hend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height-, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God (vv. 17-19). Here then is the end in view of the “settling down” of Christ in the heart. He uses .two figures of speech, one of a tree, the other of a building. “Root ed”: that is of a tree; “grounded”: that is of a building. But whether building or tree, it is planted in the soil, and God’s foundations are all deep. (Con nect Heb. 11:10 with Rev. 21:14.) And there is no soil foundation which is so gripping, so binding, as divine love. This rooting and grounding in love is with a view to an all-embracing com prehension of the love of God. But ob serve that it reads (literally) “with all the saints.” It seems to be a corporate comprehension of which he speaks. All that the Apostle is asking for may in deed be beyond the grasp of one in dividual believer, but each one may grasp some portion; and each believer contributes by his own apprehension to the sum total of the comprehension of “all the saints.” Broadus, “This comprehension has four dimensions: he does not say to what these dimensions apply. The con text of the preceding and of the follow ing verse suggests the love of God. The breadth of that love knows no racial boundaries (v. 6), a n d embraces ‘things on earth and things in heaven’ (Col. 1:20); the length reaches back ‘before the foundation of the world’ (1:4) and forward ‘unto all the gen erations of the age of the ages’ (v. 21 lit. trans.); the depth he is to show us in the next chapter taking Christ down into the deep abyss of death (4:9); and the height is where Christ is exalted above all conceivable rivals, and the Church in Him (1:19-23).” The apostle is not a visionary: he believes that the prayer can be real ized. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus through all ages (vv. 20, 21).
dwell in your hearts by faith (w . 16, 17). This might of which he speaks, and for which he pleads, is indeed mighty. It is “the exceeding greatness of his power” (1:19); it is the “effectual working of his power’’ (3:7); but mar velous miracle — it is “the power that worketh in us” (3:20). It is resurrec tion power (1:20); but it is secret and silent power, “in the inner man.” And observe that his thought is back at the temple again. He is speaking in temple terms. “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” It links up with the end of chapter 2. The temple had been God’s place of abode. When Solomon dedicated the temple, we read:V“Then spake Solomon, ‘The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in forever’ (I Kings 8:12-13).” And the glory of Jehovah filled" the house. “That Christ may dwell.” The dec laration of the apostle John will be re membered, where he says: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” But the word which he uses there in dicates a temporary dwelling place. It is better rendered “tabernacled.” The earth is not God’s permanent abode. Even in Revelation 21:3 the word used is the one which indicates a temporary abode. It would read literally: “The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will tabernacle with them.” It is the word of a temporary sojourning, of an intermittent abiding place. But the word which is used here in the epistle means to “settle down.” And here is a threefold miracle: (a) that Christ should desire to settle down in a human heart; (b) that human hearts should hesitate to take Him in: (c) that it should be possible for Him to so reside. And notice that once again in this epistle we have the three Persons of the Trinity. He is praying the Father that the Spirit may strengthen their hearts, that Christ may dwell in them, That ye, being rooted and ground ed in love, may be able to compre
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