord.

The Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and fear of the Lord desires to make us the type of people who are of these qualities.

Rom 8:16-17

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

Being foreknown and predestined to be in the image of Christ, it should not surprise us that these same qualities are to be manifested in us as well.