Corporately Praying the Word (continued)
Verse 19: And to know, to actually experience, the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge - to know "the love of Christ," which is more excellent than knowledge - to know "the love of Christ," which is better than knowledge -to know "the love of Christ," that is knowledge surpassing - to know "the love of Christ" through actually experiencing it. Here is a prayer for us "to know that which never can be known," except it be known through experience. And we have experienced it in His charitable act to us, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." And the extent of God's love to us was that He "loved us and washed us from our sins in His Own Blood." And as we now live in His love, we shall surely go on to know His love in deeper experience, for "in the ages that will pile themselves one upon another in continuous succession," He will show "the surpassing wealth of His grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus."
And now we come to the culmination of this great petition of the Spirit for the Body of Christ. The prayer has been prayed that we may be granted a gift of strengthening in order that we be "builded together for an habitation of God," - that our Christ and His Father be at home in us. The prayer has been prayed that we may receive sufficient strength "in His sufficiency" to know personally the love of our Christ - "for this cause" that (we) might be filled with all the fullness of God, that we might be filled full, made full, and be complete with all the fullness of God. Is it any wonder that the Spirit prayed for us to live in the good of all the blessings that Christ secured for us, seeing that "in Him dwelleth all the Fullness of the Godhead bodily. And (we) are complete in Him." We are filled full with His fullness, for He says to us that Christ is "the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." The wonder of His love - Christ is the Fullness of God, and Christ's Body is The Fullness of Him. What a hope of our calling - to be "filled with he fullness of God," filled with His fullness, which is His love, His light, and His Spirit.
LOVE: His very essence.
LIGHT: the very moral quality of His Being, His innate goodness, that 'overcomes evil with good."
SPIRIT: His unique Personality that is Holy and which is the force of His Personality.
And now the Spirit of faith rises up to affirm God's ability to accomplish all that has been asked of Him and so comes forth a benediction and praise to His glory.
Verse 20: Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or thing, according to the power that worketh in us, now unto Him that is able to do super abundantly beyond all things that we ask or think because the One having been petitioned is the Omniscient and seeing that He is the Omnipotent; therefore, full confidence can be placed in Him: "for it is God which worketh in you (us) both to will and to do, of His good pleasure,"
Verse 21: Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Thus, "unto Him be glory in the Church," the fullness of all the perfections of the Godhead be in the Church: for the place of praise is the Church, and the glory is hymned by its members, but the spirit of the song is inspired by oneness with Jesus. And how long is this song of praise to be sung? - "unto all the generations of the age of the ages: Amen." The song of glory lasts throughout all eternity because the glorified Church will forever delight in rendering praise unto God. Eternal Perfection will sustain an eternal anthem.
"Now to Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, to Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations of the age of the ages." (Ephesians 3:20, 21)
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(The End)
No comments:
Post a Comment