How can Ephesians 1:15 deepen your love for "all the saints"? Setting the scene • Paul has just unfolded the riches of our salvation (Ephesians 1:3-14). • Verse 15 shifts from theology to testimony: “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints”. • The Spirit-inspired words are historically true and eternally binding, showing what genuine faith produces—an observable, unqualified love for every believer. What Paul celebrates • “Faith in the Lord Jesus” — personal trust in Christ’s finished work. • “Love for all the saints” — not selective affection, but a Spirit-born commitment to every member of God’s family. • Thanksgiving flows from seeing both together; love is the visible evidence that faith is real (cf. Galatians 5:6; James 2:14-17). Why “all the saints” matters • No exemptions: ethnic, social, or personality differences dissolve in Christ (Galatians 3:28). • Love extends beyond the local congregation to the global church (Colossians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10). • It mirrors God’s impartial grace toward each believer (Romans 5:8). Letting the verse deepen your love today 1. Revisit the “reason” (vv. 3-14). – Remember you were chosen, redeemed, and sealed alongside the very saints you struggle to like. 2. Link faith and love. – Ask: If Christ is trustworthy for my eternity, can I trust Him to work in that difficult brother or sister? 3. Make Paul’s report true of you. – Determine that if someone “hears about” your church, it will be for faith in Christ and love for all the saints, not just the agreeable ones. 4. Expand your circle. – Pray for believers in other denominations, nations, and age groups (Ephesians 6:18). – Support missionaries and persecuted Christians (Hebrews 13:3). 5. Practice concrete acts. – Share resources (Acts 2:44-45). – Show hospitality (1 Peter 4:9). – Bear burdens (Galatians 6:2). – Speak encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25). Complementary passages that fuel the same love • John 13:34-35 — Jesus’ new command marks us as disciples. • 1 John 3:14-18 — Love proves we’ve passed from death to life. • Romans 12:10 — “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” • Hebrews 6:10 — God remembers love shown to His people. Practical checkpoints ✓ Am I quicker to critique or to thank God for fellow believers? ✓ Do my budget and calendar reflect love for saints outside my immediate circle? ✓ Would an outsider observe a pattern of sacrificial care among us? Closing reflections Ephesians 1:15 nudges the heart: if Paul could celebrate the Ephesian believers simply on reports of their faith and love, what reports will circulate about us? As we absorb the gospel blessings that precede verse 15, the Holy Spirit enlarges our capacity to love, ensuring that “all the saints” truly means all. |
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