Rooted and Grounded in Love

Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—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, in the previous verses, explained to the Ephesian Christians that God had made him a minister of the gospel of Christ according to the gift of God’s grace which was given him by the working of God’s power in his life. And then he asked them not to lose heart over what he was suffering for them by bringing them the truth of the gospel. And then we begin with today’s passage which begins by saying, “for this reason..”

Because Paul loved the Lord and he loved the people of God and the people of the world, and because he was called of God to share the truth of the gospel, he also prayed for the Christians. He prayed for their spiritual strengthening in the Lord and in their walks of faith in Jesus Christ. And he did this so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith. So, why would he pray for Christ to dwell in their hearts through faith if they were already believers in Jesus Christ? 

I believe that goes to us understanding what our salvation is all about, for Jesus Christ died on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin and to empower us to walk in holiness and righteousness, in obedience to our Lord, through faith in Jesus Christ. He died that we might die to sin and live to his righteousness. And he died that we might now live for him and no longer for ourselves, and that we might now honor God with our bodies (Romans 6:1-23; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

But the Scriptures do not teach that we can make a one-time decision in our lives to believe in Christ (belief not usually defined) and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us when we die, end of story, and/or regardless of how we live. They teach progressive salvation which requires that we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and that we walk in obedience to God and not in sin, for if we walk in sin, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

So, Paul dedicated much of his ministry to explaining to those who professed faith in Jesus Christ that they must continue steadfast in the faith that he taught them until the very end, and that they must continue to walk in holiness and in righteousness, and in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin. And he chided the Christians, at times, for still being engaged in sinful practices, and he urged them strongly to forsake their sins, for if they did not, they would not inherit eternal life with God.

So, based on the truth of the gospel and what Paul taught the Christians consistently, I believe we have to come to the conclusion here that he was speaking of Christ being with them and in them always, always present with them, always residing within them, that this was the purpose for his prayer for them and for their spiritual strengthening. And this would be by means of a continual exercise of biblical faith in the Lord and in the truth of the gospel, which would be evidenced by their lifestyles of choice.

And he prayed that they would be rooted and grounded in love. And this is agape love, which centers in moral preference, and which means to prefer what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful, etc. So this means that we prefer to live through Christ, to obey his commands, to walk in his ways, and to do what he says for us to do, in his power and strength. He prayed that they would be rooted and grounded in such love in their actions, from their hearts.

And then he prayed that they would have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of what? Commentators don’t all agree on what is meant here, and the way in which it is worded can be confusing. I believe he is speaking of the love of God, of Christ, which surpasses human knowledge. And this is really important that we do grasp this because far too many people today claiming Jesus as their Savior have a distorted view of God and his character and his love.

For God’s love for us is not all this mushy-gushy feel good stuff many people are presenting today. He is not a doting grandfather there in the sky just waiting to grant our every wish and desire. And he is not going to promise you eternal life with God just on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ if you do not walk in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), and if you refuse to bow to him as Lord (Owner-Master) of your life, and if you continue to walk in sin and not in righteousness and holiness. And that is love.

And if we are following him with our lives, he is going to allow us to suffer persecutions, and rejections, and false accusations, and insults, and mockery, and personal attacks on our character, lies being spread about us, and people mistreating us and treating us with disdain. Why? Because he knows this is what is needed to keep us at the cross of Christ, humble, following the Lord with our lives and not getting trapped again by sin’s deceitfulness. He knows we need this to make us into his holy people.

And we are to be filled with all the fullness of God and of his love by us being strengthened with power through God’s Spirit in our inner being, so that we may continue in Christ and in his service and in walks of obedience to him, so that we continue in relationship with him and so we don’t fall away. So, we need to be students of the Scriptures who read them in context so that we don’t buy into the lies, but so we know the truth, and so we obey the truth, so we have the hope of eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296