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Ephesians Chapter Three
I. Content of the Chapter
The Minister of the
Church
A.
The commitment and
responsibility of the administration (v.1-2)
B.
The revelation and
content of the mystery (v.3-6)
C.
What is given and
entrusted to the minister (v.7-11)
D.
The faith and tribulations of the minister (v.12-13)
The Prayer of the
Apostle for the Church ---- Which Speaks of the Necessary Experience for us
A. That we shall be strengthened with might in the
inner man (v.14-16)
B. That Christ may dwell in our
hearts (v.17)
C. That we
shall be
rooted and grounded in love so that we shall be able to comprehend the surpassing fullness of Christ to us
(v.18)
D.
That we shall know
the love of Christ (v
E.
That we shall be
filled with the fullness of God (v.19b)
F.
That we shall know the power of God that works in us (v.20)
G.
That we shall know
the relation of the church with the glory of God (v.21)
II. Verse by Verse commentary
Eph. 3:1 “For this reason I, Paul,
the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--”
YLT: “For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of
Christ Jesus for you the nations,”
Literal
Meaning: “for this reason”: it means that this paragraph relates to the truth
mentioned in the
previous two chapters.
“For you
Gentiles”, it indicates
that Paul was imprisoned because of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, but it
aroused the wrath among the Jews.
“The
prisoner of Christ Jesus”, it
also indicates that Paul was imprisoned for the sake of Christ. Apparently, Paul was a
prisoner in the jail of
“Pray for
you”, this phrase is not in the original
manuscript,
but is added by the Bible translators according to the meaning of
verse 14,
because the paragraph from
verse 2 to 13
is a paragraph
that branches off to another topic, which is marked off with parenthetical words. For this reason, verse 14 is
a continuation of verse 1.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Paul
considered
that it was Christ
Himself whom Paul had seen in his vision that confined him and took away his freedom, not the Roman’s prison.
2) The
life of Christians is indeed glorious and
amazing! It is far more precious in comparison to our individual’s freedom, and even more precious than our life!
3) We
could see from this verse, Paul did not have
any sigh of complain for his imprisonment. On the contrary, he considered it as a
kind of glory.
4) Only
those who peacefully enjoy “Christ
as our prison”
can have the eyes of their hearts opened and see the heavenly vision.
5) If
our “actions” have still not been
sufficiently confined, perhaps our
vision is not sufficiently
clear.
6) Paul
said that his being imprisoned was
for the sake of the saints ---- every experience that we meet in our
surrounding does not only relate to
us individually, but also to the
saints who have been entrusted to us by God.
7) All
the real workers of God have to some extent some forms of suffering in the physical body (Col. 1:24). The
more we suffer for the sake of the
Lord, the more riches of Christ we can supply to others.
Eph. 3:2 “if indeed you have heard of
the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,”
YLT: “if, indeed, ye did hear of the dispensation
of the grace of God that was given to me in regard to you,”
Meaning of Words: “if indeed”: if truly; “dispensation”: plan, arrangement, management, administration,
stewardship;
The
Background: Paul had been in
Literal
Meaning: “the dispensation of the grace
of God”,
“grace”, God makes
men enjoy the unsearchable riches of Christ in Christ. Therefore, “the dispensation of the grace
of God”,
those who faithfully manage and operate
the riches of Christ can make other
believers obtain such grace of enjoying
Christ.
The whole verse shows that Paul
is one who have been entrusted by God to share the grace of God with the Gentile believers
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Concerning the ministry of
being a servant of God, a successful minister
requires not only ability,
learning, eloquence, but also a loving heart toward man.
2) If
we do not have a heart concerning for the souls of man, we
cannot be “fishers of men.”
3) We
can see from this verse, “dispensation” itself
is actually a kind of gift
of grace!
The dispensation is given by the gift
of grace, which
suggests us that ---- if God calls someone to do His
work, He must
give him certain gift(s) of grace.
4) A
worker selected and called by God must have been entrusted
by God.
5) If a man has been truly
entrusted by God, those who are far
or near him will definitely realize or hear the commitment of God to him.
6) What
God has entrusted to us is a portion of grace rather than a heavy
burden.
7) The grace of God is not given for our own extravagant enjoyment,
but for the purpose of sharing with others with all gladness as well.
Eph. 3:3 “how that by revelation He
made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,”
YLT: “that by revelation He made known to me the
secret, according as I wrote before in few --”
Meaning
of Words: “revelation”: to unveil the stage curtain; “briefly”: slightly.
Literal
Meaning: “revelation”: to unveil the mystery that
was previously hidden for all to know.
“The
mystery”, it
refers to the plan that was hidden in God. According to the
context, the mystery refers to the mystery of Christ (v.
