extend "into the inward man." The contrast
seems to be between the inward and the outward, as in 2 Cor. iv. 16; Rom.
vii. 22. The strength is not of the body, or of the mind, but of the soul.
The "inward" is not exactly identical with the "new" man, but emphasises
the inner essential life of the spirit as contrasted with the outer life
of the body. "The hidden man of the heart."

(2) "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (ver. 17, R.V.).
This is the outcome of the inward strength of the Spirit, and almost every
word needs attention. The indwelling of Christ is virtually identical with
that of the Spirit (ch. ii. 22), although of course Christ and the Holy
Spirit are never absolutely identified in Holy Scripture (2 Cor. iii. 17,
18). It is only in regard to the practical outcome in the believer's
experience that the indwelling of Christ and the Spirit amount to the same
thing. This is to be a permanent indwelling and not a mere passing stay,
just as believers together are described as a temple for God's permanent
habitation (ch. ii. 22, Greek). This permanent indwelling of Christ is to
be "in your hearts." Almost every prayer is thus concerned with the
"heart," the centre of the moral being, and the Apostle prays that Christ
may make His home therein. This is no mere influence, but a Personal
Presence, the Living Christ within, and it is to be "through faith." It is
faith that admits Christ to the heart, allowing Him to enter into every
part of the "inward man." And the same faith that admits Him permits Him
to remain, reside, and rule. Faith, in a word, is the total response of
the soul to the Lordship of Christ.

(3) "That ye, being rooted and grounded in love" (ver. 17). Here again the
original expressions imply permanent results, and the two words "rooted"
and "grounded" are beautifully complementary. The one refers to a tree,
the other to a house, and the expressions point to those hidden processes
of the soul which are the result of Christ's indwelling and the Holy
Spirit's working. The power of the Spirit and the indwelling of Christ
tend to our permanent inward establishment in the element and atmosphere
of Christian love. This is one of the seven occasions in this short
Epistle where we find the Pauline phrase, "in love," referring to the
sphere and atmosphere of our fellowship with God. The love no doubt means
primarily and perhaps almost exclusively God's love to us, as that in
which we are to "