Ephesians 1.14c-The Work of the Holy Spirit on Behalf of the Church Age Believer is for the Praise of the Father's Glory
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday May 11, 2023
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 1:14c-The Work of the Holy Spirit on Behalf of the Church Age Believer is for the Praise of the Father’s Glory
Lesson # 47
Ephesians 1:3 The God, namely the Father of the Lord ruling over us, who is Jesus Christ, is worthy of praise. Namely, because He is the one who has blessed each and every one of us by means of each and every kind of Spirit appropriated blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. 4 For He chose each and every one of us for His own purpose because of Him alone before creation in order that each and every one of us would be holy as well as uncensurable in His judgment. 5 He did this by predestinating each and every one of us for the purpose of adoption as sons because of His love through Jesus Christ for Himself according to the pleasure of His will. 6 This was for the purpose of praising His glorious grace, which He freely bestowed on each and every one of us because of the one who is divinely loved. 7 Because of whom, each one of us are experiencing that which is the redemption through His blood, namely the forgiveness of our transgressions according to His infinite grace. 8 This He provided in abundance for the benefit of each and every one of us because of the exercise of a wisdom, which is absolute and divine in nature resulting in the manifestation of an insight, which is absolute and divine in nature. 9 He did this by revealing the mystery of His will for the benefit of each and every one of us according to His pleasure, which He planned beforehand because of our faith in and resultant union and identification with Himself. 10 This was for the dispensation which brings to completion the various periods of history. Namely, to unite for the benefit of Himself each and every animate and inanimate object in the sphere of the sovereign authority of the person of the one and only Christ. Specifically, to unite for the benefit of Himself those things in the heavens as well as those things on the earth in the sphere of the sovereign authority of Himself. 11 Because of whom, each and every one of us has been claimed as a possession because of having been predestinated according to the predetermined plan. Namely, the one who is causing each and every animate and inanimate object to function according to His purpose, that is, His sovereign will 12 in order that each and every one of us would belong to a particular group of people. Namely, those who are certain of possessing a confident expectation of blessing because of their faith in and union and identification with the one and only Christ for the purpose of praising His glory. 13 Correspondingly, because of whom, each and every one of you were sealed by means of the omnipotence of the one and only promised Spirit, who is holy because each and every one of you obeyed the one and only message, which is truth, namely, the proclamation of the one and only gospel, which produced your salvation. Specifically, because each one of you believed in Him. 14 The Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance until He redeems His possession for the praise of His glory. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 1:14 continues and completes Paul’s thought regarding the Holy Spirit which he began in Ephesians 1:13, because it is describing a ministry of the Holy Spirit during the church age which will continue until the rapture or resurrection of the church when the church age believer will receive their resurrection body.
This verse is composed of the following: (1) relative pronoun clause hos estin arrabōn tēs klēronomias hēmōn (ὅς ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν), “The Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance.” (2) prepositional phrase eis apolytrōsin tēs peripoiēseōs (εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως), “until He redeems His possession.” (3) prepositional phrase eis epainon doxēs autou (εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης αὐτοῦ), “for the praise of His glory.”
The prepositional phrase eis epainon doxēs autou (εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης αὐτοῦ), “for the praise of His glory” indicates that it was for the purpose of praising the Father’s glory that the Holy Spirit permanently indwells the body of every church age believer as the down payment of their inheritance until the Father redeems this possession, i.e. the church age believer, at the rapture or resurrection of the church.
As was the case in Ephesians 1:6 and 12, the noun epainos (ἔπαινος), “praise” pertains to an expression of approval and commendation and speaks of the excellence of a person.
The word pertains to the act of expressing admiration or approval.
In Ephesians 1:6, the word was used in relation to the Father predestinating the church age believer for the purpose of adoption as His sons because His love through Jesus Christ Himself (cf. Eph. 1:5).
This action of the Father in eternity past was so that the church age believer would praise the Father’s glorious grace.
In Ephesians 1:12, the noun epainos is used in relation to the Father claiming the church age believer as His possession because of the Father predestinating them according to His predetermined plan.
It is also used in relation to the church age believer belonging to a group of people who are characterized as being the first to possess a confident expectation of blessing because of their faith in and union and identification with Jesus Christ.
