For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Ephesians 2:18
Joe urgently needed to see the company president about an important matter. But the company president had his office on the penthouse floor of the building, and nobody was allowed to go there without permission. So Joe went to the administrative office and made his request. The receptionist referred him to the president’s son, who among other things had the control of the only elevator to the penthouse. Joe approached the president’s son and told him that he needed to speak with the president, and explained what he needed. The president’s son agreed with his request, and took him to the elevator door, where he pressed an intercom button and asked for the elevator to be sent down. Within seconds, the elevator door opened, and the president’s chief assistant with a smile welcomed Joe aboard. When they reached the penthouse floor, the assistant escorted Joe into the president’s office, where he was warmly welcomed by the big man. Joe’s little adventure gives us a concise if feeble illustration of the roles of the three members of the Trinity in our access to God. The president of course is the Father, the son is the Lord Jesus, and the executive assistant is the Holy Spirit.
Our first access to God came at our conversion, and involved the three Persons of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit used the preaching of the Gospel and the testimony of the Christians to bring us to repentance and faith. It was the work of the Son, the Lord Jesus, at Calvary, and our acceptance of that work, that saved us: ‘In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins’ – Colossians 1:14. And the Father welcomed us into His family and household forever, extending to us the rights, privileges, and promises of citizens of Heaven.
But the access to the Father and everything that He provides and promises that our text declares is not limited to the day of our conversion. Rather, it is a daily, an hourly, a perpetual and ever-present access that we can appreciate and exercise. As our Advocate, the Lord Jesus defends us every day against the accusations of the enemy. The power of His blood that washed our sins away when we were first saved continues to cleanse us from all unrighteousness every day. And He encourages us, even urges us, to make our petitions to the Father in His Name. As our Comforter, the Holy Spirit dwells within us to fulfil the purposes of God in us. He uses the Scriptures to feed and strengthen us, to encourage us, and to preserve us from the wiles of the devil. Because of our infirmities, we would be incapable of ourselves of even coherent prayer to the Father, but the Holy Spirit takes our prayers and filters them so that they appear perfect when they reach the Father’s throne.
Why would the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God Almighty desire or even allow failing and undeserving creatures like us to have access to Him? I look into my heart and confess that I don’t know. But I do know – because our text declares it – that through the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit grants us access to the Father. It sounds so simple. But it is sublime beyond all understanding. -Jim MacIntosh