Ephesians 3:17-19

Day 27

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19

So that Christ May Dwell in Your Hearts Through Faith
In common evangelical vernacular, there is a statement used to describe salvation, especially when directed to children.  Appealing to the gospel, a child might be instructed to “ask Jesus into their heart.”  This statement, “ask Jesus into their heart,” as an expression of saving faith, has promoted many critiques by conservative Christian theologians and pastors.  The complaint asserts that neither the specific language of “asking Jesus into your heart” nor even this general notion occur anywhere in the Bible.  That exact phrase doesn’t occur.  However, the idea seems to be present here in this verse.  Paul prayed “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”  In Biblical material, the “heart” often expresses the spiritual domain of the person.  The verse preceding Ephesians 3:17 includes Paul’s prayer for the church “to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”  Christ dwelling in your hearts appears to be directly connected to the power through His Spirit in the “inner man.”  The core of the person, the thoughts, the feelings, and the will, all define this concept of “inner man” or “heart.”  When a person puts their faith in Christ, they invite Christ to come into their life and to governor the core of their being.  Christ becomes the Lord of our entire person, but His central reign begins in our inner most being.  Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus that Christ would take up residence in their heart.  Therefore, the evangelistic expression of “asking Jesus into your heart” is not completely afield from the Biblical concept of saving faith.  At the moment of salvation, Christ is Lord of us.  The essence of His lordship begins at the depth of who we are. 

Rooted and Grounded in Love
Paul used two, distinct analogies here.  “Rooted” comes from the plant world.  The root system of a tree provides vital nutrients to the rest of the tree.  In the spiritual realm, Paul prayed for the church to have healthy roots.  Paul’s language is similar to an Old Testament prophet’s writings.  Jeremiah used a similar analogy when he described a person who trusts in the LORD.  Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)  Jeremiah’s analogy portrays a person who has placed their trust in the LORD as a tree with extensive roots.  The roots are so deep and substantial that the tree can endure even harsh conditions.  The church faces difficult circumstances as well.  In the midst of harsh conditions, we need deep and healthy roots.  Paul prayed for the church to find their healthy root system tied to love.

Paul also used an analogy from construction.  The foundation of a building provides critical stability to the entire structure.  Just as the root system provides essential nutrients to the plant, so the foundation of a building allows the building to stand strong.  Paul used the imagery of the foundation of a building earlier in this text.  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)  In Ephesians 2, the church’s stability relies on the foundation of the teaching of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus being the corner stone of the entire structure.  For truth, the foundation of the church is the New Testament as God has graciously preserved for us today.  In the prayer of Ephesians 3, Paul depicted the foundation in the daily life of the believer as tied to love.

Comprehending the Incomprehensible
What love does Paul have in mind?  Does Paul view the love we have for each other as the roots and foundation of our life?  Does Paul have in mind the love we have for God as the roots and foundation?  What does Paul mean when he prayed for the church to be rooted and grounded “in love.” In the next verse Paul expanded on this theme. See how the prayer continues, “to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.”  This root of love, this foundational love, is the love that God has for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Ironically, Paul prayed for the church to comprehend the love of God in Christ, and then Paul described this love as incomprehensible.  We cannot comprehend the love God has for us, but we should be firmly rooted and grounding in trying to comprehend it.  The knowledge of the breadth and length and height and depth of the incomprehensible love of Christ protects us in a challenging world.  Paul prayed for believers to grapple with every facet of God’s love.  Paul prayed that we would attempt to understand what God has done for us in Christ.  In this life, we will never be able to plumb the depth of God’s love.  However, saturating our minds on these truths and conditioning our thinking on what God has done for us out of His love, stabilizes and strengthens us.  Trials come and troubles come.  We face those difficulties by remembering the eternal love of God in Christ.  No suffering in this life will ever come close to the full experience of God’s eternal love.  It is the knowledge of God’s love that allows us to be “filled up with all of the fullness of God.”  In other words, meditating on the love of God in Christ works to God’s desired end that we be everything God intends for us to be.

Suggested Prayer:  Christ Jesus, dwell richly within me.  You are Lord.  I submit my life to You.  Reign over me in Your grace, mercy, and love.  May the knowledge of Your love, have Your desired work in my life.  That my life would be a complete representation of Your will for me.

Ephesians