(Eph. 1:15-23; 3:14-21.)
Verse 18. “And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” This is the second part of the apostle’s prayer. The first is, that Christians may understand the nature of their calling; the second, that they may understand the glory of their inheritance; and the third, that they may understand the power which puts them in possession of all that grace has given.
We have been dwelling a little, in our meditations, on the first part. There we learn God’s wondrous grace to His children. Their dignity and blessedness is beyond all thought. It is overwhelming. Their birth is heavenly; their nature, holy and loving; their relationship, sons: their privilege, one with Christ. His position as the risen Man is their position; His standing is their standing. They rank with Christ; and their eternal life gives them the capacity to enjoy what He enjoys. And surely, nothing more, nothing better than this can ever be conceived.
And now, Ο my soul, let thy thoughts dwell for a little on the inheritance — the inheritance of God’s children. And thou wilt surely find that the inheritance is perfectly suited to the nature and position of the children. And forget not in thy meditations, that this inheritance is thine own; so shall thy thoughts be mingled with praise and thanksgiving. It is the Father’s will for the children. Hence it is called “the mystery of his will” — the will that was kept a secret, or unrevealed, until the days of the apostle. Christ is before Him, and all is suited to His position, and we are joint-heirs with Him. Oh! what a future! — a future of the purest happiness and glory. But the children’s chief blessedness will be their nearness to God Himself — the blessedness of His own presence. The inheritance is another thing, and will embrace created things — all created things “both which are in heaven, and which are on earth.” The center-place will be theirs, because it is Christ’s. And is this to be thy future — thy happy future, Ο my soul? Above thee — near thee — with thee — is thy Father’s presence — in thy Father’s house! And also, outside thy Father’s house — around that house — what? The vast universe of glory. From the lowly tomb of Joseph where the Lord once lay, to the tin-one of God where He now sits, shall be filled with His glory. What a spectacle for men and angels! The once despised Nazarene — His once despised followers, together, glorified together, in the center of the glory. Till then, Ο my soul, seek to walk as becomes a child and heir of God.
Henceforth let each beloved child,
With quickened step proceed,
To walk with garments undefiled
Where’er thine eye may lead.
Ο largely give, ‘tis all thine own,
The Spirit’s goodly fruit:
Praise, issuing forth in life, alone
Our loving Lord can suit.
The expression, “His inheritance in the saints,” is peculiar. It is God’s inheritance, and yet it is the saints. They will personally possess it; and, jointly with Christ, it will be under their dominion. It is similar to the expression, “the hope of His calling.” It is God’s calling, but we are the called. Both are characterized as God’s; the former according to His grace, the latter according to His glory. It is this peculiarity which gives to each such excellency and blessedness. We have something very similar in the Old Testament. The land of Canaan was God’s inheritance in Israel. He gave it to Abraham and to his seed for an everlasting possession. But under the law it could not be sold, for God claimed it as His. “The land shall not be sold forever: for the land is mine.” It is also called, “Immanuel’s land.” (Lev. 25:23. Isa. 8:8.) In place of Jehovah taking possession of the land by a direct act of His power, he takes possession in the persons of His people, so that it is His inheritance in His people. Surely this is beautiful and blessed, it is God acting in sweetest fellowship with His beloved people. Oh! that they could have seen and valued His love and care!
But when the better and brighter day comes, He will take possession, not of the land of Canaan merely, but of the entire universe: and that by the saints personally — the joint-heirs with Christ. But tins grand theme is only referred to in the apostle’s prayer; the counsels of God respecting it are revealed in the middle of our chapter. “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” Nothing can be plainer, we think, than these words; but in passing from the subject of the calling, to that of the inheritance, the apostle touches upon a subject which is absolutely necessary to be known, before a soul can peacefully contemplate the coming of the Lord — the breaking up of everything here, and the future glory of the saints. And as some of our readers may not be in that state of settled repose, we will refer to the subject for a few moments.
Verse 7. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” In the second chapter, man’s condition under sin is fully stated. Here it is merely alluded to in passing. But there the judgment of God is plainly given. Man is dead — dead in trespasses and sins. He is not merely sick as some would fain believe; no, he is dead — morally and spiritually dead. Nothing can be lower than this. There are degrees in evil, but there are no degrees in death. And as to his present life, he is the willing slave of Satan. This is where the gospel found the Ephesians — where it found us — where it finds all. High as the Ephesians were raised in blessing, they were all raised from this low estate. Need we wonder then at these words, “The riches of His grace?” Our deep, deep poverty is met by the riches of His grace. When speaking of saints, the Spirit uses the word, “Glory of His grace,” but when speaking of poor sinners, the word is changed to “Riches of his grace.” He is glorious in grace — He is rich in grace. What love, what compassion we see in this! The heart is drawn to Him who thinks of us in our misery, and blesses us according to the riches of His own boundless grace. Far as our sin has abounded, grace much more abounds. But now for the details.
