Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
The Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is the one from whom the whole family in heaven and earth receives its name and to whom it belongs. Heaven and earth form one united family under one Father and one name, joining holy angels and inhabitants of unfallen worlds above with the faithful of every age below who are united by faith to Christ as children of God. That one family above and below is bound together in Christ, who by forever taking human nature joins Himself to humanity and by giving His life gathers and reconciles all things in heaven and earth into one, while angels keep up communication with and guard the tempted family on earth. Families on earth are meant to be small symbols, types and copies of the family in heaven, demonstrating what the heavenly family will be and preparing members for a place in the holy family above. The verse stands in Paul's bowed-knee prayer to the Father for the church, asking according to the riches of His glory that believers be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man so Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith and they may know the love of Christ and be filled with all the fullness of God.
Father's Name and Prayer
The one from whom the whole family in heaven and earth takes its name and to whom it belongs is God the Father, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. The family in heaven and on earth receives its name from Him as Father.
The verse stands in Paul's bowing of his knees to that Father in prayer, including his prayer offered in behalf of the Ephesian church for which he had labored much. Oppressed under a sense of the immensity of God's great gift through Christ, he could only bow his knees and find refuge in prayer. That bowed-knee example settles that believers should bow the knee in prayer and not stumble over it.
The prayer asks the Father, according to the riches of His glory, to grant believers to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That strengthening means having Christ abiding within, dwelling in hearts by faith as a cherished best friend who must not be grieved or offended and who brings divine grace, so that believers go forth and bring forth much fruit. Being rooted and grounded in love, they may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know by living experience in the heart the love of Christ which passes knowledge and cannot be explained, Christ formed within, the hope of glory, alone expanding the mind to grasp it. Thus they might be filled with all the fullness of God, ending in praise and glory to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought, according to the power that works within, in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, with large and full encouragement precious to the church.
One Family in Heaven and Earth
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named means the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ gives His name to the entire family above and below, joining the heavenly and the earthly realm under one Father and one name. All who embrace the truth are His children and members of that one family, united by faith to Christ. The redeemed belong to this one household, and its sacred ties already unite them with holy beings, angels, and the faithful of every age.
Above are holy beings and angels and the inhabitants of unfallen worlds, and below are the faithful of every age who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, all gathered into pure communion and harmonious social life that will make up the happiness of the redeemed in the city of God. When Christ is lifted up He draws all to Himself, not earth only but heaven also, because the family above and the family below both belong to Him. His crowning act of giving His life for the sins of the world draws even holy angels and unfallen inhabitants, and through the efficacy of the cross they are guarded from apostasy, so that all things in heaven and on earth are gathered together in one in Christ.
The families above and below are bound together in Christ, who by taking human nature forever has joined Himself to humanity with a tie never to be broken, carrying it as the Son of man into heaven to share the throne of the universe, where Christ glorified remains our brother and humanity is held in the embrace of divine love. Through the gift of His Son the Ruler of the universe has reconciled all things to Himself. Communication is kept up and connection established between heavenly intelligences and the church above and the tempted and tried family on earth, and angels attend the steps of Christ's faithful followers and protect them from dangers seen and unseen, whose full extent of care will be known in the light of eternity.
Those who will compose the family above must be united as a family here on earth, with Christ as head surrendered to and lived for, so that influence brings many sons and daughters to God and all power in heaven and earth combines with efforts for the conversion of souls through companies organized on earth to attain perfection by obedience as co-workers with the church in heaven. This shared family identity removes national prejudice, for Christ in believers from different nations unites them on one common ground and blends hearts and minds in unity. The family of workers is therefore to be a symbol of the family of heaven by helping one another, especially the weak and erring, rather than criticizing or weakening one another, in daily conversion free from discord, harsh words, and unruly conduct. Ministers are to treat members including younger and inexperienced workers with tenderness, compassion, meekness, and respect, for God may allow younger ministers to suffer for mistakes yet does not forsake them but gives opportunity to become members of the royal family and children of the heavenly King, and children are to be trained through patient, gentle discipline and character-building to take their place in the named family in cooperation with God.
Earthly Families Symbolize Heaven
The family in heaven is the model, and families on earth are meant to be its symbols, types and copies on a small scale, demonstrating what the heavenly family will be. There is a family above in heaven named after God, and it is His purpose that the families of His people on earth shall be symbols of that family above. Parents and children are members of the family of God and are to relate to one another every day as such. When earthly families are conducted in right lines, the same sanctification of the Spirit is brought into the church.
