Ephesians 3:19 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
This verse gives a second outcome of having the inner strength of Christ within us. This verse begins with an infinitive (gnōnai) that parallels the infinitive “to grasp” from v. 18. The Holy Spirit gives strength within us to know the love of Christ. The first infinitive has the idea of grasping, taking hold of, seizing, or understanding. The second infinitive is similar but has more of the connotation of coming to know and experience.
The object of knowledge is the love of Christ. This could be taken either as Christ’s love for us (subjective genitive) or our love for Christ (objective genitive), although both are possible and likely. This is describing a love relationship. Our can respond in love for Christ because Christ has first loved us and given himself for us (see 5:1-2). This love is all consuming and life transforming. This is the essence of what it means to be “in Christ.” This is the high point of our existence and the pinnacle of Paul’s letter. This love is beyond understanding and can never be fully known in this life (1 Corinthians 13:12).
The final purpose clause of this prayer brings the prayer to the ultimate conclusion. It defines being “in Christ” in a broad, inclusive, and sweeping petition. The word “filled” is repeated twice, once in the verb (plērōthēte) and the object (plērōma): “filled with the fullness.” The verb is also passive, indicating that God is the one who does the filling. We must consider the context of the letter and all of Paul’s theology to determine what all the fullness of God is. We have been created to be in a deep and intimate bond of love with Christ and to come to know God’s love and grace through this. This is the last of Paul’s petition in behalf of the Ephesians and expresses our highest goal as human beings. Everything else in our lives falls into its proper place and right perspective–even our suffering.
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