4), which is that the
Gentiles will have
part in one
body in Christ (v.6), namely, the church (v.
9-10). The church
was originally a mystery. However, God
has now already
revealed this mystery to His holy apostles, who have
also taught and
revealed them to the rest of the saints afterwards.
“As I have
briefly written already”,
there are two meanings: (1) it refers to the previous two chapters of this epistle. (2) It spoke
of another epistle written
to the church in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) People
often mistakenly regard the
word “mystery” as something that is very nebulous,
uncertain, difficult to ascertain
or define, or something that can be called “secret”.
2) This
verse tells us that this mystery has already been revealed to us and for all to
know.
3) The
wiles of Satan is to make the truth
of the Christianity into mysterious doctrine (Rev. 2:24) so that it will mislead the weak Christians willfully (Eph.
4:14).
Eph. 3:4 “by which, when you read,
you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),”
YLT: “in regard to which ye are able, reading , to
understand my knowledge in the secret of the Christ,”
Meaning
of Words: “read”:
to openly read aloud,
read out in the presence of the public; “understand”: to realize, comprehend, sees
clearly, fully realize with keen observation, deep and thorough comprehension,
and understand clearly.
Literal
Meaning: “the
mystery of Christ”, the mystery of God is Christ
(Col. 2:2). The mystery of Christ is the church.
This mystery is explained in details in verse 6 of this chapter. In brief, it
is both the Gentile believers and the Jewish believers that have become fellow heirs and that have part in the mysterious body of Christ, and that are joint-partakers of God’s promise.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Paul
neither boasts
nor hides what has
been granted to him, but
cares only for the glory of God and
then does
what he has
to do and says
what he needed to say.
2) If
a Christian purposely hides excessively the spiritual vision of him, it possibly stems from the self-humility, which still carries
the will of his “self” but partly ignores the glory
of God.
Eph. 3:5 “which in other ages was not
made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His
holy apostles and prophets:”
YLT: “which in other generations was not made
known to the sons of men, as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and
prophets in the Spirit --”
Meaning
of Words: “revealed”: to make known, reveal clearly;
Literal
Meaning: “other ages”, it refers to the Old Testament times.
“Was not
made known to the sons of men”,
it did not mean that God in the Old Testament times had never mentioned the mystery concerning the church (in the Old Testament,
there were also
some passages pertaining to the typifications
of the church
and prophesies). Here
it means that the degree of the revelation in the past was as neither sufficient nor obvious as the
present revelation.
“Now”, it refers to the New
Testament age.
“Holy
apostles”, refer to those who are sent by; “prophets” speak of those who
speak for God. All the truth of God
in the New Testament has
already been revealed to the holy apostles and prophets. After the completion of
the book of the Revelation, the revelation of God is finished and perfected. No one can add to or diminish from it (Rev.
22:18-19).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “Apostles
and prophets” are both in plural
also in the original. It does not
mean that this mystery is revealed to the apostle Paul alone and
the rest of the apostles and prophets do not know anything about it at all.
2) If
we have not
received
any revelation from God, we
can neither know God nor His mystery. Therefore, we have to pray
that the Lord will
grant to us the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Eph. 1:17).
3) The
intention of God in revealing His mystery to us is not that we can
be spiritually arrogant, but
that we would spread it on to others, that they may know this mystery, have a
share in our midst, and be co-laborers with God, until God’s purpose is fully fulfilled in us.
Eph. 3:6 “that the Gentiles should be
fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through
the gospel,”
YLT: “that the nations be fellow-heirs, and of the
same body, and partakers of His promise in the Christ, through the good news,”
Meaning
of Words: “fellow”:
to unite together, fellowship, to be included; “heirs”: to dispense lot; “partakers”: share, participate in;
Literal
Meaning: “fellow heirs”, it points to
not only having the Father’s life, but also gaining all the privileges of son, who has the authority of inheriting
the Father’s inheritance.
“Of the same
body”,
become one body together, namely, the mystical body of Christ ---- the church;
“Partakers
of His promise”,
here the “promise” is singular,
which refers to all the spiritual
blessings as a whole that God in Christ has promised to the church.
The above-mentioned three kinds of
blessings include all the blessings in both the Old and the New
Testaments. The Old Testament blessings can only be enjoyed by the children of
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) In
Christ, there is no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. We, the
Gentile believers, are not second-class citizens, but have the same position as
the Jewish believers.
2)
There is no acceptance of persons with God. His
grace is totally open to various kinds of people, and no matter who can appropriate
His grace.
Eph. 3:7 “of which I became a
minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective
working of His power.”
