His Word Today

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.” (Ephesians 3:17–19 (ESV)

Ephesians 3:17-19 contains the purpose for the Apostle’s Paul prayer on behalf of the Ephesian believers, within the immediate and historical context, and on behalf of all believers in Christ at all times, within the overall context. The prayer’s ultimate purpose is based upon the apostle’s previous statements contained in Ephesians 3:14-16: “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,…”  

What was the ultimate purpose for Paul’s prayer? Examining Ephesians 3:17-19 separately will contribute to our understanding. Today, we examine the final portion of vs. 19.

The reason for the Apostle Paul’s prayer was that Christ would be at home in all believers’ hearts; in other words their thinking, feelings and decisions. Additionally, he desired all believers to continue to be firmly rooted and grounded in the self-sacrificial love of God. This love is to be expressed not only in our love for the Lord, but also in our love for one another. Paul also wanted each believer to have a comprehensive understanding of this love. Finally, Paul’s last request was two-fold in content.

In the beginning portion of 3:19, he desired that all believers know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge. To know means not only to acknowledge but also to have understanding of the love of Christ. This knowledge and understanding comes from God’s Word.

Secondly, the Apostle Paul also wanted all believers to be filled with all the fullness of God. To be filled (πληρόω; pleroo) is a satisfaction which comes from outside of us. It is a gratfification which comes from God and of which believers are the recipients. To be filled is to be full to a complete degree. What believers in Christ are to be full of is all the fullness of God.

Dr. John MacArthur writes that to be filled means, “To be so strong spiritually, so compelled by divine love, that one is totally dominated by the Lord with nothing left of self. Human comprehension of the fullness of God is impossible, because even the most spiritual and wise believer cannot completely grasp the full extent of God’s attributes and characteristics—his power, majesty, wisdom, love, mercy, patience, kindness, and everything he is and does. But believers can experience the greatness of God in their lives as a result of total devotion to him. Note the fullness of God here; the fullness of Christ in Eph. 4:13; and the fullness of the Spirit in Eph. 5:18. Paul prayed for believers to become as Godlike as possible (Matt. 5:48; 1 Pet. 1:15–16).”

May this fullness of God, of Christ and of the Holy Spirit be our spiritual and lifelong quest. Have a God-honoring day.  

Soli deo Gloria!

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.” (Ephesians 3:17–19 (ESV)

Ephesians 3:17-19 contains the purpose for the Apostle’s Paul prayer on behalf of the Ephesian believers, within the immediate and historical context, and on behalf of all believers in Christ at all times, within the overall context. The prayer’s ultimate purpose is based upon the apostle’s previous statements contained in Ephesians 3:14-16: “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,…”  

What was the ultimate purpose for Paul’s prayer? Examining Ephesians 3:17-19 separately will contribute to our understanding. Today, we examine the first portion of vs. 19.

The reason for the Apostle Paul’s prayer was that Christ would be at home in all believers’ hearts; in other words their thinking, feelings and decisions. Additionally, he desired all believers to continue to be firmly rooted and grounded in the self-sacrificial love of God. This love is to be expressed not only in our love for the Lord, but also in our love for one another. Paul also wanted each believer to have a comprehensive understanding of this love. Finally, Paul’s last request was two-fold in content.

First, he desired that all believers know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge. To know (γινώσκω; ginosko) means not only to acknowledge but also to have understanding. In this context, it means to not only acknowledge but also to understand the love of Christ.

Once again, love (ἀγάπη; agape) is a self-sacrificial love of the will. It is a love which is spoken of here as being sourced and originating solely in Jesus Christ. It is also a love which surpasses knowledge. Surpasses (ὑπερβάλλω; hyperballo) means to go beyond, to be extreme, and to surpass the ordinary. The word, in this particular context, is a present active participle. This love of Christ is to be known and understood by all believers. However, it is a love which is continually supreme and surpass all our knowledge and capabilities of understanding. In other words, believers in Christ never achieve full and complete understanding of God’s love during this life.

Understanding that believers in Christ never, so to speak, arrive in their understanding of God’s love should prompt each of us to pursue our comprehension of this love in all areas of our lives.  This quest begins in a daily diet of reading, studying and meditating upon God’s Word.

Soli deo Gloria!

We will devote each Lord’s Day in 2021 at hiswordtoday.org to present a portion of the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). For those unfamiliar with the WCF, a brief explanation is appropriate. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine (to Scripture) in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.

It is to that “most precise and accurate summary of the content of biblical Christianity” that we will give our time and attention to each Lord’s Day in the year of our Lord, 2021. I trust you will be edified and encouraged each week by The Westminster Confession of Faith.

Chapter Thirteen: Sanctification.

