in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man;
Paul has just finished setting out the mystery — the deep purpose of God he has been unfolding in this letter. Now he kneels and prays for what words alone cannot give: inward strength from the Spirit, supplied out of the riches of God's glory.
Why Paul Prays Instead of Explaining
Paul has already said everything he can about the mystery, and in simple words. He prays because words alone cannot do the work.
The Apostle clearly saw that stating the truth in set terms would not achieve God's purpose. It is reached only as the Holy Spirit, in mighty power, gives the believer perception through deep exercise of soul.
Another writer draws a line between what anyone can grasp and what only the Spirit can give:
Our natural ability, even in someone born of God, is of no use for understanding the things that belong to divine counsel. Anyone can understand the gospel preached to the people of the world — repentance and forgiveness of sins. But when we come to the deep things of God, we must have the help of the Divine Spirit. Yet God grants this freely.
What "the Inner Man" Means
The phrase means something real inside the believer. Three passages show what it is.
In Romans 7 the apostle looks into himself. He made that wonderful discovery that one part of him, the flesh, "does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot." But he also found a part of himself that delighted in the things of God. In Romans 7 that inward man is without power. In Ephesians 3 the apostle prays that they might be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. He does not say it has already happened. What is lacking is strength, and the Spirit of God is there to give that strength. The third reference is in the closing verses of 2 Corinthians 4: "though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."
So the inner man is not the natural person improved. It comes from God's own work:
The outward man is the physical man — the man who walks, eats, sleeps, and does the ordinary things of life. The inward man belongs only to the Christian. It speaks of a gracious work of God in the soul, beginning with the new birth, the fruit of God's sovereign act.
The Measure: Riches of Glory, Not Riches of Grace
One commentator notes which word Paul uses here, and which one he does not.
The Apostle does not say "according to the riches of His grace," as in Ephesians 1:7. He says "according to the riches of His glory." The prayer is not connected with meeting our need, but with the fulfilment of the counsels of the Father's heart.
One writer explains why every believer's capacity for truth is still not enough here:
Every believer, as one whom God has worked upon and who has received the Holy Spirit, has the spiritual capacity to receive truth. But this verse shows that special communications from God need special preparation of heart, if they are to be impressed on the heart. Does this not mean that the Holy Spirit forms us to receive the truth of the Father's counsels as we are occupied with the Father's glory? We easily become absorbed in our needs, and perhaps in our service for the Lord too — things we do need to speak to the Lord about. But there should be time for communion with the Father about His things, about His glory and about Him who sits in that glory on the Father's throne.
A Different Prayer from Ephesians 1
This is Paul's second prayer in the letter, and it asks for something the first did not.
This is an entirely different line of truth from his prayer in Ephesians 1. There it is a question of standing; here it is of state. In Ephesians 1 he prays that the saints might know their place before God in Christ more fully, with all the privileges of that position. Here it is a question of practical power by the Holy Spirit.
The Strength Has an Aim
The power Paul asks for has a purpose.
God is indeed displaying His glory in all its fullness. He wants us to grasp this in the heart — but for what purpose? Not so that signs and miracles may display what God is working, but "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." How fitting that He should dwell there through faith — not as a Visitor, known now and then and only in part, but truly dwelling there.
Summary
- Weakness. The inner man is God's own work in you. Yet in Romans 7 it delights in God without strength: the lack is never desire, always power.
- Prayer. Paul prays instead of explaining. Set words cannot open the deep things of God; only the Spirit can.
- Measure. The supply comes "according to the riches of His glory." It is not just enough to meet a need. It is enough to fulfil what the Father purposed.
- Method. When we are occupied with the Father's glory instead of our own needs and service, the Spirit strengthens the inner man.
- Aim. The power is not for display but for residence — that Christ may dwell in the heart, not visit it.