Daily Devotions
Ephesians
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." Ephesians 1:17
Text: Ephesians 1:17
THE FULLNESS OF OUR FAITH IN CHRIST
We now enter into a study of the petitions that the apostle Paul made on behalf of the Ephesian Christians. The brethren at Ephesus had grown much and had done well. The characteristic fruit of “love for all the saints” (Ephesians 1:15) was evidenced. While that was cause for rejoicing, Paul knew that the Christian life held even greater promises. Thus he offered a truly deep intercessory prayer that the Ephesian saints may truly experience fullness of faith and life in Christ.
THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION
Paul’s prayer was deep and insightful, and understandably so. He had learned deep and precious lessons of what it truly means to have faith in the Lord. Naturally he desired that others might also enter into the fullness of faith and life that he had found.
How should we understand the phrase “the spirit of wisdom and revelation…”?
1. Is this a reference to the human spirit?
Some do think that this is a reference to the human spirit. (The KJV and NKJV translators think that this is a reference to the human spirit, and hence they spell the word “spirit” in the lower case).
2. A reference to the Holy Spirit
There are others who believe that this is a reference to the Spirit of God. Two arguments may be presented:-
a) General references to the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit
There are many general references in the Scriptures which describe the ministry of the Spirit of God in these terms. The most outstanding is the text found in Isaiah.
“The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”
ISAIAH 11:2
At no time is the human spirit described in this manner! Could Paul have been praying that the Ephesians be given a mere human spirit? This is most unlikely!
b) “The spirit of revelation”
It is interesting to note that the apostle Paul used the word “revelation” in this context. Consistently, Paul uses the word “revelation” (“apokalupsis”) in conjunction with God revealing His will and His plan of salvation to man. God has to make known His will and His counsel. God has to reveal Himself to man, or it would be impossible to know the mystery of His will (Cf. Ephesians 1:9; 3:3). In another epistle of Paul, there was specific and direct mention of the Spirit of God revealing and teaching believers the word of God (Cf. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 This is the most definitive passage concerning the teaching ministry of the Spirit of God). How could the sinful human spirit be capable of fully comprehending His will, let alone be described as “the spirit of revelation”?