Ephesians 3:19 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Ephesians 3:19

Comments

Of course, we know the love of Christ from his work, from how much he did for us and his sacrifice on Calvary. We know the love of Christ – well, at times we are aware of it – when he somehow infuses the realisation into our hearts and lifts up the soul and blesses us and gives us joy and peace in believing. But what is it ‘to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge’? One day, when we go to glory, we shall be amazed at the realisation of the affection of Christ. I know he has pity for me. I understand in a way that he loves me but I will never know until then the depths of his affection for an unworthy creature. The thoughtfulness of the love of Christ! It is easy to think of the love of Christ in terms of something directed to all his people, but the remarkable thing is that it is so thoughtfully directed to each one of the redeemed. Elect in eternity past, Christ has particularly set his love upon his people: we read in Isaiah 53, that when he was on Calvary, suffering that terrible punishment due to us, he could see in his mind’s eye all those for whom he died. He planned in his mind the things that he would do with us and for us and in us and through us. Not only that, but its generosity. What mighty love constantly poured out upon us. Though so much of our time we are unworthy of his love and we sin against him and sleight him constantly. Yet his love continues to flow towards us and gently bring us back.And then a very mysterious final statement – ‘that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.’ That is in the future; that is in glory. ‘One day’, Paul says, ‘you may reach an awareness of all the fulness of God. You will never be like him, you will never be divine, but in a wonderful sense you will know such joy and happiness and peace, joy unspeakable and full of glory, that you will be brought up to the realisation of all the fulness of God.’

Application

How much we need the daily strengthening. How much we should pray for it and value it. It is a gift, not a reward, which strengthens us for sanctification, which puts Christ in our heart so that he is our greatest interest; which strengthens our faith, and which gives us a deep knowledge of his love for us so that we can even feel it, the love and affection of Christ for his own.

How can the love of Christ, which ‘passes knowledge’, be known? Well, it passes knowledge first in the sense that it is beyond our expectation. We say with the queen of old, ‘The half was not told me.’ I never realised how much I would be supported. I never realised how much I would be forgiven. I never realised how gently I would be brought back from foolish wanderings. It passes knowledge because at times we are upheld beyond any conceivable measure and you won’t have been long in the Christian life before you have had this experience, that you could not have done something and you could not have gone through something as you did, without the strengthening and enabling given to you by God in answer to prayer. It is a love that is only known to saved people. We cannot explain it to others. It is an experience only had by those who walk with the Lord. It passes knowledge because it cannot be entirely known on earth. We can know so much but the day is coming, when our realisation of the love of Christ will be so magnified in glory and we shall register it and measure it and know it. It passes knowledge because there is always more to tell on earth. There are aspects of the love of Christ, which we could tell you today, which we couldn’t have told you last year. It is constantly being discovered and we shall explore it for all eternity.

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Ephesians 3:19 Commentary and Bible Study

Explain meaning of Ephesians 3:19