Ephesians 2.18c-Access to the Father and the Omnipotence of the Holy Spirit
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday February 3, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:18c-Access to the Presence of the Father and the Omnipotence of the Holy Spirit
Lesson # 122
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of remembering that formerly each of you who belong to the Gentile race with respect to the human body, specifically, those who receive the designation “uncircumcision” by the those who receive the designation “circumcision” with respect to the human body performed by human hands, 12 each one of you used to be characterized as without a relationship with Christ. Each one of you used to be alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship. Specifically, each of you used to be strangers to the most important promise, which is the product of the covenants. Each of you used to not possess a confident expectation of blessing. Consequently, each one of you used to be without a relationship with God in the sphere of the cosmic world system. 13 However, because of your faith in and your union and identification with Christ Jesus each and every one of you as a corporate who formerly were far away have now been brought near by means of the blood belonging to this same Christ. 14 For He Himself personifies our peace. Namely, by causing both groups to be one. Specifically, by destroying the wall, which served as the barrier, that is, that which caused hostility (between the two). 15 In other words, by nullifying by means of His human nature the law composed of the commandments consisting of a written code of laws in order that He might cause the two to be created into one new humanity by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. Thus, He caused peace to be established (between the two and God). 16 In other words, in order that He would reconcile both groups into one body to God (the Father) through His cross. Consequently, He put to death the hostility (between the two and the two with God) by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. 17 Correspondingly, He as a result came proclaiming peace for the benefit of each and every one of you, namely, those who were far off likewise peace to those were near. 18 Consequently, through the personal intermediate agency of Himself each and every one of us as a corporate unit, namely, both groups are experiencing access by means of the omnipotence of the one Spirit to the presence of the Father. (Lecturer’s translation)
The noun prosagōgē (προσαγωγή), “access” here in Ephesians 2:18 appears only in this verse and two other places in the Greek New Testament (Romans 5:2; Ephesians 3:12).
It means, “to lead someone into the presence of another” with the assistance of another and with the implication that the person doing the receiving is of higher status and in each instance, the word denotes “access to the presence” of the Father.
In these passages, the noun prosagōgē (προσαγωγή) is used in relation to God the Father, thus the word denotes the sinner being led into the presence of the Father through the intermediary agency of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to experience an eternal relationship and fellowship with the Father (cf. John 14:6).
The noun prosagōgē (προσαγωγή) indicates that because Jewish and Gentile church age believers have permanent access to His presence in the sense that they always possess an eternal relationship with the Father.
The word also indicates the continuing availability of this access to the presence of the Father or in other words, it indicates the continued availability of approaching the Father for fellowship.
The noun prosagōgē (προσαγωγή) means, “access” and not simply “entrance” since the former accurately reflects the meaning of the word because it denotes not only entrance into the presence of the Father but also the continuing availability of that access to the presence of the Father.
The referent of the genitive third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “Himself” is Jesus Christ.
This word of the preposition dia (διά), which functions as a marker of agency, which indicates that Jesus Christ is the personal intermediate agency through whom both Jewish and Gentile Christians experience access by means of the omnipotence of the one Spirit into the presence of the Father.
Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father brought regenerate church age believers into the presence of the Father because He is the intermediary between a holy God and sinners (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5).
The church age believer’s faith in Jesus Christ resulting in the Father declaring them justified simultaneously, appropriated the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit who brought them into the presence of the Father.
The Spirit did this by placing them under Jesus Christ’s headship and uniting them with Him and identifying them with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
Therefore, Jesus Christ is the personal intermediate agency who enables both Jewish and Gentile church age believers to experience access to the presence of the Father because when He declared them justified through faith in His Son, the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit appropriated for them the benefits of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
Now, in Ephesians 2:18, the referent of the dative neuter singular form of the noun pneuma (πνεῦμα), “the Spirit” is of course the Holy Spirit, who is the third member of the Trinity.
