Are you starting to see how simple the process really is? When I think about nitty gritty Bible study, I think largely of observation. Looking at what is in front of us will yield us the most results. Looking at what is in front of us and being active with the text will be where our 80% of our learning will be.
I almost forgot. Since we have a new structural diagram, we want to remember to keep ourselves grounded in the context of the whole book. In order to remind myself there is a letter surrounding the passage, I write at the top of my page Before and at the bottom After. Then I write down my summary I developed after studying the last passage for the reminder of what came Before.
Yes, I realized that we didn’t develop one before we moved on. That’s ok, we can go back and do it now! Since Bible study isn’t so much about getting good grades as it is about engaging with the text, we can go back and catch what we missed.
The trinity has been actively securing my salvation by having a plan in the past, blessing me in Christ now, and promising me a future inheritance by the Spirit.
To determine the After, I scan a few verses past the passage I’m currently working on and jot some notes about it:
The recipients were dead and God acted.
Wanting to keep the current text in front of us as well as its surroundings, let’s read it again.
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:15–23 (ESV)
It would be fun if you made lists for yourself first, and then we could compare notes. Or we can make the lists together. However you feel about it, I’m game.
As I read, the first headings that pop out at me are Paul and the recipients. Largely because they come up first in the passage. We will begin there.
Making Lists
Each time we start a new list, we will read the passage over, each time being alert for the particular aspect. Verse 15 we read of Paul hearing and verse 16 we read of Paul not stopping as well as he remembers. Let’s write that down.
Paul
- heard of faith in Jesus
- heard of love for saints
- doesn’t stop giving thanks for the recipients
- remembers them in prayer
Verse 17 begins the content of the prayer. I went ahead and included that in my list for Paul. What he prays indicates what is important to him.
- prays they would have the spirit of wisdom
- prays they would have the spirit of revelation
- prays they would have knowledge of God
- prays they would know hope
- prays they would know riches
- prays they would know greatness
Let’s recall that in addition to making these lists, observation is also asking questions. Does anything on that list make you tilt your head and cock an eyebrow asking “huh? what does that mean?” Great! Write that down on your observation worksheet. Gathering questions is part of observation and answering them is interpretation.
I don’t see Paul mentioned anywhere else in this passage, so let’s move on. The next heading I see present is the recipients.
Starting again at the beginning of the passage, we will read with an eye out for mentions of the recipients. Right away, verse 15 tells us something about them.
Recipients
- have faith in Jesus
- have love for saints
Reading on through verse 18…
- they are remembered in prayer
- they have heart-eyes that could see better
- they might not know things
- God has called them
- God uses power toward the believers
After this, I don’t see the recipients mentioned. The next heading I see is Jesus.
Reading through, I got stymied by those pronouns again. Who’s who? Since it was confusing and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t making assumptions, I slowed way down and got my colored pencils out.
With my blue pencil in hand, I read through once and colored mentions of Jesus. The next time I read, I had my orange pencil and I colored mentions of God the Father. Please avoid the temptation to speed things up and try to read through coloring everyone at that same time. It isn’t the same exercise.
Here is what I found:
I’m not sure if you can see the details there, but if you can, the art project helps smooth out the listing process. Remember that we don’t care if we think we already know the details of Jesus or God’s character and nature. Write it all down. Reminding ourselves daily who God is may be the very best way to train our world view.
Jesus
- Lord
- God the Father is his God
- Christ
- power was worked in him
- raised him from dead
- seated him in heavenly
- at right hand of God
- above rule
- above authority
- above dominion
- above every name ever
- all things under his feet
- head over all things
- head over church
- fills all in all
It seems like Paul went bananas to remind the recipients who Jesus is. Pause a moment and ruminate on that list. With a shallow understanding of what any of that means, does your view of how the world works tilt a little to the restful side? Does it help you take a breath and recognize who actually holds the world? Even just a moment of peace as we mull over this list together helps the tension that forms in my chest to slightly ease.
God
- is Father
- has a spirit of wisdom to give
- has a spirit of revealing to give
- is knowable
- calls recipients to hope
- has riches to be known
- has glorious inheritance in the saints
- uses great power toward believers
- used same power to raise Jesus from the dead
- Jesus sits at his right hand
- is in heavenly places
- in authority over everything (or he couldn’t put Jesus above all else)
- owns all things to put under Jesus’ feet
- owns the church (he made Jesus head of it)
Again. Let the truths there resonant in your very soul. Pick just one for now and consider the implications. If we walk away from making a list about who God is and what he’s done without letting it impact us, we have performed an academic exercise rather than allowing truth to transform us. We will go in more depth later, but please don’t leave this list unmoved. The authorial intent was for his audience to be moved to worship as he was.
Wrap Up
Did you find other headings for lists? I started a list for Church, but I only found two items for it. Christ’s body and fullness of Christ. Which are important, of course, but I don’t believe that is the focus of Paul in this section. So I dismissed it.
Our Bible Study Bite for today has probably been mentioned before….we don’t just eat vegetables once and call it good, right? With regularity Jeremy and I recall some friends of ours who are of a generation ahead of us telling us that all the friends of theirs who wouldn’t eat vegetables are all dead. The ones who at veggies are still with them. We share that truism with our friends who are of a generation behind us. But I digress. Still, eat your veggies. We need you here.
Our Bible Study Bite for today, while it has probably been mentioned before, is to pause. Reflect. Meditate. Cogitate. Consider who God is. Consider who Jesus is. Don’t leave a session of study without granting permission to the Spirit to grind away doubt, despair, discouragement from our souls with the truth of scripture. Allow the good news to have its way in your soul.
Next time we will begin interpreting the section and begin to get a fuller understanding of what inspired Paul to spend so much time and papyrus writing what he wrote.