Christian homes established and conducted according to God's plan help form Christian character and advance God's work. The home lays the foundation for the prosperity of the church, because the influences that rule in home life are carried into church life, so church duties must first begin in the home. Sanctification must begin in the home in order to make the home like the heavenly family. Those who are Christians in the home will be Christians in the church and in the world, and failure to cultivate home religion keeps people from growing in grace and in a knowledge of the truth.
Husband and wife are to help each other bear responsibility instead of gathering separate burdens, the husband living as a husband in the family circle and not as a boarder, and both valuing tender ministrations, with constant watching that the principles which lie at the foundation of family government are not disregarded. A home beautified by love, sympathy, and tenderness is a place angels love to visit and where God is glorified. The influence of a carefully guarded Christian home in childhood and youth is the surest safeguard against the corruptions of the world and moral evil. In the atmosphere of such a home children learn to love both their earthly parents and their heavenly Father. Children belong to the Lord, having been bought at infinite cost, and are to be taught to respect themselves, to obey Christ's commandments as the expression of His love, and through patient, gentle discipline and character-building to take their place in the named family, with parents cooperating with God in this work and uniting with children in offering loving service to God, who alone can keep human love pure and noble.
When parents and children so live, their lives give the world an object lesson of what families who love God and keep His commandments may be, with Christ glorified and worshiped in the home and His peace and grace and love pervading the family circle. Their well-ordered, well-disciplined, Christlike family life honors and glorifies God, blesses other families by its influence, and presents to God a precious offering that makes the heart of Jesus glad. The family relationship should be sanctifying in its influence.
This symbolism applies specifically in that school homes for young people preparing to serve God should come as close as possible to this divine model, providing a home atmosphere that helps preserve them from temptation and lead them to Jesus. The marriage relation is a solemn ordinance of God through which families formed on earth may rear members who are recognized as members of that heavenly family, and God's glory is to come first. The family of workers on earth is likewise called to be a symbol of the family of heaven, with workers helping one another, especially the weak and erring, rather than criticizing or weakening one another, in daily conversion and freedom from discord, harsh words, and unruly conduct. Israel was to reveal God's merciful rule and invite the world to worship Him, with people turning from idolatry joining His people, for God desires all peoples to come under His merciful rule and longs for the earth to be filled with joy and peace.
Parents are entrusted with the sacred stewardship of making their home a symbol of that heavenly family. The hope held out is becoming members of the heavenly family when the day of test and trial on earth has ended. The home is a place to prepare for life in heaven: family members who cannot live in harmony here will not be in harmony there unless they are converted, and partaking of the divine nature in this life prepares people to belong to the holy family above.
Redeemed Fellowship in Eternity
The verse names one family in heaven and on earth whose sacred ties will make the redeemed happy in the city of God. That happiness comes through pure communion with holy beings and harmonious social life together with angels and redeemed people from every age. The earthly part of the family includes the faithful of every age who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, while the heavenly part includes holy beings and blessed angels. In the redeemed life this bond unites people of all ages with holy beings and angels in loving fellowship.
In the hereafter the loves and sympathies planted in the soul find their fullest exercise in sacred fellowship. There the faithful of all ages and the angels share a harmonious social life together.
Heaven's concern for earth is already shown in that angels attend the steps of Christ's faithful followers and protect them from dangers seen and unseen. The full extent of this care will be known in the light of eternity. God designs earthly families to have far more of heaven in them than they now enjoy, and parents are accountable to keep their homes free from every taint of moral evil. Ministers are to treat members of this one great family, including younger and inexperienced workers, with tenderness, compassion, meekness and respect, for God may allow younger ministers to suffer for their mistakes but does not forsake them, giving them opportunity to become members of the royal family and children of the heavenly King.
Unity and Urgent Calling
The third chapter of Ephesians is a present message for believers because the end is near. It calls for a world-wide work done earnestly and in a short time to proclaim truth and the last warning, with the same burden Paul carried. It is to arouse understanding of true position and of swift judgments coming upon the world, to show transgressions and sins hindering the work, and to take up the work intelligently and unitedly proclaiming warning and salvation as with one voice. It urges heeding the Lord and turning fully to Him while mercy and abundant pardon may be found, for there will be no second probation.
