principalities and powers could experience this or any other created being. We are filled

unto or with a view to all the fullness of God, and nothing less than this is God's will for

us individually, for this shows forth in miniature the great goal of the ages when the

fullness of God shall fill the whole of the new heaven and earth.  In Col. 2: 10 the

Apostle states: "ye are filled full (complete) in Him". In the ascended Head, each

member of the Body has been filled to the full by the Lord Himself. Here in Ephesians

the desire is that each one may increasingly realize this in their experience. This is the

high water mark of Christian realization beyond which no one can go in this life.

Professor F. F. Bruce well sums it up in these words: "Filled unto all the fullness of

God--nothing can exceed this;  here every other blessing is comprehended and

crowned". No wonder Paul closes the doctrinal section of the epistle with a glorious

doxology: "Now unto Him Who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask

or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be the glory in the church

and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations for ever and ever (literally unto all the

generations of the age of the ages). Amen."

The Apostle has not finished with his superlatives. If anyone feels that all this

language is far above them and beyond their comprehension, he reminds them that they

are dealing with One Who is able to do superabundantly and transcend all our asking and

thinking. God is able and willing to do infinitely more than all our imagination and He

does it by the mighty resurrection power revealed in 1: 19-23, the power that now

energizes (works in) us. It is therefore only fitting and right that the last thought should

be of His glory, both in the church and in Christ Jesus unto the coming age--the age of

the ages. Well may Paul write "Amen"--"Truth". This goal is the Truth, and shall

surely be attained in spite of Satan and the powers of darkness, man's sin and the

dominion of death and everything that opposes the will of God!

With chapter 3: 21 we reach the climax of Divine revelation. Instruction must now

give place to practice. If God's truth is anything at all, it is balance; not all doctrine and

little or no practice; or all practice and little or no doctrine. Both, by themselves would

be lop-sided. God first of all instructed us in His truth. This is doctrine. Then He

expects a practical response from what we have learned. This is Christian practice. The

rest of the Ephesian epistle is largely concerned with the practical response that should

result from the teaching of chapters 1: to 3:  This being so, we are not surprised that

chapter 4: starts with the word "therefore"--"because of all that has gone before", a

worthy walk should most surely result. Paul describes himself as the Lord's prisoner, a

title of Christ relating to practical issues--(compare 3: 1) the One Who is and should be

our Controller. He beseeches, not commands, the Ephesian saints to exhibit a worthy

walk, one that balances the Divine calling. This is indeed a "holy calling" (II Tim. 1: 9)

and demands a daily walk in correspondence with it. This worthy walk is exhibited by

four Christian graces, humility, meekness, patience and forbearance. Real humility is

foreign to the thinking of the world. It is the very opposite of pride and self-assertion--

the parent sins which God hates (Prov. 16: 5; James 4: 6), being the cause of Satan's

downfall, and they have wrought so much havoc ever since. As far back as O.T. days

God revealed that He sought the humble (Isa. 57: 15; 66: 2) and this quality was most

fully seen in His beloved Son, the One, Who though so great, was essentially meek