Strengthening the Inner Man

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply

Title: Strengthening the Inner Man
Keywords: “inner man”
Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation.

Passage: Ephesians 3:14-21*

14. For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father,

15. from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

16. that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;

17. so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18. may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19. and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.

20. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

21. to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Questions

1. What different requests does Paul make in the prayer above, in verses 14-19?

 

2. What is the theme of verses 20-21?

 

Practical help

Paul’s prayer at the end of the third chapter of Ephesians stirs our hearts! We read of His confidence in God’s super-ability to empower us to become people of faith and know that he is promising us EXACTLY what we need. He prays for our growth in love and even that we would be "filled up to all the fulness of God"! Wow!

The beginning of his prayer, though, is especially helpful to eXXit readers who struggle from time to time with a strong pull toward porn. Paul prays that we would "be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man."

Paul is confirming what we all know to be true. There is an "outer man" (see 2 Corinthians 4:16) which is the physical part of us. This "outer man" is constantly decaying, eroding in power, decreasing in strength. It is not evil, but it is temporal, and it is no help in fighting a battle with porn.

The "inner man" on the other hand is the brand-new person God created when you placed your trust in Jesus for salvation! (If you have never trusted Jesus’ death on the cross to provide your forgiveness, click here ) The "inner man" is forgiven, has God-given desires for holiness, and is bound for Heaven.

That "inner man" can be strengthened so that we increasingly live on the basis of our true nature — son or daughter of God! — and not on the basis of who we used to be.

Can you imagine anything more fantastic than to have the capacity to consistently lead a life that honors God, one that mirrors the holiness of Jesus, one that is motivated by the life and love of Jesus? Got doubts that it can happen? Check out verse 20 again…

"Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us"

God is able. Trust Him. Ask Him!

eXXit homepage
Index of three-minute studies
Copyright 2003 by eXXit
*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."