by Timothy W. Burnett
Paul started with a mention of the administration of the grace of God and went on to talk about the mystery that was given to him by God to be made known to others. According to verse 5, it was not revealed to the �sons of men� during the past ages, but that it was being revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets from him, by the spirit of God. It was first revealed to Paul, and he was called to share it with the others.
Verse 6 exposes the mystery, �That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.� Gentiles refer to all nations of people other than God�s people as understood during the Old Testament. Peter got a glimpse of this as recorded in Acts chapter 10 where the first Gentiles were filled with holy spirit and got saved just as the first 12 did (see Acts 2:4).
Let�s move on to verses 11-12, �According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.� This is astounding information. Any Christian can boldly access God�s throne of grace with confidence (see also Hebrews 4:16). This is available because of the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ who is alive and in heaven.
Later, Paul talked about how he prayed for the others, �That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man� (verse 16). The inner man refers to the inner seat of our minds, or the heart. When we experience horrible tragedies in life that simply pierce the inner most parts of our hearts with grief and sadness, we have access with boldness to God in heaven to be strengthened with might by His spirit that is in us. According to 1Corinthians 14:15 all Christians can pray with the understanding of their minds and with the spirit of God in them.
We can pour our hearts out to God with tears and in the end, we will be strengthened from within by His spirit. God guarantees it.
It continues with verse 17-19, �That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. That you, 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 surpasses knowledge. That you might be filled with all the fullness of God.� As we continue to go to God with boldness and access with confidence and be strengthened by His mighty strength, then we start learning to let the authority our Lord Christ Jesus dwell in our hearts.
As we continue steadfastly in the faith, we begin to be more rooted and grounded in God�s love to the point of understanding all the dimensions of our whole lives and more importantly, we begin understand the love that Christ Jesus has for us. Remember that Jesus Christ is also a child of God. According to Romans 8:29, he was God�s first born child among many brethren. So with this in mind, we can all learn to love one another with the same love that Jesus Christ has for us.
Look at how the exhortation ends, �Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world with out end. Amen� (verses 20-21). In the end, God in heaven gets the glory. In the name of Jesus Christ, it is God who is able to mightily work exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or consider. It is His power that works in us, and His mighty strength that strengthens us from within.
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