Ephesians 3:17-21To: Ephesians Main MenuTo: Grace Notes Home Page Ephesians 3:17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,-------------------- Verses 17 to 19 continue to state Paul's purpose for his fervent prayer for his beloved friends in Ephesus. He agonizes over his great desire that believers stedfastly pursue that which builds them up in faith, the Word of God, taught by the Holy Spirit, and lodged in the hearts of believers. Christ "dwelling in your hearts", or "Christ at home in your hearts" is a reference to edification, to the "roots" which are the foundation of a growing Christian's life. "Heart" is from the Greek word KARDIA which is always used in the Bible to refer to the inner life, the life of the soul. Christ is the Word of God (John 1), so "Christ in the heart" is equivalent to "the Word in the life." Your mentality is part of your soul. You do your thinking in your soul. You also do your deciding (volition) and your appreciating (emotion) in your soul. The Sin Nature is also part of your inner life, so there is always negative motivation present - you will be tempted to make the wrong decisions and to commit sin. The most important weapon in combatting sin, in having victory over personal sin, is the Word of God locked (rooted) in the soul. By faith we understand the Word; by faith we believe it; by faith we accept it. Christian growth is the process of learning and applying the Word of God so that a system of divine standards is built up in the soul. God's "wisdom and prudence", with their continuous influence in our decision making and our problem solving, are the tools with which we function in the Christian life. Topic: EDIFICATION Topic: MENTAL ATTITUDE -------------------- "by faith" Belief in Christ is required. Belief in the Word of God is required. The process is as follows: 1. God the Father provided the written revelation of His thinking. "We have the mind of Christ." -------------------- "that ye being rooted and grounded" "Rooted" is the perfect passive participle of RIZOW, "to take root." "Grounded" is the perfect passive participle of THEMELIOW, "to lay a foundation." The perfect tense points to that teaching which resides permanently in the soul. The passive voice shows that the believer receives the action of the verb, that it is God that plants and roots the doctrine. This activity is a Grace gift; the believer receives these benefits from the Lord. The participle indicates that this is a law of God. -------------------- "in love" - EN plus the instrumental of AGAPAW. "By means of love." Read Romans 5:5, Galatians 5:22. Ephesians 3:18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; -------------------- "May be able" - aorist active subjunction of EKSISCHUW, "to be quite able", "to have an endowed strength." This is the focus of Paul's prayer. The subjunctive mood of the verb indicates that the ability to comprehend is potential - the results depends on the believer's choices. Here is the spiritually devastating part of non-volitional theology. The training of a believer's volition is neglected; but, since deliberate choices are required at every stage of growth, the believer's growth is short-circuited. Topic: HAZARDS OF NEGATIVE VOLITION The choices in the Christian must be made from valid objects, from doctrine in the inner man. Religion is insidious in that it holds out a selection of INVALID choices, none of which lead to edification. -------------------- "to comprehend" - aorist middle infinitive of KATALAMBANW, "to seize; to lay ahold of." The middle voice is reflexive, showing that the benefit to be gained from "seizing" truth accrues to the subject ("you"). Thus it means "to seize for yourself!" This is a VOLITIONAL WORD. It carries far more meaning than mere "comprehension." There is a "seizing", a grasping and possessing of something. Compare Mark 9:18, where the "speechless" spirit "seizes" the son with an unrelenting grip and "throws him," "convulses him," "tears at him." This understanding of the force of KARALAMBANW leads to a new reading of any verse which contains it. John 1:5, "...darkness did not seize for itself the truth" John 8:3, "...seized in adultery" John 12:25, If you do not "seize" the light, darkness will "seize" you. Examples from the koine Greek in the papyrii (Moulton and Milligan): o "I have impounded (KATALAMBANW) the property..." READ I Tim. 5:4. I Cor. 9:24, "one receives (LAMBANW) the prize. So run that you may obtain (KATALAMBANW)" Phil. 3:12,13, the word "apprehend" is KATALAMBANW. Application: A believer has every grace opportunity to benefit fully from divine provision and strength. -------------------- "with all saints". All believers have the same apparatus for understanding Scripture, the Holy Spirit - "He shall teach you all things." All have "riches of glory", "strengthening of the inner man", "Christ dwelling within." "what is the breadth (PLATOS), length (MEIKOS), depth (BATHOS), and height (HUPSOS)." Shows that all Bible truth is available to all Christians. All of the revelation is intended for each of us. Ephesians 3:19And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. -------------------- "And to know the love of Christ" The experience of knowing Christ and the love that comes from Him is the result of edification, and it is what Paul desires for the Ephesians. As you learn Bible truth and apply faith to it, you grow in grace and in your knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. -------------------- "which passes knowledge" The verb "passes" is HUPERBALLW, "to surpass; to throw beyond". "Knowledge" is GNOSIS, "mental understanding in the human mind. Knowledge of the love of Christ (EPIGNOSIS) is produced by edification and surpasses any purely human mental knowledge. Application 1. When there is something that surpasses, be aware that there is still something you need; there is still a distance to go. -------------------- "that ye might be filled" "Filled" is the aorist active subjunctive of PLEIROW, which has several related meanings in the Greek New Testament. 1. "To fill up a deficiency" - The deficiency is in the believer's soul, namely a lack of spiritual IQ. The "fullness of God" is not there, so it must be provided. The verb "filled" is in the subjunctive mood. This means that edification is not a given, it is potential. The tragedy here is that there are those who fade out rapidly. Example: the parable of the sower, in which: 1. The unbeliever by the wayside rejects the gospel. -------------------- "with all the fulness of God" - the complete package - length, breadth, depth, height. Ephesians 3:20,21Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. -------------------- "Now unto him that is able" God the Father is the author of the plan for the Christian's growth. God knew all about human IQ, and He knew what IQ every person would have. He decided not to use any of it and designed a grace plan for spiritual perception that would depend on the Holy Spirits teaching ministry rather than a person's ability to understand. -------------------- "to do exceedingly abundantly above" - a double adverb meaning "beyond all measure; infinitely more than". This is the highest form of comparison in New Testament Greek. God is able to do what we cannot do, beyond anything that we can imagine. -------------------- "all that we ask or think" - prayer will not produce edification, and it's far beyond what the greatest genius could devise. You can ask God to edify you, but His answer will be "Everything has been provided for your edification, so get with the program." -------------------- "according to the power that works in us" - the power on the inside, the indwelling Holy Spirit working in the human spirit to produce the Christian life from the spiritual food of the Word of God. -------------------- Verse 21 - "unto this God be eternal worship and praise on the part of all believers through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ from now until eternal ages, even beyond the end of time itself." Topic: DOCTRINE TEST End of Lesson 20Grace Notes - a ministry of Village Missions InternationalThere is no charge for Grace Notes Materials. 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