..
The Unfathomable Power of God
Ephesians 3:20-21
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)
Broadening the Context
Eph. 3:8-12: To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was
given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from
the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through
Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made
known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.(NKJV)
The fellowship of the mystery is the key here. The fact that once mortal enemies
(Jew and Gentile) would become united in one spiritual body via the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ would be a hard pill for either side to
swallow. This union is according to the wisdom of God (vv. 1-13). Beyond God’s
wisdom, He also displays His love in sending Christ to save the world. As
already mentioned this love entails His love for us, His love for His Son, the
Son’s love for us and His Father, and our love for the Father, the Son and each
other.
Eph. 4:1-4: I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy
of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness,
with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just
as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in
you all. (NKJV)
Now Paul segues between the doctrinal portion of his letter and the application
by once again emphasizing the unity that must exist in the church among its
diverse members. Jew and Gentile, Greek and Barbarian, male and female, bound
and free, must all come together under one flag – the cross of Christ! Man would
deem this an impossibility, but all things are possible through an application
of God’s wisdom because His power is limitless.
The Doxology – Conclusion
In spite of the fact that Paul had asked much of God in his prayer, in spite of
the seeming impossibility of uniting all mankind under one spiritual banner,
Paul concludes the prayer with a statement that the commentators call a
“super-superlative.” Paul (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit) coined the
compound word “exceedingly, abundantly, above” to express God’s capacity to
transcend all that we ask or think. (F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Ephesians,
p. 70.)
Although Paul has asked much, God can and is willing to grant more. In order to
appreciate Paul’s super-superlative Hendrickson suggests the following should be
noted concerning Paul’s reasoning: “a) God is able to do all we ask him to do;
b) He is even able to do all that we dare not ask but merely imagine; c) He can
do more than this; d) far more; e) very far more!” God is well deserving of the
“glory in the church” based on His power (1:19; 2:20), wisdom (3:10), mercy
(2:4), love (2:4), grace (2:5-8), and so forth – manifested in the church which
is the body of Christ (the exalted head). (Hendrickson, p. 175.)
Notice the four individuals (or group of individuals) referred to in the
doxology: 1) God, 2) individual Christians, 3) the church, and 4) Jesus Christ.
God’s wisdom (including His plan for the salvation of mankind) requires the
participation of all parties involved. While most of those claiming to be
Christians have no problem with three out of the four of these participants,
many have been willing to sell the importance of the church short.
The Church is important and Paul paints us a glorious picture of it in the
Ephesian letter.
“This world is not what it was meant to be; it is torn in sunder by opposing
forces and by hatred and strife. Nation is against nation, man is against man,
class is against class. Within a man’s own self the fight rages between the evil
and the good. It is God’s design that all men… should become one in Christ. To
achieve this end Christ needs the Church to go out and tell men of His love and
of His mercy. And the Church cannot do that until its members, joined together
in fellowship, experience the limitless love of Christ.” (William Barclay, The
Daily Study Bible: The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, p. 133.)
Those that are looking for an eternal home with the all-powerful God must be
prepared to offer an eternity of doxologies. As so aptly put by hymnist John
Newton in verse four of Amazing Grace:
“When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.”
By Carey Dillinger
From Expository Files 12.9; September, 2005
