The Holy Spirit and the Revelation of Christ Within
Rev. Aniekan "Mbomboyo" Okokon ·
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened. — Ephesians 1:17–18
Paul was writing to believers who already had the Spirit - he had just said so. And yet he prays that God would give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. He is not praying for the Spirit to arrive. He is praying for the Spirit to do His characteristic work in people who have Him: to open the eyes of the heart, so that what is true becomes seen.
Revelation is not new information
The Ephesians did not need more facts about Christ; Paul had given them plenty. They needed the facts to become sight. There is a difference between knowing that Christ is in you and seeing it - the difference between reading about a sunrise and watching one. The Spirit's revelation is the second thing. He takes what is Christ's and declares it to you (John 16:14), and suddenly the doctrine has weight and warmth.
What He shows
- The hope of His calling: what you were called to, and that the call is sure.
- The riches of His inheritance in the saints: how much God has invested in you.
- The greatness of His power toward those who believe: the same power that raised Jesus, at work in you.
- And underneath all three, Christ Himself - not a subject to be studied but a Person to be known.
Why revelation must be prayed for
You cannot make yourself see. You can put yourself where seeing happens - in the Word, in prayer, in the gathering, in obedience - but the opening of the eyes is the Spirit's work, and Paul asks for it. So should we, for ourselves and for one another. "Lord, I know Christ is in me. Let me see it."
When the eyes open
The believer who has seen Christ within does not have to be argued into holiness, or dragged into prayer, or persuaded to hope. He has seen. That is what the Spirit is for, and He has not stopped doing it.