14"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God". - Ephesians 3:14-19
This is Paul’s second intercessory prayer in his letter, which includes a stirring doxology as a conclusion in verses 20-21. Paul starts this section of his letter (verses 14 through 19) by revisiting his original purpose stated in verse 1, following a lengthy digression in the form of a parenthetical sentence up to verse 13. Some argue that he is more likely referring to the immediately previous verse where he encourages the believers not to lose heart in the face of his hardships for their sake, emphasizing that these difficulties bring about glory for them. Whatever the case may be, an intriguing aspect of Paul’s character is his tendency to interject with prayers, as demonstrated in 3:20-21. Now, here he says, “I bow my knees,” which is noteworthy as the typical position for Jewish prayer involved standing and facing Jerusalem, not bowing. Paul’s choice to bow signifies his intensity, mirroring the fervor found elsewhere in the New Testament (refer to Matthew 6:5; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11, 12; 22:41; Acts 7:60; Philippians 2:10). This highlights the significance and depth of Paul’s prayerful expression. It is crucial to recognize that the attitude of the heart is what is important regardless of the physical posture assumed during prayer1.
In accordance with Jesus’s guidance in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9), Paul directs his prayer to the Father and notably characterizes Him as the one who assigns names to every family unit. “Father. . .family” – This is a play on the Greek terms ‘pater’ and ‘patria’. It emphasizes the importance of the Father, as in Ephesians 1:3-14 (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28). The Creator God is the model for all living beings and their social groups, such as tribes and nations. “in heaven and on earth” – this phrase refers to believers who are currently alive as well as those who have passed away (see Philippians 2:10), and angelic groups as others would suggest. The names given to human and angelic groups emphasize God’s power and control. God created these celestial beings, classified them, and gave them their identities, establishing His supreme authority. This concept is reminiscent of the Old Testament’s idea of using names to exercise dominion or create something.
Paul’s intercessory prayer for the Ephesians is a model of heartfelt prayer. It is well-founded, seeking the best gifts for his brethren and aiming for their highest good. His prayer is ascending; it goes higher with each request. It’s like climbing a ladder. The beginning is not too hard, but as you go up, it gets steeper.
Paul articulates his prayer by employing distinct grammatical features (Purpose Clauses and Infinitives) 2to convey his intentions. Paul starts with a request for strength – “strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, according to the riches of His glory”. Paul’s desire is for them to be strong and rooted in God’s power, received through Christ and the Holy Spirit. This strength helps them resist false teachers and the challenges of the fallen world. To welcome Christ into our heart, we need to be strong spiritually. Spiritual growth happens inside us, but it’s affected by external challenges. Paul often talks about the inner man (our spiritual side) versus the outer man (our physical side). The inner man is part of the New Age and God’s kingdom, while the outer man deals with the decay and struggles of the old age, the fallen nature, and the fallen world system (see Ephesians 2:1-3).
“According to the riches of His glory” (cf. Php 4:19) – In this phrase, “riches” is a term Paul often uses to talk about how much God has blessed us through Jesus. It shows that God’s character is the reason for His great power and the good things He gives us.
The reason why believers need to be strengthened in the inner man lies in verse 17 – “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” This means that through our faith, Christ will dwell in our hearts. In the New Testament, there is a connection between the presence of the Son and the Spirit. The Spirit’s role is to show the need for Jesus (human sin), to reveal the gospel, to bring people to Jesus, to unite them with Jesus, and to transform them to be like Christ.
Now that Paul has taken the first step, he prays for the Ephesians to be strengthened so that Christ may live in their hearts through faith. When our hearts are prepared and capable of receiving Him, Jesus will enter our hearts, not just to visit, but to dwell in our hearts through faith.
In verses 17-19, the phrases “Being Rooted” and “And Grounded” convey the idea of being firmly established and sustained by God, drawing parallels to construction and agriculture to emphasize the importance of being rooted and established in faith. The terms “To Comprehend” and “To Know” highlight the significance of knowledge and may reference the revelation of God’s mystery and the unification of Jews and Gentiles in Christ, countering the claims of false teachers. “May be Able” expresses Paul’s prayer for believers to be empowered to fully grasp the gospel, while “With All the Saints” underscores the importance of community in Christianity and the maturity of all believers. Additionally, the use of “surpasses” in 3:19 emphasizes that Christ’s love transcends human knowledge, as seen in other passages in Ephesians.
The phrase “filled up to all the fullness of God” is the third purpose clause in Paul’s prayer. It’s important to understand that this doesn’t refer to Christ or the Spirit living within us, as mentioned in Ephesians 3:17. Instead, it’s a response to the false teachings of the Gnostics. They focused on “fullness” (plērōma) as a special knowledge that they believed could help them pass through all the angelic spheres (aeons) to reach heaven. However, Paul emphasizes that Christ is the true and only “fullness of God,” as also shown in Ephesians 1:23 and Colossians 2:9. This stresses the rejection of the false teachings of the Gnostics and reinforces the belief in Christ as the ultimate embodiment of the fullness of God.
Paul’s prayer to the Father is a beautiful affirmation of God’s ineffable power and ability to exceed our expectations. It acknowledges the omnipotence of God and expresses confidence in His capacity to surpass our wildest dreams and thoughts. It serves as a reminder of the magnitude of God’s capability and our faith in His extraordinary work in our lives.
- A. W. Tozer wrote, “The goal of every Christian should be to live in a state of unbroken worship.” When that becomes the aim of our lives, assuming postures of kneeling, bowing, prostrating, and walking down the street all become acts of prayer and worship that are favorable to God. ↩︎
- Paul’s prayer can be outlined using two grammatical features.
Three purpose clauses (hina)Eph. 3:16, God would grant (AORIST SUBJUNCTIVE)
Eph. 3:18, God would fully enable (AORIST SUBJUNCTIVE)
Eph. 3:19b, God would fill (AORIST SUBJUNCTIVE)
Four AORIST INFINITIVESEph. 3:16, “you to be strengthened”
Eph. 3:17, “Christ to dwell in your hearts”
Eph. 3:18, “you to comprehend”
Eph. 3:19, “you to know” ↩︎
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