The Unfathomable Power of God (Eph. 3:20-21) (Part 1 of 2) by Carey Dillinger (Reprinted from the Expository Files)
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, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (NKJV)
If we outline Paul's letter to the Ephesians very broadly it
consists of two parts as described by Paul in Eph. 2:10:
* Christian Doctrine: Chapters 1-3, "For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works…" Here Paul describes
spiritual blessings that accrue to us in Christ.
* Christian Morality: Chapter 4-6, "… which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them." Paul then closes
the letter by showing that such spiritual wealth must be applied.
In this article we will attempt to show that Eph. 3:20-21 is the passage that acts as the hub of the entire Ephesian letter. Without an omnipotent God, there would be no doctrine or morality worth following and there would be no reason for mankind to unite under Christ.
The Doxology - Introduction
The doxology of 3:20-21 acts as the conclusion of not only the prayer of 3:14-19, but also of the first three chapters. It serves as an introduction to the last three chapters as well.
By examining the prayer and then taking a look at the broader context we can come to understand that Paul realized that unity among believers takes divine intervention. Man will not be able to understand God's limitless power because man has a limited mind. So powerful is our God that even mortal enemies (such as the Jews and the Gentiles of Paul's time) can become united in Christ Jesus.
Note: "Doxology" is not a Biblical word, but it describes
a particular type of phrase or sentence that frequently occurs
in the Bible. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary a doxology
is "an expression of praise to God." Many of us are
familiar with T. Ken and G. Franc's "Doxology," which
is often sung as a closing hymn:
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!"
The Conclusion of the Prayer
Eph. 3:14-19: For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)
It is the love for one another as members of the family of God that Paul is stressing in this prayer. It is his wish that each Christian possess this kind of love along with adoption, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, inheritance and all the other God-given spiritual blessings. "It is in the context of loving relationships within the church [emphasis mine, cd] that we experience through one another, the depths of God's love. It is in this context that we grow to the fullness of Christ. All this is possible only because God is 'able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…'" (Larry Richards, The Teacher's Commentary, p. 920.)
"Rooted and grounded in love…" This phrase calls on us as Christians to make a devotional study of the love of Christ, thus filling us with the fervent desire to spread the Gospel ourselves. (This is regardless of the fact that this love has no limits and therefore is beyond our total comprehension.) This is how sinners will be won and the Godhood glorified. (William Hendrickson, New Testament Commentary: Ephesians, p. 178)
Of Gnats and Other Annoyances by Gary Henry (www.brasstacks.org)
During the summer of 1970, I worked for a road construction
company that was rebuilding U.S. Highway 90 along the Mississippi
Gulf Coast following the devastation of Hurricane Camille the
previous summer. Our long work days began about daybreak. Without
even the hint of a breeze at that hour, the waters of the Gulf
of Mexico were as still as a sheet of glass. I would have enjoyed
the freshness of those mornings if it had not been for another
phenomenon familiar to Gulf Coast dwellers: gnats. Down there,
anyone foolish enough to come near the sandy beach that early
on certain summer mornings is going to be attacked. So small you
can hardly see them, these gnats bite with a torment that is out
of all proportion to their size. By mid-morning they've disappeared,
but for the first few hours of the day they are enough to make
a grown man cry.
I remember working one morning with Joe Bridges, a grizzled old
black man who watched out for me on the job and had become a dear
friend. From Tylertown, Mississippi, he had been a common laborer
for many long years and had followed construction jobs all over
the South. I often marveled at the patient, rhythmic way he worked
in difficult conditions, and this morning was no exception. As
I furiously fought the gnats and said unappreciative things about
the day I was born, Joe seemed to take only slight notice of the
devilish little insects.
"Man, how in the world can you stand this?" I finally
screamed. "Don't these gnats bother you?"
"Well," Joe said, looking at me sideways as he adjusted
his hard hat a little, "I guess they would - if I let 'em."
It was some years later that I understood: folks who have known
what real hardship is don't pay much attention to gnats.
One measure of a man is the size of what it takes to annoy him.
Unfortunately, most of us are far too easily irritated. Since
we have so little character, it doesn't take much to get the best
of us. And consequently, our lives are dominated by relatively
minor vexations, things that wisdom says we shouldn't take the
time to be troubled about. We're the victim of every little unpleasantness
that comes along. But rather than grow in character and rise above
these petty annoyances, we spend our lives swatting "gnats."
The real work we were sent here to do ends up being neglected
because we spend most of our time and energy being annoyed.
The tendency to be easily annoyed is far more than a quirky little
"personality" trait. I would suggest that many of the
quite serious problems in life -- especially in our dealings with
other people -- boil down to a failure of self-discipline with
regard to the basic issue of irritability. If not repented of
and removed from our character, annoyance is likely to cause more
deadly destruction than we expect. As bad "habits" go,
being grouchy is far from harmless.
When find ourselves frequently upset over "gnats" and
other annoyances, our hearts are wide open to all manner of evil
things. The Bible warns about this. "Whoever has no rule
over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls"
(Prov. 25:28). "He who is slow to anger is better than the
mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city"
(Prov. 16:32). "The discretion of a man makes him slow to
anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression"
(Prov. 19:11). "Have fervent love for one another, for
'love will cover a multitude of sins'" (1 Pt. 4:8). Love
is not "easily provoked" (1 Cor. 13:5 KJV).
Paul wrote, "Let your gentleness be known to all men"
(Phil. 4:5). The word translated here as "gentleness"
(moderation, meekness) has been defined as "strength under
control." To avoid the destructive effects of annoyance in
our lives, our strength must be under control. To do this, we
must be not only self-disciplined, but wise with a wisdom that
comes from God. Listen well to the words of James: "Who is
wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct
that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you
have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast
and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above,
but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. For where envy and self-seeking
exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing
to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and
without hypocrisy" (Jas. 3:13-17).
Most of us would like to have more "peace of mind."
But we tend to see "worry" as the main hindrance to
that peace. What we fail to recognize is that annoyance is just
as much the enemy of peace of mind as anxiety. The peace of God
hardly reigns in our hearts if we're in a constant state of vexation
over the little irritations of life.
So what is it that really gets your goat? Whether it's a big thing
or a little one, do yourself a favor and give this a try: "Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom.
12:21).
ONE LAST THOUGHT
"Maintaining the right attitude is easier than regaining
the right attitude."
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34748.
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MONTHLY BIBLE READING: Lessons from the Parables: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
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BIBLE INSIGHT is published for the members of, and
visitors to, the Church of Christ at Beverly Shores, Leesburg,
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Carey Dillinger is the editor. He can be reached at the church
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