To be Rooted and Grounded

Imagine living in the first century after Christ’s death and resurrection in the primarily gentile city of Ephesus. You have heard the gospel through the bold proclamation of the Apostle Paul. Though surrounded by pagan culture and having lived within it yourself, through faith and by grace alone, you have come to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Suddenly, some of your brothers and sisters from a Jewish heritage inform you that, while you are saved, to participate in the covenant as a Gentile fully, you must be circumcised and obey all Jewish laws and customs. This starkly contrasts with what Paul taught you and begins to create significant problems and divisions within your church in Ephesus, which includes both Jews and Gentiles.

Upon hearing of this, Paul writes a letter to the church in Ephesus and the surrounding cities (a circular letter passed among many churches near Ephesus) addressing the issue of ethnic and cultural division between believing Jews and Gentiles. Paul reminds the church that Gentiles (and, by extension, all denominations) have always been welcome. God first chose Israel to glorify Him and be a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:2-3), ultimately bringing Gentiles into His plan so that, together, the whole earth might glorify Him. The mystery has now been revealed: through His Son’s work on the cross, God’s power is able to bring salvation to both Jew and Gentile. Redemption and reconciliation are offered to those far off and those near through faith in Christ, who is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). Thus, there is one household of God. Together, Jews and Gentiles are being built as living stones into the temple of God.

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:6–8 ESV)

For this reason, Paul prays for the church in Ephesus not once but twice in his letter. The second prayer builds upon the first as he requests that God’s power be directed to the grounding and growing of the Ephesians’ inner self, so that God’s fullness would fill them to overflowing. For the mystery of Christ and His immeasurable love has been made known and now together with all the saints, we can discover it.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14–21 ESV)

ONE FATHER - ONE FAMILY

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14-15 ESV)

Paul begins his prayer with earnestness and full submission to the one true God, Creator of the universe and Father of all ethnic and language groups. He recalls the revelation of the mystery: in Christ Jesus, Gentiles are no longer foreigners but full members of the household of God (Ephesians 2:11–22).

“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:6 ESV)

LOVE AND ITS OUTCOME

This is the very foundation of Paul’s prayer. God in His great love, giving His only Son, made a way for all to be saved, to be restored, and to be with Him (John 3:16). This kind of love, that we have come to know in the Father, the Son and the Spirit, is the source for the outcome Paul is praying for.

To know, experience, and walk in this love unto being strengthened to prevail, being filled to overflow, and being united (with God and people) to experience the fullness of God.

“that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16 ESV)

God’s resources are unlimited. His power and might have no end. Through the Holy Spirit—the divine power living inside us—we have everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Jesus promised that the Spirit would comfort His disciples, guide them in truth, remind them of His words, convict them of disobedience, give them the right words to speak, and empower them to do good (John 14–16).

One of the most important roles of the Holy Spirit is to remind us, as we are reading the Bible, meditating on Scripture, engaging with others, or listening to the Lord, of the riches we have been given: redemption, reconciliation, adoption, and an eternal inheritance in God's family. Knowing our identity and the riches that come with it prevents us from falling into despair and helps us to abide in God’s love and thus to be strengthened to prevail in running the race set before us and continually seeking His kingdom.

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17 ESV)

Paul prays that as Christ dwells within us through the Holy Spirit, transforming our hearts—the core of our emotions, will, mind, and conscience—we would be shaped into His likeness in our thoughts, words, and actions. This transformation is not something we can achieve on our own but is the work of God when we trust His Word and surrender our ways to Him (Romans 12:2). In other words, Paul is praying, “Let Christ be formed in you as you believe and submit to the transforming power of God’s love” (Galatians 4:19).

The essence of Christ is love, and our foundation must also be firmly rooted and secured in God’s love. We need an ongoing, experiential understanding of His love—one that fills our hearts and defines our lives. His love shapes how we view ourselves, relate to those around us, and engage with the world. This transformative love changes everything and empowers us to walk in that same love, reflecting Christ in all we do.

“may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth” (Ephesians 3:18 ESV)

As we grow our roots deeper in the love of Christ, our understanding and capacity to know and live in God’s love—for ourselves and others—continues to expand. The beauty of this growth is that we are not alone; together with all the saints, we are being built into a dwelling place for God (Ephesians 2:22). Only together can we grow and fully experience the immeasurable richness of His love, as Jew and Gentile, believers from every nation, with diverse gifts, callings, and expressions, come together as one.

Together, as love is expressed through each of us, we can begin to grasp its full dimensions: how wide—it reaches both Jew and Gentile, extending to the ends of the earth; how long—it spans from before creation into all eternity; how deep—it descends to the lowest places of humiliation, despair, discouragement, and even death;  and how high—it lifts us to the elevation and celebration of the throne room of God.

“and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19 ESV)

United in the family of God, as the body of Christ we begin to grasp His love—a love that surpasses all human understanding, breaks down barriers, dismantles walls of hostility, and fills us with the fullness of God. This fullness is displayed and reflected through the body and bride of Christ, bringing glory to God and serving as a powerful witness to both heaven and earth (Ephesians 3:10).

HE WILL MAKE US ONE

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever." (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)

There is one who is able to accomplish what he said he would do. The Father will prepare a bride for His Son—a unified church, Jew and Gentile, united under one covenant, bringing glory to His name now and for all eternity. He will raise up a people who walk in unity and holiness, prepared to host the fullness of His presence among them. And it is the Lord Himself who will accomplish this.

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,  in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV)

You ALL are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

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REFERENCES

Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001).

Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2014).

Lynn H. Cohick, The Letter to the Ephesians, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse et al., New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2020).