In Ephesians 3:16-19, the apostle Paul prays a prayer for God’s people. He prays essentially that we may all enter into the experience of God’s kind of agape love:
“[I pray] that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (NKJV)
Let me point out certain basic principles that are involved in this prayer of the apostle Paul. First of all, he says in verse 16 that "He may strengthen you with might through His Spirit in your inner man." So, it’s only through the Holy Spirit – it’s in a supernatural realm. Natural understanding, natural reasoning, even the naturally emotional responses of man will not take us into this realm that God is here speaking about.
And then he says that it’s through faith: "…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." It’s only to be appropriated by faith. It’s not just knowing, it’s believing. As we respond in faith, we enter into this realm. But if we are not willing to make the faith response – if we are not willing to go beyond the level of our own reason and understanding – then we cannot enter into all that Paul here writes about.
And then he speaks about grasping: "…the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ." There is no measuring stick that can measure those dimensions. It’s grasping dimensions by faith through the Holy Spirit that cannot be measured by the intellect.
Then the climax comes that we may know of this love that surpasses knowledge. How can you know love that surpasses knowledge? It is through faith, through yielding, stepping out beyond the limits of what seems reasonable, relying on the love of God, casting ourselves upon God’s love – no strings attached, no reservation, no preconditions. I believe that’s the response that is required.
For reflection and prayer
You are rooted and grounded in God's unlimited love.