1. We needed redemption, and we have it — have it now as to our souls. “The redemption of the purchased possession” spoken of in verse 14, and the redemption of the body, we must wait for until Christ come. But the redemption of the soul, which is by far the most important thing to us, is fully and perfectly accomplished now. It never can be more so. This is the redemption referred to in verse 7. “In whom we have redemption through his blood.” Not may, or will, but we have it now. All is found in Christ, adored be His name! “In whom” — it is in Him that we see our standing in the presence of God; and it is in Him that we find the redemption, which fits us for it and sets us in it.
“Salvation in that Name is found,
Cure for my grief and care;
A healing balm for every wound,
All, all I want is there.”
2. We needed forgiveness, and we have it — have it now. We can never have it more fully. The blood of Christ is the ground of our forgiveness, and the riches of God’s grace the standard. Mark the things here placed in contrast; — The sinner’s slavery, and eternal redemption. The sinner’s poverty, and God’s riches. The sinner’s sins, and the blood of Christ. Conditional forgiveness would be law, not grace. Partial forgiveness would reflect no glory on the blood of Jesus; but full, unconditional forgiveness proves God’s estimate of the blood, and shows that all blessing depends exclusively upon its value. We are forgiven then, according to the value of the blood of Christ, and according to the riches of divine grace. What more, we may ask, can be done? — what more can be needed? God has given His Son, His blood has been shed. More than this, God Himself cannot do, to blot out sin. What an unspeakable comfort — what a solid ground of peace and rest for our souls. His name alone have all the praise!
3. We needed redemption and forgiveness, not according to our thoughts and feelings, but according to God’s thoughts and counsels, and we have them — have them now; and have both in connection with the Person of Christ. This is everything! We have redemption and forgiveness in Him. God is glorified, the riches of His grace are displayed, and our cup of blessing overflows.
Kind hearts are here, yet would the tenderest one
Have limits to its mercy, GOD has none.
And man’s forgiveness may be true and sweet,
And yet he stoops to give it; more complete
Is love that lays forgiveness at thy feet
And pleads with thee to raise it; only Heaven
Means crowned, not vanquished, when it says, “FORGIVEN.”
But some will say, “How is it then, that I still feel sin working in my heart, if I am so fully forgiven — so richly blessed?” True, sin still remains in the heart. But has God anywhere said that He has put away sin from the believer’s heart? I am sure He has not. What then? He put it away on the cross; He has not put it away from your heart. But just because it was put away on the cross, He has forgiven you, and all who believe in Jesus. Therefore God rests on the completed work of the cross, and that is where you should rest. There is no other ground of rest for a guilty soul in the universe; but faith in the cross, however weak, draws down God’s deepest compassion, and the boundless riches of His grace. But on the other hand, all confidence, however strong, that is not founded on the cross, is without God’s approval, and must come to nothing. Be content then to know that God dealt with thy sins in the Person of thy Substitute on the cross, and put them away by the shedding of His precious blood. The whole question of sin as to every believer is settled and sealed in the blood of God’s dear Son.
But again, the uneasy soul will say, “I am sure I sin daily, and if I live till tomorrow I shall be sinning again, let me watch against it as I may; what am I to think about these sins?” Think of them, Ο believer, humiliating as they are, as having been judged by God in the Person of His Son on the cross. “His own self bare our sins in Ins own body on the tree.” (1 Pet. 2:24.) This will work in thy soul a deeper sense of His love, and of the hatefulness of sin, than anything else can. All true, honest, self-judgment of sin, is founded on the assurance that it was divinely judged on the cross. When thou hast no doubt that God judged and put away these very sins on the cross; then thou canst judge them thoroughly in His holy presence. Self-judgment must go on as long as we are in this world, for sin will exist as long as we are here. But the divine judgment of sin was executed once, and finished. “It is finished,” should give perfect rest as to the divine judgment of sin.
If then, Ο believer, thou wouldst be truly happy in the presence of God, then thou must well understand these two things — self judgment, and the divine judgment of sin and sins on the cross. And rest assured that this is needful, before thou canst happily or profitably study the scriptures as to the coming of the Lord, or His millennial glory. It is never a healthy sign for a soul to be inquiring about prophecy that has not settled peace with God. Thus it is that the apostle would have this question fairly before the Ephesians, ere he opens up to them the mysteries of God’s will as to the coming glory, How can we calmly and profitably enter into the counsels of God as to the future, if we are not perfectly free from anxiety as to our own salvation?
May we be enabled by His grace to rest where He rests; and to see that it was on the cross that He put away sin, and not from our hearts; and, farther, may there be the fullest self-judgment of all our faults and failures, not only because of the loathsomeness of sin in itself, but because God has judged them all once and forever in the cross of His beloved Son.