Part of Paul's prayer for the Ephesians was "...that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge..." (Eph. 3:17-19). The love of Christ is beyond comprehension, it "surpasses knowledge" (NASB, ESV), however it was Paul's prayer that these Christians would grow and develop to the point that they could begin to grasp the greatness of the love of their Lord and Savior.

Paul uses four dimensions to describe the limitless nature of the love of Christ (width, length, depth, and height). Look in all four directions and the love of Christ does not end. Let's consider these four different dimensions of the love of Christ.

Width. The Love of Christ is wide enough to encompass all the needs of the world. Earlier in the epistle, Paul discussed how Christ alone was able, through His death, to join both Jew and Gentile together in one body (2:11-18). John the Baptist did not introduce Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the Jews, but as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus told the apostles to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:16). Because of the love of Christ, the kingdom of God is open and available to anyone: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28; c.f. Col. 3:11).

However, we must make sure we are not misunderstanding or misinterpreting the width of our Lord's love. The love of Christ is not wider (more inclusive) than the law of God. The love of Christ does not negate God's law against sin and unrighteousness. Simply put, the homosexual, adulterer, idolater, etc., cannot remain in their sin and claim they will be saved in the love of Christ. The love of Christ calls upon us to repent, not to continue to rebel against God's law.

Length. How far are you willing to go for your loved ones? Jesus went all the way to the cross. "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end" (John 13:1). Jesus told his apostles, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). However, Jesus' love went much further than this. "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:7-8). Dear friend, what else does the Lord have to do to prove His love for you?

Depth. The love of Christ has always been willing to extend to the depths of sin to seek and save a lost soul. Regardless of how low we sink in our sin and rebellion, we are never out of the sight of our loving Savior. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there" (Ps. 139:7-8). In this passage, the word "hell" should be understood as "Sheol" or the grave. If David were to tunnel under the earth, he could not get away from the presence of God. When the great fish swallowed Jonah, it took him to the depths of the sea. "I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple... I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever; yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God" (Jonah 2:2-6). Only God knows how many lives the love of Christ has "brought up from the pit." Our sin will separate us from fellowship with God, but it can never remove us from the love of Christ.

Height. The love of Christ is higher than any mountain. It stands as an unmovable force, calling sinners to repentance. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Rev. 3:19). The love of Christ gives strength to the faithful. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38-39). In the end, the love of Christ will cause us to be exalted or lifted up to our eternal home with God in Heaven. "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24).

The love of Christ is a great blessing. Man can spend his entire life upon this earth contemplating the richness of Christ's love and never exhaust nor fully grasp the subject. However, Paul's prayer is still that we would "know the love of Christ which passes knowledge." Do you know His love?