For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
For this cause Paul kneels in prayer to God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cause is the mystery now revealed that the Gentiles are fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel, to make known through the church the manifold wisdom of God according to His eternal purpose. His petitions are that believers be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love they may comprehend the breadth and length and depth and height and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, and that they might be filled with all the fullness of God who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought. Kneeling is the proper position in offering petitions to God in public and private worship, expressing humility, reverence, awe, dependence, and submission of the whole person to the Creator. This prayer sets the standard of what is possible in the Christian life — inner strength through the Spirit, Christ abiding within, deep roots in love, living experience of Christ's love, and fullness in God — to make faith earnest and effective against Satan's strongholds and through the perils of the last days.
Kneeling and Father Addressed
The verse pictures Paul bending his knees and kneeling in prayer to God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. His kneeling prayer asks the Father to grant believers according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love they may comprehend with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that they might be filled with all the fullness of God. The prayer belongs to this cause, the mystery hidden from the beginning in God who created all things by Jesus Christ but now revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel, with grace given to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all see the fellowship of the mystery, to the intent that now by the church the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord might be made known to principalities and powers in heavenly places. It declares that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought according to the power that works in believers, with glory to Him in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. To have Christ abide in the heart by faith means to contemplate Christ, to behold Christ, and ever to cherish the dear Saviour as the best and most honored friend, one not to be grieved or offended, bringing grace divine, for salvation is by grace through faith as the gift of God.
Kneeling is the settled, proper position always when offering petitions to God, in both public and private worship, and believers should not remain uncertain about it. Kneeling expresses humility, reverence, awe, dependence on God, and submission of the whole person to the Creator. Bowing on the knees in prayer is a privilege, with Paul giving the pattern alongside Jesus, His disciples, Ezra, and Daniel. Taking this humble position is done because in Christ believers have boldness and access with confidence by faith, and that humble kneeling brings confidence, boldness, and courage to glorify God in conversation and godly character. Inability to bend the knees because of pain and infirmity in the limbs is not irreverence or disrespect, for the Lord knows the infirmity.
The Father addressed is love, with His nature revealed in His holy law as an expression of love, the high and holy One who inhabits eternity, whose ways are from everlasting to everlasting, who changes not and has no variableness nor shadow of turning. He is the one of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. God desires earthly families to reflect and be a symbol of the great family above, with Christ honored in every family.
Cause and Historical Setting
For this cause points back to the mystery hidden from the beginning in God who created all things by Jesus Christ but now revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets. That mystery is that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel. Grace was given to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all see the fellowship of the mystery. The intent was that now by the church the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord might be made known to principalities and powers in heavenly places, in whom there is boldness and access with confidence by faith. This revealed purpose is to be understood by diligent students, in contrast to spiritualistic ideas of God to be shunned and to mysteries God has not revealed, so that believers do not faint at tribulations endured for them which is their glory.
Paul bows his knees as he considers the vast, incomprehensible mystery of redemption and the riches of Christ. He felt oppressed under a sense of the immensity of God's great gift through Christ, and being unable to express its greatness he found refuge in prayer. The bowing is because of human weakness and entire dependence upon God. That dependence produces a standard of Christianity very different from what now appears. For this cause also connects his prayer to the church's life together.
The prayer was offered in behalf of the Ephesians after much labor for them. It was offered for the Gentile believers following the explanation that they are fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel. It belongs to words of commendation and encouragement that are large and full, showing the outflowing of the apostle's love for the church. It is to be read in connection with the message to the church at Ephesus.
Petitions of Paul's Prayer
Paul's kneeling prayer asks the Father to grant believers, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That inward strengthening is the foundation for all that follows, for Christ to dwell in the heart by faith, for rooting and grounding in love, for comprehending the vastness of Christ's love, and for being filled with the fullness of God. God is able to do this work through the power that works in believers, and to Him belongs glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
For Christ to dwell and abide in the heart by faith means to contemplate Christ, to behold Christ, and ever to cherish the dear Saviour as the best and most honored friend. He is one not to be grieved or offended on any account, and thus cherishing Jesus brings grace divine, for salvation is by grace through faith as the gift of God. The chapter reveals the work God does for everyone who is saved: Christ is to be revealed in them, by them, and through them. Only Christ formed within, the hope of glory, can expand the mind to grasp this.
Being rooted and grounded in love, believers may be able with all saints to comprehend what is the breadth and length and depth and height. They may know by a living experience the love of Christ which passes knowledge, which cannot be explained but comes right into the heart. The aim is that they might be filled with all the fullness of God. This fullness is the knowledge of God He invites people to receive.