YLT: “of which I became a ministrant, according to
the gift of the grace of God that was given to me, according to the working of
His power;”
Meaning
of Words: “minister”:
attendant, servant, messenger, waiter;
“according
to”: based on; “working”: usage, function; “power”:
energy, impelling strength, lively power; “given”: gives or grants;
Literal
Meaning: “I
became a minister”, it
is for the good of others, especially referring to those who minister the
gospel into people.
“The gift
of the grace of God”, according to the original manuscript, it is “the gracious gift of the grace of God”. It is grace that
God has given Himself to us. And it is the “gracious gifts” that God has also
freely given us the spiritual instinct.
“The
effective working of His power”, in
the life that God has given us, there is
the effective working of His risen
power. The gracious gift comes
into being through the operation of this power.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The service of preaching
the gospel is an honorable
privilege, which shows
God’s gracious favor upon us.
2) The
gracious gifts that God had given to Paul made
Paul a minister
of the gospel, and the gift was also
the basis for his being a minister of the gospel.
3) Paul said that what was behind his work was the effective and living power of God. If God gives us any kind of responsibility, He will
also give us the necessary grace.
4) Whatever
kind of gracious gifts we have received from God shows what kind of responsibilities He will give us.
5) The gift of God not only gives grace to the recipients,
but also makes the power work
in the recipients
so that they will be able to receive.
Eph. 3:8 “To me, who am less than the
least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,”
YLT: “to me -- the less than the least of all the
saints -- was given this grace, among the nations to proclaim good news -- the
untraceable riches of the Christ,”
Meaning
of Words: “unsearchable”: footprints that cannot be tracked down, untraceable, can not keep up with a horse race;
Literal
Meaning: “who am less than the least of
all the saints”, the
least of all. It
meant that it was not that
he had any special qualifications that enabled him to receive of the unique grace of God.
“The
unsearchable riches of Christ”, the
riches in
Christ are unsearchable to men.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Paul
did not say that he was
less than the least of the apostles, but he was less than the least of all
saints. It
indicated
that we could also receive whatever grace he had received. Each
brother and sister could
receive the same grace that Paul had received. Therefore, do not maintain that the achievements
of Paul are unattainable.
2) The
more a believer grows in his spiritual life and his experiences, the more humble he will be and the more he will see himself clearly.
3) Only
to the humble saints will
the Holy Spirit teach and make them
comprehend how
unsearchable the riches of Christ are.
4) Those
who truly wish to serve the church
must preach the riches of Christ.
And those
who preach the riches of Christ intently are truly
the ministers of the church
who present real
supply and edification
to the church.
5) The
gospel neither
tells us what we should do, nor asks us to do anything, but tells us what God has given us and what we have received from Him. The central message
of the gospel is none other than Christ Himself.
6) The
gospel is not about some
fragmentary truth about
Christ. The glorious
gospel of God
is this unlimitedly
abundant Christ Himself.
7) Man’s knowledge cannot compare to
the revelation of God. The riches of Christ
are unsearchable and untraceable. Man can never understand Christ if he relies on
himself.
8) The
riches of Christ are inexhaustible and will never be drained. No matter how
much or how often we receive them,
the riches of Christ will be still as full
as the beginning.
9) We should ask for the help of God that we shall no longer
live like beggars and shall be no
longer in poverty,
deficit, hardship,
fright, or instability.
This world provides us with a most suitable
opportunity to preach the
“unsearchable riches of Christ” to men.
10) When we preach Christ to others, it is often
a little of Him,
not the unsearchable
riches of Christ.
11) People in the world judge
Christ according to what they have seen in us. If the impression we leave on men is that whenever we encounter a crisis, our status of being Christians makes no difference, they will not listen to our
message of the gospel, nor will they gaze upon the Christ.
12) If we have the privilege to speak for God
or do a work for Him, we must remember
---- the
greatness of us does
not lie in ourselves, but
the message and the work given to us by God.
13) The pitiful situation today is that
people are only
concerned
about their own reputation, but
not exalt Christ. They put themselves under the flashing light, but hide Christ in the shadow.
Eph. 3:9 “and to make all see what is
the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been
hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; ”
YLT: “and to cause all to see what the fellowship
of the secret that hath been hid from the ages in God, who the all things did
create by Jesus Christ,”
Meaning
of Words: “see”:
to illuminate, illumine clearly, illumination ray in… above; “hidden”:
covered, buried;
“fellowship”:
stewardship, plan;
Literal
Meaning: “to make all see”, to cause man to be enlighten, i.e. to receive
revelation.
“What is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all
things”,
God had a plan before the creation of the world of gaining a group of men to be the body of His
Son ---- the church ----
to manifest Christ. However, this plan
was hidden in God and was unknown to all the created things. Therefore, it was a
hidden mystery.
“What is
the fellowship”, God has His dispensation
and management in the universe
---- that is to accomplish the mystery which was firstly hidden in Him.
