14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Do you know a justification addict? I bet you do. I used to know a fellow who always had to be right. He was sure to let you know that he had it figured out. If he were ever in the wrong, he would tell you why that was someone else’s fault. He was always justifying himself. That’s a justification addict. I found with such people that argument gets you nowhere. The hammer must fall upon them through their own doing. Your best bet is to love them despite them and wait. The day will come when they arrive at the limit of their justifications. Perhaps they will stand before a judge and croak out a guilty plea. Perhaps it will be the stern visage of a spouse or someone else whom they have inexcusably harmed. But the day will come. They will stand there, ashamed and without excuse. That is the moment to pounce. Pull out your gracious blade – love them anyway and slay the addict. Tell them you love them despite what they have done. Tell them that you have always loved them, and it had nothing to do with their rectitude, morality, or just being good. It had everything to do with love.
Paul prays that we will have the strength to comprehend with all the saints the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love. Did you notice that there are four dimensions to that love? That is not sloppy writing on Paul’s part. It is very deliberate. The only way you can measure all those distances is from inside the love itself. Christ’s love is broad, wide enough to love everyone, even people like me, you, and everyone whom you meet. It is long, it does not run out, but always stretches off into the distance. No sin or sinner can never out distance it. It is high, the saints of old, the angels themselves, they love and are beloved of God. They also need that love. We will love in heaven with the very same love we have now. Paul tells us that love does not fail. (I Cor. 13). And love is deep. It reaches down to the very bottom of creation and humanity. Jesus prayed for the men who nailed him to a cross. He loved Saul the persecutor. He loves everyone you will ever meet, no matter how undeserving of that love. There is no bottom to that mysterious love.