Trying to Grasp the Magnitude of Christ's Love

"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." -- Ephesians 3:16-19

Oh, where to start with such a rich, deep passage of Scripture? One thinks of a little boy who hid out in the bathroom of a candy store until after closing time and finding himself locked in for the night, then uttering a simple prayer to his Heavenly Father, "God make my capacity equal to this opportunity!"

Note that there are two elements here ... one is derived from God's wealth; note that Paul says, "I pray that out of [literally according to] His glorious riches that He may strengthen you with power" [v. 16a]. It is futile to beg money from a poor man, no matter how eloquent and passionate the appeal may be. But to come before the One "from whom are all things and to whom are all things" [Romans 11:36] that is an entirely different matter! Such are the resources from which He strengthens us. The other element is the efficacy of the Holy Spirit in restoring/regenerating our inner being. Paul speaks further of this in 2 Corinthians 4:16 -- "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." We are renewed and empowered for life, and we grow stronger and stronger even while our bodies grow older and weaker. We become frail containers pulsating with divine power! In this way we become full of Christ. He "dwells in our hearts through faith." This is a beautiful upward spiral: our capacity is strengthened according to His riches so we can appropriate more of His life; His life thus fills us and thus enlarges our capacity so we can hold more of Him within. And so it goes onward and upward with and toward Christ.

Years ago Dr. Barnhouse pointed out that love is intrinsic to all the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22. He said, "Love is the key. Joy is love singing. Peace is love resting. Long-suffering is love enduring. Kindness is love's touch. Goodness is love's character. Faithfulness is love's habit. Gentleness is love's self-forgetfulness. Self-control is love holding the reigns. There is no fruit of the Spirit without love!

This will become all the more important to remember as we turn our focus to the infinite love of Christ. The Four Magnitudes -- width, length, height and depth -- are poetic expressions for the infinitude of Christ's love even as these dimensions can be said to express:

1. A love that is wide enough to embrace the world [John 3:16].

2. A love which is long enough to last forever [1 Corinthians 13:8].

3. A love which is high enough to take sinners to Heaven [1 John 3:1, 2].

4. A love which is deep enough to take Christ to the very depths so as to reach the lowest sinner [Philippians 2:8].

The Four Magnitudes describe an infinite, incomprehensible love. In the words of A. W. Tozer, " ... because God is self-existent, His love had no beginning; because He is eternal, His love can have no end; because He is infinite, it has no limit; because He is holy, it is the quintessence of all spotless purity; because He is immense, His love is an incomprehensibly vast, bottomless, shoreless sea. ... "

Christ's love is, indeed, incomprehensible, but Paul, nevertheless, prays for our comprehension, that we "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp" its dimensions -- literally, to take hold of them, to seize them. He knows this is impossible, but he calls us to this grand spiritual exercise for the health of our souls. It is to be our life's occupation. But note also that this is not to be a solitary pursuit, but rather one done in community, "together with all the saints." It not an accident that God has chosen to operate this way, but rather by divine design. He made us such that we need each other to more fully understand His Word when preached, to worship Him more spiritually, to more encouragingly relate our experiences of and with Him to others, and to see better His work in the lives of others for our own edification.

Pondering Us as Living Stones

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." -- Ephesians 2:19-22

As I wrote two blogs ago, the death of Christ has created a new humanity which was, and still is, a great miracle: a new humanity reconciled first to God and then to each other. Paul's vision of this new humanity is one of matchless grandeur, and as he continues to describe it, he reaches for three graphic, mind-catching images: first a city, then a family, and finally a great building. Each of these images is elevating in itself, and together collectively they make the believing heart soar.

I am reminded when I read this passage of what it means to be a citizen in our great country with the wonderful privileges of living in a democracy which has provided so many such great opportunity. I am thankful and proud of my citizenship. Citizenship, however, was an ever greater source of pride in the ancient world. In the Greco-Roman culture to which Paul was writing, one's city, or polis, provided one's identity. The city's laws were a part of one's being, its customs a source of pride and its inhabitants were one's lifelong friends. So what Paul was telling the Ephesian Christians was something absolutely stupendous to them -- that they were spiritually not naturalized, but supernaturalized citizens! They had once been "foreigners and aliens" but now they had become "fellow citizens with God's people." They had come to possess a citizenship far superior to any local citizenship ... even the coveted Roman citizenship. They were now part of a supreme cosmopolitan community. This is a universal experience for all believers. The church is the place were we belong, where we can be understood and loved and where we can just be ourselves. Believing Jews and Gentiles had become a common people. They had a common language, a language of the heart, that they all understood. They had a common heritage and history as part of the community of faith. They had a common allegiance which superseded all other loyalties. They had a common goal to glorify God. And they even had a common destination -- a place prepared for them by Christ -- the ultimate polis, the heavenly city. As Paul told the Philippians, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" [3:20; 1:27].

