Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Glory belongs to God in His church through Christ Jesus in every age without end, an enduring praise and exalted privilege of His people forever. It stands as the close of Paul's prayer, ascribing all honor to God as the solemn ground for reverent prayer and faithful service and as a full encouragement to the believers at Ephesus. That praise is joined to God's power working within believers, for He is able to do far beyond all that is asked or thought, strengthening them with might by the Spirit in the inner life so that Christ dwells in their hearts by faith, they are rooted in love and know the love that passes knowledge, and they are filled with all the fullness of God. This is the work He does for everyone who is saved, revealing Christ in them and through them to transform character and empower a life of loving service, and making the church, united to Christ by faith that works by love, to display His righteousness, mercy and love to the world. The life that brings Him this glory is a living testimony under all circumstances in courage, faith and reliance on divine strength, which is the standard for the church and is broken when strife, pride and self-exaltation take the place of Christlike love and unity.
Prayer Setting and Context
The verse is the conclusion of Paul's prayer, ascribing glory to God in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages without end. It stands as a solemn reason for reverent prayer and faithful service, because God is able to do far beyond what people ask or think through the power working in them. It is also the close of Paul's loving prayer and words of commendation for the church at Ephesus, a precious, large and full encouragement to the Ephesians. It is to be read in connection with the message to the church at Ephesus.
The doxology belongs with the mystery once hidden in God and now revealed. That mystery is made known by the church as the fellowship of the mystery hidden in God, and as the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers in heavenly places. With it goes bold access to God by faith in Christ. It follows the prayer that the Father would strengthen believers with might by His Spirit in the inner person, that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love they would grasp with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height and know the love of Christ that passes knowledge, and that they would be filled with all the fullness of God, because God is able to do far beyond and exceedingly abundantly above all that is asked or thought according to the power working within. This promise and this work of making known belong to believers now as the church does its given work.
Glory Through Inner Power
Glory belongs to God in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages without end, an enduring praise for all ages and forever. It is the high and exalted privilege of God's people to give Him this glory, a privilege to be impressed upon them. This praise follows from and is linked to God's work in them through Christ.
That work is God's power working within believers, for He is able to do far beyond and exceedingly abundantly above all that is asked or thought. The prayer this doxology closes asks the Father to strengthen believers with might by the Spirit in the inner person, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith. Being rooted and grounded in love, they are to grasp with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge, that they may be filled with all the fullness of God. The asking in this prayer means thinking of many wants and asking God for wisdom and help in every point, then asking Him to supply according to necessity what was failed to be presented in asking.
The chapter thus reveals the work done for everyone who is saved: Christ is to be revealed in believers and through them. As Christ dwells in them and fills them with God's fullness, He transforms character and empowers lives of loving service, and in this the church glorifies God. This glory is seen when men and women realize their weakness and entire dependence upon God.
It belongs to God who is love, whose nature is revealed in His holy law as an expression of His love. He is 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. His glory is therefore connected with His work in the church, for the church is God's dearest object on earth. It includes all who are united to Christ by faith in truth that works through love and purifies the soul, who as one family are to accomplish the gospel work whose influence sanctifies, cleanses, and refines.
The church represents heaven's order and harmony on earth, displaying to the world Christ's righteousness, mercy, grace, and love. All its blessings and abilities come from Christ, and it is the means through which His glory shines. Christ is the source of heavenly wisdom, and no one can serve both God and rival authorities. The glory without end points to enduring promise: those who accept Christ are promised life now and in the life to come, so that even the lowliest disciple may become an inhabitant of heaven and an heir to an inheritance that cannot perish or be taken away.
Living That Glorifies God
The instruction of the chapter that closes with ascribing glory to God in the church by Christ Jesus through all ages is to be put into practice by bearing a living testimony for God in every circumstance. That practice calls for courage and faith and steady reliance on divine strength. The prayer that leads to this doxology describes the Christian life that brings such glory and sets the standard for the church. Believers are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner person, Christ dwells in their hearts by faith, and being rooted and grounded in love they grasp with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height, know the love of Christ that passes knowledge, and are filled with all the fullness of God, for God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that is asked or thought according to the power working in them. The church falls short of that standard when strife and pride and self-exaltation take the place of Christlike love and unity.