He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought, according to the power that works in believers. This means that after thinking of many wants and asking God for wisdom and help in every point, what is failed to be presented in asking is still given according to necessities. To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. This spiritual strength through God's Spirit is available to each person, so discouragement and changing feelings do not determine whether God loves or helps them, and they are to trust His word and Christ's promises. Spiritual strength against temptation is connected with knowing Christ's love, and that love leads to devotion to Christ's cause and sharing in His sufferings, including an understanding of the cross of Calvary.
Knowledge of God in Christ
For this cause bowing the knees is prayer for believers to receive the knowledge of God as revealed in Christ, the knowledge all who are saved must have. It asks the Father to give from the riches of His glory inner strength by the Spirit so Christ lives in the heart by faith, so that believers rooted in love can grasp the breadth and length and depth and height and can know the love of Christ beyond knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God. Knowing God comes through knowing Christ's character, and studying Christ's life and words reveals His incomparable character. The regenerating Spirit gives this true knowledge to those who receive Christ.
This knowledge received remakes the soul in the image of God and changes character. It gives divine spiritual power to the whole being. It enables followers in human nature to live in His strength the pure and noble life the Saviour lived in keeping His Father's commandments and always doing what pleases Him. The same kneeling prayer to God the Father of Jesus Christ asks for believers to be strengthened by the Spirit, for Christ to dwell in their hearts through faith, and for them to know Christ's love and be filled with God's fullness. It presents God's parental love as assurance that He will help His people in difficulty and will not demand sacrifices they cannot offer.
Present Application and Duty
The kneeling prayer that follows sets the standard for what is possible in the Christian life, inner strength through the Spirit, Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, deep roots in love, understanding of Christ's love, and fullness in God. That experience is needed to make faith earnest and effective against the strongholds of Satan and to guide believers through the perils of the last days. The instruction of the third chapter is to be read and practiced as a source of courage, strength, and faith, and to sustain a living testimony for God under all circumstances.
The prayer belongs to every minister in every conference, ordained or not, as personal privilege and duty. It means earnest travail for souls rather than casual interest, with earnest heart-searching and prayerful seeking to know God and the power of His grace. In this way religious experience is not tame and commonplace but is marked by grace and the decided working of God's power with human effort. Ministers are urged to read the prayer carefully and prayerfully as guidance for their work, directing them to seek wisdom and counsel from God who appointed their work rather than depend on human direction. In most earnest prayer for wisdom the worker learns the way of the Lord as no human voice or human counsel can teach, sees that transgression of the law caused the price of the blood of the Son of the infinite God, hates the sins that wounded Jesus, and keeps a contrite heart while viewing Jesus as a compassionate, tender High Priest.
It is a lesson for all teachers, all ministers of the gospel, and all who hold responsible positions, requiring conversion shown by manifesting the principles of God's law to an unbelieving world. Where those principles are not manifest there is deficiency and departure from righteousness, loss of spiritual discernment, and failure to preserve the fragrance of the Holy Spirit in choice of words and conduct. When imperfections of character appear in spirit or action and set a wrong example in the family, in the school, in the church, or in the world, such persons unless converted should be advised to take up some other calling where they will not act the spirit of the unbeliever and lead others astray. The prayer grounds the solemn work of the gospel minister to make all see the mystery, requiring self-sacrificing personal labor as a servant of the people rather than preaching alone, falling upon the Rock to be broken and fashioned as vessels unto honor as laborers together with God for saving souls for whom Christ died.
The message of the chapter belongs to the present time because the end is near and is to be carried worldwide and given to believers now. It calls for earnest taking hold of God and for united worldwide work in a short time to proclaim truth and the message of warning and salvation with one voice. It would arouse the church to its true position, to put away hindrances and working at cross-purposes with God, to meet swiftly coming judgments ready, and to turn fully to the Lord now while it is called today, for there will be no second probation and He will have mercy and abundantly pardon. The church is God's dearest object on earth and includes all united to Christ by faith in truth that works through love and purifies the soul, called to accomplish a gospel work that magnifies truth through a sanctifying, cleansing, and refining influence as members of one family.
The verse with its context is to be read to hearers, impressed upon minds, and read most solemnly. Its instruction calls those who have become hard-spirited as strangers to the working of the Holy Spirit to a great reformation in life, words, works, and spiritual understanding, to catch the inspiration of angels in the heavenly courts and daily breathe the atmosphere of heaven. The prayer supports laboring for unity and love, calling those working together for God to lean heavily on the arm of the Mighty One and to work for unity and for love so they may become a power in the world. Its appeal supports putting away self-love and the desire for supremacy, presenting its gifts as privileges to be valued and studied. The whole chapter around the verse is a precious lesson when the heart is receptive.