As wonderful and soul-satisfying our new citizenship is, being "family" -- members of God's household -- represents a far deeper intimacy. As "family" we automatically say the same patronym -- "Abba" -- because we have the same "Spirit of sonship" [Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6]. All God's children call Him by the same intimate name. But not only is there great peace and trust in our vertical relationship but also the implications in our horizontal relationships with other members of God's family are beautiful. Family is where you can be yourself and be assured that you are accepted.

Paul certainly loves to mix his metaphors [he must have never taken Freshman English], and we are all richer for it. Now he uses the image of a building to illustrate a further and more glorious dimension of our new humanity. It is a temple "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone" [v. 20]. For a thousand years the Jerusalem Temple [first Solomon's, then Zerubbabel's, and then Herod's] had been the official focus of God's presence and of God's people. But now this new humanity needed a new temple, and a static geographically-grounded one one would no longer be adequate. This new temple would have three elements: a foundation, a cornerstone and building blocks.

First, it is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. The word order here suggests that Paul means New Testament apostles and prophets, the prophets being those to whom and through the Word of God was proclaimed. In support of this meaning, Eph. 3:4, 5 says that the "mystery of Christ ... has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets." Since both the apostles and prophets had a teaching role, the foundation is teaching. Thus, the foundation of the new temple is God's Word, especially the New Testament Scriptures. The Church will stand or fall in the way it handles the Word of God; if we tamper with the foundation, the temple will crumble.

Secondly, as important as the foundation is, there is another component of even greater importance, and that is the cornerstone -- with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." This is immensely rich imagery. For hundreds of years 'cornerstone' had been a prophetic designation for the Messiah: "See I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed" [Is. 28:16; 8:14-16; Ps. 118:22; Mt. 21:42; and Acts 4:11]. Virtually every ancient Hebrew understood the importance of the cornerstone, for it determines the stability of the foundation and the character of the entire building. According to J. Armitage Robinson, the Jerusalem Temple itself had huge foundation stones, the greatest of which was 29 feet in length -- the size of a railroad boxcar!

The cornerstone determined the architectural unity and symmetry of the structure. The lay of the walls and the dimensions of the building all were a result of the chief cornerstone. All other stones had to be adjusted to it. In fact, F.F. Bruce believes that the phrase "a tested stone" in the Isaiah prophecy really means a "stone of testing" -- i.e. that it tested the building to show whether it was built to the architect's specifications. The shape and stability of God's new temple, His new humanity, is determined by Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone! How glad we can be that our lives, our reconciliation and peace, is built on the infinite Rock, Jesus Christ.

Lastly, this brings us to the final components of the new temple, the building blocks or stones -- us! The Gentiles were excluded from the Jerusalem Temple by a wall and by signs threatening death if they passed beyond that point. But not, in Christ they and by extension we actually form THE WALL of the new temple. God reached down and gathered stones from a literal Death Valley and made them to be living stones. Peter described it this way, "As you come to him, THE LIVING STONE -- rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him -- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house ... " [1 Peter 2:4, 5a]. What an exhilarating image!

R. Kent Hughes expounds, "Picture Jesus Christ as the massive cornerstone, and see his vitality as causing the stone to glow. Next the foundational teaching of the apostles and prophets is laid upon and around him. He gives it its shape and stability, and the whole foundation assumes his glow. Then one by one, living stones are set upon it, and they in turn radiate the symmetry of the chief cornerstone, forming a luminous, ever-growing temple." And just what is the purpose of this living, growing, moving and ever-enlarging temple? " ... to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" [v. 22b]. Just as God first took up residence in the wilderness Tabernacle, filling it with such glory that even Moses could not enter it [Ex. 40:34, 35] and later filling the Jerusalem Temple in the same way [I Kings 8:10, 11], so now by his Spirit he makes his new humanity his chosen dwelling place -- a habitat for divinity.

The soul wherein God dwells

What church could holier be?

Becomes a walking tent

Of heavenly majesty.

