Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, Observe, again, it is not "rooted and grounded" in any other perfection of God. I am satisfied that the "love" here spoken of, as you will see in a moment, is God's love to us in the first instance; and the apostle does not say. — and this is very remarkable — "being rooted and grounded in wisdom, or truth, or even faithfulness." And why? Because you will notice that all those perfections, invaluable as they are in their application to ourselves and the whole scheme of redemption, still do not touch the heart: they never would draw the "roots" of man to God. I can look at God, and behold Him in all His beauty, as a faithful, holy, just, and true God, but my heart remains perfectly unmoved; there is not one of God's perfections, except love, that can draw forth the roots of my heart unto Himself; there is not one of God's other perfections that could, if brought into exercise, have knit my soul to Him; I should have stood aloof from God, apart from this one attribute. I say again, I could have looked at Him and admired Him, in a cold and abstract sense, on account of His other perfections, as mere moral attributes; but His love, His own love, and nothing else, could ever touch the heart of poor lost, fallen man. It is there, observe — in the manifestation of that love — that union is again effected between God and man. And therefore I need not say to you, that the very essence of the gospel economy is the manifestation of that love. See, then, the propriety of this expression — "rooted and grounded in love." You know perfectly well, in regard of any of your fellow creatures, that you may admire their qualities and attainments, and everything else of that character; still, these do not touch your heart; but when there is a strong expression of love towards yourself on the part of that fellow creature, if anything conceivable could draw forth your affections, and induce what is here implied by "being rooted and grounded" in the affection of that person, it is the very fact of his love drawing you to him. Hence this expression here — "being rooted and grounded in love:" that is, knowing His love, appreciating it, entering thoroughly into it, having such an understanding of it and such a belief of its personal adaption to yourself, if appropriated in all its fulness, that there is a manifest return — that the roots of your heart are drawn and infixed into God, and you come back into that fellowship with Him which never can and which never could result from anything whatever but the manifestation of God's own love to you. Brethren, I would say, do you not feel from your inmost souls day by day that religion is an absolute nonentity, that it is pure vanity, excepting as it lays hold of a man's heart and affections? Do you not feel that it is utterly uninfluential, independent of that? But now let us look at two or three particulars connected with my more immediate text, which I want to be fixed upon your minds. "Rooted and grounded in love"! I have explained to you briefly, as well as I could, what is implied in that: it is such a perception of God's love — its length, and breadth, and depth, and height — that our affections are placed firmly upon it; all their roots are fixed deeply into it. Now, then, I want to know particularly some of the results that will follow from it in our own experience. 1. There will be a necessary enlargement of our own hearts' affections. My brethren, do believe this, that like every other faculty or feeling or quality belonging to man, his affections have become straitened. This is part and parcel of man's miserable and sinful condition. He has not the love he ought to have for any object; he is narrowed up into his own selfishness. Now, when we get a right view of God's love, and that love comes into our hearts, what follows? The expansion of our own affections. It is a common saying, and a perfectly true one, that small things will satisfy small minds; but I tell you that the converse or another view of that proposition is true: small things will make small minds. If you exercise your mind upon small matters, your mind becomes diminished in its powers and capabilities — if you exercise your mind upon great matters, your mind expands; if the heart is fixed on a small object of affection, its affections become small — if on a comprehensive one, the affections are enlarged. Now look at God. God becomes the object of a man's affection when he enters into this text. What follows? The expansion of his heart. Hence the Psalmist — "When Thou hast set my heart at liberty." I repeat, that if you can enter into the depth and length and height and breadth of God's love in Christ to you, one result will be an expansion of heart and affection back towards God. 2. Another result will be this — a feeling of perfect security in regard to your everlasting state. You will never enter into this until you enter into the depths of God's love. 3. Again, confidence will be the result. When I know that God is my own God, that He is with me always, that His promise will be fulfilled to me, what follows? I have perfect confidence. How can I have this? Why, let God be for me — I say from my inmost soul, let God be for me, and I care not whether man or devil is for or against me, comparatively. Is God absolute, or is He not? I say God is absolute, and controls all things. Then let me have God, and if I love Him I do have Him, and I stand with perfect confidence — in no strength of my own, with no sufficiency to think a good thought, but God undertakes for me. 4. Fruitfulness. If a tree strikes its roots deep, the tree is secure — if the foundation of a building is deep, the building is secure; if I see the depths of God's love, and the roots of my heart are struck deep into God's love, there is abundant reason for my security. But in regard to fruitfulness and a high and exalted state, how can you have that without the roots are struck deep? Can you build a high house or a tower without a good foundation? Can you have a high tree, luxuriant in foliage and fruit, if you have not deep roots? How then can you have a high Christian, an exalted Christian, an elevated experience? Only by the roots being struck deep into God's love. (Capel Molyneux, B. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, |
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