For this cause Paul kneels in prayer to God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cause is the mystery now revealed that the Gentiles are fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel, to make known through the church the manifold wisdom of God according to His eternal purpose. His petitions are that believers be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love they may comprehend the breadth and length and depth and height and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, and that they might be filled with all the fullness of God who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought. Kneeling is the proper position in offering petitions to God in public and private worship, expressing humility, reverence, awe, dependence, and submission of the whole person to the Creator. This prayer sets the standard of what is possible in the Christian life — inner strength through the Spirit, Christ abiding within, deep roots in love, living experience of Christ's love, and fullness in God — to make faith earnest and effective against Satan's strongholds and through the perils of the last days.
Kneeling and Father Addressed
The verse pictures Paul bending his knees and kneeling in prayer to God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. His kneeling prayer asks the Father to grant believers according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love they may comprehend with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that they might be filled with all the fullness of God. The prayer belongs to this cause, the mystery hidden from the beginning in God who created all things by Jesus Christ but now revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel, with grace given to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all see the fellowship of the mystery, to the intent that now by the church the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord might be made known to principalities and powers in heavenly places. It declares that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought according to the power that works in believers, with glory to Him in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. To have Christ abide in the heart by faith means to contemplate Christ, to behold Christ, and ever to cherish the dear Saviour as the best and most honored friend, one not to be grieved or offended, bringing grace divine, for salvation is by grace through faith as the gift of God.
Kneeling is the settled, proper position always when offering petitions to God, in both public and private worship, and believers should not remain uncertain about it. Kneeling expresses humility, reverence, awe, dependence on God, and submission of the whole person to the Creator. Bowing on the knees in prayer is a privilege, with Paul giving the pattern alongside Jesus, His disciples, Ezra, and Daniel. Taking this humble position is done because in Christ believers have boldness and access with confidence by faith, and that humble kneeling brings confidence, boldness, and courage to glorify God in conversation and godly character. Inability to bend the knees because of pain and infirmity in the limbs is not irreverence or disrespect, for the Lord knows the infirmity.
The Father addressed is love, with His nature revealed in His holy law as an expression of love, the high and holy One who inhabits eternity, whose ways are from everlasting to everlasting, who changes not and has no variableness nor shadow of turning. He is the one of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. God desires earthly families to reflect and be a symbol of the great family above, with Christ honored in every family.
Cause and Historical Setting
For this cause points back to the mystery hidden from the beginning in God who created all things by Jesus Christ but now revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets. That mystery is that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel. Grace was given to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all see the fellowship of the mystery. The intent was that now by the church the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord might be made known to principalities and powers in heavenly places, in whom there is boldness and access with confidence by faith. This revealed purpose is to be understood by diligent students, in contrast to spiritualistic ideas of God to be shunned and to mysteries God has not revealed, so that believers do not faint at tribulations endured for them which is their glory.
Paul bows his knees as he considers the vast, incomprehensible mystery of redemption and the riches of Christ. He felt oppressed under a sense of the immensity of God's great gift through Christ, and being unable to express its greatness he found refuge in prayer. The bowing is because of human weakness and entire dependence upon God. That dependence produces a standard of Christianity very different from what now appears. For this cause also connects his prayer to the church's life together.
The prayer was offered in behalf of the Ephesians after much labor for them. It was offered for the Gentile believers following the explanation that they are fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel. It belongs to words of commendation and encouragement that are large and full, showing the outflowing of the apostle's love for the church. It is to be read in connection with the message to the church at Ephesus.
Petitions of Paul's Prayer
Paul's kneeling prayer asks the Father to grant believers, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That inward strengthening is the foundation for all that follows, for Christ to dwell in the heart by faith, for rooting and grounding in love, for comprehending the vastness of Christ's love, and for being filled with the fullness of God. God is able to do this work through the power that works in believers, and to Him belongs glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
For Christ to dwell and abide in the heart by faith means to contemplate Christ, to behold Christ, and ever to cherish the dear Saviour as the best and most honored friend. He is one not to be grieved or offended on any account, and thus cherishing Jesus brings grace divine, for salvation is by grace through faith as the gift of God. The chapter reveals the work God does for everyone who is saved: Christ is to be revealed in them, by them, and through them. Only Christ formed within, the hope of glory, can expand the mind to grasp this.
Being rooted and grounded in love, believers may be able with all saints to comprehend what is the breadth and length and depth and height. They may know by a living experience the love of Christ which passes knowledge, which cannot be explained but comes right into the heart. The aim is that they might be filled with all the fullness of God. This fullness is the knowledge of God He invites people to receive.
