In this message we shall consider 3:20 and 21: “But to Him Who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.” These verses are a doxology, a high praise, even the highest to be found in the New Testament Epistles. Such a high praise could not have been uttered before the church had come into existence in a practical way.
As we pointed out in the foregoing message, in verse 19 we see the church as the fullness of God. The fullness of God here is the result, the issue, of our experience of the riches of Christ. After such a church has come into existence, the Apostle Paul sounds forth the doxology in verses 20 and 21, ascribing to God glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. Only after the church has come into being as the fullness of God can the glory of God be manifested.
Although the church has been on earth for more than nineteen centuries, it has not yet reached the point of being the fullness of God. The highest definition of the church is that it is the fullness of God. We must admit that among us today we do not yet have the church as the fullness of God, as God’s full expression. However, we believe that the church will come up to this level. The fact that the Lord has spoken such a word concerning the church is an indication that He will do what He has spoken. The Lord’s word will not return void (Isa. 55:11). Whatever He speaks, He will perform. For example, when God spoke something in Genesis 1, it came to pass. Therefore, we believe that the Lord’s word regarding the church as the fullness of God will be accomplished. Not only do we believe this word, but we also claim it and pray according to it. We need to pray, “Lord, You have spoken concerning the church as the fullness of God. Now You must fulfill what You have spoken.” When the church on earth reaches the stage of being the fullness of God, we shall be able to say with Paul, “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.”
The words “but to Him” in verse 20 convey the thought that something has initially gone forth from God and is now returning to Him. In his prayer Paul asked that the Father would strengthen the saints according to the riches of His glory. This implies that the glory of God is wrought into the saints. In the doxology Paul said, “To Him be the glory” (v. 21). This implies that the glory of God returns to God after it has been wrought into the saints. Firstly, the glory of God is wrought into us; then it returns to God for His glorification. As an illustration, Isaac’s wealth was firstly given to Rebekah for her beautification; then when Rebekah came to Isaac, all the wealth came back to Isaac with Rebekah for his glorification (Gen. 24:47, 53, 61-67). The apostle prayed that God would strengthen the saints according to His glory, but eventually God’s glory, after being wrought into them, returns to Him along with the strengthened saints. This is the way God is glorified in the church.
We have seen that in verse 16 Paul prayed that the Father would grant us, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power into our inner man. To be strengthened according to glory is to have the glory of God worked into our being. This is the only way to be strengthened according to God’s glory. Suppose a person who is physically very weak can be strengthened according to someone who is physically strong. This would mean that the strength of the strong one is wrought into the very fibers of the weak one. In the same principle, to be strengthened into the inner man according to the Father’s glory means to have His glory wrought into our being. Firstly, the glory comes to us, and then it goes back to God. When the glory comes into our being, we are filled and strengthened. When it returns to God, He is glorified in the church.
The Greek word rendered “but” in verse 20 can also be translated “now.” In such a case “now” would mean “in view of the fact that” or “based on the preceding.” In verses 20 and 21 it seems that Paul was saying, “Now that the church has come into existence as the fullness of God, God can be glorified in the church. Before this time it was impossible for the glory to return to God. But because the church has become the fullness of God in a practical way, this is now possible.”
It is correct to translate the Greek word here as either “but” or “now.” In either case the word is not a meaningless insertion. The word “but” suggests that the glory which has come to us and which has been wrought into our being is now going back to God with us. The word “now” suggests that, in view of the fact that the church has come into existence as the fullness of God, God may at this time be glorified in the church. Both are true.
The church is the glory of God coming to us with God and going back to God with us. In such a church there is two-way traffic between God and us, and between us and God. By means of this two-way traffic, God’s glory is wrought into us and God is glorified in us. This traffic is signified by the little word “but.”
In verse 20 Paul speaks of “Him Who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think.” Strictly speaking, “ask or think” here refers to the spiritual things related to the church, not to material things. For these spiritual things, we need not only to ask, but also to think. We may think more than we ask. God fulfills not only what we ask for the church, but also what we think concerning the church, and God is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think for the church through the power which operates in us.
