The apostle seems to be more anxious lest the believers should be discouraged and faint upon his tribulations, than for what he himself had to bear. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, 18you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.
Regardless, my prayers echo Ephesians 3:16-19. .
So, whether we prefer "so that" or "and", we are ultimately led to the same understanding of this passage. Test its length! Passion for Jesus: Perfecting Extravagant Love for God. Required fields are marked *. My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. It is through this indwelling and our rich relationships with God that we realize our true identities. But what if we are not the tree but the soil instead, and the tree represents our faith?
Ephesians 3:16-19 The Message 14-19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. Salem Media Group. Truthfully, it describes almost all of us, at least at times. Often that involves years of frustration on our parts, and possibly some pain, as when Saul was blinded by God on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), because there was no gentler way for God to override Saul's preconceived ideas about what the Kingdom of God looked like. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strengththat Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in.
Wherefore, though he endured much tribulation for the sake of preaching this Gospel, this should not at all sink their spirits, or move them away from the hope of it; but they should rather glory that they had such a faithful preacher and defender of it, Eph 3:13. When I am rooted in Christ's love, I will grow as a person. Instead, I pray that they will personally experience Gods love. Yes No 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Thus the Christian life is rooted and grounded in love. The Message Canvas Bible: Coloring and Journaling the Story of God, Leather-Look, Gold Leaf - Imperfectly Imprinted Bibles, The Message Catholic/Ecumenical Edition: The Bible in Contemporary Language - eBook, The Message Deluxe Gift Bible--soft leather-look, amethyst gem, The Message // REMIX 2.0, Softcover: The Bible in Contemporary Language, The Message Thinline, Large Print (LeatherLike, Arrow Saddle Tan), LeatherLike, Arrow Saddle Tan - Slightly Imperfect. may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth. MSG Ephesians 3:16-19 16 I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit - not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength - 17 that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge; that ye may be filled. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love. It seems more natural to me that Paul was praying that the Holy Spirit strengthen us AND that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith. Who Is Lillith and Why Don't We Find Her in Our Bible? And as he desired their perseverance, so he prays for it, and for several things in order to it; the posture in which he prayed was by bowing the knee; the person to whom he prayed is described by his relation to Christ, as his Father, of whom, or of Christ, the whole family of God in heaven and earth are named, Eph 3:14,15.
16I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Heavenly Father, thank You that I am in Christ. Salem Media Group. Our lack of fullness of God is because we cannot let God fully take control of our lives until we are convinced that He is trustworthy. The word "dwell" gives the impression of permanence, the sense of not coming and going all the time, but staying put. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. One of the first verses most of us hear is John 3:16, which says that because God so loved the world, "He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (NIV). blessings and benedictions nursery art series. You will know Christs love, which goes far beyond any knowledge.
And we cannot believe He is trustworthy if we are unaware of the depths of His great love for us. Bible Study with Scott What it means to be on Fire for Jesus Christ Ephesians 3:19-20 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Shouldn't we be able to at least be responsible for rousing our faith? Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Then Christ will live in you through faith. Then Christ will live in your hearts because you believe in him. Get beautiful Bible art delivered to your inbox. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. For less than $5/mo. What Makes Covenant Theology So Important? I have generally understood this verse to be an ominous warning to believers that we need to "get to work" bearing fruit, or we'll "get the boot". May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is. And I pray that your love will have deep roots. The word "know" here is suggesting that we "personally know at the heart level". 1 This means that we cannot live a passionate life for God until we realize how passionate He is for us. The breadth shows its extent to all nations and ranks; the length, that it continues from everlasting to everlasting; the depth, its saving those who are sunk into the depths of sin and misery; the height, its raising them up to heavenly happiness and glory. They live scattered lives, sometimes concerned with their relationships with God, but a lot more of the time with all of the concerns of this world. We can go on being filled by means of the Spirit of God. We should desire that good affections may be fixed in us. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy .
I trust (most of the time!) the breadth, and length, and height, and depth.
I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strengththat Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. Christs love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Rise to the heights! His petitions for them are four fold: first, that God would strengthen them with power through His Spirit, so that they would have what it takes (the power) to trust Him and live pure and holy lives; second, that as they trust Christ He would dwell in their heartsthat He would feel at home within them; thirdly, that their roots would go down deep into Gods love and that they would feel and understand how good and great and full His love is, that is, that they would experience it for themselves; and fourth, consequently, that they would be filled up with God. Today, we way to consider verses Reach out and experience the breadth! . Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (you having been firmly rooted and established in love), in order that you may be strong enough to grasp together with all the saints what. SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION: Genesis 3:16; Leviticus 19:2; Galatians 5:16-17; Ephesians 2:3, 4:22; Colossians 3:5; 2 Timothy 2:22; Titus 2:12. Your roots will grow down into Gods love and keep you strong. 16that he may grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (you having been firmly rooted and established in love), 18in order that you may be strong enough to grasp together with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. I pray that it will have a strong foundation.