He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought, according to the power that works in believers. This means that after thinking of many wants and asking God for wisdom and help in every point, what is failed to be presented in asking is still given according to necessities. To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. This spiritual strength through God's Spirit is available to each person, so discouragement and changing feelings do not determine whether God loves or helps them, and they are to trust His word and Christ's promises. Spiritual strength against temptation is connected with knowing Christ's love, and that love leads to devotion to Christ's cause and sharing in His sufferings, including an understanding of the cross of Calvary.
Knowledge of God in Christ
For this cause bowing the knees is prayer for believers to receive the knowledge of God as revealed in Christ, the knowledge all who are saved must have. It asks the Father to give from the riches of His glory inner strength by the Spirit so Christ lives in the heart by faith, so that believers rooted in love can grasp the breadth and length and depth and height and can know the love of Christ beyond knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God. Knowing God comes through knowing Christ's character, and studying Christ's life and words reveals His incomparable character. The regenerating Spirit gives this true knowledge to those who receive Christ.
This knowledge received remakes the soul in the image of God and changes character. It gives divine spiritual power to the whole being. It enables followers in human nature to live in His strength the pure and noble life the Saviour lived in keeping His Father's commandments and always doing what pleases Him. The same kneeling prayer to God the Father of Jesus Christ asks for believers to be strengthened by the Spirit, for Christ to dwell in their hearts through faith, and for them to know Christ's love and be filled with God's fullness. It presents God's parental love as assurance that He will help His people in difficulty and will not demand sacrifices they cannot offer.
Present Application and Duty
The kneeling prayer that follows sets the standard for what is possible in the Christian life, inner strength through the Spirit, Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, deep roots in love, understanding of Christ's love, and fullness in God. That experience is needed to make faith earnest and effective against the strongholds of Satan and to guide believers through the perils of the last days. The instruction of the third chapter is to be read and practiced as a source of courage, strength, and faith, and to sustain a living testimony for God under all circumstances.
The prayer belongs to every minister in every conference, ordained or not, as personal privilege and duty. It means earnest travail for souls rather than casual interest, with earnest heart-searching and prayerful seeking to know God and the power of His grace. In this way religious experience is not tame and commonplace but is marked by grace and the decided working of God's power with human effort. Ministers are urged to read the prayer carefully and prayerfully as guidance for their work, directing them to seek wisdom and counsel from God who appointed their work rather than depend on human direction. In most earnest prayer for wisdom the worker learns the way of the Lord as no human voice or human counsel can teach, sees that transgression of the law caused the price of the blood of the Son of the infinite God, hates the sins that wounded Jesus, and keeps a contrite heart while viewing Jesus as a compassionate, tender High Priest.
It is a lesson for all teachers, all ministers of the gospel, and all who hold responsible positions, requiring conversion shown by manifesting the principles of God's law to an unbelieving world. Where those principles are not manifest there is deficiency and departure from righteousness, loss of spiritual discernment, and failure to preserve the fragrance of the Holy Spirit in choice of words and conduct. When imperfections of character appear in spirit or action and set a wrong example in the family, in the school, in the church, or in the world, such persons unless converted should be advised to take up some other calling where they will not act the spirit of the unbeliever and lead others astray. The prayer grounds the solemn work of the gospel minister to make all see the mystery, requiring self-sacrificing personal labor as a servant of the people rather than preaching alone, falling upon the Rock to be broken and fashioned as vessels unto honor as laborers together with God for saving souls for whom Christ died.
The message of the chapter belongs to the present time because the end is near and is to be carried worldwide and given to believers now. It calls for earnest taking hold of God and for united worldwide work in a short time to proclaim truth and the message of warning and salvation with one voice. It would arouse the church to its true position, to put away hindrances and working at cross-purposes with God, to meet swiftly coming judgments ready, and to turn fully to the Lord now while it is called today, for there will be no second probation and He will have mercy and abundantly pardon. The church is God's dearest object on earth and includes all united to Christ by faith in truth that works through love and purifies the soul, called to accomplish a gospel work that magnifies truth through a sanctifying, cleansing, and refining influence as members of one family.
The verse with its context is to be read to hearers, impressed upon minds, and read most solemnly. Its instruction calls those who have become hard-spirited as strangers to the working of the Holy Spirit to a great reformation in life, words, works, and spiritual understanding, to catch the inspiration of angels in the heavenly courts and daily breathe the atmosphere of heaven. The prayer supports laboring for unity and love, calling those working together for God to lean heavily on the arm of the Mighty One and to work for unity and for love so they may become a power in the world. Its appeal supports putting away self-love and the desire for supremacy, presenting its gifts as privileges to be valued and studied. The whole chapter around the verse is a precious lesson when the heart is receptive.