COMMENTARY ON EPHESIANS
LESSON NUMBER 38
Eph 3:18 " May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness
of God." (Eph 3:18-19)
THE ABILITY TO COMPREHEND
INTRODUCTION
Because man is made in the image of God, possessing a capacity to be in accord with God, the heart and mind are chief properties of humanity. Both have to do with thought, perception, and expression, together with the ability to receive and to give. Salvation is intended to bring these capacities to their highest level, sanctifying the heart and mind for involvement with God and employment in His purpose. Owing to this arrangement, life in Christ Jesus has very much to do with understanding, comprehension, perception, discernment, judgment, evaluation, discretion, and recognition. Such activities as meditation, pondering, and musing are primary in spiritual life. This is also why the mind is the battle field of spiritual life, and the heart is used to process truth and develop godly preferences. In Christ Jesus, not knowing what has been revealed is a most dangerous circumstance, giving the advantage to the devil. The inability to recognize truth puts one in jeopardy. The failure of any individual to see God, Christ, salvation, and Divine purpose puts one at risk. A person who does not think like God cannot walk with Him. The one who does not have some perception of Christ and His accomplishments will be limited in his participation in the benefits flowing from Him. It is a most tragic circumstance, but it seems as though the majority of professing Christians do not have a satisfactory degree of understanding in these things. This is largely because true understanding and comprehension cannot be achieved naturally. Divine aid is required. This is the reality that is driving the apostle Paul to write in this manner to the Ephesians. Since the purpose of God has been revealed to him, together with a commission to declare it, he engages in an energetic and sanctified effort to enable the brethren to see what God is doing in His Son. In the end, He knows how their understanding will be received. Therefore, he is praying for them as an informed teacher would do. Further, as a concerned teacher, he is also informing the brethren of the content of his prayers. He knows that the soil of ignorance yields no fruit.
ABLE TO COMPREHEND WITH ALL SAINTS
Eph3:18 "May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height."
In this text we are exposed to a different and higher kind of prayer. There is a kind of prayer that is described in Philippians 4:6: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil 4:6). Note, the prayer is to be accompanied with "thanksgiving." This type of prayer, though necessary, is not guaranteed a positive answer - unless it is accompanied by faith (Matt 21:22). There is a guarantee that attend such a prayer: "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:7). Nearly all prayers that are offered by the modern church are this kind of prayer. This is NOT the kind of prayer Paul is praying. This is more than Paul making his request known to God. He is praying within the conscious framework of God's "eternal purpose" (Eph 3:11). He prays with an acute awareness of what God is doing in Christ Jesus.
MAY BE ABLE. Other versions read, "have the power," NRSV "be strong," ASV "have strength," BBE "fully able,: DARBY and "may be strong enough." WILLIAMS Just as the believer has to be strengthened in the inner man so Christ can dwell in his heart by faith, so he must be strong and able to participate in the intent of this prayer.
Even though men are born again, created in Christ Jesus, and partake of a new nature, their ability, aptitude, or power, needs to be developed - not created, but developed. This is why there is such a thing as a "novice" (1 Tim 3:6), beginner, or spiritual "little children" (1 John 2:13). This beginning state refers more to the realm of knowledge and expression than doing certain works. Spiritual ability parallels spiritual understanding. As ability, aptitude, capacity, adequacy, or competence increases, there is a corresponding increase in the area of expression, which involves the will, words, and works. No person can "do" beyond their level of "wisdom and spiritual understanding" (Col 1:9). Let it be clear that this is not intended to denigrate any doing or working that is prompted by faith.
Now Paul prays for a maturing of the saints ability, capability, capacity, or aptitude. He does so because salvation not only provides for such an expansion, it is assumes advancement in this area because of the thoroughness of its resources and supples - "all spiritual blessings" (1:3).
TO COMPREHEND. Other versions read, "to grasp," NIV "apprehend," DARBY "understand," "to explore," MRD "completely understand," IE "perceive," ABP "to take in ," MESSAGE and "apprehend and grasp." AMPLIFIED
The word translated "comprehend" has the following lexical meaning: "1) to lay hold of 1a) to lay hold of so as to make one's own, to obtain, attain to, to make one's own, to take into one's self, appropriate 1b) to seize upon, take possession of." THAYER There is a two-fold view in this meaning. First, the individual becomes able, or strong enough, to actually take hold of the truth and maintain his hold upon it. Second, he is able to handle, or use correctly, the truth that he holds.
Anyone, with any degree of understanding of the church of our times, knows that this is by no means an area of strength among professing Christians. A lack of "spiritual understanding" is so pervasive that it viewed as the average condition. Few people are concerned about a lack of understanding, or the glaring absence of growth in this area.
