And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. Ephesians 1:19
As a writer, I love words. I love the way in which the right word, or the right combination of words, can express the meaning of something to make it easily understood by everybody. I can assure you that searching for and selecting the right word for the right situation takes up much of a writer’s time and effort. But sometimes, words can tell us that some things are impossible to understand. Such a word is used in our text today, the word ‘exceeding’. This word simply tells us that what it is referring to goes beyond the ability to define. The word in our text describes God’s almighty power in saving us. And there are other uses of this term that are just as exciting for believers.
For us, our salvation resulted from a simple act of faith. But for God, our salvation was accomplished at infinite cost and through infinite power. His great plan of salvation involved the sending of the Son to be our Saviour. It required all of the sufferings of the cross and the power of His resurrection. It involves the working of the Holy Spirit to bring us to repentance and faith. And it requires the infinite resources of Heaven to preserve us. No wonder the apostle uses the word ‘exceeding’ to describe this power, or perhaps I should say to indicate that this power is beyond description.
Consider another use of this word, this time, to describe God’s grace: ‘That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus’ (Ephesians 2:7). Grace, the unmerited favour of God, is just as impossible to describe and define as is God’s power. For all of eternity, we will explore the riches of that grace and will never exhaust that exploration.
If God’s power and grace defy description, so too does God’s peace: ‘The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7). The word ‘passeth’ in this verse is the same word as ‘exceeding’. We enjoy the peace of God in so many ways, but we can never fully understand it or measure it. As believers, we are able to face life’s burdens, trials, challenges, and even its conclusion in death, with a peace that God imparts, a peace that amazes the world.
If God’s power, grace, and peace exceed our grasp, how much more does the glory that He has prepared for us? ‘For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory’ (2 Corinthians 4:17). This text puts into perspective for us the things that we must endure in this life, compared to the consequences for eternity. We certainly don’t enjoy affliction, but when we see it for its brevity compared to eternity, we are given hope to endure and to anticipate the reward.
There is so much about our God that we are unable to define or measure. But we can still enjoy what we can understand about His power, grace, peace, and glory. – Jim MacIntosh