SOVEREIGNTY

Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (NASB). “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (NIV). “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (ESV). I discovered three significant features that are important to Ephesians 6:10b. First, the Greek word for ‘Lord,’ which is ‘kurios,’ has no article (‘the’) with it. This is known as an anarthrous noun. An anarthrous noun can be translated, along an overlapping scale, from indefinite to qualitative to definite. On the one hand, an indefinite translation would be ‘a lord,’ and in no way fits the context. On the other hand, a definite translation could be ‘the Lord,’ but because of the immediate context, where Paul uses 'kurios’ to refer to slave owners as ‘masters’ and God as ‘their Master in heaven’ (v.9), it could also be translated as ‘the Master.’ A qualitative translation would focus on the essence or nature of ‘Lord’ or ‘Master,’ with the context providing further details concerning the exact quality referenced to, which brings us to the final portion of the phrase. Second, whether in koine Greek or in modern English, a common practice is to use a second phrase to clarify the first phrase. This fits the present context because the Greek word ‘kratos,’generally translated as ‘strength,’ can also be translated as ‘sovereignty.’ That particular connotation dovetails nicely with the qualitative meaning of ‘kurios.’ However, because the sovereignty is “of His might,” which is definite (it refers to a particular individual), it also connects with the definite nuances of an anarthrous noun. The resulting translation is then “the presence of the Lord and the sovereignty of His might.“ This draws together the definite nuance, because whenever and wherever the master or the lord is present, he is present as the sovereign, and also the qualitative nuance, because the sovereign does not have to be physically present for his sovereignty to be experienced. It is still incumbent upon the subjects in the remotest part of a kingdom to submit to the authority of their sovereign even when he is not physically present. Sovereignty is then the essence of ‘the Lord,’ or ‘the Master’ that Paul emphasizes. This provides an excellent transition from masters and slaves to sovereign and subjects. Our empowerment comes from the Lord and His sovereignty. Just as a slave can receive authority to act on his master’s behalf, so we can receive authority to act on behalf of our heavenly Father. His authority as Lord God Almighty, God of gods, and Eternal King flows through us when we walk in obedience to His expressed will. This also makes perfect sense in relation to Paul’s parable of the soldier. The soldier ultimately derives his authority from the emperor, but only as long as he acts in obedience to the emperor’s dictates. Likewise, submission connects us, in an unbroken line of authority, to the presence and sovereignty of our heavenly Father. Third, I discovered that ‘kurios’ here is not a reference to Jesus, but to our heavenly Father. Paul uses this exact same phrase, “the sovereignty of His might,” in Ephesians 1:19-20 to describe the power which the Father used to raise Jesus from the dead and to seat Him at His (the Father’s) own right hand. This is because it is in actual fact our heavenly Father who is directing the battle. “But to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies [as]a footstool for Your feet” (Hebrews 1:13)? “But this One, having offered a perpetually sacrifice, sat down at the right hand of God, henceforth awaiting until His enemies should be placed [as] a footstool for His feet” (Hebrews10:12-13). I discovered that Jesus is waiting, sitting at the right hand of the Father, until the Father makes Jesus’ enemies a footstool for His feet. Therefore, it is our heavenly Father who is implicitly symbolized as the emperor in the parable of the Roman soldier. Submission to the Father is the conduit for empowerment. When we are plugged in (seeking to please our heavenly Father through obedience to His expressed will), we are empowered; when we are unplugged(rebelling against our heavenly Father’s expressed will), we are powerless. Paul has more to explain about empowerment and submission, but there were some important considerations of sovereignty that I needed to consider first. “Finally, let yourselves be continually empowered in the presence of the Lord [God Almighty]and in the sovereignty of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).