A Book Review from Books At a Glance
by Steve West
Table of Contents
Part 1 Describing the Inexpressible
Part 2 Desiring the Incomparable
Part 3 Obtaining the Unsurpassable
Part 4 Uses and Counsels
Appendix: The Analysis of the Treatise
Summary
Part One: Describing the Inexpressible
“17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19, KJV)
Having dealt with election and salvation in Ephesians 1-2, Paul now tells his readers about the good that is theirs in Christ, so that they will never be troubled no matter what they experience. The terms of measurement for God’s love—breadth, length, depth, height—show that it goes beyond our ability to comprehend; its greatness is infinite and unfathomable. Since God is eternal and infinite, his attributes are infinitely greater than we can imagine. His infinite love for us in Christ is for us, and so God himself is for us and we have nothing to fear. In all of our trials, the love of God is higher, broader, longer, and deeper than whatever we face, and it is here where we find comfort in any situation.
The word breadth shows that God is everywhere and over everything. Our sin spreads and encompasses many things, and enemies may stretch out across the land, but the love of Christ is broader far and covers over all of our experiences. Our sin and affliction may be broad, but God’s love and power are broader than the sea. The length of God’s love proves that he can reach out his hand near and far, and that we are never beyond his reach. Wherever we can be, God is there, and he can remove our sins as far as the east is from the west. This means that there is no sinner so lost, or believer so backslidden, that they are beyond the length of God’s arm to reach and redeem.
The depth of God’s love means that we can never sink too low to fall beyond it. There is no depth of sin or misery that is too deep for the love of God to find us, comfort us, and save us. As with the psalmists, when we are delivered from the depths we are to praise and worship God for his deliverance. When Israel went to the Promised Land, they were intimidated by the height of the giants and walls of the cities, but the height of God’s love and power is greater. There are things that are lower than us and things that are higher than us, but Christ is exalted higher than all, and God dwells in the heights of heaven. Heaven is far too high for us to ascend on our own, but in Christ, we are lifted up. God transcends all things, and nothing is impossible for him; he does whatever he pleases. In order for us to appreciate the breadth, length, depth, and height of God’s love for us in Christ, there are things that oppose us so that we can see the greater reality of God. Darkness opposes light, and evil opposes good, but heaven and grace triumph over hell and sin. It is only in Christ that we can reach the heavenly country and be welcomed in. . . .
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