In the Old
Testament ages, the mystery concerning the church was not known clearly to any person. But now through the preaching of the
apostles, all of us
will be enlightened and come to know how the hidden mystery is gradually carried out.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Paul
said that part of the work he had been called
to do was to “make all see” the heart of men, thus
causing them to see the will of God. It unveils men’s hearts toward God are still dark.
2) The
work of preaching
the gospel is not only preaching Christ, but
also making
man to see. Therefore,
preaching of the gospel should enlighten and
reveal others and manifest to them what they have to see.
3) “God
who created all things”, it indicates
that this world belongs to God who created
them. If we
want to understand the current world’s situation and what is going on in this
world, we must see from
the perspective of God.
4) The
world today is not in accordance with the original will of God who created them. This is a
world that has lost its normal state,
but “God who created all things”
has a plan ---- He has
determined to restore this world back to its perfect order. Therefore, He will use the church as a new creation to attain to such goal of Him.
Eph. 3:10 “to the intent that now the
manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities
and powers in the heavenly places,”
YLT: “that there might be made known now to the
principalities and the authorities in the heavenly, through the assembly, the
manifold wisdom of God,”
Meaning
of Words: “manifold”:
much variegated, multifarious, many-sided (like the many sides of the diamond,
which can reflect its radiance and increase its beauty);
Literal
Meaning: “the principalities and powers
in the heavenly places”, it refers
to various social strata and
levels of angels in the heavenly places. Perhaps,
it also includes Satan and its
fallen angels. What God has planned for the church will
not only be
shown to people in this world, but also for all the strata of
angels (1 Cor. 4:9;
11:10).
“The
manifold wisdom of God”, God’s wisdom is multifarious, the manifold
wisdom. This chapter
indicates that the abundant wisdom is revealed in the plan of God toward the church.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The
church is God’s vessel ---- not only sinners on
the earth shall be
saved through her
preaching the gospel, but also shall the angels
in the heavenly places know
God’s manifold wisdom through the church.
2) Since
the church is the masterpiece of God’s wisdom,
how then can we neglect God’s heart toward the church?
3) It
is “now” that God wants others to know His manifold wisdom in the church. Therefore,
the church has to be built here on the earth today. And it is not until the
future that the glory of the church shall
be revealed.
4) We
can say that the church
on the earth today will be the all in all in the coming new heavens and earth.
She is the model of heading up all things as one in Christ. Therefore, we should not overlook the value of
the church today.
5) The multifarious, abundant and colorful wisdom of God will be
completely manifested through the church. The church is like a three-faceted prism, which unfolds the mixed color spectrum of the wisdom of God.
6) The
word “manifold” used
by Paul means “multifarious in color” in the
original.
It means that the
wisdom and grace of God can
handle all the various circumstances
in our lives.
No matter they are
bright or dark (good or bad), sunshine or shadow, God can make us more than conquerors.
Eph. 3:11 “according to the eternal
purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,”
YLT: “according to a purpose of the ages, which He
made in Christ Jesus our Lord,”
Meaning
of Words: “eternal”:
for generations, eternal, before time began; “purpose”: decision, aim;
Literal
Meaning: “according to the eternal
purpose”, it spoke of God’s plan that He had made before
the creation of the world or
the eternal purpose of God.
“In Christ
Jesus our Lord”, it
meant that God’s purpose was made
in Christ Jesus and would be worked
out or taken effect in
Christ at the appointed time.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) God has the timetable
for His will. God will accomplish His purpose, no matter how long it takes. Therefore we
cannot tell the
success or failure of God’s purpose
according to the present state.
2) Many times, men believed that the church had already failed and
had come to a dead end. And many times,
men ridiculed the church, mocked her, and even
nearly buried her. However,
just the moment when they were about to
put her into the grave, all of a sudden the church was
raised and had
another revival! Thus God once again revealed His wisdom.
Eph. 3:12 “in whom we have boldness
and access with confidence through faith in Him.”
YLT: “in whom we have the freedom and the access
in confidence through the faith of him,”
Meaning
of Words: “boldness … with confidence”: confidently without fear, open and frank, with a
brave heart; “through faith”: truly trust, have faith, being
self-confident; “access”: have
the open channel to approach, through guidance, admission authority;
Literal
Meaning: “in Whom … through faith in Him”, the plan that God had accomplished was so mysterious and lofty, yet in
Christ we can have part
in this plan. What
great grace it is!
“Boldness …
with confidence”, it
means there is neither
fear, nor terror, nor
worry about being rejected. It also means being free from all evil thoughts that may hinder our prayers. In short, there is not any form of
restriction or fear.
“Through
faith”, it means that we
have already obtained a kind of self-confidence because of our past
experiences.
