live2bless

That Mighty Grasp

The Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV) Notice that the Apostle’s prayer is for us to have power to grasp the immensity of Christ’s love for us. Perhaps our grasp has far more to do with keeping a firm grip on the truth that it is Jesus who has a hold on us. Here’s a few poetic lines well worth memorizing: “Let me no more my comfort draw from my frail hold of thee in this alone rejoice with awe — thy mighty grasp of me!”  John Campbell Shairp (1871)

Power To Stay Reassured

The Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV) Yesterday we considered the concept of “being rooted and established in love” as essential to being filled with the fulness of God. But in addition to that, the Apostle prays that the Ephesians “may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” This too is clearly vital for being filled with God’s fulness. I think it could be said that the more we experience of the love of Christ for us, the more we will experience the fulness of God in our lives. But experiencing Christ’s love requires power, the power to grasp it. Why is that? I don’t think it’s because it is in some way evasive. The opposite is true. It’s because we are so evasive. That is to say, so easily distracted to where we lose sight of the one reality that — to experience it — is perfect peace and joy. We need power to keep redirecting our thoughts back to how precious we are to Jesus so that he can easily keep on reassuring us that it is so.

Two Essentials

In my last podcast I proposed that what we read in Ephesians 3:19 could serve as an answer to the question, what is the supreme purpose of humanity. The answer? To “be filled with all the fullness of God.” Notice that leading up to that the Apostle Paul writes that he’s praying that the Ephesian believers be rooted and established in love. Ephesians 3:17 (NIV) For the sake of clarity, let’s use what I think is an excellent synonym for the greek word here translated “love.” The word is “helpfulness.” In that case the Apostle is praying for them to be rooted and established in helpfulness. What does that look like? I suggest that the idea of being “rooted” in helpfulness means you’re committed to helping everyone you know become everything God created them to be no matter how they treat you or anyone else. In other words, through the power of the Holy Spirit you never allow how anyone treats you to unsettle your commitment to their ultimate spiritual well being, and you treat them accordingly. To be “established” in helpfulness I suggests means that you’ve come to the realization that nothing else matters, that you really have nothing better to do than help others become what God created them to be. It seems the apostle is implying that being rooted and established in helpfulness like that is in a sense essential to experiencing the fulness of God.

The Final Goal

I have done a great deal of questioning and thinking regarding just what is the primary purpose for humanity. I came back to a passage in Ephesians that I think could serve as an answer, but before I read it, let’s consider how some long-standing Christian traditions have answered that question. First consider the widely held Westminster Shorter Catechism. It teaches that the supreme purpose of man is to “glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the primary purpose of humanity is to know, love, and serve God, and to thereby attain eternal happiness with Him” (CCC 1721, 1723). From a Lutheran perspective, “the primary purpose of humanity is to live out one's vocation in faith and service, trusting in God's grace and working for the well-being of others and the advancement of God's kingdom in the world.” (ChatGPT) In Anglican theology we find that “the primary purpose of humanity is to love and worship God, grow in holiness and sanctification, serve others with compassion and justice, and participate in God's mission of reconciliation and redemption in the world.” (ChatGPT) In Eastern Orthodox theology we find that “the primary purpose of humanity is union with God and participation in His divine nature through theosis” that is, “the process of sanctification, whereby humans are transformed by grace into the likeness of Christ.” (ChatGPT) Now here’s what I read in Ephesians 3:19 that I think could serve as an answer: What is the supreme purpose of humanity? To “be filled with all the fullness of God.” Now let’s ask, What gets us to that end? And the answer appears in the preceding verses: The Apostle Paul writes, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)

Outgrow Your Delusions

What does it mean to be growing spiritually?  I suggest that it boils down to this: it is to always be outgrowing misconceptions of who we think God is.  The reason I say this is so important is because literally every aspect of our lives mirrors what we actually believe God is like.  Consequently, the more our thoughts of God line up with the truth of who he actually is, the greater our freedom and peace and joy and helpfulness.  So blessed and growing is the person whose personal history “is littered with the debris of discarded misconceptions” of God.