14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. – Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV
Paul picks up where he left off in verse one of this chapter, opening verse 14 with the same phrase: “For this reason…” He repeats that after taking a brief aside to discuss the mystery of the church in verses 2-13. Now he is ready to make some applications regarding God’s unification of Jews and Gentiles into one household of faith.
In Chapter 1, Paul prayed for their spiritual enlightenment, asking that God would give them “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1:17 ESV). Now, in Chapter 3, he tells his audience that he offers another prayer request on their behalf. He prays for their spiritual strength.
…that according to the riches of his glory he [God] may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. – Ephesians 3:16 ESV
In Chapter 1, he prayed that they might know God. Here he is praying that they would experience “the fullness of life and power that comes from God (Ephesians 3:19 NLT). Earlier, he prayed that they might know the hope they have in Christ. Here he is praying that their knowledge of that hope would strengthen their faith.
The author of Hebrews described faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). Faith and hope go hand in hand and are inseparable. Faith makes what we hope become as real and tangible as if we already possessed it. But hope is not based on what we can already see. Paul told the Romans, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24-25 ESV).
Jesus gave His followers the promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit. God guaranteed them eternal life. Jesus told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for them. But none of these things can be seen with the human eye. We have no tangible, visible proof of their existence, so they remain unseen by us. But by faith, we believe them to be true and real. Why? Because they have been promised to us by God. We trust His word and rely upon His faithfulness.
For those who are in Christ, the hope of the indwelling Spirit of God has been realized. But the hope of eternal life remains unfulfilled and beyond our present experience. Yet, we believe in it because God has proven Himself to be reliable and trustworthy.
God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? – Numbers 23:19 NLT
And the Spirit of God provides us with the strength we need to believe, even in the midst of doubt and uncertainty. Paul’s desire was that Christ would continue to dwell in their hearts through faith. He was not insinuating that they could somehow lose their salvation; he was concerned that they might begin to lose focus on Christ's sufficiency in their lives. He wanted them to know that they were “rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17 ESV), the love of God. They were firmly and securely planted in the love of God through their faith in Christ, and Paul wanted them to fully comprehend that fact. He longed for them to know the same truth he wrote to the believers in Rome.
I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39 NLT
Paul wanted the Holy Spirit to give the Ephesian believers the strength to fully comprehend how powerful and vast God’s love for them really was. It is one thing to have knowledge of God, but another to understand and appreciate the love of God. When we begin to comprehend His incredible love for us, as displayed in His sacrifice of His own Son on our behalf, we are able to view life through His eyes, instead of our own. We stop seeing every little trial as a punishment and start viewing them as opportunities to trust in a loving God who has great plans for us. When we focus on all that God has done for us in the past and all He has promised to do in the future, we feel His love and gain strength for the journey. He has not left us, and He will never forsake us.
For Paul, it all boils down to an understanding of and appreciation for God’s love. It was God who had saved the Ephesians. In the midst of their sinfulness and helplessness, God intervened, sending His Son to die on their behalf. Paul put it in simple, yet profound terms in his letter to the Romans.
…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 ESV
The apostle John adds the important distinction that Jesus did what He did out of love as well.
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. – 1 John 3:16 ESV
The selfless, sacrificial love of the Father and His Son should encourage, empower, and flow through them. Paul prayed that they would be filled with all the fullness of God. This is not a prayer that his readers would become gods, but that the very nature of God, His love, mercy, grace, righteousness, compassion, selflessness, and holiness, would fill them and exude from them.
And Paul had every confidence that what he was asking from God would be provided by God. Why? Because He is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 ESV). God doesn’t just have the power to save; He has the power to sanctify completely, and He has made it possible by placing His Spirit within us. His power is not an external force acting upon us; it is internal and supernatural. The very same power that raised Jesus from the dead resides within us, transforming us from the inside out. His love for us is not static; it is actively revealed in His ongoing activity in and around our lives as He molds us into the likeness of His Son.
God is patiently and lovingly working within individuals and within the church. He is doing things we cannot see. He is accomplishing works that are invisible to our eyes. But in faith we wait expectantly, hope confidently, labor joyously, and endure patiently. We are loved, He is faithful, and He is far from done.
Father, You loved me so much that You sent Your Son to die for me. But His death was not final; it ended with His resurrection and return to Your side in heaven. And You have promised to send Him back one day. His work is not yet complete. Your plan of redemption has not yet been finalized. Your Son loved me enough that He gave His life for me. But His death not only paid the penality for my sins; it paved the way for the Holy Spirit to come and indwell me. His presence in my life provides me with the power to live in obedience to Your will. The Spirit’s love for me is relentless and unwavering. Despite the many times I fail to listen to His promptings or appropriate His power, He has promised never to leave me. He is with me to the end. And because of Your love, my end is secure and my future is set — for eternity.
The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star,
and reaches to the lowest hell;
the guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
and pardoned from his sin.O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure:
the saints’ and angels’ song! – Frederick M. Lehman (1917)Amen
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.