WITH ALL SAINTS. Paul prays with a mind-set that considers what "all saints" are expected to do. This is what salvation equips them to do. Here is an area where one saint is not expected to outdo the other saints. It is also clear, that this is something in which God expects "all saints" to participate. Every minister is expected to work with this objective in mind.
THE BREADTH, AND LENGTH, AND DEPTH, AND HEIGHT. Other versions read, "wide and long and high and deep," NIV and "extravagant dimensions." MESSAGE
This is a perspective that is altogether missed by the champions of simplicity. There is really no way to simply state the profound things to which Paul refers. An understanding of them is not attained by a childish expression of them. Something that is multi-dimensional, having breadth, and length, and height, and depth, cannot be properly seen by flattening it to one a single or two dimensional thing.
Paul knows that there are Divine perspectives in the purpose of God and the accomplishments of Jesus that cannot be taught in a kindergarten class. They are not intended to be seen by children, for they could do nothing with them if they did see them. God must so empower the believer that he will be capable of discerning what the Lord has planned, and how He is carrying out that plan , or purpose. Children play, but they do not construct. They cannot handle the "deep things of God," and God does not expect them to. In the Kingdom of God, the people must get out of the "little children" category, and only God can enable them to do so.
It seems to me that the lack of comprehension suggests there has not been many prayers lifted up to God like the one we are considering. I believe people still need to be taught how to pray.
TO KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST
3:19a "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge . . ."
Here we are introduced to the focus of Paul's prayer for the comprehension of the Ephesian brethren.
AND TO KNOW. Other versions read, "to have knowledge of," BBE "experience," NLT "completely understand the meaning," LIVING "know all about," CEV "come to know," GNB and "really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves]." AMPLIFIED
As used in the Scriptures, there are two different kinds of "knowing." One is intellectual, and the other is experiential. The same is true of the English word "know," for which one listed synonym is "experience." MERRIAM-WEBSTER- One English word with two different meanings. In the Greek language, however, there are two distinctly different words for "know." One is "eido," which refers to intellectual knowledge. Examples of its use (668 times) are 1 Cor 13:12 and Titus 1:16. The other word is "ginosko"- and is the one used in our text. This is a deeper word with the following lexical meaning: ""1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel 1a) to become known 2) to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of 2a) to understand 2b) to know 3) Jewish idiom for [relations] between a man and a woman 4) to become acquainted with, to know." THAYER THAYER This is the word used in Matthew 1:25 that says of Joseph, he "knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn." It is also used for knowing God (Heb 8:10), and knowing His mind (Rom 11:34).
This text is not speaking of intellectual knowledge - like knowing mathematical tables, or the daily news. It is not being aware of certain facts. To put it plainly, this has to do with actually experiencing the reality under consideration - learning of it, we might say, "first-hand."
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. Here is the matter that has breadth, and length, and depth, and height - "the love of Christ." This is not an intellectual acquaintance with the fact of Christ's love. It is not theorizing about His love, which the natural man is prone to do. This is the kind of love Jesus Himself spoke of when He said, "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21). When that happens, the person "knows" the "love of Christ."
This is a love that produces something. When Adam "knew Eve his wife," she conceived and bore a child (Gen 4:1). It is written concerning the birth of Seth, "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth" (Gen 4:25).
From the experiential point of view, we read that "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor 5:14-15). That is, Christ's loves compels and enables us to live solely for Him, knowing that He died for us and rose again. The kind of living that is intentionally directed toward Him is the most profitable life, advantaging the most people, and bringing the greatest personal benefits.
WHICH PASSETH ALL KNOWLEDGE. The fact that this is a transcendent knowledge means that it cannot be obtained by natural means. It is not something into which believers naturally grow - and woe to the person who imagines that this is so. Some are of the opinion that if we wait long enough people will eventually take hold of the love of Christ. However, this is not necessarily so. The apprehension of the love that passes all knowledge must be preceded by the opening of the eyes of our understanding (Eph 1:5-20), God strengthening us with might by His Spirit in the inner man (3:16), Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith (3:17a), and being rooted and grounded in His love (3:17b).
To add further perspective to this, the above must be preceded by the Divine provision of "all spiritual blessings" (1:3), God's choice (1:4), being "predestinated" to be adopted (1:5), being made acceptable (1:6), "redemption" and "the forgiveness of sins" (1:7), and God abounding toward us "in all wisdom and prudence" (1:8). It even requires that God make known "the mystery of His will" (1:9).
Additionally, it involves knowing the objective that is driving this great salvation: "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him" (Eph 1:10), and being cognizant that we have "obtained an inheritance" (1:11).