We are fully sure of being accepted
by God.
“Access”, it means that since we have
received a special privilege, we will be sure that
He must accept us and He delights in drawing near to us, so we can approach God without
any hindrance.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) True
faith is based on one thing, namely,
Christ Himself. He is both the basis of our faith and the object of our faith.
2) Though we
definitely have the privilege of approaching God, it is not based on ourselves, but Christ who
has brought us before God.
We cannot pray nor come before God unless by our Savior
Jesus Christ.
3) The
only way for us to come to
God confidently is that we know the Son of God has borne our sins on the cross and has suffered the punishment for our transgressions.
4) If
we want to come to
God boldly with confidence, we must never rely on our own feelings or sentiment, for
they are definitely unreliable. What
are reliable only are Christ
Himself and His accomplished salvation.
5) Paul came boldly with confidence to God in order to bow his
knee (v. 14) before God.
It reminds us that our boldness to approach God does not
equal to brazenness,
and true faith does not mean rashness.
We can never be impolite or impudent when coming
before God.
6) Though we have
the privilege to come before God,
it does not mean that we can arrogantly come before the Almighty God. We have to always
approach Him with full humility, being
conscious of the fact that this is a great privilege.
Eph. 3:13 “Therefore I ask that you do
not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is
your glory.”
YLT: “wherefore, I ask not to faint in my
tribulations for you, which is your glory.”
Meaning
of Words: “tribulations”: pressure, extrusion, narrow, distress; “lose heart”:
depressed, feel surrendered, dejected;
Literal
Meaning: “therefore”, it indicates
that what he is about to say next is
a conclusion of
the foregoing paragraph.
“I ask that
you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you”, Paul said
that he became a prisoner because of seeing the mysterious revelation
of God. Therefore, we should not
lose heart.
“Which is
your glory”, if we
Christians are suffered for the
purpose of having
part in God’s
plan, these are matters of manifesting
God and glorifying Him (1 Pet. 4:14-16).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The
ministers of Christ will definitely
have part
in the tribulations of
Christ. However,
such tribulations are of glory, proving that they are really united with the
crucified Christ.
2) When
a servant of God is undergoing sufferings for the Lord, if it is
taken as
a shame in the sight of other
believers, it
will make
the servants of God feel most
painful.
Eph. 3:14 “For this reason I bow my
knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
YLT: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Meaning
of Words: “bow my knees”: to bend the knees like a camel;
The
Background: In
the old times, the Jews normally stood while praying (Mk. 11:25,
Luke 18:11,13), and
sometimes they knelt
down to pray, especially when they were
in the midst of tribulations or when their hearts are extremely troubled (Dan. 6:10, Luke 22:41, Mk.
10:17). Therefore, the
gesture of kneeling
down to pray shows
special respect or that there may be serious situations.
Literal
Meaning: “for this reason”, it indicates a connection of the context above
concerning the mystery of the
“I bow my
knees to the Father”,
“Father” has two
meanings: (1)
He is our origin.
(2) We are born of God.
The apostle
probably realized what he said in this epistle was not easily understood by some believers. Therefore he
bowed his knees to pray for them. “Bow my knees”, it expressed both humility and sincerity.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “Bow
my knees” represents extremely deep awe, gratitude, humility, and an attitude
of submission. When a creature truly realizes its insignificance and being unworthy of anything, and the
vastness of God’s grace and the
infinite power, the lofty glory,
it will very naturally have such
psychological
and physiological reaction.
2) It
is possible that one
may have bowed
down their knees outwardly, yet he
has not truly bent his knees in his heart. The hypocritical worship will not
be accepted by God.
3) To
bow our knees in prayer is a
sharp weapon in
our spiritual wars.
The devil is most afraid of Christians’ knees.
4) We
Christians ought to often have the shape like a camel’s
knee before God.
5) The
apostle Paul used “for
this reason” three times in this epistle to start a prayer (Eph. 1:15, 3; 1, 14). This reveals that regardless of what kind of circumstance it is, it can be turned into prayer
by Paul. However, for those who do pray,
any circumstance may become an
excuse for not praying.
6) “To
the Father” means “being face
to face with the Father”.
Once we understand that we are
face to face with God when
praying, we cannot help from vowing our knees. It is our bended knees that make us meet God
face to face.
Eph. 3:15 “from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,”
YLT: “of whom the whole family in the heavens and
on earth is named,”
Meaning
of Words: “family”:
household, family link (referring to all the generations and progeny that
issue from
one single father, that is, belonging to the same origin).
Literal
Meaning: “the whole family in heaven and earth is named”, the angels
are
of one family, the children of
“From Whom…
is named”, “is
named”, it
means giving a name. All things that are created by
God receive their
names from the Creator...
just like those who are born receive
their names from the parents
who give
birth to them.