-- Johannes Scheffler

Paul's vision of the new humanity of reconciled Jews and Gentiles is grand indeed. The images he uses to express its grandeur are unforgettable, and in bouquet they are truly overpowering. Ponder with me this week, the mystery of you and me as the temple of the living God, held together and indwelled by the very Holy Spirit of God and set on the sure foundation of his Word of Truth and his glorious Son, our brother and high priest, Jesus Christ. It's truly more than the mind can fathom!

Faith v. Science--A True Story

"Let me explain the problem science has with religion" the Zurich Polytechnic Institute professor of philosophy says to his class as he asks one of his new students to stand. "You're a Christian, aren't you son?" "Yes sir," the student says. "So you believe in God?" "Absolutely." "Is God good?" "Yes, God is good." "Is God all powerful? Can God do anything?" "Yes." "Are you good or evil?" The student replies, "The Bible says I'm evil."

The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a moment then continues, "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. Would you help him? Would you try?" "Yes sir, I would." "So, you're good" he concludes. "I wouldn't say that." The professor a bit puzzled continues his query, "But why not say that? You would help a sick or maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't."

The student doesn't answer, so the professor continues, "He doesn't does He? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed for Jesus to heal him. How is Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one? No, you can't can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student a chance to relax.

"Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?" "Er, yes," the student replies. The professor continues to question, "Is Satan good?" The student doesn't hesitate on this one, "No!" "Then where does Satan come from?" The student falters a bit saying, "From God." "That's right. God made Satan, didn't He? Tell me son, is there evil in this world?" The student replies, "Yes sir." "Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, did He not?" "Yes sir," the student again replies. "So who created evil?" the professor pushed on to make his point. "If God created everything, then God created evil. Since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil." The student stood answerless. "Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?" The student squirms on his feet, "Yes." The professor punches on, "So who created them?" The student stands silently, so the professor repeats his question for emphasis, "So who created them?" There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

"Tell me," he continues on to another student, "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?" The student's voice betrays him and cracks, "Yes professor, I do." The old man stops pacing and he asks the second student, "Science says that you have five senses that you use to identify and observe the world around you with. Have you ever seen Jesus?" "No sir. I have never seen him." "Then tell me if you've ever heard your Jesus?" "No sir, I have not." "Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or even smelled your Jesus?" Again the student answered, "No sir, I have not." The professor leaned in and asked, "Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God the Father for that matter?" The student replied, "No sir, I'm afraid I have not." Incredulously, the professor asked, "Yet you still believe in him?" "Yes."

"According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God does not exist. What do you say to that, son?" "Nothing," the student replies, "I only have my faith." "Yes, faith," the professor repeats, "And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith."

But then a most surprising thing happens. The student courageously began to question the professor saying, "Professor, is there such a thing as heat?" "Yes." "And is there such a thing as cold?" The professor answers, "Yes, son, there is cold too." To which the student countered, "No sir, there is not." The professor turned to face this second student, obviously interested. The room became deathly quiet. The student began to explain, "You can have heat, extreme heat, super-heat, mega-heat, a little heat or even no heat at all, but we don't have anything called 'cold.' We can theoretically get down to 459 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than -459 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what make a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero [-459 F] is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."

The silence in the lecture hall is now deafening. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer. "What about darkness, professor? Is there such a thing as darkness? "Yes," the professor replies with hesitation, "What is night if it isn't darkness?" "You are wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, blinding light, but if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"

The professor begins to smile at the second student in front of him and said, "This will be a good semester. So what point are you making, young man?" The student replied, "My point is that your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, so therefore, your conclusion must also be flawed." The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time, "Flawed? Can you explain how?"

"You are working on the premise of duality," the student relates, "You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood, either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."

"Now tell me, professor. Do you teach that your students that they evolved from a monkey?" "If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, then yes, of course, I do," the professor replied. "Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?" The professor began to shake his head, still smiling as he realizes where this argument is going. It is going to be a very good semester, indeed.

"Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an ongoing endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?" The class is now in full uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. "To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean." The student looks around the lecture hall. "Is there anyone in this class who has ever seen the professor's brain?" The class breaks out into laughter. "Is there anyone here who has ever touched the professor's brain? Heard the professor's brain? Smelled his brain? No one appears to have so, sir. So according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"

Now the room is again deathly silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after a seeming eternity, the old man answers, "I guess you'll have to take them on faith." "Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life." The student continues, "Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?" Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down speechless ... the year was 1897 and the young student he had just debated was Albert Einstein who would later rewrite the laws of physics.