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mighty energy "the spirit that now worketh in (energeo) the sons of disobedience". It
may be well to tabulate the seven references to energeo found in the Prison Epistles.
Energeo.
Him Who worketh all things. (Eph. 1: 11).
Which He wrought in Christ. (Eph. 1: 20).
The spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience. (Eph. 2: 2).
The power that worketh in us. (Eph. 3: 20).
God which worketh in you both to will and
to do (work) of His good pleasure. (Phil. 2: 13).
Which worketh in me mightily. (Col. 1: 29).
Lest we should imagine that the fact that there is a mighty spirit power energizing the
unbeliever suggests that the unbeliever is at the mercy of a power and not responsible for
his actions, we are reminded that those in whom he works are "children of disobedience"
and that they are fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind. So, in like manner,
while we may at first be overwhelmed with the display of power that is to usward,
we must remember, also that it is to usward who believe. Intelligent and responsible
co-operation is by no means ruled out, but rather encouraged. When the Philippians
were assured that it was God Who worked IN them, they had already been exhorted to
work OUT their own salvation.
We can now return to the original passage that was before us, and attempt to
understand what is involved in the exaltation of the Lord set forth in verses 20-23.
No.36.
The Throne Room (1: 19 - 2: 7).
"Far above all" (1: 21).
pp. 181 - 186
In the sequel to the Apostle's reference to the mighty power that is "to usward who
believe", our attention is directed to four great movements, all in connexion with the
Saviour, as follows:
"He
raised Him from the dead."
"He
set Him at His own right hand."
"He
put all things under His feet."
"He
gave Him to be Head over all things to the church."
In verse seven we have the record of redemption "through His blood", after which
nothing is said of the death of Christ until the passage before us which speaks of His
resurrection from the dead. Every section of the purpose of the ages depends for its
fulfillment on the exaltation of the Saviour. At first, remembering the opening chapters
of Matthew and of Luke, we might have imagined that it was the Divine intention that the