エフェソの信徒への手紙3:14-17　Ephesians 3:14-17,

どうか、御父が、その豊かな栄光に従い、その霊により、力をもってあなたがたの内なる人を強めて、信仰によってあなたがたの心の内にキリストを住まわせ、あなたがたを愛に根ざし、愛にしっかりと立つ者としてくださるように。

（エフェソ3:16-17）

私たちの救いは、キリストが十字架の上で死んで私たちの罪を償い、永遠の命の体に復活して私たちに永遠の命を保証してくださったことによって成し遂げられました。そして、その成し遂げられた救いが現実に私たちのものとなるのは、聖霊のお働きによります。つまり、父なる神様が私たちに聖霊を与えてくださって、「信仰によってあなたがたの心の内にキリストを住まわせ、あなたがたを愛に根ざし、愛にしっかりと立つ者としてくださるように」してくださることによって、現実のものになるのです。「あなたがたの心の内にキリストを住まわせ」というと、キリストのことをいつも思っていることを表すたとえのように聞こえるかもしれません。しかし、これは父なる神様の霊でありキリストの霊でもある聖霊が、実際に私たちの心の内に住んでくださるという現実のことを述べているのです。自分で自分を変えることのできない私たちのために、キリストの霊が私たちの心の内に住んでくださって、私たちの思いを変え、私たちの行動を変えてくださるということなのです。

それでは、どのように変えてくださるということなのでしょうか？それは、17節の後半にあるように「愛に根ざし、愛にしっかりと立つ者として」変えてくださるということです。つまり、まことの愛をもたなかった者を、キリストの「愛に根ざし、愛にしっかりと立つ者」に変えてくださるということです。そして、これが聖霊による聖化の働きです。つまり、罪深い私たちがキリストの愛に根ざして新しく生きる力を与えられ、清められ、変えられていくという聖霊なる神様のお働きです。このお働きによって、私たちは神様と隣人を憎むような古い生き方から、神様と隣人を愛する新しい生き方へと変えられていくのです。そのような変化はパウロ自身が経験したことであり、また聖霊が与えられるならば私たち自身も経験することができるものなのです。　　　　　　　　　　　（5月4日の説教より）

It is difficult for human beings to change their personalities. However, there may be many people in the world who want to change their personalities. If you search for the keyword “change personality” on the Internet, you will find various articles on “how to change your personality.” What I noticed while reading these articles is that many of them suggest that changing one’s actions is the key to changing one’s personality. Many people believe that personality determines how one acts. For example, they think that an introverted personality leads to avoiding socialising with others, while an extroverted personality leads to making many friends. However, there are also people who believe that by changing one’s lifestyle habits or imitating the actions of someone they admire, one can change their actions, which in turn can lead to a change in personality. For example, someone who used to spend their days off at home relaxing might become more proactive in personality if they join a hobby or volunteer group.

Indeed, it may be true that changing one’s actions can lead to changes in personality. However, the question is whether consciously trying to change one’s actions will actually last or not. As I mentioned when explaining “a new creation” in Galatians 6:15, attempts to change oneself often do not last. For example, there was a person who tried to be more thoughtful by changing himself. For he had been failed because he acted without thinking things through. However, when he tried to change himself in this way, he became unable to be as proactive as he had been before. So he gave up trying to change himself. Also, there was a person who had always been overcautious about everything. This person reflected on the fact that “I haven’t acted when I should have,” and tried to make decisions more quickly and live more actively. However, when he tried to change himself in this way, he realised that the caution he had up until then would be lost. So he ended up going back to his old, cautious way of life. When you consciously try to change your actions, there are things you gain, but there are also things you lose. Many people realise that their previous actions had its merits and give up trying to change their actions.

The basis of the Christian way of life is to offer oneself to God and allow God to change oneself. In Romans 12:1-2, the basic principle of the Christian way of life is taught as follows.

 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Some people may find the phrase “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice” to be a little scary. This phrase is based on the Old Testament practice of the Israelites, who offered up livestock such as sheep and cattle as sacrifices when they worshipped God. If we put it in a way that is easier for today’s people to understand, it means “Don’t try to make your life go the way you want it to. Think of yourself as belonging to God, and entrust your life to him.” When we entrust our lives to God, it is a mysterious thing, but God will change the “self” that we could not change ourselves. And we will be changed so that we live not by doing what we want to do or what we think is good, but by doing what God thinks is good and what God is pleased with.

This transformation is brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of God the Father and the Spirit of Christ, the Son of God. In other words, it is through the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in our hearts that our actions are transformed. Today, I would like to speak about the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in our hearts.

First, in verse 14 of today’s Scripture passage, Paul says, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father.” What does “for this reason” mean? Paul also writes in 3:1, “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—” And in verses 2-13 of chapter 3, Paul explains that he was persecuted by the Jews and imprisoned because he preached the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles, that is, to people other than Jews. Then, in verse 13, the last verse of chapter 3, Paul says, “So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.” This verse can be understood to mean that through Paul’s suffering and proclamation of Christ, the believers of the Ephesian church have received the glorious status of being children of God in the present, or will receive eternal life and glory in the future.

