Christian Enlightenment
Ephesians 1:15-18 (NASB) “For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.”
Paul writes a prayer in the beginning of Ephesians that the eyes of the believers’ hearts become enlightened to understand their spiritual inheritance in Christ. Paul is admonishing an experiential, relational knowing of Jesus, the light of the world, that transforms our entire being. The “heart” Paul refers to is the inner man - the center of our mind, will, and emotions.
The Bible uses the concept of natural light to illustrate a spiritual principle. Light is ultimate truth, freedom, clarity, love, and life. When Jesus declares Himself the light of the world (John 8:12), He is declaring that He is the natural embodiment of all these spiritual principles. When I receive Jesus, I instantly receive all of his light. I am instantly made exactly as He is (1 John 4:17).
Darkness is not the opposite of light - it is the absence of light. When light begins to shine in darkness, darkness ceases to exist. Darkness invites evil thinking and behavior, but is not, in and of itself, intrinsically evil (Isaiah 45:7). The Lord tells Hosea, “My people are destroyed for their lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). This “knowledge” is a lack of personal relationship with the Lord. Denying the Father-heart of the Lord is to invite darkness. Paul tells us that darkness in the human mind is directly caused by ignorance and hardness of heart.
Ephesians 4:18 (NRSV) “[The Gentiles] are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.”
This verse implies that we get to control how much we actively live in God’s life, light, and power. Our direct access to God, made readily available in Jesus, is directly dependent on two variables: ignorance and hardness of heart. Ignorance involves my intellect, but hardness of heart involves my emotions. Ignorance is addressed by my reasoning, but hardness of heart is addressed through experiential relationship.
When Paul prays for enlightenment of the heart (i.e. inner man), he is not praying that the Ephesians merely assent to intellectual truths about Jesus, but experience his hope, glory, and power. In the ancient world, light would have not only been associated with illumination, but also warmth. Jesus, the light of the world, illuminates our minds with truth but warms our hearts with His love.
For Western Christians, it is very easy to know facts about God, talk about our personal relationship with Him, and develop theology that glorifies our intellect. The West worships reason and rationalism. Theology cures our intellectual ignorance, but is powerless to address the hardness of our hearts. This is why many Christians talk about Jesus, but don’t talk or act like Him. An experience of the love of our heavenly Father transforms our inner man, much more than any intellectual truth ever could. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1).
God’s love is intuitively grasp. It begins first when we understand that we are one with our heavenly Father (John 17:22). I am free from sin, declared righteous in His sight (Romans 6:11). I have access to anything and everything He is because I am a Son (Luke 15:31). Believing anything else allows darkness room in my mind.
The truth is our journey of enlightenment with the Lord is a combination of learning not only about Him, but about Him in us. When I mature in intimacy with the Lord, learn His spiritual language, and invite Him into everything, any hard area of my heart begins to soften and yield to His glorious light. I receive the healing and wholeness I have already been given through the Cross.
Christian enlightenment is about the head and heart. His love for me transforms me more than anything else. When I intuitively grasp His love for me in different areas of my life, my behavior automatically changes in response. He does all the work, we just need to yield. I pray for His light to flood your mind and His warmth to flood your heart.
