Ephesians 1:21-23To: Ephesians Main MenuTo: Grace Notes Home Page Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: -------------------- "far above all": (huperanw + pas), "above all; superior to all" - with respect to rank. This is not a geographical position, in the sense, for example, of Christ's being in heaven above while all the rest of creation is "below". This is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ's position at the right hand of the Father, the place of His eternal victory and authority over all ranks of spiritual and earthly power, whether friend or foe. Hence, Jesus Christ is "over above all", over everything in all respects. Eph. 4:10 "He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things." John 3:31 "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all." Specifically, here, Christ is superior to all "principality", "power", "might", references to supreme powers, including the powers of the Satan's kingdom, the demon world. A wonderful feature of this statement of Christ's ultimate victory is that, because of our union with Christ, we Christians can have full assurance of ultimate victory. The Lord has "raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 2:6) So we are even now seated in the place of victory with Christ. And not only this, but during our lifetime here on earth, the Lord provides us with mighty offensive and defensive weapons of spiritual combat, as outline in Ephesians 6:10-18. -------------------- "principality": (archei), "high authority; ruler". An Archon was the chief ruler of a Greek city-state. In terms of the hierarchy of Satan's forces, this is a reference to his chief fallen angels, or demons. cf. Luke 20:L20; 12:11; Eph. 3:10; 6:12; Jude 6 -------------------- "and power": (exousia), "delegated power; the ability and authority to perform an action" Here, a lower ranking demonic authority. -------------------- "and might": (dunamis), "inherent power, strength, ability" Fallen angels have great power and ability. But the Lord Jesus has a far superior power. -------------------- "and dominion": (kurioteis), "lordship; constituted authority" cf. 2 Pet. 2:10; Jude 8; Col. 1:16 Refers to demons which are distinguished by great authority, those who influence world rulers. -------------------- "(above) every name that is named": (onomadzw) "to name, to make known, to give a reputation" Reference to all other rank and file creatures among Satan's forces. -------------------- "not only in this world, but also in that which is to come": This expresses the idea of a settled future; that which will come about. The coming age is that which begins with the Second Advent of Christ. Note that here in Ephesians 1 we have many promises to Christians about the future. We have all blessings in heavenly places. We are permanent members of God's family. We have a wonderful inheritance. And now we see that we are member's of a victorious army, with a leader whose victory is already declared. Knowledge of these basic facts about the Christian life and the power and glory of the Lord Jesus is one of the most effective weapons again worry, depression, and general fear about the future. Topic: SATAN Topic: DEMONS Ephesians 1:22 And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, -------------------- "and has put all things under his feet": aor. act. ind. of (hupotassw), "to subordinate; to bring under authority" (hupotassw) was used in Greek to refer to subordination in a system of military rank, and also as a word for subordination in any chain of command. We are all under authority, and Jesus Christ is the chief authority. In this context, the subordinates are the members of the church, the body of Christ. All things will be placed under Christ's feet, referring to His total superiority over all beings. READ all of Hebrews 1. Is. 9:6,7 "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. "There will be no end to the increase of {His} government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the \Lord\ of hosts will accomplish this." 1 Pet. 3:21,22 "And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, "who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him." See also Matt. 28:18; John 10:18; Jer. 23:5; Dan. 7:14; John 18:37; 1 Cor. 15:25. For parallel uses of (hupotassw), subordination to authority, see 1 Pet 2:13,18; 3:1,5; 5:5; James 4:7; Luke 2:43-52 (Jesus as a boy); Luke 10:17-20; Rom. 8:7; 10:1-3; 13:1; Titus 2:9; 3:1. -------------------- "and gave him to be": (didomi), "presented, appointed" Jesus Christ was appointed (by God the Father) to be the chief authority over the church. -------------------- "head over all (things)": (kephalei), "chief authority, appointed superior" Here the Greek word for "head" is used in much the same way as we speak of the "head" of a company or some other organization. -------------------- "to the church": ekklhsia (ekkleisia), "the assembly, the congregation" The Jews were called "the congregation of Israel" (Acts. 7:38). The title was transferred to the Body of Christ, 1 Cor. 12:28; Col. 1:18. The word also refers to local church bodies, Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 14:4. Topic: AUTHORITY Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that fills all in all. -------------------- "which": demonstrative pronoun referring to the word "church" in the previous verse. -------------------- "is His body": a reference to the church as the Body of Christ. Rom. 12:3-5 "For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, "so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." READ 1 Cor. 12:12-31 -------------------- "the fullness of Him": (pleiroma), "completeness; that which fills up; full measure; entire contents; full development" John 1:14-18 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. "John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' "For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace. "For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." We Christians are the completeness of Jesus Christ, in the sense of a fully developed Body. Of course, it by the grace of God, and provision of God, that we have received salvation and union with Christ. The passage in John above is a very good outline study of the concept of Christ's fulness, the Church's fulness, and how we are involved and participate in the whole process. -------------------- "that fills all in all": (pleirow), verb "to bring to completion, to accomplish, to bring about" Col. 2:8-10 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. "For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, "and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;" I want to mention to you right here one of the most important concepts in Bible study and Bible teaching. Scripture explains Scripture!! You can learn a great deal about a doctrinal topic by tracing the parallel passages of a concept through the Bible. You can see from the preceding paragraphs and Bible citations the wonderful facts about our involvement with the person of Jesus Christ, along with the wonderful benefits available to us, beginning during our lives on earth and extending into eternity. Summarizing the passage: Ephesians 1:21 Over above all superior demons, commissioned demons, and gifted demons, and ruling demons, and all rank and file demons which are named, not only in this age but also in the dispensation to come. Ephesians 1:22 And has brought all things under His authority, and has appointed Him to be the chief authority over all things to the church, Ephesians 1:23 Which is His body, the completeness of him that brings all things to completion. End of Lesson 8 Warren Doud [ Grace Notes] 1705 Aggie Lane, Austin, Texas 78757 Phone: 512-458-8923 E-Mail: wdoud@bga.com |
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