Therefore, this word indicates that the church age believer belongs to a group of people who are the Father’s possession and are the first to possess a confident expectation of blessing in order to “praise” the Father’s glory.
Now, here in Ephesians 1:14, the noun epainos is used in relation to the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling the body of the church age believer as the down payment of their inheritance, which we noted is until the Father redeems this possession, i.e. the church age believer, at the rapture or resurrection of the church.
Therefore, this word epainos indicates that the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling the body of the church age believer as the down payment of their inheritance until the Father redeems this possession, i.e. the church age believer, at the rapture or resurrection of the church was for “the praise” the Father’s glory.
The noun doxa (δόξα), “glory” pertains to the honor, which is accorded to, or the splendor which characterizes, a person or thing.
As we noted in our study of Ephesians 1:6, the word in this verse serves as a description of the work of the Father in eternity past which is described in Ephesians 1:3-5.
Thus, it was used in relation to the work of the Father in eternity past when He elected the church age believer by predestinating them for the purpose of adopting them as His Sons.
Then, in Ephesians 1:12, it serves as a description of the work of the Son during His First Advent.
However, here in Ephesians 1:14, it serves as a description of the work of the Holy Spirit in time at the church age believer’s justification.
In Ephesians 1:6, it speaks of the manifestation of the character and nature of God through the work of the Father in eternity past on behalf of the church age believer.
The Father glorified His character and nature by electing them by predestinating them for the purpose of adoption as sons because of His love through the person and work of His Son Jesus Christ and their faith in and union and identification with His Son.
Therefore, in Ephesians 1:6, it is related to the manifestation of the Father’s character and nature, which exceeds the limits of human and angelic understanding and experience and was manifested by the Father electing the church age believer by predestinating them.
Thus, it refers to the honor, which is accorded to that which characterizes the Father and the splendor which characterizes Him.
It speaks of the fact that the Father is a transcendent being in that He exceeds the limits of human and angelic understanding and experience.
In Ephesians 1:12, the word doxa serves as a description of the Son’s work during His First Advent.
Therefore, it is used in relation to the crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session of the Father’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ during His First Advent.
The Son glorified His character and nature by redeeming them out of the slave market of sin through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross (cf. Eph. 1:7).
Therefore, the noun doxa in this verse is related to the manifestation of the Father’s character and nature, which exceeds the limits of human and angelic understanding and experience.
However it was perfectly manifested through His Son’s substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross.
This sacrifice manifested the justice and righteousness of God in that it propitiated the Father’s holiness, which demanded that sin and sinners be judged.
It also manifested God’s attribute of love, which was for the benefit of His enemies, namely, sinful humanity who are enslaved to sin, Satan and his cosmic system.
The Father’s glory is related to His omnipotence of God because the Son’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand delivered all of sinful humanity from the wrath of God, condemnation from the Law, personal sins, spiritual and physical death and enslavement to sin, Satan and his cosmic system.
Thus, doxa refers to the honor, which is accorded to that which characterizes the Son and the splendor which characterizes Him.
It speaks of the fact that the Son is a transcendent being in that He exceeds the limits of human and angelic understanding and experience.
Now, here in Ephesians 1:14, the noun doxa serves as a description of the work of the Holy Spirit in time at the church age believer’s justification.
Thus, this word here refers to the honor, which is accorded to that which characterizes the Father and the splendor which characterizes Him.
It speaks of the fact that the Father is a transcendent being in that He exceeds the limits of human and angelic understanding and experience.
Therefore, the noun doxa in this verse is related to the manifestation of the Father’s character and nature, which exceeds the limits of human and angelic understanding and experience.
However, it was perfectly manifested through the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling every church age believer as the down payment of their inheritance until the Father redeems this possession, i.e. the church age believer, at the rapture or resurrection of the church.
As praise for the Father marked the end of the discussion of the Father’s work in eternity past on behalf of the church age believer (Eph. 1:4-6) and at the conclusion of the discussion regarding the Son’s work (Eph. 1:7-12), so praise ends the discussion of the Spirit’s work on behalf of the church age believer (Eph. 1:13-14).