Love in 3D

Get your 3D glasses out.

Ephesians 3:17-19 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.

Who knew that the study of these verses would lead to geometry? Certainly not me. I’m an artsy person and have little use for math in any form. Yes, I can do the basic mathematical equations to live by but higher calculating, not so much.

Ephesians 3:17-19 is a geometrical study of the love of Christ. As I said, “Who knew?” OK, brainiacs visualize with me. We’re talking geometrical dimensions here. 

Uses of dimensions:

The understanding of dimensions is very important in day to day life. Basically, dimensions are required for measuring anything.

Length refers to the size of a line segment. A figure having only length is called a one dimensional figure.

A closed figure of 4 sides would have two dimensions length and width. 

And such a figure is called a two dimensional figure.

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An object that has length, width and height is called a three dimensional object.

A three dimensional space is a geometric model of the physical universe in which we live. It is labeled with the terms: breadth, length, height, and depth.  (Thank you Wikipedia.)

The love Christ Jesus has for us is three dimensional. It has breadth, length, height, and depth. It is complete and filling. For God the Father so loved the people of this world that He gave His Son Christ Jesus to be a ransom for our sin. God the Son, Jesus Christ, loved us so much He came to earth to dwell among us and give His earthly life so that we could be justified and be a part of His family. How great is God's love for you and me? Infinite. How long will He love us? Forever. How deeply will He love us? Through the depth of our sin. How high will He love us? Higher than any love we can fathom. And what is the breadth of His love for us? Eternity to eternity.  Can we fully understand this love?

Yes, and No.

Yes

We can know that God loves us beyond anything we can know. That sounds contradictory but that is what Paul says(to comprehend the love that surpasses knowledge.). One commentary says understanding this leads to enlarging your faith, expanding your expectations, increasing your trust, and amplifying your own love for God in return. Even children sing, “Jesus loves me this I know.” He loves us. He loves you. He loves me.

No 

We are limited in our understanding of His love for us by our humanity. One commentary says that it takes an eternity to understand the love of God. Thankfully we have been given that as His child. Every day we can experience more of the love Jesus Christ has for us and it will lead us to a better understanding of the dimensions and nuances of His great love.

I like how the great theologian, Spurgeon, explains it: “The apostle Paul desires that when the love of Christ becomes to us a solid reality we may have close communion with it. You may measure the breadth and length of a thing at a great distance, but you cannot very well measure its depth without drawing near to it. What a holy familiarity with Jesus do the words imply when we come to measurements of these kinds!” He calls it, “Measuring the immeasurable.”

I like the love-dimensions of Romans 8:39.

Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sing the kiddie song with me (plus my addition:)

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

He loves in 3D love.