This word contains the figure of metonymy, which means that the person of the Holy Spirit is put for the exercise of His divine omnipotence at the church age believer’s justification.
This interpretation is indicated by the fact that when the Father declared both Jewish and Gentile church age believers justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit placed them in union with Jesus Christ and under His federal headship and identified them with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
The noun pneuma (πνεῦμα), “the Spirit” is modified by the dative neuter singular form of the adjective heis (εἷς), “one.”
The use of this adjective parallels its usage in Ephesians 2:16 where it modifies the noun sōma (σῶμα), “body,” which refers the body of Jewish and Gentile Christians as being a unified single human entity despite the diversity between the two.
The use of the adjective heis (εἷς) in Ephesians 2:18 emphasizes that it was by means of the omnipotence of one Spirit, namely the Holy Spirit that Jewish and Gentile Christians form a single unified human entity.
It emphasizes that the Spirit unifies both groups and specifically, it emphasizes that the exercise of His power or omnipotence is the unifying force between these two groups with each other and these two groups with God.
The noun pneuma (πνεῦμα) is the object of the preposition en (ἐν), which functions as a marker of means indicating that the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit was the means by which both Jewish and Gentile Christians exist in the state of experiencing access to the Father.
The Spirit’s omnipotence appropriated for the benefit of the church age believer the benefits of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father when the Father declared them justified through faith in His one and only Son.
This expression en heni pneumati (ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι), “by means of the omnipotence of the one Spirit,” which appears in Ephesians 2:18, also is found in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Philippians 1:27.
In 1 Corinthians 12:13 it is used in relation to the baptism of the Spirit.
In Ephesians 2:18, the noun patēr (πατήρ), “the one and only Father” is the object of the preposition pros (πρός), which means “face to face with, in the presence of” since it functions as a marker of close personal association with the implication of personal intimacy with someone and of an interrelationship or reciprocal relation.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase pros ton patera (πρὸς τὸν πατέρα), “to the presence of the Father” indicates that both Jewish and Gentile Christians are experiencing access “to the personal presence of the Father” through the personal intermediate agency of Jesus Christ and by means of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit.
This prepositional phrase emphasizes the intimate fellowship both groups are experiencing with the Father through the personal intermediate agency of Jesus Christ and by means of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s vocabulary here in Ephesians 2:18 is similar to that of the vocabulary he employs in Romans 5:1-2.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by means of faith as a source, we always have peace with God through our Lord who is Jesus, who is the Christ. 2 Through whom also, we have as a permanent possession access to this gracious benefit in which we forever stand and in addition we make it a habit to rejoice upon the confident expectation of sharing God’s glory. (Lecturer’s translation)
In these verses, the apostle Paul employs the noun prosagōgē (προσαγωγή) in relation to the reconciliation of the justified sinner with a holy God, which is based upon the merits of the object of their faith at justification, namely, Jesus Christ and this reconciliation results in them experiencing peace with God.
Ephesians 2:18 contains a “triadic pattern,” which means that all three members of the Trinity are mentioned.
In fact, the Trinity is a major theme that appears in the Ephesian epistle.
As we also noted in our study of Ephesians 1:3, this verse contains a triadic pattern and in fact, as we noted Ephesians 1:3-14 itself contains a triadic pattern.
Ephesians 1:3-6 describe the Father’s work in electing the church age believer in eternity past while Ephesians 1:7-12 describe the work of the Son in redeeming them at the cross and Ephesians 1:13-14 describe the work of the Holy Spirit in sealing them as the Father’s possession at their justification.
In Ephesians 4:4, Paul exhorts the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia to unity by reminding them that there is one Sprit, one Lord and Father or in other words, God is a unity of three persons and so as members of their family, they should be united through obedience.
In Ephesians 5:18-21, the apostle Paul commands the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia to be totally and completely influenced by means of the Spirit.
This will result in them speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in their hearts to the Lord, always give thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.