But Christ's love for the Church was a mystery that was hidden frompast generations, and yet it was revealed to Paul on our account so that we might know for certain the incomprehensible love of Christ. Im asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory. And I pray that you and all Gods holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christs lovehow wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. To be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; this is the petition which the apostle puts up on his bended knees to the Father of Christ, that he would strengthen these saints, that so they might not faint at the tribulations which either he or they endured. I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through his Spirit. Your Faithlife account signs you in to all our sites. And although this knowledge is too wonderful to comprehend, it is nonetheless Paul's dear desire that we KNOW the riches of His grace towards us and that we UNDERSTAND the length, and depth, and height, and breadth of Christ's love for us, which surpasses human knowledge. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. Yet at some deep and intuitive level, we sense that in fact it must be just as Paul says.
19Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. How impossible it is for the limited human mind to understand the thoughts and ways of Almighty God! and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Explore verse
4 as you read over what i have written to you, you'll be able to . Reach out and experience the breadth! If it is implied, it seems to say that unless God first strengthens us on the inside, Christ cannot dwell in our hearts. Even for those who have memorized these words, it warrants more than a double take to see if the Apostle Paul is saying here what he appears to be saying. And may you have the power to understand, as all Gods people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Must he needs fill himself with a thousand trifles, fancying thereby to complete his happiness? And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, youll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christs love. I think that what this part of the prayer means is that it is only through our constant exercise of faith that in any practical sense we are aware of Jesus' presence in our hearts, and to the extent that we are aware of Jesus living in our hearts can He be said to "dwell" there.
Accordingly, if we want our prayers to be true we must endeavor to let them flow from our heartso that our heart (our true self) is revealed.
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
And so, by this observation, we must conclude that our prayers will be reflective of our relationship with God. Vincent's Word Studies. Plumb the depths! I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of Gods love, 19and to know the Messiahs love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Sorry, an error was encountered while loading the book. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. While I do believe that it is a fruit, I think too much emphasis has been placed on the importance of evangelism as the main fruit. What does "the fullness of God" mean, anyway? Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Our needs are met by His love. I reject this notion.
All rights reserved. How powerfully the apostle speaks of the love of Christ! I wish that we could truly understand how much God loves us. Copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson, The Message (MSG). 14-19My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ, and our union with Him makes us complete in Him and accepted by the Father. https://www.bible.com/bible/97/EPH.3.16-19.MSG, Moms in Prayer - God is Loving, Awesome & Wise, Jesus, the Friend in Sorrow: A 3-Day Study for Grievers, Spirit At Work: Devotions From Time of Grace, Global Pan(dem)ic & a Sound Faith (Part 2): A 4-Day Maturity Check, Royals: Living in the Realm of God's Favor, All About Love - Relating with Women of the Bible Part 2. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts, being rooted and founded in love, in order that ye may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what. And may you know his love, even though it cant be known completely.
16in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; 17that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts, being rooted and founded in love, 18in order that ye may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height; 19and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge; that ye may be filled even to all the fulness of God. Eph. Test its length! For those who have not memorized these verses, the answer will probably be quite a surprise. I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation. Jesus tells a parable about a tree that did not bear fruit (Luke 13:6-8). 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height19to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. his petitions for them are four fold: first, that god would strengthen them with power through his spirit, so that they would have what it takes (the power) to trust him and live pure and holy lives; second, that as they trust christ he would dwell in their heartsthat he would feel at home within them; thirdly, that their roots would go down
I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit. Stemming from that, all of His commandments are summed up by saying that we are to love God and love one another. I pray that he may strengthen you so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 1 Bickle, Mike.
Ephesians 3:16 . Then you can be filled with the fullness of God. is so magnificently huge that we cannot ever hope to really grasp its full dimensions. Rise to the heights! Ephesians 3:16-19 PAUL'S PETITIONS IN PRAYER Intro: The verses before us today reveal a man in prayer. Ephesians 3:16-19 The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strengththat Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. He said that my tree wouldn't grow much the first year, but as soon the roots system was established the tree would grow 2-3 feet per year. This may reconcile the "so that" controversy. Glory through all millennia!
Orlando, FL: Creation House, p. 98. He is praying that God impart to us peace, confidence, and boldness through the working of the Holy Spirit, who lives in all who profess faith in Christ.
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