How does Ephesians 3:12 challenge the idea of needing intermediaries to approach God? Text of Ephesians 3:12 “In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.” Immediate Context in Ephesians Paul has just unveiled “the mystery hidden for ages” (Ephesians 3:9-11), namely the inclusion of Gentiles in one body. Verse 12 anchors this revelation in practical privilege: every believer, Jew or Gentile, now stands welcome before the Father without ritual gatekeepers. The Key Term “Access” (προσαγωγή, prosagōgē) Used only three times in the New Testament—Ephesians 2:18; 3:12; Romans 5:2—prosagōgē describes a court official ushering petitioners before a monarch. In Christ, the believer no longer waits for a human officer; the King Himself, by His own blood, has opened the door. Old-Covenant Intermediaries 1. High priest entered the Holy of Holies only on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). 2. Ordinary priests mediated daily sacrifices (Exodus 28-29). 3. Israelites approached God indirectly, separated by curtains, walls, and lineage. Christ as the Sole Mediator “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Ephesians 3:12 affirms this exclusivity: access is “in Him,” not in clerics, saints, or angels. John 14:6; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24 corroborate the same reality. The Tearing of the Veil “At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The historical tearing, noted by multiple Gospel witnesses and echoed by Hebrews 10:19-20, signals the obsolescence of architectural and priestly partitions. Boldness (παρρησία, parrēsia) and Confidence (πεποίθησις, pepoithēsis) Parrēsia denotes frank, unrestricted speech before authority; pepoithēsis conveys settled assurance. Together they express not presumption but covenantal certainty grounded in Christ’s finished work (Hebrews 4:16). The believer speaks freely, yet reverently, to the Creator of the universe. Cross-References Undercutting Human Intermediaries • Ephesians 2:18—“For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” • Hebrews 10:21-22—“Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near…” • Romans 5:1-2—“through whom we have gained access by faith.” These verses collectively dismantle any theology requiring added mediators—be they ecclesiastical hierarchies, departed saints, or ritual systems. Pastoral and Behavioral Implications 1. Prayer: Every child of God may pray directly, fostering intimacy and reducing performance anxiety. 2. Worship: Corporate gatherings celebrate shared sonship rather than reenact sacrificial distance. 3. Counseling: Feelings of unworthiness meet the objective truth of granted access, strengthening mental resilience and reducing religious scrupulosity. Answer to the Intermediary Question Ephesians 3:12 states plainly that approach is: 1. “In Him”—location is Christ alone. 2. “Through faith in Him”—instrument is personal trust, not proxy rites. 3. “With boldness and confidence”—manner nullifies the timidity bred by human gatekeeping. Therefore the verse decisively challenges, and ultimately nullifies, any doctrine that inserts additional intermediaries between God and the believer. |
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