In this week’s study of Ephesians 6:23-24, we come to the conclusion of Paul’s great Epistle:

This concluding statement to such an expansive vision summarizes the devotion that will enable us to walk in this ultimate purpose, which we have been given.

It begins with a blessing of peace. Paul himself was demonstrating the power of this peace in a most amazing way by being able to write such a letter in the midst of his own most trying circumstances. This is a basic secret of the power of the gospel itself. If we would abide in the peace of God during our trials, instead of worrying and fretting, we too would find in the midst of them an opportunity to minister that which would bring forth eternal fruit.

Next, Paul’s blessing for the Ephesians is for them to have “love with faith.” Faith without love can be bold and do exciting works, but not the works that will change anyone’s life or bear eternal fruit. Likewise, love without faith can be an emotion that does not accomplish anything for the ones we claim to love.

I have been blessed with an abundance of some of the greatest friends that I could ever have even hoped for. Together they carry the bulk of the burdens in our ministry, and even to some degree in my personal life. However, occasionally someone will come who says that they are sent specifically to be my friend, and tell me repeatedly how much they love me, but are much more of a drain and burden than the kind of addition that true love is supposed to be. With these, I believe they feel an emotion which they interpret to be love, but it really revolves around what I can do for them rather than what they can do for me as they claim.

This is easy to fall into at times, and I have probably done the same thing to others. However, my real concern is how we tend to treat the Lord this way. Does our love for Him really revolve around what He can do for us, rather than being a true love, always seeking to do for Him?

Paul is one of the great examples of true love found in the Scriptures. He is the one with the greatest burdens, actually in chains as a prisoner awaiting execution and all he can think about is how to encourage the Lord’s people. That is the kind of love with faith that he is trying to impart to the Ephesians, and it is the kind of love we should all pursue if we expect to be truly used for the gospel.

Then Paul prays the blessing of grace to those who love the Lord with an incorruptible love. This is the ultimate blessing that we could ever have. There is nothing in the universe more powerful than the grace of God, and there is nothing more valuable than an incorruptible love.

One of the best illustrations of the grace of God that I have ever heard came through a prophetic experience that a friend of mine named Bob Jones had. In this experience, he was caught up into another realm and saw the Lord. To his astonishment, the Lord took him to a baseball game. In this game, the Lord’s team was playing Satan’s team. The score was tied and it was the bottom of the last inning, there were two outs, and the Lord’s team was at bat.

A batter stepped up to the plate and his name was “Love.” Satan wound up, threw the ball, and Love knocked it into the outfield for a base hit, because “love never fails.” Then the next batter stepped up to the plate and his name was “Faith.” He also knocks the first pitch into the outfield for a base hit, because “faith works with love.”

Then a third batter stepped up to the plate and his name was “Godly Wisdom.” Satan wound up and threw the first pitch, but Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass. It was ball one. Then Satan threw three more pitches and Godly Wisdom let them all pass, because “godly wisdom does not swing at Satan’s pitches.” He walked and the bases were loaded.

Then the Lord turned to Bob and said, “I have been saving My greatest player for this time,” and “Grace” stepped up to the plate. Bob said he did not look like much, and Satan’s whole team relaxed. Satan threw the ball and Bob said that he had never seen one hit so hard. However, Satan’s team was not worried because their center fielder, the prince of the air, did not let anything get by him. He went up for the ball and it went right through his glove, hit him in the head, and sent him crashing to the ground. The ball continued on over the fence for a grand slam. The game was won.

Then the Lord turned to Bob and said, “Do you know why Love, Faith, and Godly Wisdom could get on base, but they could not win the game? If your love, your faith, or your wisdom could win for you alone you would think that you had done it. Your love, your faith, and your wisdom can only take you so far. Only My grace can bring you home.”

It is only by the grace of God that we have any love, faith, or wisdom. Even so, none of these alone can bring us the victory, but everything is dependent on God’s grace. If we build our lives on the grace of God, then we will not just have love, we will have an “incorruptible love.” Think about that—a love which will never compromise, never fall to the temptations of this world, but like that which is demonstrated by the apostle Paul, remain pure and undefiled until the end. Isn’t that the ultimate vision, the ultimate purpose, which we are here to pursue? If we attain to this, then we will walk in all of the other extraordinary purposes, which we have studied in the most remarkable Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians.