Ephesians 3:16-21 is Paul’s prayer that Christians would be strengthened by God’s Spirit, rooted in love, and filled with the fullness of God. In these verses he asks for inner power that lets believers grasp how wide and deep Christ’s love is, and then he ends with a doxology praising God who can do far more than we ask or imagine.
Paul writes this from prison in Rome, probably in the early 60s AD, to churches across the region around Ephesus. The prayer sits in the middle of a letter that first explains the mystery of Jew and Gentile united in one body, and it gives a pastoral heartbeat to that teaching.
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:16-21 (WEB)
Ephesians 3:16-21 Summary
Paul begins by asking that God would strengthen his readers with power through his Spirit in their inner being. The goal is that Christ would make his home in their hearts through faith, so that they would be rooted and grounded in love.
From there Paul prays that they would grasp the breadth of Christ’s love together with all God’s people, a love too large to be fully known. He closes with praise to God, who is able to do far more than anything we request or imagine, and he gives glory to God in the church and in Christ forever.
Context of Ephesians 3:16-21
Ephesians is traditionally attributed to Paul, and it was written to a group of churches with a mixed Jewish and Gentile membership. Chapters 1 through 3 lay out God’s eternal plan to unite all things in Christ, and chapter 3 specifically reveals that Gentiles are now fellow heirs and members of the same body.
Verses 13 through 15 show Paul’s concern for his readers even while he suffers. Verse 14 then begins the prayer with the words “for this cause,” tying what follows directly to the mystery he has just described. Verses 22 onward move into the practical implications of this unity in chapters 4 through 6.
Ephesians 3:16-21 Verse by Verse
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Paul affirms that nothing can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus. It echoes the depth and breadth of that love described in Ephesians 3 and gives assurance that the love we are growing to know is unshakable.
Colossians 2:6-7
6 As therefore you received Christ Jesus, the Lord, walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, even as you were taught, abounding in it in thanksgiving.
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Paul uses the same image of roots and building as he encourages believers to keep living in Christ. The verses show that being rooted and built up in him is a continuing way of life rather than a single moment.
A Prayer Based on Ephesians 3:16-21
Father, I ask that you would strengthen me with power through your Spirit in the place where I actually live, the inner self that no one else sees. Dwell in my heart by faith, and root me deeply in your love so that I am steady when life shifts under my feet.
Help me to grasp, together with the people in my church and community, how wide and long and high and deep your love is. Let me know a love that surpasses all I can understand, and fill me with your fullness day by day. Thank you that you are able to do far more than I can ask or imagine. To you be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “rooted and grounded in love” mean in Ephesians 3:17?
It describes a life anchored deeply in God’s love, using images of a tree with strong roots and a building on a firm foundation. Paul is saying that love is the base from which Christians grow and stand firm.
What is the width, length, height, and depth in Ephesians 3:18?
Paul does not define the four measurements, and the sentence that follows identifies the subject as Christ’s love. The image conveys how vast that love is, a love that is too large to be fully measured.
Why does Paul pray for the church to be “filled with all the fullness of God”?
The prayer expresses the goal of the Christian life: to be increasingly filled with God’s presence and character. Paul presents this fullness as a gift that comes through knowing Christ’s love, not through human effort alone.
