Study Series
What is the "Study Series?"
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; 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; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3.14-19
An odd picture, isn’t it everyone? I assure you, I give it no significance for it to have any religious or Christian value whatsoever. It does, however, provide me with an object lesson to impart understanding of how I envision the Study Series to be. Let me bring your attention to the details of the picture, and then hopefully you will begin to understand why I chose it.
One of the most profound statements that the Apostle Paul made to the Church of Ephesus that is often overlooked, in my opinion, is his reference to the manner in which the Ephesians would “know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.” Notice how he prayed for them to comprehend with all the saints the: (1) Width, (2) Length, (3) Depth, and (4) Height. Now let us go back to the picture. We see a beautiful ornate box where light is emanating from within the box; in addition, the light appears to be giving off warmth. Also, and more importantly for the purpose of one of the most significant reasons I wanted to use this picture for my illustration, look at the people gathered around the box. Each person has a vantage point different from the other, giving them an angle of vision of the box that is not available to the person across from them. Keeping this thought in mind will help us to understand why the Apostle Paul mentioned the dimensions in which the Ephesians would comprehend the love of Christ.
I want us to conduct a thought experiment that the box is liken to the love of Christ. Now I know, as I am certain all us would agree, the love of Christ is infinite and is not able to be placed in a box. In fact, the Apostle John states, “God is love.”1 Knowing the essence of God2 consists of the non-communicable attribute3 of Omnipresence4 debunks any notion of placing God in a box. However, let us consider for a moment this box to represent the love of God. Now, consider the fact that we live in a universe where our perceptions are just as those in this picture with the limited ability to perceive and understand things three-dimensionally, so it is true with us. Meaning, each person has a vantage point different from the other, giving them an angle of vision of the box that is not available to the person across from them. The only way one person across from the other would be able to comprehend and know the designs on the face of the box from the opposite side would be for that person on the opposite side to explain it to them. You see, this is just like the love of God. The Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Ghost to mention four dimensions, because the love of God is beyond just our own limitations to know and comprehend, we need to share the love of God and communicate His love to one another in the manner and way each person has experienced His love. In other words, the Church as a whole needs to communicate with one another the love of Christ, if we are all to come to the comprehension of it.
Now it is very important for everyone to understand that when I speak of the Church communicating God’s love to one another in the manner and way in which each person has had their experience with Him, it is in no way, to mean that such communications of God’s love would ever conflict with sound Biblical Faith. Meaning all such explanations of God’s love lines up with the Essentials of the Christian Faith.5 For example, just as the people gathered around the ornate box of this picture for illustration would not call the body in front of them a sphere; so too, we would not accept any explanation of Christ and explanations of His love that conflicts with Christian Orthodoxy.6
This is my vision for the Study Series. In this series, we will focus on matters of Christian doctrine, reproof, Christian maturity, and equipping the saints for the ministry of service to the Body of Christ. As a preacher and teacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it has not been my aim for a very long time to force anyone about what they should believe; however, what I will do is give you the tools needed to accomplish figuring out for yourselves what God wants you to believe. This does not mean that I will not take clear and present stands on matters that conflict with sound Biblical doctrine, but too often I have found in my studies of the main hermeneutical systems7 of the Protestant Faith there are too many that bank on what a flawed man says the word of God to mean, rather than, searching the Scriptures and allowing the illumination of the Holy Ghost to tell you what the Word of God is saying. Please, consider the idea that we are all able as children of the Most High God to come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and develop a deep faith into the more weightier matters of the souls of men. The Study Series is dedicated to finding out what God is saying to our hearts and minds.
I John 4.8 NKJV
The phrase essence of God is a theological term used to refer to God’s personal characteristics, or the facets of His personality.
God’s non-communicable attributes are those attributes He possesses that are not able to be shared with His creatures.
Omnipresence is being present everywhere at once; one of Gods unique attributes. One of the characteristics of created objects is that they are limited by space. An object or person can occupy only one place at a time. Because God created the heavens and the earth (Gen.1.1) and through His Son continually sustains all that is (Heb.1.), He is present to the whole of creation and to its parts. King David realized that there was nowhere he could go to escape God’s presence (Ps. 139.7-12), and no conditions such as darkness could hide him from God. Even though God is present everywhere, He is not perceived everywhere. He can be fully present and yet hidden from the eyes of creatures, or He can make His presence felt either in blessing or judgment.
The Essentials of the Christian Faith will be discussed in exhaustive detail in my “Study Series.”
Christian Orthodoxy refers to the branch of Christianity that adheres to the traditions and teachings established by the early Church, particularly as articulated by the ecumenical councils.
Hermeneutical systems refer to frameworks or methodologies used for interpreting texts, particularly in fields like literature, philosophy, theology, and law. These systems guide how meaning is derived from written works and other forms of communication.