Useful Bible Studies > Ephesians Commentary > chapter 2
In Paul’s letters both to Ephesus and Corinth, he considered it necessary to emphasise that there is one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). He meant, of course, God’s Holy Spirit.
Perhaps that was because many of the Christians in those cities had formerly belonged to false religions. In many such religions, people often consider it difficult to gain the support, or even the attention, of their gods. The people therefore depend very much upon their priests, who understand the secret practices of their religion. The priests use magic in order to contact the spirit world. They believe that the only way to gain the support of their false gods is by the power of spirits.
Christians understand that there are both good spirits and evil spirits. However, they never pray to spirits. They do not even pray to the angels, God’s special servants in heaven (Revelation 22:8-9). That is because Christ, God’s Son, is the true and living way to God the Father (John 14:6). So, they pray to God the Father in Christ’s name (John 16:23-24), in other words, with the authority that Christ has given to them. They do not even need a priest, because Christ himself is their great chief priest (Hebrews 7:24-28). So, Christians bring their prayers direct to God, and God hears and answers their prayers.
Christians do not use magic or contact spirits (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Acts 19:18-19). Instead, they depend only on the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God himself. There is one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is constantly present and active in the lives of Christians (Romans 8:9-11). As they allow him (the Holy Spirit) to direct their lives, he gives them the power to serve God.
Next part: Citizens of heaven (Ephesians 2:19)
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© 2019, Keith Simons.