The words containing the naming of the whole family in heaven and earth are to be read to hearers, impressed upon minds, and read most solemnly because the instruction means much. They expose hard-spirited believers as strangers to the working of the Holy Spirit. They call for great reformation in lives, words, works, and spiritual understanding, with daily catching of the inspiration of angels in the heavenly courts and breathing the atmosphere of heaven.
The whole chapter is a lesson for all teachers, ministers of the gospel, and all occupying responsible positions in God's work. It shows that those whose imperfections of character appear in spirit or action set a wrong example in family, school, church, or world. Such persons must become converted or take up some other calling or work where they will not act the spirit of the unbeliever and lead others in the wrong direction.
The prayer in Ephesians 3:7-21 is for every minister in every conference, whether formally ordained or not, and expresses the privilege of every shepherd to know God and the power of His grace. The shepherd is to go after the lost not with casual interest but with earnest travail for souls, earnest heart-searching, and prayerful seeking for God, so that experience is not tame and commonplace but marked by grace with divine power working with human effort. The chapter reveals the work to be done for everyone saved, that Christ is to be revealed in and through them. All power in heaven and earth combines with efforts for soul conversion, and through the gift of His Son the Ruler of the universe has reconciled all things to Himself and organized companies on earth to attain perfection of character through obedience to truth as co-workers with His church in heaven, with Christ as head surrendered to and lived for so His influence brings many sons and daughters to God.
The prayer offered for the Ephesian church is precious and its encouragement large and full, asking the Father according to the riches of His glory for strengthening with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love believers may comprehend with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all asked or thought according to the power working within, with glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages. It is to be read in connection with the message to Ephesus and belongs to the same subject continued in the call to walk worthy with different gifts and appointments united together. Ephesians 2 and 3 together hold a lesson to be studied by seeking wisdom from God in earnest prayer, showing how transgression of the law required the blood of the Son of the infinite God to redeem man, leading to hatred of the sins that wounded Jesus and to viewing Him with contrite heart as a compassionate and tender High Priest.
The Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is the one from whom the whole family in heaven and earth receives its name and to whom it belongs. Heaven and earth form one united family under one Father and one name, joining holy angels and inhabitants of unfallen worlds above with the faithful of every age below who are united by faith to Christ as children of God. That one family above and below is bound together in Christ, who by forever taking human nature joins Himself to humanity and by giving His life gathers and reconciles all things in heaven and earth into one, while angels keep up communication with and guard the tempted family on earth. Families on earth are meant to be small symbols, types and copies of the family in heaven, demonstrating what the heavenly family will be and preparing members for a place in the holy family above. The verse stands in Paul's bowed-knee prayer to the Father for the church, asking according to the riches of His glory that believers be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man so Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith and they may know the love of Christ and be filled with all the fullness of God.
Father's Name and Prayer
The one from whom the whole family in heaven and earth takes its name and to whom it belongs is God the Father, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. The family in heaven and on earth receives its name from Him as Father.
The verse stands in Paul's bowing of his knees to that Father in prayer, including his prayer offered in behalf of the Ephesian church for which he had labored much. Oppressed under a sense of the immensity of God's great gift through Christ, he could only bow his knees and find refuge in prayer. That bowed-knee example settles that believers should bow the knee in prayer and not stumble over it.
The prayer asks the Father, according to the riches of His glory, to grant believers to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That strengthening means having Christ abiding within, dwelling in hearts by faith as a cherished best friend who must not be grieved or offended and who brings divine grace, so that believers go forth and bring forth much fruit. Being rooted and grounded in love, they may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know by living experience in the heart the love of Christ which passes knowledge and cannot be explained, Christ formed within, the hope of glory, alone expanding the mind to grasp it. Thus they might be filled with all the fullness of God, ending in praise and glory to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought, according to the power that works within, in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, with large and full encouragement precious to the church.
One Family in Heaven and Earth
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named means the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ gives His name to the entire family above and below, joining the heavenly and the earthly realm under one Father and one name. All who embrace the truth are His children and members of that one family, united by faith to Christ. The redeemed belong to this one household, and its sacred ties already unite them with holy beings, angels, and the faithful of every age.
