The Experiential Love of the Father

How well do you know the love of the Father? I've been wondering that myself lately. As I've pondered this question I found myself in the book of Ephesians. I want to give you a little background to the city of Ephesus before I talk more on the Father's love. 

Ephesus was one of the major cities for commerce and travel in the ancient world. It was situated on the major roads and was a major port city as well. This city loved their entertainment and religious experiences. The Temple of Artemis stood as an epicenter for city life. It was a bank, a vault for special documents such as wills and a center of worship. People came to be healed, to worship and to sacrifice to Artemis. Male and female prostitutes were abundantly provided for the worshipers' pleasure. Statues and temples to other deities such as Nike and Aphrodite filled the streets. Merchants sold everything from exotic cloth and perfume to the meat of the animals sacrificed at the temples. Nearby stood the giant amphitheater used for everything from town meetings to plays and gladiatorial games. This was a people that loved an experience.

This background information sheds light on Ephesians 3:14-19. (I don't know about you but sometimes I have to reread a sentence several times before I can comprehend everything Paul tries to say. This is a really deep section and in typical fashion Paul said all this in one sentence.)

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.

I want to focus on the phrase "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge", particularly the words "know" and "knowledge." In Greek they are two related words but have slightly different meanings. The word we translate as "to know" means "to know something absolutely, to feel deeply and experience intimately." This word is also used as a Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse. The word "knowledge" means to understand something intellectually. 

Paul wanted the Ephesians "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge." In other words, he wanted them to know by experience the love of Christ that went beyond an intellectual understanding. He wanted them to live the experience and to wear the evidence of that like an expensive perfume. This is the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. 

The rest of this section tells us how this happens. Holy Spirit strengthens us with power so Christ can live in us through faith. He makes it possible for faith. Because Jesus lives in us we are rooted and grounded in love. This is the image of a tree. The deeper the roots, the stronger the tree. This means those lies and other bad roots and weeds need to be removed for the health of the tree. The more Holy Spirit strengthens us the more we can experience deeply and intimately the love of the Father that we cannot know on an intellectual level. What an amazing God and Father we have that He wants us to know beyond an intellectual level His love for us!

By converting to Christianity the Ephesians gave up a lot of what their city was known for. Their lifestyle had to change. Paul wanted the believers to know that even though they gave up a lot they gained so much more. Christian life is not boring. We get to experience God's love for us. To truly know something you need to have experienced it. God wants us to be experientially filled with God's love. He wants us to know it inside and out, to be so saturated in it that we, like a sponge, would ooze God's love when squeezed.  

A few questions I've been thinking about lately: What does God's love look like? What does it feel like? Is something standing in the way of you receiving more of His love? Where do you need to experience more of His love?