“…is named”, it also means
to receive blessings from Him, because
His blessings are
included in His
Name.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We
Christians have to constantly remember that the name that we have received is
the name of God. We are glorified in His Name!
2) May that we can realize
that we live on this earth representing our heavenly Father’s family. His name
covers us. Therefore, we must never ever bring shame to His name.
Eph. 3:16 “that He would grant you,
according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His
Spirit in the inner man,”
YLT: “that He may give to you, according to the
riches of His glory, with might to be strengthened through His Spirit, in
regard to the inner man,”
Meaning
of Words: “be strengthened”: staunched, have power, strong;
Literal
Meaning: “riches of His glory”, glory is the manifestation of God.
Through each family in the heaven and on the earth, God manifests Himself
through various ways.
Therefore, His glory
is rich and abundant.
“According
to the riches of His glory”, God
works on us according to the riches of glory.
“Through
His Spirit”,
His Spirit is the Holy Spirit, which has the power
of life. God works through the
Holy Spirit within believers,
causing them to have the spiritual experiences.
“The inner
man”, it refers to the new life in the spirit after a man’s being born again.
It is our inner being as well as the
spiritual part, including the thoughts of new man,
will, spirit ---- this inner man is in Christ.
“To be
strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man”, the spiritual new
life of the believers is immature and weak, and it should be grown up to be strong.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) What
we have manifested outside
is according to what we are inside. Whether our inner man is strong or weak
determines whether our testimony is good or bad.
2) To
be strengthened in our inner man is not caused by human effort or human will, but the pure work of
the Holy Spirit. Men may pretend to
be strong outwardly, yet they are weak inwardly. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit can we naturally be strong in
our inner man.
3) When
the inner man is strong, he will easily overcome
temptations, obey the Holy Spirit
and become a spiritual man.
4) Whatever
we lack in our inner man, God can give
us according to His own
essence and gives to us abundantly.
5) The
characteristics of Paul’s prayer: a)
It was definitely spiritual ---- what he
was concerned about was
the spiritual condition of the saints,
not physical enjoyment.
b) It was concrete and specific: his prayer was not empty or
reckless, but was
concrete and full of content.
6) The
way that we Christians
deal with the difficulties in life is not taking some actions in hurry,
but focusing on our spiritual condition.
We Christians shall deal with our difficulties through the Holy Spirit who provides us strength and
resistance.
Eph. 3:17 “that Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,”
YLT: “that the Christ may dwell through the faith
in your hearts, in love having been rooted and founded,”
Meaning
of Words: “dwell”:
completely live together, to calm down, to stay, to stay in permanently, to settle down (this “dwell in” is not once for all, but a continual
process. In fact, this word implies a long-term process, which is different from the
temporary residence.); “rooted and grounded”: to take root and to establish
a base, to cause to take root and to lay a foundation;
Literal
Meaning: “through faith”, faith means having touched the spiritual reality within.
Our faith is Christ rules
and reigns within
us according to our faith.
“Dwell in
your hearts”, it means
dominating and reigning in our
hearts. “Heart”
in the Bible usually refers to the
center part of
a man. It not only refers to the emotional part, but also includes our thoughts, our rationality and our
will. We may
say that it is the castle of our soul.
“That you,
being rooted and grounded in love”,
“rooted” means that we are the plants
planted by God, while “grounded” implies that we are a house built by Him (1
Cor. 3:9). We should
abide in love in order to be rooted
and grounded, and
this love is the fruit of Christ’s
dwelling in our hearts.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Once the inner man is strengthened (v.16), one shall have great
faith. The Lord can make His dwelling in the one who has great faith and
reigns in him.
2) Faith
and love are the conditions for us to experience Christ. We know Christ in faith, and enjoy Him in love.
3) Although
faith is before
love, it is not
the basis of love.
Christ is the real basis of our love.
4) Faith makes us believe
that “Christ dwells in our heart”
---- this is a reality rather than
merely a slogan. Those who are in need of
faith cannot believe this reality.
5) Paul does not pray for us whether we have
love or not, for as the children of God, we more or less have love.
6) Our problem is that our love is not deeply
rooted. Love that is not deeply rooted cannot be trusted, because it constantly
changes.
7) Love that is well rooted and grounded is the
love that can bear tests. If love has not been tested, one cannot tell whether
it is real or
false, whether it is merely a theoretical slogan or a reality. Have our love been
tested?
8) Being rooted and grounded
are something deep and something sought by the Lord. We cannot have
only the superficial love concerning the
testimony of the church.
9) True
love comes from the Lord. Only those who have the Lord dwelling in their hearts have the reliable and deep love.