Glory is given to God in the church as it grows through the Spirit's work in unity. No one person possesses complete wisdom or judgment, and God is allowed to work through different people and different gifts. Members learn from one another and support one another rather than insisting that one person's ideas must prevail. The passage of Ephesians 3:7-21 belongs to every minister in every conference, whether formally ordained to the work or not, and is to be read carefully and prayerfully. It calls for a religious history that is not tame and commonplace but an experience marked by grace and by the decided working of God's power joined with human effort.
The solemn work of the gospel minister is to make all see the fellowship of the mystery hidden from the beginning in God who created all things by Jesus Christ. That work is not done by choosing the least self-sacrificing part and contenting himself with preaching while leaving ministering for another, for such labor is not acceptable to God. Souls for whom Christ died are perishing for want of well-directed personal labor, and the minister must be a servant of the people as Jesus directed. Those who administer must fall upon the Rock and be broken, that the Lord may put His superscription upon them and fashion them as vessels unto honor as laborers together with God for the saving of souls for whom Christ died.
The closing ascription of glory is part of a lesson for all teachers, all ministers of the gospel, and all who occupy responsible positions in God's work. Those who believe the truth must manifest the principles of God's law in their lives before an unbelieving world, and if those characteristics are not seen but they act out the perversity of the sinner, they need to be converted before they can be trusted with responsibilities. Without conversion their deficiency and departure from righteous principles separates them from God so that they do not receive the quickening, discerning influence of the divine mind, and God's power is not seen in their spiritual discernment, choice of words, or care to preserve the fragrance of the Holy Spirit. When imperfections of character appear in spirit or in action, setting a wrong example in the family, in the school, in the church, or in the world, unless converted they should be advised to take up some other calling where they will not in character act the spirit of the unbeliever and lead others in the wrong direction. The verse means much and is to be read to hearers and impressed upon minds together with Ephesians 4. It rebukes hard-spiritedness that comes from being strangers to the working of the Holy Spirit, calls for a great reformation in lives and words and works and spiritual understanding, and leads believers to catch the inspiration of the angels in the heavenly courts and daily breathe the atmosphere of heaven.
Glory belongs to God in His church through Christ Jesus in every age without end, an enduring praise and exalted privilege of His people forever. It stands as the close of Paul's prayer, ascribing all honor to God as the solemn ground for reverent prayer and faithful service and as a full encouragement to the believers at Ephesus. That praise is joined to God's power working within believers, for He is able to do far beyond all that is asked or thought, strengthening them with might by the Spirit in the inner life so that Christ dwells in their hearts by faith, they are rooted in love and know the love that passes knowledge, and they are filled with all the fullness of God. This is the work He does for everyone who is saved, revealing Christ in them and through them to transform character and empower a life of loving service, and making the church, united to Christ by faith that works by love, to display His righteousness, mercy and love to the world. The life that brings Him this glory is a living testimony under all circumstances in courage, faith and reliance on divine strength, which is the standard for the church and is broken when strife, pride and self-exaltation take the place of Christlike love and unity.
Prayer Setting and Context
The verse is the conclusion of Paul's prayer, ascribing glory to God in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages without end. It stands as a solemn reason for reverent prayer and faithful service, because God is able to do far beyond what people ask or think through the power working in them. It is also the close of Paul's loving prayer and words of commendation for the church at Ephesus, a precious, large and full encouragement to the Ephesians. It is to be read in connection with the message to the church at Ephesus.
The doxology belongs with the mystery once hidden in God and now revealed. That mystery is made known by the church as the fellowship of the mystery hidden in God, and as the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers in heavenly places. With it goes bold access to God by faith in Christ. It follows the prayer that the Father would strengthen believers with might by His Spirit in the inner person, that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love they would grasp with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height and know the love of Christ that passes knowledge, and that they would be filled with all the fullness of God, because God is able to do far beyond and exceedingly abundantly above all that is asked or thought according to the power working within. This promise and this work of making known belong to believers now as the church does its given work.
Glory Through Inner Power
Glory belongs to God in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages without end, an enduring praise for all ages and forever. It is the high and exalted privilege of God's people to give Him this glory, a privilege to be impressed upon them. This praise follows from and is linked to God's work in them through Christ.
