the surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe

This morning I was enjoying again this portion from Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18-22, which says

18. The eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19. And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength,
20. Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies,
21. Far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come;
22. And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church,

Paul wanted us to see:

• what are the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints – which is Christ! Christ is the treasure in our earthen vessel (2 Cor. 4:7), and He is continually working Himself into us every day until He will saturate us with Himself. We need to see Christ in one another – Christ in all the believers; Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). We don’t look at what is seen, what is outward, but we look at and appreciate the riches of the glory of Christ in all the saints.
• the surpassing greatness of His power – not just the power, but the surpassing greatness! This power:
  – raised Christ from the dead – the raising up power, overcomes death – we were resurrected with Christ (v. 20);
  – seated Christ at the right hand of God – the enthroning power of God – we were seated with Christ (v. 20);
  – subjected all things under His feet – the subjecting power, subjecting everything and everyone to Him (v. 22);
  – made Christ the Head over all things to the church – the heading up power, making Him the Head over everything (v. 22).
• this power is to the church – I love what a footnote says here:
  To the church implies a kind of transmission. Whatever Christ, the Head, has attained and obtained is transmitted to the church, His Body. In this transmission the church shares with Christ in all His attainments: the resurrection from the dead, His being seated in His transcendency, the subjection of all things under His feet, and the headship over all things.
  Toward us who believe (v. 19) and to the church indicate that the divine power, which includes all that the Triune God has passed through, has been installed into us once for all and is being transmitted into us continually, causing us to enjoy Christ richly and to have the proper church life as His Body, His fullness, the issue of God’s blessing mentioned previously.

In verse 19 it clearly says – His power is toward us who believe; and in verse 22 – God gave Him to be Head over all things to the church. As I was sharing previously, all that Christ the Head has, has attained to, and has obtained, is for us, His Body, to enjoy and experience.

Here we see the same thing: Christ as God is unlimited, and by the process He went through He became the Head over all things in the universe – to the church! There’s a continual transmission going on from Christ to us – we just need to open and receive this transmission!

This is how the church came into being – through the transmission of Christ the Head – and this is how the church is being built up and edified – through the receiving of His transmission.

In this transmission, we share all Christ’s attainments, His accomplishments: His resurrection, His ascension, His being enthroned, having all things subjected to Him, and Him as the Head over all things. What a rich Christ, and what a wonderful organic union we have with Him! May we receive, experience, and apply – according to His economy – all that He is and has done for us!