Surpasses (4138) (huperballo from hupér = above + ballo = cast) literally means throwing beyond the usual mark and figuratively referring to a degree which exceeds extraordinary, a point on an implied or overt scale of extent. Expressing a degree beyond comparison. Extraordinary, extreme, supreme, far more, much greater, to a far greater degree. To transcend. Immeasurable It is cast into a totally different realm where the normal faculties of rational apprehension are incapable of functioning. Liddell-Scott 1. to overshoot, outdo, surpass, prevail over 2. to go beyond, exceed 3. absolutely to exceed all bounds 4. to go on further and further, "he went on bidding more and more" - to pass over, cross mountains, rivers, etc. -of water, to run over, overflow TDNT This verb, having an original sense of “to throw beyond,” means “to go beyond,” “to stand out,” “to excel,” or, censoriously, “to transgress the proper measure.” The noun means “excess” or “supreme stage or measure.” Huperballo - 5x in 5v in NAS - Take a moment and observe the following 5 uses for the entity or attribute which is modified by huperballo. Interesting. 2 Corinthians 3:10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 2 Corinthians 9:14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Ephesians 1:19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might Ephesians 2:7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Huperballo is found only in the apocryphal writings - 2 Macc 4:13, 24; 7:42; 3 Macc 2:23; Sir 5:7; 25:11 Vincent makes the apt observation: Compounds with hyper (huper), over, beyond, are characteristic of Paul's intensity of style, and mark the struggle of language with the immensity of the divine mystery, and the opulence of divine grace. Earle writes on Paul's use of "hyper"... A glance at the Englishman's Greek Concordance or Moulton and Geden's Concordance to the Greek Testament will show that of 25 compounds with hyper in the NT, 16 are found only in the Pauline Epistles and others are used mainly by Paul. They reflect the apostle's strong personality and his almost frustrated desire to seek to express in words the inexpressible greatness of God's grace. This sense of the inadequacy of language to convey spiritual truths is even more prominent in the Greek text than in English translation. Paul is struggling to say what cannot be said. It is utterly impossible to put the fullness of divine reality in human language, to compress the infinite into what is finite. That is why one cannot receive the full impact of the meaning of the Word of God except as the Holy Spirit illuminates his mind to understand it. Just so, Paul struggled to express the great thoughts with the words which so weakly convey them. It is with words that we have to deal. But our goal is always to get behind those words to the meaning. Biblical interpretation is the most challenging, demanding task that anyone can undertake. The sincere student, and especially preacher, of the Word of God will seek to use all the human tools he can get hold of—study of the original Greek and Hebrew, the best reference works available, the studies made by careful scholars. The minister who fills his shelves only with canned sermons and popular "how-to" books is not true to his calling. What he needs is spades with which to dig out eternal truths. Above and beyond all this he needs the Holy Spirit's help and guidance. (Earle, R. Word Meanings in the New Testament) Knowledge (1108) (gnosis) is the content of what is known. It describes the comprehension or intellectual grasp of something. It refers to experiential knowledge or knowledge gained by experience (as contrasting with intuitive knowledge that one has innately). As an aside gnosis was the characteristic word of the Gnostics, one of the most formidable enemies of the Church of the second century. The Gnostics claimed a superior knowledge peculiar to an intellectual caste (they are still "alive and well" in 21st century Christianity!) This phrase parallels “the unfathomable riches of Christ” (Ep 3:8-note) Boice asks a reasonable question... If it surpasses knowledge, how are we to grasp or know it? There are two answers. First, although we cannot exhaust the love of Christ by our knowledge, we can nevertheless know this love truly. It is the same with the knowledge of God generally. We cannot know exhaustively, but we can know truly. So although, in the same way, we cannot know all of Christ’s love for us, we can know that what we perceive as Christ’s love is truly love. The love of Christ that we know at the beginning of our Christian life is the same love that we will know (though more fully) at the end. Second, we are to grow in our awareness of that love, particularly through the routine hardships, sufferings, and persecutions of life. Here is where the matter of the dimensions “wide and long and high and deep” comes in. (Boice, J. M.: Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary) Devotional from Amazing Grace on the Amazing Love of Jesus... Who can fully grasp the dimensions of God’s great love for us? Yet the Scriptures teach that we are to have a growing awareness of divine love. Love is the very heart and essence of God, not only for the lovely but for the vilest of sinners. Christ did not die merely to display God’s love—He died because God is love (1 John 4:8). If the New Testament teaches us anything, it teaches us about God’s love in searching for lost men. Becoming a Christian in a very real sense is simply putting ourselves in the way of being found by God—to stop running from His loving pursuit. As we mature in the Christian faith, we begin to realize that every situation that comes our way is an opportunity for God’s love to be made more evident in our lives. Once we realize this, our attitude changes dramatically toward suffering people as well as toward ourselves when we are called to suffer. Then even during those times when our spiritual fervor declines and our devotion to God subsides, despite these shortcomings, God’s love remains unfailing—continually working for our eternal good. (Osbeck, K. W. Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions. Kregel Publications) O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus by Samuel Francis (Play Hymn) O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free! Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me! Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above! O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore! How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore! How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own; How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne! O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best! ’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest! O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me; And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee! Ruth Paxson writes... "To know the love of Christ." We can know that Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. We can know the faithfulness of His love as manifested in countless ways every day of our lives; its tenderness as it comforts us in suffering and sorrow; its fellowship as it shares with us everything it possesses; its patience as it forgives us the seventy times seven. We can also daily add to our knowledge of the love of Christ as we company with Him in prayer and in the the study of His Word; as we fellowship with other saints who know and experience deeply the love of Christ; and as we enter more fully into the fellowship of his sufferings, "filling up on our part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for his body's sake" (Colossians 1:24). "Which passeth knowledge." But there is a love of Christ that is knowledge-surpassing. The expression of Christ's love is knowable, but the essence of it is unknowable. We can never know the love that paid the cost of leaving His eternal home in the Father's bosom in the heavenly glory and of coming to a world that rejected and crucified Him. We can never know the knowledge-surpassing love that voluntarily emptied itself of its inherent glory and was made in the likeness of men and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. We can never know the love that on Calvary's Cross suffered the anguish of heart compressed in that cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" We can only confess our utter inability to comprehend such love and tell Him that it makes Him unspeakably precious to us, more precious than anyone or anything in heaven or upon earth. We can respond with a love for Him that sweeps our life clean of all counter-loves and that leads us to go to the uttermost limit of our capacity in adoration of and devotion to Him. (The Wealth, Walk and Warfare of the Christian) "It passeth knowledge, that dear love of thine, My Jesus, Saviour; yet this soul of mine Would of thy love in all its breadth and length, Its height and depth and everlasting strength, Know more and more." THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED UP TO ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD: hina plerothete (2PAPS) eis pan to pleroma tou theou: (Ep 1:23; Psalms 17:15; 43:4; Matthew 5:6; John 1:16; Colossians 2:9,10; Revelation 7:15, 16, 17; Revelation 21:22, 23, 24; 22:3, 4, 5) Paul's prayer to the Father reaches its climax in this final, summarizing request. Thus we note that as believers are strengthened in the inner man through the Spirit and Christ dwells comfortably at home in their hearts through faith and they know in a personal, experiential way more of the immeasurable love of Christ, based on these spiritual dynamics, believers will be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God. That (hina) introduces a purpose clause which depicts the grand purpose and result. Filled up to - to the measure or standard of. 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