Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians

Halfway through his letter to the Ephesians, Paul pauses to pray for the church. He asks the Father for strengthening power, an ability to grasp the love of Christ, and that they may be filled with the fullness of God. Let’s take a brief glimpse at this profound prayer with some help from the Focus on the Bible commentary.

I. Prayer for strengthening power in the inner being (3:16–17)

Paul has spelled out the riches that we have in Christ in the first two chapters (see 1:7, 18; 2:7 also 3:8). Now he prays on bended knee that out of his glorious riches they may know God’s power within them.

Paul had urged his readers not to be discouraged in verse 13. What he prays for is that they will realise what is theirs already through the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit who will strengthen them in their inner being. They need this power and strengthening to face this world in which they have to stand for Christ, a world in which they will sometimes feel powerless and alone, and certainly without any power in the world’s eyes.

We must not separate the Spirit from Christ as if the Spirit were somehow an impersonal force that gives power. Rather it is by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit that Christ is known in the innermost part of the Christian’s being. This indwelling of Christ by his Spirit in the life of the believer is essential for our comfort in difficulties, but also for power to live as we should for him, to witness for the gospel, and conduct our lives in a holy way reflecting Christ himself.

Verse 17 speaks of the same thing. This indwelling of Christ at the very heart of our being is appropriated through faith. As we place our faith in the one who died for us and brings us forgiveness of our sins, so we find him taking up residence at the centre of our lives by his Spirit. Paul is praying that the reality of this presence of Christ in the believer’s life may have a dramatic effect on the life of the believer.

II. Prayer for the ability to grasp the love of Christ (3:17–18)

Paul continues, (literally) so that you being rooted and established in love, may have power … to grasp … The presence of Christ brings the extraordinary love of God right to the centre of our being, for although that love of God is the source of our salvation, it is also the basis on which we are enabled to move forward in this world as disciples of Christ. This is why it is so vital that we grasp the full extent (how wide and long and high and deep) of the love of Christ.

Through faith we receive the love of God as Christ dwells in our inner being by the power of the Spirit. By this same Spirit we receive power to grasp and experience this love that indwells us, and thus to grasp its implications for our lives. Thus we shall lead lives that will be stronger and more powerful in witness and holiness and in the demonstration of love. But we shall also live lives that are less discouraged (v. 13), and that are full of worship and praise to the one who has so loved us (vv. 20–21).

Thus far we have seen that Paul’s prayer can be applied to the individual believer, but we must be aware that this is his prayer for the church. This comes out again in the words together with all the saints. It is not even just the Ephesian Christians who must grasp the wonder of Christ’s love, but all Christians across all ages. While all that is said applies to the individual believer, its importance for the church must not be missed. Together as God’s people, members of his family, we grasp the full extent of God’s love in Christ.

III. Prayer that they may be filled to the fullness of God (3:19)

On the one hand Paul prays that we may grasp the amazing love of Christ, and yet he knows too that, ultimately, this is a life-long endeavour for God’s people and one that cannot ever be satisfied until we see him face to face, for we are to know this love that surpasses knowledge. There is no way in which the real depth of God’s love in Christ can be grasped by fallible human beings. Yet even so, the growing and maturing in understanding and experience of that love is something that no Christian should ignore, for it truly roots us and establishes us in Christ himself. Thus, the climax is reached in an extraordinary statement: that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

This is the goal of Christians. It can also be described as becoming Christ-like (see 4:13). Our goal as individuals and supremely as the church, the body of Christ, is fully to reflect the image of God (see comments on 1:23). As we come to know and experience the wonder of Christ’s love at work deep within us, so we will go on and on being filled with the Spirit (5:18).

The progression in Paul’s prayer here is interesting. In line with Christ’s words in John’s Gospel (14:26; 15:26; 16:15), the Spirit points us to Christ and so Paul first asks that the Spirit will empower us to grasp the extraordinary love of Christ. No doubt as we grasp this it will be centred in our amazement that he should die for us to bring us grace and mercy and reconciliation. But as we come to Jesus and grasp more and more deeply this love that surpasses knowledge so we come to God himself. This prayer is profoundly Trinitarian.

Keep Reading the Focus on the Bible Commentary

The Focus on the Bible commentary is a popular level and non-technical commentary useful for laypeople and pastors alike. Anyone looking to grow in Christ will benefit from these clear expositions of God’s Word. Pick up an individual volume or the full set through the link below!