— to the praise of his glory.
Summary: How we respond to our God varies with our approach. If we are studying the Word, we might be intellectually engaged. If we are meditating on God’s goodness, we might be overwhelmed by his Love.
Way back in our discussion of Ephesians 1:12, “Praise and Glory,” we mentioned that Paul’s use of the phrase “praise and glory” sounded like a song. Well, there was a reason for that. It is. Kind of.
To speak of God from a personal level is to speak of a loving relationship. It is one thing to deal with Scripture on an intellectual level. It is something else entirely to confront the Living God face-to-face, to be embraced in his love, and to know, without a doubt, that his love and acceptance are forever.
Paul is a highly intellectual individual. He tends to engage his readers on that level. He reasons with us and passionately makes his case. The force of his intellect is often overwhelming, even after two thousand years. Yet, for all his intellectual horsepower, Paul finds himself speaking in a poetic form when he talks about his love for God.
Most translations don’t pick up on this aspect of Paul’s writings. As you read the written word, there is no way to distinguish between Paul the Poet and Paul the Intellectual Powerhouse. When we read Psalms in the Old Testament, there is no question that we are reading a poetic verse. So why not Paul?
I confess that I have not looked through all of the English translations, but I did skim about a dozen. In that small sample, I found only one that addressed Paul’s passage in Ephesians 1 as a poetic form. (To be fair, they treat a lot of things as a poetic form!) It is the New Catholic Bible translation if you would like to look it up. (Link here)
When I meditate on God’s goodness, his majesty, what he has created, and things like that, I find myself in awe. When I include thoughts about God’s love for me, how Jesus died for me, and what he has forgiven me, my awe turns into gratitude. When all these things combine, I often find myself singing God’s praises! Sometimes my song is a hymn or praise song from church. Other times, it is just words and music that flow from somewhere deep inside.
Thinking about what Paul has been saying so far in his letter, it is easy to see that he might have shared similar feelings. I suspect that his refrain, “to the praise of his glory,” had some music to go with it when Paul heard the words in his mind.
Application: Don’t be afraid to praise God in song, even if you just made it up!
Food for Thought: What is different about relating to God emotionally as opposed to intellectually?
Your question makes me think of 1 Corinthians 13. Without love….. The repeated phrase.
If you know God’s power but have no reverence; if you know God’s sacrifice but have no gratitude; if you know God’s condescension but have no humility; if you know God’s works but have no awe; if you know God’s forgiveness but have no love. Then I highly doubt you know anything!
If you don’t have an emotional investment with how God has effected your life then I don’t think you believe it. Actually, I think you have a better chance believing without understanding. Better, yet risky since you wouldn’t really have deep roots (knowing why you can believe so strongly) to keep you from being blown over.
Angela,
Thank you! Well said! Your words speak to the difference between emotion and intellect. This is important because not all of us relate to emotions in the same way.
03-01-2023, What is different about relating to God emotionally as opposed to intellectually?
There were times when Jesus wept John 11:35-44, times when He expressed righteous anger Mark 3:1-6, and times when He expressed great Joy Luke 15:5-7. He also intellectually reasoned and teaches God’s truths, such as the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7.
Both types of belief must exist if we are to have true biblical faith. First, we must have the truth which will guide our thinking. No one has the right to invent a path to salvation of their own design. At the same time saving faith requires more than mere mental assent. It requires commitment.
Saving faith requires knowledge of the truth, and a heart commitment to the Author of these Truth’s. Paul teaches the correct response to the Gospel message.
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10
Ron,
I really like your point that we need a knowledge of the truth and a heart commitment to the Author of Truth.
Well said!
Excellent devotion and comments. A and R2T2 covered this topic very well.
All I will add is that we are called to love God with all our heart, strength, soul and mind. We are not to dissect God with our minds – we are to love Him with our minds. All of who we are is called to love God. To think of God solely in intellectual terms and devoid of love is dangerous. And we risk missing out on what is most important – God Himself.
Rich,
Soooo true!
My prayer for myself and other believers is a healthy mix of both.
Very good, spirit-led responses today.
As I read the devotion and comments, I thought about these verses:
Hebrews 6:4-6 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
I know these verses speak about someone who spends time in the church, with followers, understand God’s plan and Christ’s sacrifice, but choose not to accept it. To me this speaks to someone who understands intellectually, but have no emotion, no feeling towards God.
This resonates with me because I remember a time in my daily prayers when I would “list” my sins and ask God for forgiveness. The problem was that I wasn’t repentant. I don’t mean “showing” God I was repentant, I mean knowing in my heart how what I had done affected those around me, asking God to forgive me, and feeling that love and forgiveness.
Now, when I feel the Holy Spirit remind me of things in my past, I ask “what is it about this that you want me to understand? I want to understand.” 10 out of 10 times it directly correlates to my present thoughts, attitudes, and actions. I find more that the forgiveness I ask for is more on the motivation behind the sin, more so than just the action itself (but that is also part of it). Standing in the presence of God, I feel how horribly capable I am of sin. I can then ask with an open heart for forgiveness, and for God to help me overcome my desire to sin, to replace that with His Will and love.
Chris,
Beautifully said! I especially appreciate the comment about your response to the Holy Spirit using the past to teach us about the present. Thank you!