1. Context:
(BKC) 1:15. Because of (For this reason) the believers’ acquisition of every spiritual blessing—including election, predestination, adoption, grace, redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, understanding, knowledge of the mystery of His will, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, and inheritance—Paul now prayed that his readers might know God personally and intimately. Verses 15–23 are one sentence in the Greek
2. Content:
v.16-17 (BKC) The content of Paul’s request is that God may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. (PNTC) ...he prays that they may have spiritual insight so as to grasp the truth of God’s purposes
Purposes of this knowing with spiritual insights is to know what is the hope of his calling
(a) what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints
(b) what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us...which he exercised in Christ when he raised him...and seated him...far above...not only in this age but also in the one to come
3. Note the purposes of the knowing are
(a) all with future perspective: hope, inheritance, and the power exercised in Christ Who is far above any who are now and in the age to come).
(b) imbalance. The 2nd one related to the power are much longer, from v.19-21.
i. emphasis of the greatness (incomparable greatness, immense strength, able to raise, seat above all)
ii. repeated of the word, "exercise" in v.19, 20
19 his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.
20 This power he exercised in Christ
BDAG the state or quality of being active, working, operation, action, so in NT, and always of transcendent beings
BDAG trans. to bring someth. about through use of capability, work, produce, effect w. acc.
Summary and reflection: After we are saved we need to have the Spirit to give us the wisdom and insight or discernment in our heart so that we may know the future hope. In the future we will have inheritance and immense power. And this power not just exercised in Jesus but also us.
Knowing must be something very important. Otherwise, Paul would not pray for the church for that. But this knowing is not just something we can inquire in book, but given by the Spirit with our own hearts. It is an ability to discern. That means, not just I know I have hope in the future I need to know that so that I live with hope in my live. No matter how hopeless the situation, I still have hope in my inner being. It was because my inheritance is glorious. No retirement plan is better than this. Also, I have already have confirmation about my power. Jesus had already raised and seated in heaven far above all names. It is the same kind of power operating in me.
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