Tidings for Tuesday
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:15,16
It doesn’t seem to make sense at first: Paul is writing his letter to the Ephesians somewhere around the year 60 AD, and he is writing in our text today about his hearing of their faith in the Lord Jesus. But some nine years earlier, Paul had spent a good space of time in the city of Ephesus, where he had seen a good number of souls saved and had seen a vibrant assembly planted for Christ. And he is just hearing about their faith now? No, he obviously is not referring in our text to the act of faith they exercised on the day of their conversion, but to something much larger and more evident than that. And he couples it with another valuable trait, the love they had for all the saints. These are two of the primary hallmarks of godly Christians individually and of godly Assemblies of Christians collectively.
It was faith in our Lord Jesus that brought us into the blessings of our salvation. And it is the continuing faith in the Lord Jesus that causes us to continue reading, believing, and obeying His Word. That same faith brings our minds and our lives into conformity with those of our Lord Jesus. We are the better for this faith, and so are those around us, as we display the attributes of a child of God. And when we are part of an Assembly in which the members unitedly hold and display our faith in our Lord Jesus, we produce worship that glorifies God and thrills our souls, and service that brings sinners to Christ and edifies the saints. That is real faith.
Do you love the saints? Of course you do, they are the most lovable people you know. Well, most of them anyway. We get to know and appreciate the Christians around us, and we delight in spending time with them and in helping them when there is a need. But our text speaks of love to all the saints. That includes Christians in other places as well, perhaps even in other countries who we don’t personally know. It also includes folks who are not in our own Assembly fellowship, some of whom hold different doctrinal views than our own. The Christianas in Ephesus didn’t make any distinction, they were known for loving all the saints. Like me, you have probably encountered a Christian somewhere who you knew nothing more about than that they were a fellow believer in Christ. And you felt an instant bond and affection that proved a delight to you and that other Christian during the brief time you spent with them. This is not normal for the world, but it is the norm for Christians.
Is it any wonder that the apostle mentions in our text that he continually gave thanks for the faith and love of the Christians in Ephesus? Would he be able to give thanks for your faith and love too? – Jim MacIntosh