Ephesians 1:15-19, The Prayer of Thanksgiving

This Tuesday will discuss Paul’s Prayer of Thanksgiving found in Ephesians 1:15-23. This Prayer will repeat some of the same themes found in the opening hymn of praise, and will move the letter towards Paul’s primary subject of the church which will begin in Chapter 2.

Faith and Love: (v.15-16)

Throughout his letters, Paul often writes about his audience’s faith and love. Within our own spiritual lives, these two theological virtues should always go together. Our faith in Christ must necessarily lead to a love of those around us. The two go hand-in-hand so that one without the other is dead. 1 Cor. 13. The faith that Paul’s audience has arises from God’s blessings set forth in vv.3-14, and the love that arises therefrom will be the foundation of their coming together as a community that will form the church. This is the outworking of faith and love throughout the remainder of this letter, and why Paul gives thanks for their (and our) faith and love.

Paul’s Prayer: (vv.17-18)

Paul has a two-part prayer for his audience. The Ephesians already have a strong faith in Christ and love for one another. Paul prays that the Father of glory (see, vv.12, 14) will give them (i) the wisdom of spiritual discernment and (ii) the revelation of God’s understanding of all things. In other words, they should be thankful for what they have already been given and then prepare themselves for further spiritual growth and development. Paul refers to this growth as the “enlightened eyes of the heart” (see, Ps. 19:8) which then results in the third theological virtue of hope. Paul’s prayer for them should be our prayer for ourselves as well.

God’s Inheritance: (vv.18-19)

All of these things – faith, love, wisdom, understanding, enlightenment, and hope – begin with the blessing of God the Father through Jesus Christ (v.3) according to his purpose and his will (v.11) to bring about God’s “glorious inheritance” (v.18) which is the church. This is our story. Just as God once took Israel for his inheritance (Ex. 34:8, Deut. 32:9), so now has God broadened this inheritance (as promised to Abraham (Gen.12:3b)) to include people from all nations. The remainder of Ephesians will tell us what this all means and what this looks like in practice.

Dinner is at 6. The menu is chicken pesto over spaghetti squash. Discussion about 6:45. Compline at 8. Hope to see you here!

May he bless you with everything good, and may he protect you from everything bad. May he illuminate your heart with the discernment of life, and grace you with eternal knowledge. May he lift up upon you the countenance of favor for eternal peace. Qumranite Community Rules, 1QS 2:1b-4a