Ephesians 1:18: What the Enlightened Heart Knows: A Rich Inheritance

Ephesians 1:18: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints ..."

When Paul enters the presence of God in prayer for his Ephesian friends he comes bearing three requests on their behalf. The first one is that they would know the "hope of His calling" in their lives. The second is that their hearts would be enlightened to see the "riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

Remember that the city of Ephesus was one of the wealthiest cities in the region. Their constant dredging of the harbor meant that they were a bustling commercial center. The greatest tribute to their wealth was the Temple of Diana that towered over the city with its white marble being visible for miles. Consequently, the people of Ephesus maintained a very high standard of living. They were rich, and their wealth allowed them to enjoy many of the world's pleasures.

Against this backdrop we can better understand Paul's prayer. Having come to understand their sin, and the call of God to follow Christ in faith, the Ephesian believers had also recognized that many of the things - the "riches" of this world - they had considered so valuable were now to be left behind. Their sinful sexual practices, their deceitful relationships, and their pagan worship were all now understood to be just so much garbage compared to the value of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord (see: Philippians 3:1-10). It was also certainly the case that some who came from wealthy families would have forfeited their inheritance, and standing in the family in leaving behind the pagan lifestyles of the family to follow Jesus.

But Paul insists that an ever greater wealth is now theirs to own. His prayer is that they would be enabled by God to see through the temporal haze and fully appreciate the inheritance that they had in Christ. The One who had called them, and so instilled a living hope in them, had also granted them an inheritance whose glory declared its intrinsic value. Far above anything this world could promise in the way of money, possessions, position, or power, God has guaranteed eternally to those who are in Christ.

And, unlike so many of the Gospel presentations in our day, the benefit of being "in Christ" is not merely a fire insurance policy whereby we escape the horrors of Hell. Paul says this inheritance is now enjoyable "in the saints." The life that we are promised eternally has already begun, and it is a new kind of life, and "eternal" life.  When we speak of "eternal life" we are not merely talking about a life that never ends. We are also talking about a life with a whole new kind of value, purpose, and satisfaction. We are talking about a life that has begun already, and will progressively become more and more aligned with the original purpose of our creation: bringing glory to God! This means that right now - today! - those in Christ are enjoying a progressive sense of improvement away from who sin wants us to be, and toward a fuller demonstration of who we really are as sons and daughters of the Almighty. The truth is that those in whom the Spirit dwells will be becoming more and more godly, more and more satisfied with holiness, more and more passionate about being channels of God's ethic, message, compassion, and grace. And all this is just the beginning of the enjoyments to be found in the riches of the inheritance we have been granted as those called to faith in Christ.

So where are you today? Where is your focus? Are your eyes seeing clearly that what you have in Christ is of far more value than gold and silver? Are you passionate to explore, enjoy, and showcase the transforming power of Christ in your life? Is it real to you, and becoming more and more real every day? That was Paul's prayer for his Ephesian brothers and sisters. May it be ours as well, for ourselves and for the Christ-followers in our own circle.

Hope this helps,

David