William Willimon once observed, “We preachers so want to be heard that we are willing to make the gospel more accessible than it really is, to remove the scandal, the offense of the cross, to deceive people into thinking that it is possible to hear without conversion.” The truth revealed in the gospel is more than a matter of common sense. In this chapter, the apostle Paul describes it as a revelation that comes from God. Instead of using clever arguments to persuade his audience, Paul adopts a more radical strategy. He prays for them. Growing in our understanding of Christ is not simply a matter of collecting facts or articulating doctrinal positions. Paul prays that his audience will experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their “inner being” so that Christ will dwell in their hearts through faith (vv. 16–17). In other words, the starting place for understanding Christ is a relationship with Christ, facilitated through the Holy Spirit. Those who come to know Jesus do not earn Christ’s love. They are rooted in love like a tree is rooted in the soil. Their Christian life is built upon the foundation of knowing that Jesus Christ already loves them. Those who have this foundation can explore the full scope of His love. It is something they “grasp” but whose limits they will never exhaust. In verses 16 and 18, Paul clearly states that the power to grasp what Christ has done comes from God. He emphasizes the agent of this power (the Holy Spirit), the place where we experience it (the inner being), and its effect (the ability to grasp Christ’s love). The doxology in verses 20–21 celebrates God’s ability to do more than we ask or imagine. >> The power that Paul describes is the power at work in you today. In what area of life do you need to experience Christ’s power through the Holy Spirit?

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