"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is 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."
This was the lesson I gave at my church this past Sunday, just so you know. That should explain the way it is written.
The word translated "church" in the New Testament is "ekklesia", which simply means gathering, or assembly. Simply, we who are the Church of Christ are those who gather in the name of Christ.
Today we’re going to focus on the last two verses of our passage. As we look through the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, I thought it would be good to look at who the church is and what we ought to be doing. Paul tells us here that we are Christ’s body. We find this metaphor elsewhere in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one, so it is with Christ.”
Let’s see what this means for us. Firstly, because we are Christ’s body, we are one with him. We are united to His life and death and when God sees Christ, He sees us. Verses 21 and 22 tell us that all things have been placed underneath the authority of Christ. Because we are one with Christ, this means that we are reigning with Christ even now. As verse 18 says, “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.” Our Savior defeated death with His death and resurrection, as we see in verse 20, and He has shared this victory with us. We ought to live as those who have been given all things in Christ.
Secondly, being Christ’s body also means that we are one with each other. Paul makes this abundantly clear in Philippians 2:1-2: “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one mind, of one accord.” Our unity with Christ should manifest itself in love and respect for each other as parts of His body. As our ears and our arms and our feet and the rest of our bodies cooperate to accomplish what the brain commands them, so we ought to work together to fulfill the will of our Head, Christ. Paul demonstrates this love for Christians in verses 15 and 16. He says, “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.”
Thirdly, being Christ’s body means we have His Spirit. Verse 17 tell us, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” Christ promised His people that He would send His Spirit to them, and this He did on the Day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:1-4 we read, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The Holy Spirit led the Apostles in the formation of the New Testament and gave the early church supernatural gifts to aid in the spread of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit continues to lead Christians both individually and as a body. The Holy Spirit defines a Christian. If a person does not have the Holy Spirit than he is not a Christian. It’s as simple as that. The Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration, He is our Helper and our Comforter, and He progressively mortifies sin in our lives.
This week as we go out into the world, let us remember that we are the church all week, not just on Sunday.
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