“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man” (Eph. 3:16).
It is understood that God always has positive feelings toward His children. When we are obedient to Him, those feelings are expressed toward us in various ways which we never contemplated. It is at these times that life becomes livable and viable. We see that it is after all worthy and not irritable.
In the above verse we see different aspects put together as one unit for the sake of believers. The first of them is the riches of His glory. There is something we need to understand here. The riches come from His glory and they belong to His glory. The glory here is that which all men lost when they sinned (Rom. 3:23). And every time we sin, we lose His glory, which becomes deferred. Men simply could not come close enough to enter it owing to sin. It is something that Adam and Eve experienced when they were apart from sin. The only way men began receiving it after Adam and Eve is in the design of Christ. Once we begin receiving it we and as well as others can both see and feel it. It is the substance that elevates us above all things, gives a special place in the world and continues to be a sign of God’s will. Obviously, God gives to each a glory according to His will and there will be no unfairness in it (Acts 10:34). Since the apostle speaks of it as riches, it is never one dimensional. In other words, it has many facets and helps in fulfilling God’s purpose to us, even our establishment. When they fill us, we get to stand above all the earthly riches. Nothing on this earth swerves us off to ridicule God.
Then we get to come to the second aspect “to be strengthened with power.” Whatever those riches are to us they unequivocally strengthen us in such a way that we feel we have and can overcome. They simply give us tremendous power to stand our ground in Christ for all things. This power helps us see beyond all hurdles and darkness. It aids us so greatly that we become eager to walk the narrow way. For the power will drive us forward irrespective of conditions.
The third aspect is the Spirit of God. From Paul’s experience it appears He is absolutely necessary for God to carry out the above constitution. He controls the power in us. He guides us with it and helps us act in each step of the way. Therefore, we do not waste it nor do we abuse it. It is by His wisdom that we become wise in using all the riches of God’s glory. So then we even obtain higher wisdom that gives perfect prudence. We naturally begin to distinguish ourselves from the rest so that God is known to rest only in us. While men are put to awe we rejoice knowing that we have attained a higher level.
The final aspect is the inner man. He is just as important as the rest. Unless this inner man meets God’s standards, it is impossible for all the above aspects to work together. Again, the inner man is preferred than the outer. While the outer may fade or be scared, the inner will only get to become better and stronger by riches of God’s glory. As long as we keep him under Christ’s jurisdiction, we cannot corrupt him.