Above are holy beings and angels and the inhabitants of unfallen worlds, and below are the faithful of every age who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, all gathered into pure communion and harmonious social life that will make up the happiness of the redeemed in the city of God. When Christ is lifted up He draws all to Himself, not earth only but heaven also, because the family above and the family below both belong to Him. His crowning act of giving His life for the sins of the world draws even holy angels and unfallen inhabitants, and through the efficacy of the cross they are guarded from apostasy, so that all things in heaven and on earth are gathered together in one in Christ.
The families above and below are bound together in Christ, who by taking human nature forever has joined Himself to humanity with a tie never to be broken, carrying it as the Son of man into heaven to share the throne of the universe, where Christ glorified remains our brother and humanity is held in the embrace of divine love. Through the gift of His Son the Ruler of the universe has reconciled all things to Himself. Communication is kept up and connection established between heavenly intelligences and the church above and the tempted and tried family on earth, and angels attend the steps of Christ's faithful followers and protect them from dangers seen and unseen, whose full extent of care will be known in the light of eternity.
Those who will compose the family above must be united as a family here on earth, with Christ as head surrendered to and lived for, so that influence brings many sons and daughters to God and all power in heaven and earth combines with efforts for the conversion of souls through companies organized on earth to attain perfection by obedience as co-workers with the church in heaven. This shared family identity removes national prejudice, for Christ in believers from different nations unites them on one common ground and blends hearts and minds in unity. The family of workers is therefore to be a symbol of the family of heaven by helping one another, especially the weak and erring, rather than criticizing or weakening one another, in daily conversion free from discord, harsh words, and unruly conduct. Ministers are to treat members including younger and inexperienced workers with tenderness, compassion, meekness, and respect, for God may allow younger ministers to suffer for mistakes yet does not forsake them but gives opportunity to become members of the royal family and children of the heavenly King, and children are to be trained through patient, gentle discipline and character-building to take their place in the named family in cooperation with God.
Earthly Families Symbolize Heaven
The family in heaven is the model, and families on earth are meant to be its symbols, types and copies on a small scale, demonstrating what the heavenly family will be. There is a family above in heaven named after God, and it is His purpose that the families of His people on earth shall be symbols of that family above. Parents and children are members of the family of God and are to relate to one another every day as such. When earthly families are conducted in right lines, the same sanctification of the Spirit is brought into the church.
Christian homes established and conducted according to God's plan help form Christian character and advance God's work. The home lays the foundation for the prosperity of the church, because the influences that rule in home life are carried into church life, so church duties must first begin in the home. Sanctification must begin in the home in order to make the home like the heavenly family. Those who are Christians in the home will be Christians in the church and in the world, and failure to cultivate home religion keeps people from growing in grace and in a knowledge of the truth.
Husband and wife are to help each other bear responsibility instead of gathering separate burdens, the husband living as a husband in the family circle and not as a boarder, and both valuing tender ministrations, with constant watching that the principles which lie at the foundation of family government are not disregarded. A home beautified by love, sympathy, and tenderness is a place angels love to visit and where God is glorified. The influence of a carefully guarded Christian home in childhood and youth is the surest safeguard against the corruptions of the world and moral evil. In the atmosphere of such a home children learn to love both their earthly parents and their heavenly Father. Children belong to the Lord, having been bought at infinite cost, and are to be taught to respect themselves, to obey Christ's commandments as the expression of His love, and through patient, gentle discipline and character-building to take their place in the named family, with parents cooperating with God in this work and uniting with children in offering loving service to God, who alone can keep human love pure and noble.
When parents and children so live, their lives give the world an object lesson of what families who love God and keep His commandments may be, with Christ glorified and worshiped in the home and His peace and grace and love pervading the family circle. Their well-ordered, well-disciplined, Christlike family life honors and glorifies God, blesses other families by its influence, and presents to God a precious offering that makes the heart of Jesus glad. The family relationship should be sanctifying in its influence.
This symbolism applies specifically in that school homes for young people preparing to serve God should come as close as possible to this divine model, providing a home atmosphere that helps preserve them from temptation and lead them to Jesus. The marriage relation is a solemn ordinance of God through which families formed on earth may rear members who are recognized as members of that heavenly family, and God's glory is to come first. The family of workers on earth is likewise called to be a symbol of the family of heaven, with workers helping one another, especially the weak and erring, rather than criticizing or weakening one another, in daily conversion and freedom from discord, harsh words, and unruly conduct. Israel was to reveal God's merciful rule and invite the world to worship Him, with people turning from idolatry joining His people, for God desires all peoples to come under His merciful rule and longs for the earth to be filled with joy and peace.
