Continuing in Ephesians, Paul declares knowing Christ's love is foundational to walking in the fullness of God. He teaches our new identity in Christ isn't rooted in knowledge, it's rooted in His love. It's through knowledge we're told who we are, but it's through love that this truth becomes real to our hearts.

We can discern by Paul's teachings in Ephesus that evil doctrine had crept into the church, worldliness such as fornication and drunkenness, people pleasing and division. He doesn't begin his letter addressing the sin but rather tends to the heart condition which nourished the desire for sin. Even as new creations, we can't bypass our sin, we need to repent of it and bring it to the feet of Jesus. This is resting in Christs finished work, not striving of our flesh but rather confessing the sin and overcoming it by the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus did.

Decades later, we see the outcome of ignoring Paul's warning when Jesus addresses the same church in Revelation 2:4-5: Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

It's noteworthy that the Ephesians church, once so full of teaching and warning, no longer exists. Did they fail to heed Christ’s call to return to their first love? This is still happening today, the removal of God's presence from many dead churches, as they continue to refuse to turn back to Him.

God doesn't ask us to do what we don't already know- He asks us to return to our first love and stay rooted in Christ. Only from that yielded place of love can true repentance and lasting fruit grow.

Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.