1:19 and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Next, Paul prays that we will understand the vast magnitude of God’s great power and that God has put this power into effect to benefit all believers. He’s praying that God will use the great might of His mighty arm to defeat the enemies of God’s people. God has shown that great power in defeating Satan at the Cross. God has placed Jesus over everything in defeating all of the plans of the enemy to condemn all of humanity due to sin, by defeating sin and death on the cross.
Paul not only refers to God’s power, he adds, “the greatness of His power,” and then tops that by adding, “the surpassing greatness of His power.” Power is the Greek word dynamis, from which we get our word, dynamite. It is often used of miraculous power. But Paul goes further, stating that this power is “in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” We get our word “energy” from the Greek word translated working. It refers to the exercise of His power, or to action that gets results. It accomplishes what it sets out to do. Might refers to inherent strength.
Paul is emphasizing the all-sufficient power that God possesses to accomplish all things, to overcome all resistance and the supremacy of God over anything that would attempt to come against His plans or His people. This is power in action on behalf of His people, as is made evident by all that He has done.
In using these overlapping words that emphasize different aspects of God’s strength on behalf of His people, we see that this power is not just potentially available to us as believers, but demonstrably in force in our own lives. God’s power has overcome obstacles and forces working against us in our lives before, and he’s doing it now, and He will continue to use His power on our behalf in the future.
Paul is telling us that the outcome of knowing God intimately is that we might know what is the surpassing greatness of his ability or potential power which is according to the mighty activity of power derived from his inherent strength. This power is directed to all who believe—us personally, in our daily lives.
Which power he exercised in Christ.” God worked his power in the Christ, the anointed one of whom the OT prophesied that God would work in him.
by raising him from the dead. God showed his power in Jesus’ life by raising Him from the dead. In other words, God exercised His power by raising Jesus from the dead. And that same power is what He uses in our lives. Romans 8:11 New American Standard Bible 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. That same power is what He will use to raise you from the dead to live with Him in heaven forever. Paul is praying for our understanding of God’s work on our behalf. It is a powerful work, past, present, and future: God’s power was evident in our choosing Him who first chose us, in our conversion when we were saved, God’s power is evident in our endurance, and God’s power will be evident in our resurrection some day. And we can be certain of it, because God has already demonstrated it by raising Jesus from the dead.
These verses are providing us hope and certainty and assurance that because of the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead, we will also someday be raised. If God can raise Jesus from the dead, God can provide all that is promised to us, as believers.
Some people think that all that needs to take place for salvation is that a person makes a decision and goes forward to receive Christ. But, we shouldn’t be so quick to count heads. The Puritans were much more guarded. They would say, “There are so many who seem to be hopeful of eternal life.” But they waited to see the fruit before assuring someone of their salvation.
All that are truly born again believe in Christ. But, not all that profess to believe in Christ are born again.
and by seating him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” This is the second way God has exercised his power in Christ. He has not only raised Christ, as he did Lazarus, but he also seated him at his right hand. Psalm 110:1—“The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’ ”—to demonstrate that when Jesus was resurrected he also became the exalted Lord. To sit at the right hand of God is a “symbol of divine power.” Hence, God not only exercised power in Christ in the resurrection but also gave him the place of honor with which comes authority. It displays sovereignty at the present time and indicates his authority over the world and the church. God not only raised Christ from the dead. Also, He ascended bodily into heaven, where He now is (1:20b-21) “seated at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
The phrase, “in the heavenly places,” lets us contemplate the heavenly glory amidst which our Lord Jesus dwells, the blessed immortality which he enjoys, and the dominion over angels to which he has been exalted.”—Calvin. Paul piles up four different words, “rule, authority, power, and dominion,” to encompass all spiritual powers. These words may indicate different gradations of rank or power among the angels and demons. But Paul isn’t putting our focus on the finer points of angelic or demonic organization. Rather, he means that whatever levels of spiritual power exist, Jesus is over them all. Paul adds, “not only in this age but also in the one to come” to make it clear that Jesus Christ is exalted to the place of absolute, supreme power in the entire universe. His authority is not just for a period of time, but for all eternity.
In Ephesians 6:12 Paul specifically states that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against authorities, against the mighty world of this darkness, against the spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies.” So, these powers are most likely are angelic and evil and wish to rob us of our spiritual benefits. But Christ is over these authorities and they will not have the final victory.