Love that Surpasses Knowledge
Ephesians 3:14-19
Ephesians 3:14-19
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.
CENTRAL TRUTH
There is no sin greater than the power of the Cross.
REFLECTIONS
Paul knew first hand the depth of Christ’ love because in his not-so-distant past, he was Saul of Tarsus who drug men, women & children into the streets, bound them, persecuted and murdered innocent people for professing their faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. The fact that Christ chose him to carry the Gospel message to the Gentiles permeated his life, prayer, meditations and writings. Paul understood that his Savior had full knowledge of his past and loved him completely in spite of it.
Honestly, Paul’s testimony is difficult for most of us to relate to in 21st century America. We’re not exactly forerunners of the Gospel, bringing up the first generation of Christian disciples, and persecuting others for following beliefs that counter our own. Yet, the same Holy Spirit that sanctified Paul’s heart is doing a work among us “ordinary” folk.
In reality, Paul’s story is no different then our own for the underlying foundation of the Gospel is redemption that starts with a broken, sinful race who needs God’s mercy & grace in order to be restored in our rightful relationship with Him. In other words, if you’re human…you’re broken. We all have shameful secrets whose exposure would humiliate us. Our defense then is to cover them up and hope that the apathy of others never calls us to accountability for those sins. We’re afraid that if someone knew what really went through our minds & hearts, then surely they would lose all desire to ever relate to us.
However, Christ’ love and desire to redeem you surpasses His knowledge of your sins. In order to embrace sanctification, we must move beyond our tendency to define each other by our past mistakes and rely on His grace. When Jesus encountered him on the road to Damascus, He didn’t see Saul the Persecutor, but instead Paul the Missionary. The same is true of you. He doesn’t see pornography addict, abortion participant, alcoholic, drug dealer or compulsory liar. Instead, through His infinite lens of love, He sees creative, beautiful people who are bearers of the redemption story.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Meditate on the secrets you’ve kept hidden. Does Paul’s redemption help you understand that you are not defined by your past?
- Does the love of our Savior enable you to see past the sins of others?
Note: This is part of a devotional series that I had the privilege of helping write with my local church. To catch the entire series on Ephesians, check out the Crestview Connection Blog.