If it were not because of
Christ, we could not possibly
love those whom we consider to be unlovable.
10) Although
the Lord had entered us the moment when we received Him, we still had to
unceasingly vacate more room in our heart to let Him fill every corner of our
hearts.
11) The
secret of obtaining power is to let Christ “dwell” in our hearts or let Christ
govern all
things in our lives.
Eph. 3:18 “may be able to comprehend
with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--”
YLT: “that ye may be in strength to comprehend,
with all the saints, what the breadth, and length, and depth, and height,”
Meaning
of Words: “be able to”:
great ability, outstanding ability;
“comprehend”: to capture, obtain, or
comprehend;
Literal
Meaning: “to comprehend with all the
saints”, the
love of Christ and Himself are
indeed immeasurably broad and extensive. From our own personal experiences, we can comprehend only a limited part of Him, so we have to comprehend with all the saints together.
“Comprehend”, it speaks of
the understanding in mind, containing
the meaning of “attentively
grasping
with your heart”
or “giving firm assurance in your psyche”.
“What is the width and length and depth and
height”, there
are a few explanations as follows: (1)
It points to the love of Christ ----
it is the widest capacity, and its width
encompasses all the nations on the earth
(Matt. 5:45). It has the
longest time,
and its length is
endless (Jer. 31:3). It has
the deepest degree, and it
is deeper than the sufferings and the sins of man (Rom. 8:35). Its nature in
“height” is far transcending and higher than the heavens (Ps. 103:11). (2) It refers to Christ Himself who is
immeasurable and limitless. The believers’ knowledge and experiences of Christ
start from
one dimension like a dot then extend to be
a line in “width”. Later,
they progresses
unceasingly,
forming a two-dimensional plane surface with
“length”.
They will next turn to three-dimensional space. At last, they will be increased upward, thus
presenting the immeasurably transcending heavenly measure. c) It refers
to God’s plan of
saving man. “Width” is like the present world we live in, but without the
boundary of north,
south, east and
west. “Length” likes the flow
of life of men,
beginning from Adam to those who are yet unborn. “Depth” as the gates of hades, even the most vicious sinners can be saved out of there. “Height”, as the highest of heavens, makes those who
have received the Lord’s grace sit
together with Christ in the heavenly
places.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Only
when we love others to the
furthest extent that we can not give more
love will we know how tremendous the
love of Christ towards us is.
2) Not
only do we need to be gathered
with the saints, but also we
need to apprehend Christ.
Thus, without the life of the body,
there is no possibility for us to fully apprehend Christ.
Even though one has apprehended, it is also deficient.
3) Living
an independent life is
a barrier for a believer to
apprehend the love of Christ. Do not treat the understanding of Christ’s love as a matter of
individual experience.
4) What
our inner capacity is within, Christ will fill to the brim according to our
capacity, because Christ
is unlimited!
5) The
love of Christ far exceeds what man can comprehend. Moreover, Christ’s love continues to enlarge and unfold, surpassing beyond the scope of
all our experiences.
6) The
more we seek to comprehend the love of Christ, the deeper and the more we will obtain, and the more blessings
we will receive.
Eph. 3:19 “to know the love of Christ
which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
YLT: “to know also the love of the Christ that is
exceeding the knowledge, that ye may be filled -- to all the fullness of God;”
Meaning
of Words: “to know”:
the knowledge we gain from our experiences; “passes”: surpassing, exceeding; “filled”: sufficient and full, to
perfect, complete; “fullness”: plentiful, sumptuous, ample,
grow to the full extent;
Literal
Meaning: “to know the love of Christ
which passes knowledge”, although we have
only a little knowledge,
the love of Christ surpasses the knowledge and is beyond what men can comprehend and
imagine. However, when
we are truly experiencing Christ, we can know this love.
“All the
fullness of God”, it stands for the
totality of God’s energy,
strength and attributes.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Only
when we see the
deep poverty of our own love, there will produce the
real humility in us,
thus being filled with all the fullness
of God.
2) The
church should live a life that is filled
with the fullness of God. Yet sadly, the church today often fails to manifest
the fullness of God.
Eph. 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to
do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works in us,”
YLT: “and to Him who is able above all things to
do exceeding abundantly what we ask or think, according to the power that is
working in us,”
Meaning
of Words: “works”:
to work, to produce effect, starts, to be moved; “exceedingly abundantly”: infinitely many, surpassing
super abundance; “to do”: to
operate, to create;
Literal
Meaning: “the power that works in us”, this power is the power of God in the risen life, that is, the impelling
force of God in
our life,
not the power of creation. The creative power of God is mainly for arranging and
preparing our environment. The risen
power of God is for guiding us in our life.
“Exceedingly
abundantly”: extremely
full or
very abundant.
