St Paul explores the implications of [a new song of praise sung by a new human/angelic choir] in Ephesians 1:3-14. As he writes this extravagant sentence, he contrasts the new choir created by Christ with the old choir at the temple. The temple choir had been appointed to praise God for the blessings that the Israelites had received from him here on earth. Each of the musicians had been given their allotted place at the temple before the Lord. Their vocation from God was to praise him whenever they were rostered for duty there at the temple. But now Christ has created a new cosmic choir. The church is that choir. By his incarnation he has united earthlings with angels, just as he has united Jews and Gentiles by his death on the cross. Both human beings and angels are now subject to his headship. He has redeemed people and made them holy by their union with him. They now have the same status as Jesus. They share in his sonship and have every blessing that belongs to him as God’s Son. They join the angels in a single choir that spans heaven and earth. That choir consists of both Jews and Gentiles. Through the incarnation of Jesus, human beings have access to the heavenly realm as they continue to live on earth. Both angels and people have the same vocation as praise singers. Those who have been redeemed by Christ have been appointed as praise-singers for God the Father here on planet earth. They are called to live for the praise of God’s glory (Eph 1:6,12,14).
They cannot do this in his absence. In and through Jesus they praise God the Father as those who stand ‘holy and blameless before him’ (Eph 1:4), for Christ has united them bodily with himself and has taken them bodily with himself into the Godhead. As recipients of God’s grace they sing the song of God’s amazing grace to the world. In fact, God is so utterly good and gracious, so much more generous, philanthropic, and loving than the best human being, that they can only communicate something of that grace by wholehearted, full-bodied praise. The praises of the church then are full of wonder and amazement at the great mystery of the incarnation, by which the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily in Jesus, so that we humans can come to fullness of life in and through him.
They cannot do this in his absence. In and through Jesus they praise God the Father as those who stand ‘holy and blameless before him’ (Eph 1:4), for Christ has united them bodily with himself and has taken them bodily with himself into the Godhead. As recipients of God’s grace they sing the song of God’s amazing grace to the world. In fact, God is so utterly good and gracious, so much more generous, philanthropic, and loving than the best human being, that they can only communicate something of that grace by wholehearted, full-bodied praise. The praises of the church then are full of wonder and amazement at the great mystery of the incarnation, by which the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily in Jesus, so that we humans can come to fullness of life in and through him.
John W Kleinig, "What's the Use of Praising God?" Lutheran Theological Journal 38/2 (2004)
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