"...his whole family in heaven and on earth..."

Reading Ephesians 1:14-21

Paul's description of the family which is derived from the Father God presents us with two interesting challenges, the first having to do with the limits of the family and the second with its scope. The family of God is not coterminus with the whole of the human race, some are included and some are excluded. This is clear from the description of the family and how it came into being, given in the prologue. The family are those who, on the one hand, have been redeemed and forgiven through the blood of Jesus, who have been chosen and adopted out of the pool of humanity. The family, on the other hand, are those who have heard the gospel and believed (Grace extended and received). This limited definition of the family presents an apologetic challenge to the concept of a God whose love is presented in this letter as being unfathomable. It forces us to ask questions about the nature of God, of sin, of human nature, and of the history of the fall and redemption. For whatever reason God has not found a way by which every member of the human family has been adopted into his special family. In this realization we are forced to face some fundamental truths about God and about ourselves.

The second challenge that arises from Paul's description of this family has to do with its scope and inclusiveness. Paul envisions here the "whole family in heaven and on earth." He is interested in the Ephesians because they are a part of this one, unified (in the Father), family. I say this presents a challenge and that is because of the extremely fractured nature of the family on earth. It is not just an apologetic challenge that requires us to explain our brokenness in the light of the character of God and of our call to love one another, but it is a practical challenge to the living out of our faith in relationship to the whole people of God. If I am a Baptist what do I do with the multitude of other brands of Baptists that I have been pleased to distinguish myself from? If I am Reformed what do I do with the Arminians? If I am a cessationist what do I do with the Pentecostals and Charismatics? If I am a Catholic how do I view the Protestants and the Orthodox? Can I, at the very least, like Paul, kneel before the Father on behalf of these other brothers and sisters? When I read in the newspaper about the troubles of some Catholic diocese, within the leadership of the Greek Orthodox church, or with some prominent evangelical, is there a thought to pray or do I wash my hands of them as if they were from some other family, safely removed from me and my circle? Is my church or denomination such a fortress that its walls keep out even those whom God considers family?

If we have trouble loving the church, what hope is there that we will ever love the world?