1. They who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection,^a by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them;^b the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed,^c and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified,^d and they more and more quickened and strengthened, in all saving graces,^e to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.^f

a. Acts 20:32; Rom 6:5-6; 1 Cor 6:11; Phil 3:10. • b. John 17:17; Eph 5:26; 2 Thes 2:13. • c. Rom 6:6, 14. • d. Rom 8:13; Gal 5:24. • e. Eph 3:16-19; Col 1:11. • f. 2 Cor 7:1; Heb 12:14.

2. This sanctification is throughout in the whole man,^a yet imperfect in this life; there abides still some remnants of corruption in every part,^b whence arises a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.^c

a. 1 Thes 5:23. • b. Rom 7:18, 23; Phil 3:12; 1 John 1:10. • c. Gal 5:17; 1 Pet 2:11.

3. In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail,^a yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome;^b and so the saints grow in grace,^c perfecting holiness in the fear of God.^d

a. Rom 7:23. • b. Rom 6:14; Eph 4:15-16; 1 John 5:4. • c. 2 Cor 3:18; 2 Pet 3:18. • d. 2 Cor 7:1.

I encourage you to read the portions of Scripture listed in this post.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day.

\Soli deo Gloria!

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.” (Ephesians 3:17–19 (ESV)

Ephesians 3:17-19 contains the purpose for the Apostle’s Paul prayer on behalf of the Ephesian believers, within the immediate and historical context, and on behalf of all believers in Christ at all times, within the overall context. The prayer’s ultimate purpose is based upon the apostle’s previous statements contained in Ephesians 3:14-16: “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,…”  

What was the ultimate purpose for Paul’s prayer? Examining Ephesians 3:17-19 separately will contribute to our understanding. Today, we examine vs. 18.

The reason for the Apostle Paul’s prayer was that Christ would be at home in all believers’ hearts. Additionally, that all believers would continue to be firmly rooted and grounded in the self-sacrificial love of God. This love is to be expressed not only in our love for the Lord, but also in our love for one another.

Paul then wrote, regarding the self-sacrificial love of, and from God, “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.” The Love of God remains the subject of which the apostle is addressing.

Strength (ἐξισχύω; exischyo) means to fully have the ability of doing or experiencing something. What Paul has in mind regarding this strength is to comprehend (καταλαμβάνω; katalambano), to understand or to grasp God’s love.

Paul then uses four special references: breadth and length and height and depth. These are not four different features of love, but rather Paul’s effort to communicate love’s vastness and completeness.  

Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “These measures of space recall the temple image of 2:21. As the “living stones” (I Peter 2:5) are linked in love, God’s dwelling grows and is filled with Christ Himself. God uses the love among “all the saints” — Jew and Gentile alike – to build a whole that is greater than any of its individual parts. The spatial language exalts Christ’s love for His people – a love that is inclusive, inexhaustible and self-sacrificing.”

May each of us pursue this comprehensive understanding of God’s love. Have a blessed day.

Soli deo Gloria!

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.” (Ephesians 3:17–19 (ESV)

Ephesians 3:17-19 contains the purpose for the Apostle’s Paul prayer on behalf of the Ephesian believers, within the immediate and historical context, and on behalf of all believers in Christ at all times, within the overall context. The prayer’s ultimate purpose is based upon the apostle’s previous statements contained in Ephesians 3:14-16: “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,…”  

What was the ultimate purpose for Paul’s prayer? Examining Ephesians 3:17-19 separately will contribute to our understanding. Today, we examine vs. 18.

The reason for the Apostle Paul’s prayer was that Christ would be at home in all believers’ hearts. Additionally, that all believers would continue to be firmly rooted and grounded in the self-sacrificial love of God. This love is to be expressed not only in our love for the Lord, but also in our love for one another.

Permit me to take an opportunity to comment on something that intrigues me. Through the course of my ministry as a pastor in Michigan and Indiana, I’ve encountered some individuals who attempt to adamantly and stubbornly initiate a conversation with me by saying, “There is no place in the Scriptures where it says that Jesus is in your heart.”  

I remember one individual who said it every time we spoke to one another, either prior to, or following, a worship service. What I also recall about this person is that they said this with such intensity, bordering on anger. Their conviction was a nonnegotiable with them. It was not long after they began attending the church where I was pastoring, that they left to begin their own church.

Well my friends, there is a place in the Bible where it does say that Jesus is in your heart, which is another way of saying your soul. Ephesians 3:17 says that Jesus is to dwell and be at home in your heart. He is to be at home in your thinking, your feelings and your decision making.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “Every believer is indwelt by Christ at the moment of salvation (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13), but he is “at home,” finding comfort and satisfaction, only where hearts are cleansed of sin and filled with his Spirit (cf. John 14:23).”

