Eph 3:14-19 and Biblical Theology

The following is an excerpt from a project I'm working on for this Greek New Testament class. It links Ephesians 3:14-19 with a biblical theology of prayer.

Eph 3:14-19

"14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:14-19 contributes richly to biblical theology. Due to space we will only note its contribution in the area of prayer. Intercessory prayer is a scriptural theme spanning both covenants. The earliest recorded intercessory prayer is found in Gen. 18:22-33 where Abraham intercedes for the city of Sodom. God was about to release his judgment upon the city for its wickedness when Abraham proceeded to pray that it might be spared for the sake of fifty righteous people. He proceeded to pray that God might spare the city for the sake of less and less righteous people finally stopping at ten. In this Abraham saw that God hears and responds to the prayers of his people. In Ex 33:12-17 Moses prays that God would go with them into the promised land. In this case God responds in vv. 17 “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” In this we see that God responds to prayer. The prophet Daniel interceded for his nation in Dan 9:3-19 where he confesses their sins and prays “let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem…” (9:16). The response to this prayer is the appearance of the angel Gabriel who tells him in 9:23, “At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved”. Here again, God brought an answer to a righteous man’s prayer. These examples of intercessory prayer all happened before the coming of Christ. These all took place under the old covenant. All of these prayers were prayed by men righteous in the eyes of God and all appealed to the loving, merciful, benevolent nature of God as they understood him to be.

When Christ came, he himself taught and modeled effective prayer. He taught that prayer should be addressed to the Father (Matt 6:5-13; Luke 11:2). He taught that the Father desires to give good things to them that ask, seek, and knock (Matt 7:7-11; Luke 11:5-13). He taught them the parable of the persistent widow “to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1-8). Jesus also demonstrated a specific prayer with special relevance to Ephesians 3:14-19. In John 17 he prays that his disciples and all future believers may have an experiential understanding of his love and his presence within them. He says, “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me…that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (17:23; 26b italics mine). Paul’s prayer in Eph 3:14-19 is in perfect harmony with Jesus’ own high priestly prayer.

In short, Eph 3:14-19 contributes richly to Paul’s own theology of prayer and the love of God. He prayed for the salvation of Israel (Rom 10:1). He wrote to the Corinthians that they might help him, “by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many” (2 Cor 1:11). Eph 3:14-19 also resonates with his earlier prayer for power in Eph 1:16-21. He encourages the Philippians to make their requests known to God (Phil 4:6). He urges the Colossians to continue steadfastly in prayer (Col 4:2). He urges prayer and intercession for all people (1 Tim 2:1).

One final relevant text is Jude 20-21a, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God”. Here as in Eph 3:14-19 is made mention of the idea of building up or strengthening (e˙poikodomouvnteß) and also the Holy Spirit and the love of God.