Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

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. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14–21)

The apostle expresses the sort of prayers he has for the Ephesians: that God give you—he says—the riches of His glory. He also discloses what these riches of the glory of God are: the power to be strengthened by His Spirit in order that they be strong against the flesh and the desires of the flesh, and against the most evil powers of the world. This comes about and is produced by the Spirit of God. But how are they strengthened—that is, rendered strong—by the Spirit of God? In the interior person for Christ to dwell, says he. For when Christ begins to dwell in the interior person, i.e., in the soul, people are rendered strong in power by the Spirit, all adversities are expelled. Now Paul adds how Christ dwells in the interior person: by faith in your hearts, he says. So it is a simple and fine thing—simple, in that faith alone provides so great a service, so great a benefit. What? That Christ would dwell in our hearts. What do we acquire with Him indwelling? That we would be stronger through the Spirit and thus have the riches of the glory of God; and that having been rendered strong we might sustain no harm, might despise the world, and conquer all the most evil powers. These are the riches of God. We look forward even to glory and the promise, rooted and grounded in love. This most important precept has been laid down everywhere by Paul and has been presented by me quite frequently by way of admonition: for the stability and foundation, the whole status of the soul with respect to eternity, is in love. This love, I have often said, is love for God, for Christ, and toward men. This love makes our faith rooted and grounded.

Marius Victorinus, Commentary on Ephesians 1.3.16–17