May each of us repeat of sin and continue to pray that Jesus will be at home in our hearts. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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.” (Ephesians 3:17–19 (ESV)

Ephesians 3:17-19 contains the purpose for the Apostle’s Paul prayer on behalf of the Ephesian believers, within the immediate and historical context. The prayer is also on behalf of all believers in Christ at all times, within the overall context.

The prayer’s ultimate purpose is based upon the apostle’s previous statements contained in Ephesians 3:14-16: “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,…”  

What was the ultimate purpose for Paul’s prayer? Examining Ephesians 3:17-19 separately will contribute to our understanding. Today, we examine that latter portion of vs. 17.

The reason for the Apostle Paul’s prayer was that Christ would be at home in all believers’ hearts. However, a second purpose clause is introduced in the latter part of Ephesians 3:17: “that you, being rooted and grounded in love.”

The words rooted and grounded are obvious agricultural terms. Both words would have been familiar to the first century rural audience, as they are to individuals today.

Rooted (ῥιζόω; rhizoo) is a perfect, passive participle, plural verb. What that means is that the grammar refers to a past, completed action with continuing results, done on behalf of all believers by God. The word literally stated is you having been firmly rooted. It is a reference to God’s strength in the believer, with the focus upon God being the source of such strength (Colossians 2:7).

Grounded (θεμελιόω; themelioo) is also a perfect, passive participle, plural verb. The grammar also refers to a past, completed action with continuing results, done on behalf of all believers by God. It means to be firmly established in one’s faith and knowledge of, and in, the person and work of Jesus Christ.

This rooting and grounding by God in the believers’ lives is in the love solely from God. It is agape love; a self-sacrificial love of the will (I Corinthians 13:1-8).

Dr. R.C. Sproul writes, “The strength and knowledge for which Paul prays for believers are not directed toward their individual achievements but toward their love for each other, in response to the immeasurable love of Christ for them (Ephesians 3:19; 4:32-52).”

Let each of us pray today that the Lord would continue to firmly root and ground us in the self-sacrificial love of God. This is to be expressed not only in our love for Him, but also in our love for one another. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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.” (Ephesians 3:17–19 (ESV)

Ephesians 3:17-19 contains the purpose for the Apostle’s Paul prayer on behalf of the Ephesian believers, within the immediate and historical context, and on behalf of all believers in Christ at all times, within the overall context. The prayer’s ultimate purpose is based upon the apostle’s previous statements contained in Ephesians 3:14-16: “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,…”  

What was the ultimate purpose for Paul’s prayer? Examining Ephesians 3:17-19 separately will contribute to our understanding.

Ephesians 3:17 says, “…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—.” Let’s carefully observe the contents of the first part of this verse.

To begin with, the apostle says “so that.”  This is a purpose clause. This phrase indicates the reason for something. In this instance, the reason for what Paul has previously stated in Ephesians 3:14-16.

Paul continues saying, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” The apostle has more in mind than just salvation because he is addressing believers who are already indwelt by Christ through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). The key word here is the verb “dwell.”

Dwell (κατοικέω; katoikeo) is an infinitive verb. This dwelling is never ending and is to impact the entire being of the individual being indwelt by Christ. The word dwell does not refer in this context to the beginning of Christ’s indwelling at the moment of salvation (John 3:1-8; Romans 8:1-9; I Corinthians 6:19-20). Rather, it means the need for Christ to literally, “be at home in,” at the very center of believers’ lives. Christ is to be the dominating factor in everything in our lives. In other words, He is the Lord of our lives.

For Christ to be the center of the believer’s existence is indicated by the word heart. Heart (καρδία; kardia) means the inner self. In other words, one’s heart is the mind, emotions and will of an individual, and in this case, the Christian. What the believer in Christ thinks, feels and chooses to do must be controlled by the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly, there will be spiritual conflict in the believer (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:16-26; James 4:7; I Peter 2:11; 5:8; I John 2:15-17), but the Lord Christ must rule.

This dwelling, to which Paul refers, is solely through the instrument of faith. Faith (πίστις; pistis) means to trust in, commit to, depend upon and honor and worship Jesus Christ; not only as Savior but also as Lord. In order for believers to have Christ be daily at home in their souls, each of us must trust Him, be committed to follow Him, learn to depend upon Him, and worship and honor God the Father alone because of Him (I John 4:24).

This means that every situation, every relationship, every thought, every conversation and action by the believer must be framed and fashioned by one’s obedience to Christ. This is the goal for which the Apostle Paul pursued in his Christian life (Philippians 3:10-16). It is to be ours as well.

Pray today that Christ would dwell in your heart through your faith, trust, commitment, dependence and worship of Him. Have a blessed day.

Soli deo Gloria!  

