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4.1 Resurrection and Ministry
Ephesians 1:19–20
Greek:
19 καὶ τί τὸ ὑπερβάλλον μέγεθος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς πιστεύοντας κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ κράτους τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ,
20 ἣν ἐνήργησεν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ καθίσας ἐν δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις.
English:
19 “And what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the energy of the might of his strength,
20 which he energized in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.”
Christ’s Resurrection is explicitly a work of God’s ἐνέργεια; this same energy is “toward us who believe.”
Ephesians 3:7
Greek:
οὗ ἐγενόμην διάκονος κατὰ τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ.
English:
“Of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me according to the energy of his power.”
The apostolic ministry itself is a given energy of grace, not a mere legal title.
4.2 The Body of Christ
Ephesians 4:16
Greek (key phrase):
… κατ’ ἐνέργειαν ἐν μέτρῳ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου μέρους …
English:
“From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the energy in measure of each part, makes growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Each member acts, but their actions are also Christ’s energy in the body; this extends synergy from the individual to the whole Church.
4.3 Transformation of the Body
Philippians 3:21
Greek:
ὃς μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑποτάξαι ἑαυτῷ τὰ πάντα.
English:
“Who will transform the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the energy by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.”
Our future glorification is an effect of Christ’s divine energy.
4.4 Many Energies, One God
1 Corinthians 12:6
Greek:
καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργημάτων εἰσί, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεός ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν.
English:
“And there are varieties of energies, but it is the same God who energizes all things in all.”
There are many distinct energies (gifts, operations), but they are all the one God’s single uncreated activity.
1 Corinthians 12:10–11
Greek (key phrases):
10 … ἄλλῳ ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων …
11 πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται.
English:
10 “… to another energies of powers, to another prophecy, …”
11 “But all these one and the same Spirit energizes, distributing to each one individually as he wills.”