One may interpret the phrase “for this reason” (verse 14) as pointing to Paul’s statement in verse 13 that through his suffering, the believers of the Ephesian church have received or will receive glory. However, it is better to bracket verses 2–13 of chapter 3, which describe Paul’s gospel ministry and suffering, as a single unit, and interpret the phrase ‘for this reason’ in verse 14 as referring to the content of chapter 2, just as it does in 3:1. In short, the content of chapter 2 of this letter is that the Gentiles like the Ephesians can become “members of the household of God” through Jesus Christ (2:19). Therefore, Paul says, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,” and then records his words of prayer in verses 16-19 for the believers of the Ephesian church who have become “members of the household of God.”

Before recording his prayer, Paul states in verse 15 that “from whom (i.e., the Father) every family in heaven and on earth is named.” This is a statement premised on the fact that the believers of the Ephesian church are “members of the household of God.” When considering the meaning of this passage, we need to keep two things in mind. The first is that, not only in the New Testament era but also in modern times, parents give names to their children. A child’s name is given by their parents. When parents give a name to their child, it signifies the bond between parents and child. The second is that the Gentile people in the New Testament era believed in polytheistic gods and believed that these gods protected the people who lived in the regions they ruled. For example, in Ephesus, there was a large temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, and the people of Ephesus believed that Artemis protected them. Keeping these things in mind, when we consider the meaning of the phrase, “from whom (i.e., the Father) every family in heaven and on earth is named,” we can understand that it means that God the Father of Jesus Christ is bound by a bond with “every family in heaven and on earth.” “Every family in heaven” refers to those who have been called to heaven through faith in Christ, and “every family on earth” refers to all those on earth who believe in Christ.

And in verses 16 and 17, Paul offers the following prayer for the believers in Ephesus.

I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love (NRSV).

“According to the riches of his glory” refers to the glory of God the Father revealed through his Son, Jesus Christ. In 1:17 of this letter, Paul refers to God the Father as “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.” The Father, the source of glory, through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, called the Gentiles, who were separated from the true God, and made them members of God’s family. And he made the Gentiles, who were made members of God’s family, recipients of glory (3:13). Since the glory of the Father is the source of such salvation, “according to the riches of his glory” can be replaced with “according to the riches of his love.” “Through his Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of God the Father. The Spirit of God the Father is also the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Therefore, when God the Father gives the Holy Spirit to believers, they may be strengthened in their inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith.

We humans have an “inner being” within our hearts. Paul writes the following interesting words in Romans 7:21-23.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

In simpler terms, this means that while Paul’s “inner being” delights in God’s law, such as the Ten Commandments, Paul as a whole still acts in opposition to God’s law. In the first half of verse 24, he laments his inability to change this behaviour, saying, “Wretched man that I am!” However, he does not end there. In verse 25, Paul writes, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” meaning that Jesus Christ saves him from such a state.

Our salvation was accomplished by Christ dying on the cross to atone for our sins, rising from the dead in a body of eternal life, and guaranteeing us eternal life. And it is through the work of the Holy Spirit that this accomplished salvation becomes a reality for us. As stated in verse 17 of today’s passage, it is through the Father’s gift of the Holy Spirit that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.” When it says, “Christ may dwell in your hearts,” it may sound like a metaphor for always thinking about Christ. However, this refers to the reality that the Holy Spirit, who is both the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Christ, actually dwells within our hearts. For us, who cannot change ourselves, the Spirit of Christ dwells within our hearts, changing our thoughts and our actions.

How does he change us? As stated in the latter half of verse 17, he changes us to be “rooted and grounded in love.” That is, He transforms those who lacked true love into people who are “rooted and grounded in love.” This is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, it is the work of God the Holy Spirit who gives us the power to live a new life rooted in Christ’s love, cleanses us, and transforms us. Through this work, we are transformed from our old way of life, which hated God and our neighbours, to a new way of life that loves God and our neighbours. Such a transformation is something that Paul himself experienced, and it is something that we too can experience if the Holy Spirit is given to us.

At the beginning of today’s sermon, I mentioned that efforts to change one’s own personality do not last long. This is because the will to change one’s own personality does not last. However, what if the Spirit of Christ dwells within us? It is not our own will but the will of the Spirit of Christ that seeks to transform us into people who are “rooted and grounded in love.” Therefore, the will of the Spirit of Christ to transform us into people who are “rooted and grounded in love” will last as long as we have faith. And as we worship God in church and live our daily lives praying to God, our actions will be transformed without us even noticing. This is the work of the Spirit of Christ who dwells within our hearts, and it is truly amazing.

In 2:10 of this letter, we are taught, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.” When explaining this passage, I explained that “we are his workmanship” means “we are God’s handiwork.” This teaching tells us that God, who is good, gave us, who are incapable of doing good works, the gift of faith in Christ, and through faith, he gives us salvation. He then shapes us into “God’s handiwork” so that we may do good works. The Holy Spirit, who dwells within our hearts, shapes us into “God’s handiwork.” The Sunday worship service at church is the place where God works to shape us into “God’s handiwork.”