Ephesians 3:14-21
The Apostles Prayer for the Church, and the concluding Doxology.
As stated in the last section, the thought begun in Eph_3:1 is here resumed, and the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of the Gentiles utters his prayer for these Gentile readers. The prayer is to the Father (Eph_3:14-15); its purport is that they may be strengthened (Eph_3:16); its result that Christ may dwell in them (Eph_3:17 a); its end that they may know His love (Eph_3:17-18), and hence be filled unto the fullness of God (Eph_3:19).
A doxology is added, describing God’s omnipotence (Eph_3:20), but so worded as to form an appropriate conclusion to the doctrinal part of the Epistle, since the ascription of the glory is ‘in the Church and in Christ Jesus’ (Eph_3:21).
Ephesians 3:16
That he would grant you. This is the purport of the petition, which some extend to the close of Eph_3:17 (but the latter verse is probably the result; see notes there). The word ‘that’ means ‘in order that,’ but after verbs of praying, etc., in the New Testament, it is used to introduce the purport and purpose of the petition.
According to the riches of His glory. This qualifies ‘grant;’ the giving prayed for was in proportion to the fullness of God’s perfections (‘glory’).
To be strengthened with might, or, ‘power,’ coming from God. The instrumental sense is to be preferred to the adverbial (‘powerfully ‘), and to the explanation: ‘with regard to Sower.’
Through his Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can impart such strength.
In, lit.,’ unto,’ the inner man. Some explain ‘in’ as = with respect to, but this does not exhaust the force of the preposition. The strength prayed for was such that it reached to the inner man: this was its constant aim. ‘The inner man’ (comp. Rom_7:22) is not equivalent to ‘the regenerated man,’ ‘the new man’ (chap. Eph_4:24), but more nearly identical with ‘the hidden man of the heart’ (1Pe_3:4). Its exact antithesis is ‘the outward man’ (2Co_4:16), not ‘body,’ or ‘flesh.’ It is not exactly equivalent to the ‘spirit’ (1Th_5:22), though referring primarily to this, as the sphere of the operations of the Holy Spirit; nor to ‘mind’ (Rom_7:21), the latter referring to the human spirit as ‘the practical reason.’ To this sphere Paul prays that the strengthening power of the Holy Ghost may reach, precisely because in this part of man’s nature (nobler in its mode of being) the most ignoble slavery has existed; where man was most akin to God the effects of sin have been most terrible. To the view here presented, it has often been objected that it makes ‘spirit,’ ‘mind,’ ‘the inner man,’ unfallen and sinless, or at least opposed to the empire of the ‘flesh,’ But such is not the position of its most judicious advocates, nor is it warranted by the statements of Scripture. Comp. the Excursus, Lange, Romans, pp. 232-236, and the similar one in this volume, Romans 7.
The Apostles Prayer for the Church, and the concluding Doxology.
As stated in the last section, the thought begun in Eph_3:1 is here resumed, and the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of the Gentiles utters his prayer for these Gentile readers. The prayer is to the Father (Eph_3:14-15); its purport is that they may be strengthened (Eph_3:16); its result that Christ may dwell in them (Eph_3:17 a); its end that they may know His love (Eph_3:17-18), and hence be filled unto the fullness of God (Eph_3:19).
A doxology is added, describing God’s omnipotence (Eph_3:20), but so worded as to form an appropriate conclusion to the doctrinal part of the Epistle, since the ascription of the glory is ‘in the Church and in Christ Jesus’ (Eph_3:21).
Ephesians 3:16
That he would grant you. This is the purport of the petition, which some extend to the close of Eph_3:17 (but the latter verse is probably the result; see notes there). The word ‘that’ means ‘in order that,’ but after verbs of praying, etc., in the New Testament, it is used to introduce the purport and purpose of the petition.
According to the riches of His glory. This qualifies ‘grant;’ the giving prayed for was in proportion to the fullness of God’s perfections (‘glory’).
To be strengthened with might, or, ‘power,’ coming from God. The instrumental sense is to be preferred to the adverbial (‘powerfully ‘), and to the explanation: ‘with regard to Sower.’
Through his Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can impart such strength.
In, lit.,’ unto,’ the inner man. Some explain ‘in’ as = with respect to, but this does not exhaust the force of the preposition. The strength prayed for was such that it reached to the inner man: this was its constant aim. ‘The inner man’ (comp. Rom_7:22) is not equivalent to ‘the regenerated man,’ ‘the new man’ (chap. Eph_4:24), but more nearly identical with ‘the hidden man of the heart’ (1Pe_3:4). Its exact antithesis is ‘the outward man’ (2Co_4:16), not ‘body,’ or ‘flesh.’ It is not exactly equivalent to the ‘spirit’ (1Th_5:22), though referring primarily to this, as the sphere of the operations of the Holy Spirit; nor to ‘mind’ (Rom_7:21), the latter referring to the human spirit as ‘the practical reason.’ To this sphere Paul prays that the strengthening power of the Holy Ghost may reach, precisely because in this part of man’s nature (nobler in its mode of being) the most ignoble slavery has existed; where man was most akin to God the effects of sin have been most terrible. To the view here presented, it has often been objected that it makes ‘spirit,’ ‘mind,’ ‘the inner man,’ unfallen and sinless, or at least opposed to the empire of the ‘flesh,’ But such is not the position of its most judicious advocates, nor is it warranted by the statements of Scripture. Comp. the Excursus, Lange, Romans, pp. 232-236, and the similar one in this volume, Romans 7.
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