Talk about staggering dimensions! And with all of that Paul still prays for the Ephesians to be strengthened so they can comprehend the largeness of it all, and experience the love of Christ that transcends all knowledge! Now, how does it sound to speak of a simple salvation, or it being able to be understood by a child? In view of all of this Divine investment, how can anyone champion the statement that we are saved by what we do? How can idleness be justified when we have been told of such Divine investments, provisions, and intentions?
FILLED WITH THE FULNESS OF GOD
3:19b " . . . that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."
THAT YE MIGHT BE. One might be tempted to think the apex of Divine intent has not been fully proclaimed - but that would be a wrong conclusion. All of what has been said to this point was in order that we might "be" in a certain circumstance. Notice that the pronoun is in the plural: "ye" -i.e. the whole church, or the entire body of believers. More specifically, the brethren at Ephesus, for it cannot be that one body of believers has a lesser standard than the whole of the church. What God intends for all of Christ's body, is the intention for local gatherings, and for individuals as well - each in their own measure.
It goes without saying that no body of believers, nor any individual believer, can be content with coming short of this intention. Further, considering that those in Christ are in a state of growth and enlargement, the idea of filling becomes perpetual.
FILLED. This is a unique term in Scripture. No other religion in the world confesses or appeals to this characteristic. The word "filled" means, "to fill to the full, supply liberally, to make complete in every particular, fill to the brim." STRONG'S This presumes that those in Christ are, in some sense, containers. It also indicates that what is put into those containers is useful in ways related to God's "eternal purpose."
The idea of being "filled" with anything pertaining to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is repulsive to "the flesh." The reason is straightforward: the flesh centers in self, and filling postulates the emptying of self. In his subtlety, Satan has promoted the idea that ridding oneself of especially wicked tendencies equates to satisfactory improvement. But this is a wholly incorrect view. Jesus once spoke of a man out of whom an "unclean spirit" was "gone out." After leaving and wandering about for a season "through dry places," the spirit resolved to return to the one he had formerly inhabited. He found the dwelling well decorated, yet "empty." He then brought with him "seven other spirits more wicked than himself," and re-occupied the house. The Lord said, "the last state of that man is worse than the first" (Matt 12:43-45). The problem was that the house had not been "filled" after it was vacated by the wicked spirit.
Let it be clear that salvation is intended to "fill" the one possessing it. In it, Jesus is not given one of many rooms in which to dwell. God's "great salvation" is not a kind of management system where ones religious posture allows for other entrants, but controls them so they supposedly do not dominate the individual. This is a common view in our day, and is the backbone of all self-acclaimed recovery systems.
Let us see once again the matter for which Paul is praying. He is asking that all the congregation at Ephesus be strengthened by the Holy Spirit - so Christ could dwell in their hearts by faith - so they could be rooted and grounded in love - in order that they might comprehend the magnitude, and experience the reality of, the love of Christ. All of this is in order that they might be "filled." Does anyone imagine that the stated objective will be realized independently of the means by which it is ordained to take place?
WITH ALL THE FULNESS OF GOD. And what is the spiritual substance with which the whole of the congregation is to be "filled?" It is "the fulness of God." Other versions read, "the measure of all the fulness of God," NIV "made complete as God himself is complete," BBE "be completely filled with God," GWN "with all manner of fulness which cometh of God," TNT "the totality of God," IE "God's own standard of completeness," WEYMOUTH "the perfect fullness of God." WILLIAMS "the 'plentitude' of God," MONTGOMERY "with all that God is," CEV "everything God has for you," ERV "the very nature of God," GNB "Live full lives, full in the fullness of God," MESSAGE "filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!" AMPLIFIED
This would be related to being made "partakers of Christ" (Heb 3:14), and "partakers of the Divine nature" (2 Pet 1:4). It has to do with the "measure of faith" (Rom 12:3), and being stewards of "the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet 4:10).
Think of it as being sanctified "spirit, soul, and body" (1 Thess 5:23), or reckoning ourselves to be "dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God" (Rom 6:11). The idea is that all of our capacities - especially those identified with the new creation - are to be filled with the Divine nature. Whether we are speaking of an apostle like Paul (Rom 1:1), a servant-woman like Phebe (Rom 16:1), an encourager like Barnabas Acts 4:36), or a helper like Urbane (Rom 16:9) - the ministry is to be conducted like the Lord would do it.
This is another view of being "complete in" Christ (Col 2:10). To be "filled with all the fulness of God" means that required resources are not sought from any other origin. It means that the Spirit is not quenched, and the Lord is not "limited" in doing what He intends through the individual (Psa 78:41).
This is a fulness that will be experienced if the conditions of the prayer are realized: strengthened within, Christ's indwelling, rooting and grounding, and blessed comprehension.