That work is God's power working within believers, for He is able to do far beyond and exceedingly abundantly above all that is asked or thought. The prayer this doxology closes asks the Father to strengthen believers with might by the Spirit in the inner person, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith. Being rooted and grounded in love, they are to grasp with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge, that they may be filled with all the fullness of God. The asking in this prayer means thinking of many wants and asking God for wisdom and help in every point, then asking Him to supply according to necessity what was failed to be presented in asking.
The chapter thus reveals the work done for everyone who is saved: Christ is to be revealed in believers and through them. As Christ dwells in them and fills them with God's fullness, He transforms character and empowers lives of loving service, and in this the church glorifies God. This glory is seen when men and women realize their weakness and entire dependence upon God.
It belongs to God who is love, whose nature is revealed in His holy law as an expression of His love. He is 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. His glory is therefore connected with His work in the church, for the church is God's dearest object on earth. It includes all who are united to Christ by faith in truth that works through love and purifies the soul, who as one family are to accomplish the gospel work whose influence sanctifies, cleanses, and refines.
The church represents heaven's order and harmony on earth, displaying to the world Christ's righteousness, mercy, grace, and love. All its blessings and abilities come from Christ, and it is the means through which His glory shines. Christ is the source of heavenly wisdom, and no one can serve both God and rival authorities. The glory without end points to enduring promise: those who accept Christ are promised life now and in the life to come, so that even the lowliest disciple may become an inhabitant of heaven and an heir to an inheritance that cannot perish or be taken away.
Living That Glorifies God
The instruction of the chapter that closes with ascribing glory to God in the church by Christ Jesus through all ages is to be put into practice by bearing a living testimony for God in every circumstance. That practice calls for courage and faith and steady reliance on divine strength. The prayer that leads to this doxology describes the Christian life that brings such glory and sets the standard for the church. Believers are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner person, Christ dwells in their hearts by faith, and being rooted and grounded in love they grasp with all saints the breadth and length and depth and height, know the love of Christ that passes knowledge, and are filled with all the fullness of God, for God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that is asked or thought according to the power working in them. The church falls short of that standard when strife and pride and self-exaltation take the place of Christlike love and unity.
Glory is given to God in the church as it grows through the Spirit's work in unity. No one person possesses complete wisdom or judgment, and God is allowed to work through different people and different gifts. Members learn from one another and support one another rather than insisting that one person's ideas must prevail. The passage of Ephesians 3:7-21 belongs to every minister in every conference, whether formally ordained to the work or not, and is to be read carefully and prayerfully. It calls for a religious history that is not tame and commonplace but an experience marked by grace and by the decided working of God's power joined with human effort.
The solemn work of the gospel minister is to make all see the fellowship of the mystery hidden from the beginning in God who created all things by Jesus Christ. That work is not done by choosing the least self-sacrificing part and contenting himself with preaching while leaving ministering for another, for such labor is not acceptable to God. Souls for whom Christ died are perishing for want of well-directed personal labor, and the minister must be a servant of the people as Jesus directed. Those who administer must fall upon the Rock and be broken, that the Lord may put His superscription upon them and fashion them as vessels unto honor as laborers together with God for the saving of souls for whom Christ died.
The closing ascription of glory is part of a lesson for all teachers, all ministers of the gospel, and all who occupy responsible positions in God's work. Those who believe the truth must manifest the principles of God's law in their lives before an unbelieving world, and if those characteristics are not seen but they act out the perversity of the sinner, they need to be converted before they can be trusted with responsibilities. Without conversion their deficiency and departure from righteous principles separates them from God so that they do not receive the quickening, discerning influence of the divine mind, and God's power is not seen in their spiritual discernment, choice of words, or care to preserve the fragrance of the Holy Spirit. When imperfections of character appear in spirit or in action, setting a wrong example in the family, in the school, in the church, or in the world, unless converted they should be advised to take up some other calling where they will not in character act the spirit of the unbeliever and lead others in the wrong direction. The verse means much and is to be read to hearers and impressed upon minds together with Ephesians 4. It rebukes hard-spiritedness that comes from being strangers to the working of the Holy Spirit, calls for a great reformation in lives and words and works and spiritual understanding, and leads believers to catch the inspiration of the angels in the heavenly courts and daily breathe the atmosphere of heaven.