Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen
When I initially read the passage, I thought that this would be the least controversial section of Ephesians I have covered so far. Certainly verse 14 is straightforward. Adventists believe, just as much as any Evangelical Christian, that Paul prayed to, and submitted himself to, God the Father. Sadly, the controversial elements begin just after this verse. The section from verse 15 through verse 17 is where the Adventist understanding of the passage, as reflected in The Clear Word and the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (SDABC), departs from the straightforward language of the passage.
There is a small difference in emphasis on vs 15. Evangelical commentators follow the text more closely and point out that God is the creator of all beings in heaven and on earth. The SDABC follows a similar vein, with more emphasis on the unity of heaven and earth and less on God as the creator. I would easily conclude that this was an irrelevant difference in emphasis were it not for The Clear Word limiting this address to “all who believe in heaven and earth” instead of “every family in heaven and earth”. I’m certainly not suggesting that Adventists teach that there are beings who were not created by God. I suspect that this is more about the “naming” aspect of the verse with some Adventists (such as Blanco—the author of The Clear Word) wishing to emphasize that belonging to God is a function of belief rather than of creation. Both are true, in slightly different ways. The Clear Word may be force-feeding a simpler understanding of Scripture than the Bible actually presents.
I anticipated the “in your inner being” in verse 16 to be one of the controversial statements in this section. The Clear Word didn’t disappoint me. It changed the content to read that the “Father will strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit”. This avoids any mention or discussion of the “inner being”, which would help Adventist readers avoid any Bible passages that might raise questions about Adventist doctrines. In this specific case the doctrine in question would be whether a person is anything more than their physical being. An inner being could suggest that people have a distinct spirit or soul that is more than just their physical being. However, the SDABC does not avoid this passage but instead provides a good explanation: “The Greek suggests power entering into and remaining there. The vital spiritual powers within a man have not sprung from his own nature; he has nothing of his own to offer, nothing of his own of which to boast.” While this doesn’t say anything about a person’s inner being it does present a very God-centric, even sovereign-based, view of God’s action in our lives. The explanation provided by the SDABC is consistent with what one could expect from an evangelical commentary.
In verse 17 the SDABC starts with an explanation that is an accurate representation of the biblical phrasing and consistent with what one would expect from an Evangelical Christian commentary: “The idea of permanency is now added to that of strengthening (v 16). Christ is not an occasional visitor, but abides in the heart”. Unfortunately, the commentary doesn’t stop there, but adds a concept not found in the passage: “a constantly available power for enlightenment and purification.”
This is the Adventist theology of grace, the available power to purify oneself from sin. Yes, the indwelling Spirit provides enlightenment and changes us to become more like the Father (Gal 5:22-23) who has already adopted us (Eph 1:13). Adventist theology introduces two very small shifts in this truth about the Holy Spirit that radically change the nature of salvation. First, the emphasis on changing the person shifts from what God does to what each person does with the power God provides. Second, the timing of salvation is shifted from happening concurrently with the indwelling of the Spirit (the Spirit is both what has made us “born again” and the sign of God’s promise to us), to the Adventist teaching that the Spirit provides the power by which one may become “fit for heaven” and therefore “safe to save”.
Seemingly small changes in the wording of Scripture or the explanation of the passage can have a profound impact on the resulting theology. The small changes build upon each other to form a daunting structure. This is a common occurrence in Adventist writings, and it is what makes The Clear Word such as dangerous Bible. It is already hard to recognize the small shifts in words and emphasis that form the foundation of false doctrines. When the Bible is rewritten to build these changes into the passages, it makes it even harder for the reader to recognize errors.
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How Ephesians Contradicts Adventism #9
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