God’s ability to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, as revealed in verse 20, is different from His ability in creation. Verse 20 refers not to creation, but to the church. A number of times I have heard the saints quote verse 20 in testifying concerning their experience of God’s material blessing. To quote this verse for such a purpose is to misapply it. Paul’s concept here is related not to what God does outside of us, but to what He does inside of us. He specifically mentions “the power which operates in us.” This is the inward power, the resurrection power, as mentioned in 1:19 and 20.
God’s creating power is the origin of the material things in our environment (Rom. 8:28), whereas God’s resurrection power accomplishes the spiritual things for the church within our inward being. In order for God to give us a good job, there is no need for resurrection power to operate in us. God’s being able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think is related not to His acts in our environment, but to His working organically and metabolically within us. As far as the environment is concerned, there may be times when God apparently does nothing for you. You may pray for a promotion, but He allows you to be laid off from your present job. During this time of unemployment, God may operate within you to enable Christ to make His home in you. When we are in a favorable environment, there may be very little opportunity for Christ to spread Himself in our hearts. But when we are placed in a difficult environment, the Lord may have more of an opportunity to spread within our inward being. From our side, it may seem beneficial for us to be in a good environment, but from the Lord’s side, it may be better for us to be in a difficult environment, for then He may have greater opportunity to work within us.
The asking and thinking referred to in verse 20 should be applied to the church. We need to ask and to think concerning the church, not concerning trivial things related to our environment. Our asking and our thinking should be focused on God’s economy to dispense Himself into us to produce the church as the expression of Christ. When our asking and thinking concern the church, God will always do superabundantly above all that we ask or think. We need to ask and to think concerning Christ making His home in our hearts and concerning the church being filled unto all the fullness of God. If we ask and think in this way, we shall certainly be in the spirit. Then whatever we ask concerning the church will be answered, and it will be answered superabundantly. How we need to ask and to think concerning the church!
Verse 21 says, “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.” God’s glory is wrought into the church, and He is expressed in the church. Hence, the glory in the church is to God; that is, God is glorified in the church.
God’s glorification is not only in the church, but also in Christ. Hence, the word “and” is used here to emphasize this point. In the church the sphere of God’s glorification is narrow, limited to the household of faith. But in Christ the sphere is much broader, because Christ is the Head of all the families in the heavens and on earth (1:22; 3:15). Hence, God’s glorification in Christ is in the realm of all the families created by God, not only on earth but also in the heavens. Not only is the sphere in Christ much broader than that in the church, but the scope in Christ is eternal, as indicated by the phrase, “unto all the generations of the age of the ages.” All the generations of the age of the ages constitute eternity. God’s glorification in the church is mainly in this age, whereas God’s glorification in Christ is for eternity.
The church is just one of the many families in the universe. The other families include the angelic family, the family of mankind, and the family of Israel. According to verse 15, God is the source of the angelic family in the heavens and of all the human families on earth. Of course, He is also the source of the church, which is the family, the household, of the believers. To say that God is glorified in the church means that He is glorified in just one of the many families. But to say that God is glorified in Christ means that He is glorified in Christ as the Head of all things. Christ is the Head over the angels, over mankind, over Israel, and also over the church. If God were glorified only in the church, He would not be glorified in an all-inclusive way. For Him to be glorified all-inclusively, He must also be glorified in Christ.
God will be glorified not only in this age, the age of the church, but also in the coming age, the age of the kingdom, and in the age of the ages, which is eternity. For God to be glorified in all the ages, from the present age throughout eternity, He must be glorified both in the church and in Christ.
As the household of the believers, the church, we take the lead to give the glory to God the Father by having God’s glory wrought into our being. In order for the glory of God to be wrought into us, we need to be strengthened into our inner man according to the riches of God’s glory. Then this glory will come to us with God and, after being worked into us, will return to God with us. By means of this two-way traffic the church takes the lead to give the glory to God. In this universe, as the believers, we are the firstfruit. If we take the lead to give glory to God, all the other families both in heaven and on earth will follow us to glorify Him.
