Ephesians 6:23b – Ambassador for Christ

… and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Summary: Sometimes people say things they don’t mean. Paul was not like that. He represented Jesus to the Gentiles, and he took his work very seriously.

Ambassadors do not have unlimited power, but if they had no power at all, there would be no reason for being an ambassador. Jesus chose Paul to be his ambassador (Ephesians 6:20), and when he did, he authorized Paul to do certain things.

For example, the sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, attempted to drive out evil spirits “in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches” (Acts 19:13). Paul had the authority to drive out demons. For example, earlier, in Philippi, Paul casts a demon out of a woman by simply saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” (Acts 116:18) The sons of Sceva didn’t fare so well. When they tried to leverage Paul’s authority for themselves, the possessed man beat them so badly that they ran away “naked and bleeding.” (Acts 19: 16)

Paul had the authority to raise the dead. In Acts, chapter twenty, there is a story of Eutychus, who fell asleep listening to Paul preach. Normally, that would not be fatal, but Eutychus was sitting in an open window three floors up. After falling asleep, he fell out of the window. When his body hit the ground, he was dead. (This was certified by the doctor who wrote the account, Luke.) Paul went to the young man, and minutes later, Eutychus was alive and well.

The book of Acts records many examples of Paul’s supernatural power, authority, and revelation. All these were demonstrations of Jesus’ power and authority manifested through Paul. Paul was allowed to do these things for one reason only, to bring glory to Jesus.

Which brings us to today’s passage.

The entire verse reads:

“Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul is authorized, as an ambassador of Jesus, to send us God’s peace and love with faith. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he writes, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) God’s love is the greatest gift possible, and with it, he gives us faith and peace.

That is a lot to be thankful for.

Application: Receive the gifts of peace, love and faith from Jesus Christ.

Food for Thought: What can a person do with these three gifts from God?