Ephesians overview – 3:14-19, Pauls prayer (inner strength), part 2.

Thursday March 5, 2020

Eph 3:14-19

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.

3:14-19

C), 1. Strength – the indwelling Spirit and indwelling Christ.

Both the Spirit and Christ are working within, referring to the Christian’s innermost being.

There is no need to attempt to find too much distinction between ‘inner man’ and ‘heart.’ The Spirit and Christ work upon the inward man, which in turn moves and animates the outward man. Gnostic teaching must also be rejected, namely the teaching that only the inner man is to be spiritual while the outer man or body is always inclined to evil, and therefore we must give the outer man his evil. The power of God works on the inner man because it is precisely the inner man that controls the outer man. Jesus told us that it is what comes out of a man that defiles his body.

Now, if the strength of the Spirit within is ‘so that’ [the] Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, then the function of the Spirit is to bring us to a full knowledge of Christ.

I could not possess the full knowledge of Christ without living as He lived, hence when the Holy Spirit empowers me to live His life, the full knowledge of Christ increases its dwelling in my heart.

Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

Notice how similar is Paul’s prayer for the Philippians.

Phi 1:1-11

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

“your love may abound more and more in real knowledge (epignosis) and discernment (perception)” / know the love of God (breadth, length, height, and depth).

“real knowledge” – epignosis / the Christ dwelling in your heart.

“approve the things that are excellent” / rooted and grounded in love.

“filled with the fruit of righteousness” / filled with all the fulness of God.

“to the glory and praise of God” / that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory.