For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of 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 by his Spirit in the inner man; THAT Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; THAT ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend 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 fulness of God. 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 throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21
For this cause……..Verses 2-13 are parenthetical. Paul repeats this phrase from verse 1 to continue his line of thinking from Ephesians chapter 2 concerning the riches believers have in Christ. I (Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, see vs 1), bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (not necessarily our physical position, but certainly the submission of our will to Him)**, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (a reference to Christian believers – Jew and Gentile alike).
That……There are no less than four that‘s which are Paul’s requests unto to God for his fellow believers – Jew and Gentile. The THAT’s above are like falling dominoes. Fulfillment of the first spills onto the the next and so on. We will concern ourselves only with the first that, which will teach us something more of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church today.
……….that he would grant you,……..The word translated grant is a derivative of the Greek word didomi which simply means to give.* The Giver is God, the recipient of the gift is the believer who apart from God is without this gift. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,….James 1:17.
.……according to the riches of his glory..……The word for riches is the Greek word ploutos which is used in the NT of (I) material “riches,” used evilly, and (II) of spiritual and moral “riches,” possessed by God and exercised towards men.* The latter (II) are rich benefits, wealth, or abundant blessing which flow from God or Christ.***
……..to be strengthened with might……The meaning for to be strengthened is self explanatory. The Greek word used here is from the root word krataiow which basically means to be strengthened,* as it is translated. The important observation is that it is in the passive voice, meaning the subject (believers) are being acted upon. This is not a strength that can be mustered up by the individual. The source of this strength is God Himself.
……….by his Spirit…….The English translation, by his Spirit, does not adequately express what is contained in this phrase in the Greek language. The word eis is included in the Greek, but its meaning is not conveyed in the translation. It can mean one, only, one virtually by union, one and the same. Another form of this word includes the meaning of oneness and unity. This word emphasizes the unity of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). It emphasizes the one and only Spirit of God as opposed to the many spirits in the world.
……….in the inner man…….This is not outward physical strength that Paul is petitioning for his fellow believers. It is a supernatural inner strength that enables a believer to be delivered from the power of sin after he/she realizes his/her own strength is not sufficient . It is a supernatural inner strength that enables a believer to stand alone when all others including family are opposed. It is a supernatural inner strength that enables a believer to be sustained when all other avenues of resources have been depleted. It is what sustains when the will is broken, the physical is exhausted, and the emotions have run dry. It is not to be merchandized. It is for our sustaining power and for His glory.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31
*Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words – pgs 265, 533-534, & 605; **MacArthur Study Bible NKJV – notes on Ephesians 3:14; ***The Analytical Greek Lexicon, Zondervan Publishing House, Sixth Printing 1970 – pg 330.