◄ What Does Ephesians 3:21 Mean? ►

The Lord our God is worthy of all glory and honour for innumerable reasons, not least because of Who He is and what he has done for the children of men. In Romans, we rejoice at the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. We are reminded of His unsearchable judgments and unfathomable ways. No one knows the mind of the Lord. No one can become His counsellor, as Paul reminds us, for the Lord is no man's debtor. No wonder the apostle cries out: "For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."

When writing to Timothy, Paul again: "Gives glory to God forever and ever," because He rescues His servant from every evil, and has promised to bring us safely to His heavenly kingdom. Similarly, the apostle Peter also rejoiced in God and gave glory to His name when he considered the amazing and over-abounding grace of God, and instructed believers: "Grow in the grace and in a knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who is worthy of all honour and glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

The beloved John in the book of Revelation, glorifies God because: "He has made us to be a kingdom and priests to His God and Father." John cries out: "To Him be the glory and the dominion, forever and ever, Amen." And here, in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul concludes this section with the words: "To Him be the glory in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, to all generations forever and ever, Amen." 

Paul's spontaneous outburst of worship and praise in this passage, came after he had pronounced a truth that should rejoice the hearts of all God's children: "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever, Amen."

The Church is the Body of Christ, and in this verse it is the power of God working through the Church that rejoices the heart of the apostle. The work that God has done in each of our lives is going to be used by the Father as an everlasting testimony of His goodness and grace towards the children of men.

In the previous chapter, Paul reminded us that because of God's great love for us, He is rich in mercy, for despite being dead in our transgressions, He made us alive, together with Christ. May we never forget that it is not because of anything we have done that we are saved, but by God's amazing and indefinable grace. It is by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection that we are redeemed from the slave-market of sin.

God raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. God the Father is going to use Christians as an everlasting demonstration to the angelic hosts and generations of human-kind, of His love, mercy, goodness, and grace. Should this not rejoice the heart of every member of the Body of Christ? Should we not join the apostles in bringing glory to God forever?

It is by grace and grace alone that we have been saved, through faith in Christ. May we never forget that our salvation has nothing to do with ourselves It is not our works, our kind acts, or generous giving that has saved us, forgiven us, and redeemed us from sin, Satan, death, and hell. It is the unmerited gift of God. Our salvation did not come because of the good works we have done, so none of us can boast that we contributed towards our salvation. The fact of our salvation is that we are HIS workmanship. We are created in Christ Jesus to do good works, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; good deeds which God prepared beforehand, so that we would walk in them.

May the truth of our salvation and the good works that we carry out through the power of Christ, bring everlasting glory to our Lord and Saviour in the same way that the Lord Jesus gave honour and glory to the Father during His sojourn on earth.

JESUS was fully GOD during His time of earth. But He set aside His glory and lived His entire life giving honour to the Father, and carrying out His Father's will, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He only did what He saw the Father do, and only said what He heard from the Father. Father and Son worked together in perfect harmony, in the unity of the Spirit, in the body of peace. Identical in essence and purpose, Father and Son fulfilled their respective roles in the redemption of mankind through the sacrifice of Jesus. The plan of the Father was carried out through the Son.

The perfect Son of Man demonstrated to the fallen race of men how God designed all man to live on earth; by faith and in dependant submission to the Father. When Adam was created, he was to live by faith and in dependant submission to God, but he failed. We are to follow in Christ's footsteps and live in dependant submission to His Holy Spirit.

We are to live and work for His glory. We are to listen to His voice and obey His Word. We are to do His will and glorify His name, and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of us evermore - so that in the ages to come we may show forth His glory in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, to all generations, forevermore. AMEN.

Heavenly Father, how good it is to glorify Your holy Name. How blessed I am to have been called out of spiritual darkness and death and brought into the light of the glorious gospel of grace and receive new life in Christ. May I never become complacent in my faith, but live and work for Your glory. Thank You that I am part of the Body of Christ and that in the ages to come, we will demonstrate Your goodness and grace to all generations, forever and ever. In Jesus' name, AMEN.