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,” (Ephesians 3:16 (ESV)

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers (Ephesians 3:1, 14-15), is a prayer for their personal and corporate sanctification. Justification is God’s declaration that the converted sinner has received the credited, or imputed, righteousness of Jesus Christ and God has delivered them from the penalty of sin by grace alone, through faith alone, through the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. Sanctification is the daily process of the believer’s spiritual growth in the Lord. In the process of sanctification, God is daily delivering the sinner from the power of sin in their lives.

“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power.”  The Apostle Paul wrote that on the basis of the wealth and abundance of God’s amazing might and power, that He would give and produce powerful spiritual power within each believer.

This empowerment occurs within the believer’s inner being. In other words, the heart or soul of the believer is what the apostle had in mind. It is the individual’s ability to think, feel and make decisions for the glory and praise of almighty God.

This divine empowerment is solely by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17) in order to strengthen the people of God to do the will of God for the glory of God. Thanks be to God.

Dr. R.C. Sproul writes, “This is some of Paul’s most pointed language about the work of the Holy Spirit within individuals (2 Cor. 5:17). Paul speaks of the ongoing renewal of believers ‘inner self’ (2 Cor. 4:16) and of God’s working in them both the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:12-13). Christianity is neither a common confession to the exclusion of individual experience, not a private piety without corporate vision.”

May the Lord strengthen each of us today to do His will.

Soli deo Gloria!      

¹⁴ “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,” (Ephesians 3:14–15 (ESV)

Paul finally comes to his personal prayer on behalf of the Ephesian church in today’s text. It was a prayer which originally began in 3:1: “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles.”

Following his extended parenthesis, Paul begins his prayer anew. He begins it with the same words found in 3:1: “For this reason.” This phrase points the readers back to all which the apostle spoke of in Ephesians 2:11-22 concerning Jews and Gentiles being one in Christ. It was because of this truth concerning the unity in the church between believers of all nationalities that Paul was led to pray on the Ephesians’ behalf.

“I bow my knees” is a common expression for prayer. While Jews normally prayed standing (Matthew 6:5; Luke 18:11-13), kneeling in prayer pictured one’s humility before God (Ezra 9:5; Luke 22:41; Acts 7:59).

Paul’s prayer is directed to God the Father. This also parallels Jesus’ instruction for prayer found in Matthew 6:5-15. It should be noted that it is only in the New Testament that believers address God as their heavenly Father. This pictures the intimate relationship existing between Christians and God because of the finished work of Christ.

Paul then evoked the biblical truth that all believers find this intimate existence before God because of Christ. Paul was not teaching the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man (cf. John 8:39–42; 1 John 3:10). Rather, he was referring to believers from every era of history. This included those who are physically dead and are living in heaven and those who are physically alive and are living on earth. All of us call God our heavenly Father.

Nineteenth century biblical theologian Charles Hodge writes, “It is because He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our incarnate God and Savior, that He is our Father and accessible to us in prayer. We can approach Him acceptably in no other character than as the God who sent the Lord Jesus to be our propitiation and mediator. It is therefore by faith in Him as reconciled, that we address Him as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Have a blessed day in the Lord and before the Father.

Soli deo Gloria!

We will devote each Lord’s Day in 2021 at hiswordtoday.org to present a portion of the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). For those unfamiliar with the WCF, a brief explanation is appropriate. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine (to Scripture) in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.

It is to that “most precise and accurate summary of the content of biblical Christianity” that we will give our time and attention to each Lord’s Day in the year of our Lord, 2021. I trust you will be edified and encouraged each week by The Westminster Confession of Faith.

Chapter Twelve: Adoption.

1. All those that are justified God vouchsafed, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption;^a by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God;^b have his name put upon them;^c receive the Spirit of adoption;^d have access to the throne of grace with boldness;^e are enabled to cry, Abba, Father;^f are pitied,^g protected,^h provided for,ⁱ and chastened by him as by a father;^k yet never cast off,^l but sealed to the day of redemption,^m and inherit the promises,ⁿ as heirs of everlasting salvation.^o

a. Gal 4:4-5; Eph 1:5. • b. John 1:12; Rom 8:17. • c. Jer 14:9; 2 Cor 6:18; Rev 3:12. • d. Rom 8:15. • e. Rom 5:2; Eph 3:12. • f. Gal 4:6. • g. Psa 103:13. • h. Prov 14:26. • i. Mat 6:30, 32; 1 Pet 5:7. • k. Heb 12:6. • l. Lam 3:31. • m. Eph 4:30. • n. Heb 6:12. • o. Heb 1:14; 1 Pet 1:3-4.

I encourage you to read the portions of Scripture listed in this post.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day.

\Soli deo Gloria!