Ephesians 3:17-19
“…that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Paul’s reference to the breadth, length, height, and depth most likely refers not to different aspects of the love of Christ, but to the expansiveness and fullness of it. This is in dramatic contrast to the terribly over-simplified way the world defines love.
Most of the time the world portrays love as sentiment and romance. And while there are certainly times (wonderful times) when love involves deep sentiment and heart-racing romance, the love of God must never be confined by or reduced to those occasional experiences.
God’s love is bigger—much bigger—than sentiment and romance. That is because true love is not a feeling, it is a character-driven action. True love is not motivated by mere sentiment; it is motivated by the breadth, length, height, and depth of the very character of God Himself.
To know and experience the fullness of God’s love requires that we walk with him. It is the result of a very deep spiritual relationship. It is the cumulative effect of many experiences with God over time. It goes significantly beyond simply knowing facts about God.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)
Indeed, in this passage Paul says Christ’s love “surpasses knowledge.” Bible knowledge plays a role; but so does worship and prayer, adversity and struggle. success and failure. We discover and learn the fullness of God’s love as we live for Him, walk with Him, and navigate life in a fallen world.
In v.19 Paul communicates the goal of his prayer: “…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” This is simply a restoration of the life for which God created us. Paul prays that we would fully understand and experience the fullness of the purpose for which God created us, as well as the fullness of his presence in our lives.
The request is not for some kind of perfect life devoid of problems and difficulties. Rather, Paul is praying that we would experience the fullness of God’s presence and power so that we can be effective and fruitful in our jobs, our families, and communities.
“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:3-4)
Tim Kight