Parents are entrusted with the sacred stewardship of making their home a symbol of that heavenly family. The hope held out is becoming members of the heavenly family when the day of test and trial on earth has ended. The home is a place to prepare for life in heaven: family members who cannot live in harmony here will not be in harmony there unless they are converted, and partaking of the divine nature in this life prepares people to belong to the holy family above.
Redeemed Fellowship in Eternity
The verse names one family in heaven and on earth whose sacred ties will make the redeemed happy in the city of God. That happiness comes through pure communion with holy beings and harmonious social life together with angels and redeemed people from every age. The earthly part of the family includes the faithful of every age who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, while the heavenly part includes holy beings and blessed angels. In the redeemed life this bond unites people of all ages with holy beings and angels in loving fellowship.
In the hereafter the loves and sympathies planted in the soul find their fullest exercise in sacred fellowship. There the faithful of all ages and the angels share a harmonious social life together.
Heaven's concern for earth is already shown in that angels attend the steps of Christ's faithful followers and protect them from dangers seen and unseen. The full extent of this care will be known in the light of eternity. God designs earthly families to have far more of heaven in them than they now enjoy, and parents are accountable to keep their homes free from every taint of moral evil. Ministers are to treat members of this one great family, including younger and inexperienced workers, with tenderness, compassion, meekness and respect, for God may allow younger ministers to suffer for their mistakes but does not forsake them, giving them opportunity to become members of the royal family and children of the heavenly King.
Unity and Urgent Calling
The third chapter of Ephesians is a present message for believers because the end is near. It calls for a world-wide work done earnestly and in a short time to proclaim truth and the last warning, with the same burden Paul carried. It is to arouse understanding of true position and of swift judgments coming upon the world, to show transgressions and sins hindering the work, and to take up the work intelligently and unitedly proclaiming warning and salvation as with one voice. It urges heeding the Lord and turning fully to Him while mercy and abundant pardon may be found, for there will be no second probation.
The words containing the naming of the whole family in heaven and earth are to be read to hearers, impressed upon minds, and read most solemnly because the instruction means much. They expose hard-spirited believers as strangers to the working of the Holy Spirit. They call for great reformation in lives, words, works, and spiritual understanding, with daily catching of the inspiration of angels in the heavenly courts and breathing the atmosphere of heaven.
The whole chapter is a lesson for all teachers, ministers of the gospel, and all occupying responsible positions in God's work. It shows that those whose imperfections of character appear in spirit or action set a wrong example in family, school, church, or world. Such persons must become converted or take up some other calling or work where they will not act the spirit of the unbeliever and lead others in the wrong direction.
The prayer in Ephesians 3:7-21 is for every minister in every conference, whether formally ordained or not, and expresses the privilege of every shepherd to know God and the power of His grace. The shepherd is to go after the lost not with casual interest but with earnest travail for souls, earnest heart-searching, and prayerful seeking for God, so that experience is not tame and commonplace but marked by grace with divine power working with human effort. The chapter reveals the work to be done for everyone saved, that Christ is to be revealed in and through them. All power in heaven and earth combines with efforts for soul conversion, and through the gift of His Son the Ruler of the universe has reconciled all things to Himself and organized companies on earth to attain perfection of character through obedience to truth as co-workers with His church in heaven, with Christ as head surrendered to and lived for so His influence brings many sons and daughters to God.
The prayer offered for the Ephesian church is precious and its encouragement large and full, asking the Father according to the riches of His glory for strengthening with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love believers may comprehend with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all asked or thought according to the power working within, with glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages. It is to be read in connection with the message to Ephesus and belongs to the same subject continued in the call to walk worthy with different gifts and appointments united together. Ephesians 2 and 3 together hold a lesson to be studied by seeking wisdom from God in earnest prayer, showing how transgression of the law required the blood of the Son of the infinite God to redeem man, leading to hatred of the sins that wounded Jesus and to viewing Him with contrite heart as a compassionate and tender High Priest.