Dimensions of God’s Love

Ephesians 3:14-19  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  (15)  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  (16)  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;  (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 fullness of God.

Here the Apostle Paul offers a prayer to God. It was first for the Church at Ephesus but we understand that it is extended to us as well. The prayer is to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man in order that Christ can dwell in our hearts so that we may be rooted and grounded in love and able to comprehend in unity with all saints the breadth, length, depth and height of Christ's love in order to be filled with the fullness of God.

There is much wealth in this passage of scripture. I want to examine one part today. In verse 18 there is mention made of the breadth, length, depth and height of God's love. This verse points out 4 dimensions of His love. It so happens that dimension is defined as; a measure of spatial extent, especially width, height, or length. Dimensions can be parallel. You can move from one dimension into another but exist in more than one at a time. The first 2 dimensions can be looked at in more natural terms (though not exclusively) and the last 2 in more spiritual terms (again not exclusively). 1Corinthians 15:46 says, Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

So we can begin to look at the breadth (width) and length of the Lord's love. As we mature in Christ we grow from one dimension to the next as the Word of God says, "from faith to faith and from glory to glory." Our love for Christ moves from mere natural affections to more spiritual matters. Colossians 3:2-4 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  (3)  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  (4)  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. At one point in my life I valued salvation because quite simply I didn’t want to go to hell. Although it’s hard for me to imagine that now; if I could have found a way around it I would have. However, as I have matured in Christ I am saved not just because it saves me but because it pleases Jesus and my obedience could save someone else. My walk with God is motivated by His love and not by my fear. He took me from one realm or dimension to another.

Getting back to the scripture we see the breadth which suggests a great extent of God’s love. This speaks about an incalculable measurement from side to side. It brings to my mind the lyric, “He’s so wide you can’t get around Him.” We see the length which again is in incalculable measurement. How long is the Lord’s love? Well if nothing can separate us from it, it must be extremely long. With length we find something most interesting. The measurement of length alone is one dimension. The measurement of length squared is two dimensions called the area. The measurement of length cubed is three dimensions called volume. How all encompassing is God’s love!

Moving on to the last 2 dimensions mentioned in verse 18 we come to the depth. Figuratively it speaks of the mystery of God’s love. Metaphorically it speaks of the deep things of God. The root of the Greek word means bottomless. All of these things point us to knowledge of His love that is incomprehensible. Now how is it possible to know something that is incomprehensible? It can only be perceived by the Spirit. The Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of Truth, bears witness with our spirits. We are led into a life of worship, established in love, by the Spirit. Those that worship the Father must worship in spirit and in truth. The Father is seeking true worshippers. (John 4:23) Through worship alone we are led into the depths of Christ’s love for us and the world. We experience fullness in His presence. (Psalm 16:11)

The final dimension the Apostle Paul mentions is height. Height measures how high up something goes. It speaks about an elevation. Figuratively it can mean to be exalted. Height also relates to a place or station; as in heaven. Metaphorically it speaks about rank or a high station. We see then that this dimension of God’s love leads us into a place of elevation. Those who ascend to this dimension do so by humbling themselves before the Lord. Matthew 23:12 tells us this very thing. This dimension of love leads us into a relationship of authority in Christ. We work for Him and reign with Him in the earth. Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. It’s from this position of authority in Christ that we are meant to ascend to and live in. It’s in this position alone, in Christ, that we are fully equipped to share His love with the world and to ensure that the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord!


Next time I want to look at the 4 dimensions of love Jesus speaks of in the 1st commandment. Until then, be blessed and let's ascend together into the heights of God's love! God Bless!