Ephesians 3:18

18. With all saints Inasmuch as you Gentile Ephesians are built with all other saints into the structure of a glorious Church.

Breadth, length, depth, height These are the four geometrical dimensions of a building, or other solid or spacial object. But of what object is it that Paul is praying that his Ephesians may comprehend these dimensions? The old Greek commentators, as well as Erasmus and Grotius, refer it to our redemption identical with the mystery of Ephesians 3:9. For although the word mystery is far back in the discourse, yet the thought, redemption, runs through its whole current. And to this redemptive mystery these geometrical distinctions have been attributed with a truth and beauty not deserving the repulse they receive from Meyer and others. The length of this redemption extends from the eternity of God’s foresight to the reconciliation of Ephesians 1:10. Its breadth is in design as broad as humanity; its depth as profound as the perdition from which it rescues us; and its height as sublime as the heaven to which it raises us. Still it must be inquired whether there be any object more supposably present at the moment to St. Paul’s mind in naming these dimensions than this redemptive mystery? Meyer, with decisive confidence, identifies the love of Christ in next verse as the object. If so, then Paul prays that they may… comprehend the dimensions of, and know, by real experience, the love of Christ. But, as Eadie justly objects, the Greek conjunction used by St. Paul does not thus unite two clauses co-ordinately. Besides, the break between Ephesians 3:18-19 is too decided.

Our division of paragraphs clearly shows, we think, to what object these dimensions belong. At Ephesians 3:14, as we have noted, the for this cause being identical with the for this cause of Ephesians 3:1, and the entire of Ephesians 3:1-13 being parenthetical, Paul’s mind reverts back to Ephesians 2:20-22, where the glorious churchly temple stands out in full view. Into this temple the intervening paragraph describes the inbuilding of his Ephesians; and the present passage prays that they may fully comprehend the blessings and glories of its structure. That the apostle has this architectural image still in view is clear from the fact that grounded that is, based, or founded has the same Greek word as foundation in Ephesians 3:20.