“That
works”, it refers to the works of God
in us inwardly, not outwardly.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The
secret of the Christians’ walking
is “His power
which works in me mightily” (Col. 1:29). The power of God that works in
us is a living power. If we obey
and follow it,
it will definitely produce in us an incomparable result.
2) God does not make us be seated without moving any finger, and wait for His mighty
power to do all things for us. But rather
He makes us be perfected
according to His working
in our hearts through
His power.
3) We
must firstly have “asking” and “thinking” before God’s doing
exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. If we neither ask nor think, God cannot do
anything for us.
4) We need not only ask and think, and what we ask should not be smooth circumstances and what we think not be worldly blessings, but spiritual
achievements and the advancement of works. Thus, God will
do exceedingly
abundantly above all that we ask or think for us according to the power
that works in
us.
5) A
spiritually sloppy man who
is idle in
seeking spiritual
things can never draw
from the
promise of God
in this verse.
Eph. 3:21 “to Him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ”
YLT: “to Him the glory in the assembly in Christ
Jesus, to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.”
Literal
Meaning: “in the church by Christ Jesus”, it reveals the intimate oneness
between Christ and the church.
“Be glory
in the church”, that God is
glorified “in
the church” means God is
manifested in all the saints. As people see the church, they see God, so they will
give glory to God. Moreover,
that God is
glorified “in Christ” speaks of not only the church, but also each household, because Christ is
the head of the church and all things. God in
Christ Jesus manifests
His glory through all things (Rom. 1:20).
“To all
generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
---- Concerning the time,
the glory of God is not limited to the age of the church but
to all generations and forever. In
terms of space, it is also not limited to the church,
and includes all things as well.
Therefore, whether in terms of time or space, they are both boundless, and all
glory should be given to
God.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual
Lessons
The Mystery of the Church
A. Which is related to Christ (v.4)
B. Which is the accomplished according to the eternal
purpose of God (v.11)
C. Which was hidden in the past (v.5,9)
D. Which is revealed now (v.3,5)
E. Which is partaken by both the Gentiles and the
F. The purpose ---- “the manifold wisdom of God might be
made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly
places (v.10)”
The Minister of the Church
A. Who is for the saints (v.1-2)
B. Who works according to the dispensation of the grace
of God (v.2)
C. Who works according to the gift of the grace of God (v.2,8)
D. Who works according to the effective power
of God within (v.7)
E. Who knows the mystery of Christ by revelation (v.3-4)
F. Who preaches
the unsearchable riches of Christ
(v.8)
G. Who make others known that the dispensation
to the church according to the mysterious counsel of God (v.9)
H. Who has tribulations (v.1,13)
I. Who partakes such ministration is the
mystery of the gospel (v.7)
The Wings for Believers to Spread out
A. The wings of prayer ---- the private prayer
and the public prayer (v.14,20)
B. The wings of power ---- the glory of God and
the Spirit of God (v.16)
C. The wings of faith ---- faithfulness and
faith (v.17)
D. The wings of love ---- loving God and loving
men (v.17)
E. The wings of understanding ---- know
individually and know with others together (v.18)
F. The wings of fullness ---- God’s filling and
men’s being filled (v.19)
G. The wings of fulfillment ---- what we ask and
what we think (v.20)
The Seven Testimonies that Christ Abides in
us
A. There is the cross (v.1)
B. There is the life of prayer (v.1).
C. There is the revelation of Christ (v.3).
D. There is the minister of the gospel (v.7).
E. Be strengthened with might in the inner man (v.16).
F. Be rooted and grounded in love (v.17).
G. Be powerful in prayer (v.20-21).
The Mystery in Christ
A. The spiritual meaning of this mystery:
1. The hidden will of God (v.9) ---- in God
2. The manifold wisdom of God (v.10) ---- through the church
3. The counsel of redemption (v.11) ---- the eternal purpose
4. The revelation through the Spirit (v.5) ----
be made known to men
B. The function of this mystery (v.6):
1. Be fellow heirs
2. Be of the same body
3. Be partakers of His promise
C. The ultimate purpose of this mystery
(v.12-13):
1. Have boldness
in Christ
2. With confidence
in Christ
3. Be wholly for the glory of God in Christ
The Reality in Christ
A. The quality of the
reality (v.14-16) ---- the love of God
B. The measure of the reality (v.18) ---- the
love of Christ and what is the width and length and depth and height
C. The stature of the reality (v.16-17):
1. The inner man
2. Be strengthened
3. Dwell in those who are in Christ through
faith
D. The power of the reality (v.17-21:)
1. Be able to build up;
2. Be able to penetrate;
3. Be able to fill;
4. Be able to accomplish;
5. Be able to glorify God;
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Overcomer Wu & Mary
Zhou