The Immeasurable Love of Christ – Ephesians 3:14-21
Paul has just finished marveling at God’s incredible grace—how He made Jew and Gentile one in Christ, bringing both into His family and tearing down the dividing wall between them. Salvation comes through faith alone, not works, creating one new humanity in Christ. This stunning reality moves Paul to his knees in worship and prayer.
Ephesians 3:14-15 (CSB) “For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”
“For this reason”—because of God’s amazing grace that unites all believers into one family—Paul drops to his knees. This isn’t casual prayer; this is worship-driven intercession. The Father from whom “every family” gets its name has created the ultimate family through Christ. Every earthly family is just a shadow of the eternal family God has formed through the gospel.
Ephesians 3:16-17 (CSB) “I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”
Paul’s first prayer request goes to the core—inner strength through the Holy Spirit. Notice he doesn’t pray for easier circumstances or external blessings. He prays for power in the “inner being”—the part of us that needs divine strength to live the Christian life. But this isn’t just about strength; it’s about Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith. The word “dwell” means to settle down permanently, to make His home there. This isn’t Christ visiting occasionally; this is Christ taking up permanent residence in the believer’s heart through faith.
Ephesians 3:17-19 (CSB) “I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Here’s Paul’s breathtaking vision: believers rooted and established in love, able to comprehend—with all the saints—the immeasurable dimensions of God’s love. Notice “with all the saints”—this isn’t a solo journey. We discover the vastness of Christ’s love in community with other believers. Paul uses four dimensions—length, width, height, and depth—as if God’s love fills all of space and time. Yet even after we comprehend its vastness, we’re called to “know” Christ’s love that “surpasses knowledge.” This is experiential knowledge, not just intellectual understanding. It’s love that can’t be fully grasped by the mind but must be experienced by the heart.
The goal? To “be filled with all the fullness of God.” This isn’t about becoming God, but about being filled with all His attributes that can dwell in human hearts—His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. It’s the complete transformation that comes when Christ’s love floods our lives.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (CSB) “Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Paul concludes with explosive praise. God doesn’t just answer prayer—He does “above and beyond all that we ask or think.” But notice the source of this power: it’s “according to the power that works in us.” The same power that raised Christ from the dead now works within believers. This power operates through the church and brings glory to God through Christ Jesus across all generations.
Paul’s prayer reveals what should captivate our hearts: not temporary blessings, but the permanent dwelling of Christ within us through faith. Not shallow understanding, but deep comprehension of love that surpasses knowledge. Not limited expectations, but confidence in God’s power to exceed our wildest dreams.
This prayer challenges us: Are we settling for surface-level Christianity, or are we allowing Christ to dwell richly in our hearts? Are we seeking to comprehend His love alongside other believers, or are we trying to go it alone? Are we asking small things of the God who is able to do immeasurably more than we could imagine? Paul’s doxology reminds us that the same God who broke down walls between peoples can break through every limitation in our lives—according to His power that works in us.
