“…the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might”
-Ephesians 1:19
In his commentary of this passage, John Calvin writes “And certainly the wonderful power of God is displayed when we are brought from death to life, and when, from being the children of hell, we become the children of God and heirs of eternal life. Foolish men imagine that this language is sheer exaggeration; but the godly, who are engaged in daily struggles of conscience, easily see that there is not a word here that is not perfectly true.”
I absolutely love what Calvin says. To the world, coming to Christ is a matter on cognizance, a mental adherence to him. But the Christian knows the depths of God’s regenerative power. C.S. Lewis well said that a man does not know how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good. As Calvin states, the believer is “engaged in daily struggles of conscience.” He lives with the battle between spirit and flesh and has great insight into the futility he has to obey God on his own power. Thus, his coming to Christ, obeying him, and living for him can only be attributed to “the immeasurable greatness of his power” toward him who believes. Understanding the extent of sin’s damage on us helps us to understand where all our righteousness comes from: above, not from within. Faith, then, must never become something we take for granted, but rather it must be seen as the free gift that God has given, a miracle to be thankful for every day. Our willingness to obey and and the power to do it comes directly from God.
“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
-Philippians 2:13
